July Wrap Up!

July was a busy month. In fact, the last few months have been pretty darn busy for me. My reading is suffering a little, but I'm not giving up! 

One of the things I think that really help are readathons! I can knock out two books in a weekend if I make it my goal to read for however many hours in two days. I think I might do my own little mini readathons more often! After all, to stay on track of reading 75 books this year, I need to be reading two a week (according to Goodreads!). 

On to the month of July: I read three books and two ebooks! 

It was funny, I went to do my wrap up the morning of July 31st but when I realized that I'd only read four books in total, I didn't feel like that was enough. Instead, I went and read another book! If only I could get myself to do that more often, I would have reached my goal for the year months ago!

The Dire King by William Ritter. 🌟🌟🌟

Brownies and Betrayal by Heather Justesen 🌟🌟🌟

The Beau & The Belle by R. S. Grey 🌟🌟🌟

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomson 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman 🌟🌟🌟.5

My review that includes The Dire King can be found here. As for the rest of the books, my reviews for them will be popping up soon (I hope!) 

I think for the month of August I want to shoot for 6 books read (hopefully more like 12 but let's start small!) 

Murder in the Dark by Kerry Greenwood

Yep. It's time again for another Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries review. Sorry, not sorry.

Murder in the Dark had a lot of action and a lot of drama. This one really kept me glue to the page. It showed a lot more of the seedy underbelly of drugs, sex, and partying that the rich set got up to back in the 1920's. It was quite thrilling! It didn't include a whole lot of her entourage that I love so much, but it made up for that with really interesting story telling. How Phryne metes out justice and lives to tell the tale is quite awesome.

I utterly enjoyed this book. It was dark and twisted, a little bit rougher than many of her books but I still loved very second of it.

Phryne receives and invitation to the Last Best party of 1928 being held by the Golden Twins whom Phryne knew from her days in Paris. It's a four day extravaganza, and someone has been sending her warning letters trying to keep her from going. Of course that isn't going to stop her. If anything it makers her want to go even more. There is a goat lady (complete with goat), female polo players, pipe smoking acolytes, flirtations, dancing, pleasure parties, and mint juleps. It's Phryne's type of party.

It was so interesting to read about the types of things they might have happened with the rich and popular back in the day. They kinds of trouble they could have gotten into made for a really interesting read. I don't want to give anything away, but if you like the naughtier side of things that tend to go on in these books, then you'll thoroughly enjoy this one!

Recommendation: If you're reading this and haven't yet picked up any of these books to read for yourself, then what are you waiting for?

Flying Too High by Kerry Greenwood

This one is the second book in the Phryne Fisher mysteries and it introduces some of the characters that we have come to know and love from reading and watching the show.

This one focuses on the death of a family man (who it's believed was murdered by his son) and, you guessed it, aeroplanes. The side mystery involves a young girl who goes missing, and when someone is in need to help, Phryne comes to the rescue. 

Mr. and Mrs. Butler are introduced and Phryne takes up residence in her Australian home, at 221B of course, a nod to the famous detective himself. Everything begins to come together for the fabulous female investigator. She has her household under control, Dot is by her side, and a new mystery or two to solve.

Something I loved right from the beginning with these books is that Phryne is always Phryne. She doesn't change much at all. She retains the same principles and acts exactly how you would expect her to in every situation. It's like reading about a good friend.

I had little to complain about when it comes to this novel. I know sometimes I might find myself irritated a little by the romance or the seemingly easy way the mysteries are solved but this one didn't get under my skin. It was lovely and I enjoyed it as usual! 

Recommendation: I love these books. I can see how they aren't for everyone, but you know, I love a strong woman who does what she wants (while solving mysteries with her lovable band of helpers, of course!)

He Drank, and Saw the Spider by Alex Bledsoe

This was pretty cool. It's the fifth book in a series following a "sword jockey" named Eddie LaCrosse in a fantasy type historical world. He is kind of like a private eye in a sense who finds himself solving mysteries.

This book starts off with Eddie trying to save a man from being mauled to death by a bear. He doesn't manage to save the man, but he does manage to save the baby the man was carrying. He takes the baby, drops her off with a family in a nearby town, and then moves on with his life. Or so he thinks. 16 years later, he finds his way back to this town an older man with his girlfriend, and searches out the girl. Just in time to help save her again.

What really drew me in to this book at first was the title. What an interesting title! I was dying to know what that meant, and what the context was. Well, thankfully this book explained! The only thing was, it was repeated a whole bunch of times, which kind of drove me nuts. It's like when movies say the name of the movie in the movie, which is cool, but when they repeat it a whole bunch of times, it's just too much.

I liked the characters, I liked the story, I liked the world they live in, and I want to read more. The characters were colorful and interesting, and I found the story quite compelling.

Even so, I don't think I am going to be running back to the library to pick up another one but I will be adding this series to my ever growing list to read. I will read more about Eddie LaCrosse and his adventures at some point for sure!

I hate rating books out of 5 but I think if I had to rate this one, I would give it a 3.75/5. I liked it, but... there was something missing. Still, it was good!

Recommendation: Fans of fantasy, of other worlds, of live saving missions, and funny but real sounding characters, this is for you!

The puppy got involved in my photo shoot again. He always wants to be the center of attention!

May Wrap Up!

It has been FOREVER since I've done a monthly wrap up of the books I've read. Why, you ask? Because I almost always forget what day it is. I end up missing the end/beginning of the next month so often that I remember like 5 days into the new month and that's just way too late.

In the month of May this year I read a total of 7 books. Four were from library and three were from my own collection. I decided super last minute to make a post about it at all so my photos were done rather quickly. (I snapped the ones of the library books on my way out this morning as I was going to the library after work today).

The books marked with a * are the ones that will have reviews coming soon! I think this month was a pretty good literary month and I am ready for June!





From the library I read:

Daisies for Innocence by Bailey Cattrell *
The Sandman by Lars Kepler *
Robert B. Parker's Kickback by Ace Atkins
Death of a Chimney Sweep by M.C. Beaton









From my collection I read:

Wildwood by Colin Meloy*
This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper*
The BFG by Roald Dahl *

Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke

This is one of those books that has been around quite a long time. If you've watched the movie Sister Act 2 with Whoopie Goldberg and Lauryn Hill then you will know that Whoopie told Lauryn to read the book.

It's a series of letters written by Rainer Maria Rilke who was a poet. The man writing to him was asking Rainer to look at his work and to give him advice on writing. There are no letters from the point of view of the man who wrote to Rainer, only the letters that the man received from Rainer. 

The reference that I have seen often when this book has been mentioned is what Rainer says about writing. I am paraphrasing here, but he says that if you look inside yourself and ask yourself "must I write?" and if the answer is anything but a resounding yes, then you should just walk away. If the answer is yes, then you must write. 

His point of view is very interesting, and the book is full of wonderful quotes about life and writing. He focuses on details of the self and of using whats around us in our work. 

It's not a easy read even though it is very short and comprises 11 letters that Rainer wrote. His thoughts are esoteric and at times a little difficult to follow. 

The beauty of it is, Rainer was being completely candid and open with his thoughts and feelings during this period of time. It was like reading some one's journal. I found it quite interesting. 

Recommendation: Pick this up if you are interested in writing, or even following your dreams. It's so full of wisdom that I think it's worth having around to pick up again and again because I'm sure you'll come across something new each time. 

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

This book was intense. I cried at times, I felt sad, I felt inspired, I felt like what it would have been like to be married to Hemingway back in the day.

I really do enjoy reading about the lives of others especially when it comes to the lives of writers. Doesn't matter if the stories are fiction, I still love them. 

I won't lie, I was left with a bit of an empty feeling at the end. This book took a lot out of me. It was definitely an emotional journey. I won't go into details (as usual) but this book follows the life of one of Hemingway's wives. The good, the bad, the ugly, the great. It's all there imagined how the author, using details from her life, thinks it went. It's all there. 

I find that the same thing that happens with movies happens with books. So often you will hear of a new release of a movie on a topic and right after, or even at the same time, you see another movie just like it come out. This book came across my radar around the same time I heard of Z the book about the life of Zelda Fitzgerald. I have read both, and I think I read both in the same year (though I'm not saying they came out at the same time). It's just interesting how that seems to happen. 

Recommendation: Read this if you enjoy stories about people who lived, life stories, and stories about the lives of writers. It's worth the read. 

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister was my first foray into the world of fairy tale retelling. It was also my first read by Gregory Maguire. I picked both of these up at a used book store purely because I had heard of Wicked and how people loved that book, and his others.

I like Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. It was interesting and I found the twists it put on the original to be quite good. I appreciated that the author kept to the traditional fairy tale by setting it in another time and place even though his story was a little more on the realistic side.

I did enjoy it, and I now have Wicked on my shelf, which I will get to at some point. I hope I enjoy it as much as others do. I will try to keep an open mind when I read it.

The copy of Mirror, Mirror that I picked up was an ARC, so I'm not 100% sure that it is exactly like the published copy, but I tried to read it, and failed. I just couldn't get into it. It was not enough for me, and I found myself getting bored. I put it down and I couldn't make myself pick it up again. I don't like to leave books unfinished, but with so many other books calling me from my shelf, I didn't want to bother. I'm sorry to those who loved it, but sadly I didn't.

Recommendation: Read these if you like, but neither one is on my favourites list, and I've actually removed my copies from my shelves and donated them to make room for new reads.

Still Life by Louise Penny

If you haven't seen the review I did on The Beautiful Mystery you may not know that it was the first book I read by Louise Penny, even though it is technically the eighth book in her series about Chief Inspector Gamache. I picked that one up at the library first to get a feel for her work before I purchased the first three books in a boxed set from the book store.

Still Life is her first book in the series. It's set in a small little town in Quebec, with a small cast of characters. Someone is found murdered and it is up to Gamache and his associates to find out what happened.

The author has this incredible way of drawing you into her characters and revealing their very essence in little to almost no words. Immediately you get a sense of who they really are and you feel so familiar with them, almost as if you knew them for real.

Her writing is perfection. She switches between character points of view so seamlessly that you hardly notice, but it just makes sense. In both of the books I've read so far I've laughed out lout at times. It's not that she told you jokes, but more like there were humorous situations that you could picture happening to those you know that would make you laugh. It really deepens your connection with the characters.

As for the mystery, I figured out who had done the murder early on, but it was only a hunch. I had no idea why this person committed the crime. It was just a thought I had that turned out to be right. It did not bother me in the slightest that I was right, the story was still really great in my opinion.

I really loved the Canadian touches she added into her work. It was pretty neat (well I think so, but I'm Canadian!). I just hate that she had be writing for 10 years and I just discovered her books now!

I don't usually review every book in a series, but I think I will keep writing about her books because I am totally enamoured by them!

Recommendation: If you enjoy a good mystery then please, please read these! You will not be disappointed!!

Robert B. Parker's Wonderland by Ace Atkins

My mother was the one who introduced me to the novels by Robert B. Parker years ago at the library.  I was just getting into reading adult novels, and as he wrote mysteries, I ate them up.

He wrote about 70 novels in his time, passing away in 2011 I believe. He was known (as his website says) as the dean of American crime fiction. Many of his works were best sellers. Three of his series that I've read and enjoyed were the Spenser series, the Sunny Randall series, and the Jesse Stone series. The Spenser and Sunny Randall books follow their respective protagonists who are private detectives, and the Jesse Stone books follow a policeman of the same name. I do believe one or two of his Jesse Stone books were made into made for tv movies (if I remember correctly, but I could be wrong).

Now, there are multiple authors who are taking up his mantle and continuing on his work (with permission from his estate of course) with some of his series. This book is part of his Spenser series, and was written by Ace Atkins.

I am always leery about books written by someone else after an authors death. Especially in this situation, because the writing of Robert B. Parker was so different and unique in my opinion. I was curious to see if someone else could really accomplish what Parker could.

In my opinion, this was well done. If you have never had the pleasure of reading anything by Parker, I recommend you grab one from the library. His books can be read out of order without much of an issue, which is always good. He writes in such a way that less is more. With little words, he can convey big ideas. His detectives are flawed and different, but perfectly the stereotype of the American P.I. They are wonderful reads. Quite easy and quick reads too.

The characters all have their own codes of conduct as it were and his stories follow a certain type of formula. I was happily surprised that Ace Atkins accomplished everything that Parker did. It was well done. I do believe I will pick up more of these at the library when I see them.

Recommendation: I would check out the works of Robert B. Parker. He was a brilliant and prolific writer. Especially if you like reading about private detectives.

Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb

I found this series at the book store last year. I was really interested in it at first glance because it was about dragons, their keepers, and the trials they face. I am always interested in fantasy like this. I kept my eye on them (because like most other bookworms, we have too many books already to read) and I held off till earlier this year.

Right from the beginning, I was sucked in. I won't go into detail, but the story was quite unlike any other dragon story I've read before. The author created their own kind of world and facts to go with it, all of which I found quite unique.

Now, from the synopsis on the back of the book, we are expecting certain things to happen in this book, but in fact, it's a bit misleading. The first 3/4 of the book is actually quite a bit of preparation for what the author has said will happen. It is so detailed that parts of the book feel like you are entering an entirely different story all together. By the end of the book all the parts come together though, and it ends almost on a complete cliffhanger. Thankfully, there are other books in the series ready and waiting to be read so you don't feel completely left wondering for long.

The writing was detailed and interesting. It was an engaging read that required your full attention less you miss out on some important details. This book isn't for the reader who likes fast paced action. Or the reader who prefers novels that only take a few hours to devour. Think of it more like Game of Thrones. It's a super detailed read. Well worth it though, but reader beware.

Recommendation: For the dragon lover, for the intense reader, for the lover of well written detailed stories. It was very worth it in my opinion.

The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny

I am a huge fan of mysteries and all things Canadian, so I was very surprised that I had not heard of Louise Penny until about two months ago. She has been writing her Chief Inspector Gamache novels based in Quebec for about 10 years now.  Her novels have all the French Canadian flavour you'd expect, and she's won many awards for her writing. Her newest novel has just come out, making the series 11 in total.

It was the announcement of her eleventh novel that caught my attention. At my local book store they were having a deal on the first three of her novels in a box set for a really good price. I was almost certain I would love her work, but instead I went to the library to find one of her books to give it a try.

This is the book I picked up, the only one of the series in stock. It's the eighth one in the series, and this one takes place at a small secluded abbey full of monks. One of the monks is killed, and Inspector Gamache is called in to find out whodunnit. It's not a very complicated mystery in all, but your focus becomes more on the other characters. It's a bit hard to explain, but it is very interesting either way.

Her writing is beautiful. She is a detailed writer, but not obnoxiously so. Her characters are perfectly imperfect but so engaging you fall for them almost immediately. You will become seriously invested in their lives right off the bat. She has a way of switching points of view between the characters that is so seamless you hardly notice, but somehow it just makes sense.

I did end up picking up the box set of the first three novels, and as I write this, I've actually picked up the fourth as well. I am well and truly hooked! I don't really like to write about each book in a series when they are so similar, but I can't help myself. I will be reviewing and gushing over each one as I read them!

Recommendation: It's got a brilliant detective, amazing writing, and an interesting mystery. What more could you ask for?

Pirate King by Laurie R. King

This book is part of a series written by Laurie R. King that tells tales of Sherlock Holmes and his wife Mary Russell. According to this author, Sherlock is married, and the stories are being told from her point of view. She helps with his investigations, and in some cases, carries out her own investigations.

I will tell you right off the bat that these books feel like you are reading a Sherlock Holmes novel. They have the same feel that we lovers of the famous detective seek out in stories about him. It is perfectly lovely, and a little refreshing, to have a story about him told by the point of a view of a woman.

This particular story has Mary travelling with a film crew as they head out to sea to film a pirate movie. She is there to keep an eye on things, as asked by Sherlock's brother Mycroft, but the true nature of the game that is afoot is kept secret.

Mary herself is like a female Sherlock. She's smart, quick. no nonsense, and always on her toes. As a protagonist, I really enjoy her. This book kept my attention for hours. Time just flew by as I was reading. This one, and the others, are just so well written and interesting!

Recommendation: These are must reads for every Sherlock fan. Honestly, you won't be disappointed!

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

I grabbed this at the library last time I was there because I keep seeing the book all over bookstagram. Normally, I stay pretty much away from teen novels because I just don't seem to enjoy them as much as others do but I found it purely by accident so I figured I would give it a try.

The book is about a girl who on her 19th birthday must take over the throne that was her mothers. There are so many problems that face her along with an enemy who threatens trouble to her kingdom. I won't say more, but that is not all there is to it. It's quite an interesting and full read.

Straight up: I loved it. In no way did it feel like a teen novel to me. It was wonderfully written. The characters were believable and interesting, and the subject of the book was really quite neat. The library marked it as science fiction, but it felt more medieval, almost Game of Thrones-esque. Medieval times in the future, I think you would call it.

I've heard that some people find it slow but I didn't think so at all. It was really detailed and it kept my full attention. It took me longer to read than a lot of books I read because I found it to be a more involving story. It total, I think it took me more like 5-6 hours to finish. It was quite easy to forget I was reading a teen novel because it felt so much like an adult novel. That could be why some people think its slow. It does move at a pace more suited to adult novels which can be more intense possibly for some readers.

I loved how the author teased you with details and such but left a lot to be revealed later on. I am very curious to see what happens next. There were a couple bits (especially at the beginning) that could be said to be repetitive, but honestly, I didn't pay that any mind. The story worked out very well in my opinion!

Recommendation: If you've heard of this book before and are curious about it, give it a read. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I think you'll be happily entertained!

The Mangle Street Murders by M.R.C Kasasian

I picked this one up at the library purely based on its cover. Then I found out it was set in London in 1882 and I was super excited to read it.

I found out later this one is first in a series about a personal detective named Sidney Grice who takes in a woman who is the daughter of a friend when she has no where else to go once her father dies. She demands that she be part of his investigations (much to his great annoyance). The ensuing mysteries follow their time together.

Sidney Grice comes across as very pompous and self absorbed. He has a lot of Sherlock Holmes type tendencies but not quite the same amount of humanity. Sidney really does seem more self absorbed. Like Poirot, Grice is friends with a police chief and works with him to solve crimes.

The mystery itself was good. I figured out bits of the crime before it was revealed but there was so much more to it which happily surprised me.

There are bits that happened that neither Poirot or Sherlock would have let happen which kind of bugged me but it wasn't a bad book.  If I came across another one of his books I would probably pick it up at the library but it's not on my hit list.

Recommendation: Not a bad read. If you like the genius and callous detective type novels set in the 1880's London who get stuff done, then read this!

August Wrap Up!

This month was a better month for reading. I was quite busy at times but I did manage to get through 7 books. I'm not one for really posting ratings like out of 5 stars, but I will say that reviews for this months reads will be up periodically throughout this month.

I was trying to do the Book Bingo thing but I failed horribly. Didn't even get through the first read. I went out of town, then went to the library and things just went down hill from there. I loved the idea and I think it'll be great to keep doing it, but I haven't decided what path I'm going to take yet.

Onto my reads!




Library Books:

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Robert B Parker's Wonderland by Ace Atkins

The Mangle Street Murders by M.R.C. Kasasian

The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny









My Books:

Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs

Still Life by Louise Penny

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler

I picked this one up on sale and I was really excited to read it. After reading The Great Gatsby and learning a bit about F. Scott Fitzgerald and his life, I was super interested in reading this book, even if it is a fictional autobiography.

This book is about the life of Fitzgeralds wife Zelda Sayre. When they met, what life was like in the 1920's during the Jazz Age. There was also some insight into the life of Fitzgerald and what it was like to be a writer in those days.

I will start off by saying this book was beautifully written. It was interesting and informative and kept my full attention. I read in all in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. From a literary perspective it was a work of art.

The main subject of this story, the life of Zelda, was heartbreaking. It made me angry, sad, and confused. It was such a tough story to read. If I ever wore rose coloured glasses when it comes to the lives of writers back in the days of Hemingway and Fitzgerald, they are most certainly off.

My heart just broke for her. I wanted things to have turned out differently for her. It was such a different kind of story then what I usually read. I didn't know how things were going to go. I guess I just assumed the story would be a happy one. It's not that its a terrible story, its just its heart felt and intense.

I don't want to ruin it for anyone, because believe me, its worth the read. The thing with it is, its a look at the life of another person who actually lived. Can't always be the perfect dream we all hope for.

Recommendation: Read this. It is so worth it. I am happy to have read it for all the pain it caused me. People aren't meant to be forgotten. They are meant to be celebrated.

Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton

This novel is the perfect story. It's got romance, fairy tale, destiny, ghosts, mystery, and so much more goodness. It's funny, serious, heart warming, and full of love. Quite like any other story I've read before.

The book is about a girl who finds out that the character in the stories her mother used to tell her is not only real but has passed away. This woman has also left the girl things in her will, and has requested that the girl carry out a task for her. There is so much more to this book, but I do not want to spoil it.

The mystery in this story is more of a simple finding out of facts. Its not gruesome at all. These mysteries are about love, of life, a mysterious photo, ghosts, a strange blue notebook, and a stuffed bunny named Reginald.

This book really is a perfect fairy tale for current time. It has all the elements that make dreams come true, with just a little hint of mystery.

I came across the Aunt Dimity series years ago in the library. I've read a few of the following novels, this one being the first in the series. I'm sure I've read this one too, but honestly it felt like a new story when I read it. In my opinion, this story could be a stand alone because its just a wonderful story. I can say though that many of the following books are also pretty darn awesome.

Recommendation: Perfect book for a lover of a good story, for a lover of fairy tales, for a lover of the purest forms of mystery. No matter how you slice it, its great. A definite must read.

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg

I came across this book in the reference section under writing. Immediately it called out to me. I snapped it up and I am so darn glad I did.

This book is an inspiration to new writers and old writers alike to write. She talks about the how-to's the why and the just do's to get any writers hand moving across that paper (or key board). She writes like she's sitting in a coffee shop across from you tell you stories, but at the same time lifting you up and inspiring you again and again.

I loved this book immensely. It was a great introduction into the writing of this author. She is such a huge inspiration and her words are just so amazing. This book was non stop wisdom. Every page is a new blast of inspiration and advice.

Every writer needs to have this book on their shelves to refer to at any time. There's no question why this book is a best seller.

Her methods are simple but effective. She does go into a little bit of detail with regards to her Zen practices and how they have helped her, along with the lessons they have taught her. I found it really interesting which is why I've also read another one of her books The True Secret of Writing which covers more of that including the writing workshops she's held and the methods she teaches them. Don't worry, the review on that book is coming soon!

I can dive into this book on any page at any time and feel revived and inspired. I am cherishing my copy, that's for sure.

Recommendation: Attention all writers, aspiring writers, and those thinking of writing: You need this book. It's a must. A serious must. Don't question it, just read it!!

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

My first knowledge of Sylvia Plath was on a teen show quite a few years ago. The guy was making fun of a girl for being emotional and broody and he referred to The Bell Jar. It's still the first thing I think of when this book comes to mind. This show (possibly the same episode) was also when I learned of Jane Austen and her works.

Since then I have learned that Sylvia Plath was a brilliant writer and poet. I am familiar with her life story, and although it's not the happiest, it's still very important.

The Bell Jar is a classic. Sylvia Plath wrote a tale of a woman's life dealing with depression and mental illness. Some of the events in this book actually mirror her own life and it is said it was semi-autobiographical. She originally published this book under a pseudonym.

This is a haunting tale, but it's an important read. It gives you a look inside the mind of someone dealing with depression. It's really hard to describe this book. It's powerful and emotional and will leave you with mixed feelings.

I would say that I am happy to have read it. I can understand Sylvia Plath and our draw to her like a moth to a flame. She was a beautiful writer, and a beautiful person. Her work was very important and it deserves to be appreciated.

Recommendation: Go look up this author and her work. If you can handle it, then please, read it. It is a classic and deserves to be read. Take it for what it is. I consider it a gem in my collection.