What I’m Reading
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While I still don’t get to read quite as much as I would like, Mil is becoming a bit more independent, which is allowing me to be able to do more things for me, including reading. I’ve been even able to finish four books in the last couple of months.
Recently Finished
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsberg
This is a modern children’s classic, originally published in 1967, follows Claudia and her brother, Jamie, as they run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While this is something that could never occur today, it’s a fanciful story and something nice to go back to when life gets a little stressful.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time was not what I was expecting, but kept my attention. The book is narrated in the first-person by Christopher John Francis Boone, an autistic teen. In his story, Christopher’s attempt to discover who murdered the neighbor’s dog was an interesting way to tell the story of this episode in his life.
Murder at the Grand Raj Palace by Vaseem Kahn
I love a good murder mystery and this novel, like the others in the series, did not disappoint. This particular novel follows retired detective Chopra as he attempts to prove that an apparent suicide in a posh hotel is murder. And in an attempt to spend more time with her husband, Chopra’s wife, Poppy, decides to stay in the hotel and gets herself embroiled in the disappearance of a bride just before her wedding.
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
This book follows Lazlo Strange, a war orphan and junior librarian obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep. When a stunning opportunity presents itself, Lazlo is able to travel to this legendary city and discover what happened to cut it off from the rest of the world, and potentially help with a lasting problem. I’m (a bit impatiently) waiting for the sequel to come out in paperback later this month. While this novel is written for young adults, the story is well worth a try for anyone who enjoys fantasy.
What Next?
I just finished reading Strange the Dreamer, and can’t quite decide which book to pick up next. I’ve got several books in my TBR pile right now. They include classics like Their Eyes Were Watching God and Breakfast of Champions, along with humorous essays by David Sedaris. I’m also waiting for a few books to be released, including Erin Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea. Do you have anything else I should add to the stack?
I’m in the midst of Catriona McPherson’s “Dandy Gilver and an Unsuitable Day for a Murder”. So far it is much better than the other Dandy Gilver novels I’ve read (one of which, “Bury Her Deep” I didn’t bother to finish, it was so scrappy.) Finally after six–count em, six–books, McPherson seems to have hit her stride, though I can’t say she evokes the 1920s atmosphere as such very well. Dandy and Co. seem more Edwardian than modern. But then I don’t suppose I’ll ever find a series that can replace Phryne Fisher.
Have you seen the Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries tv series? I watched it a few months back and quite enjoyed it. I didn’t realize it was based on a series of books. I guess that gives me something else to read.
The TV series is very different from the books. There are some episodes that the scriptwriters just made up, and others that claim to be films of the books but are completely changed. One of my complaints is that Phryne is supposedly 28-29 but they chose an actress who was already in her mid-forties to play the part–and it shows in spite of heavy, heavy makeup (which just makes her look older, TBH). Miss Fisher is my “comfort read”, like Harry Potter or Tolkein is for other people. Tolkein was my comfort read in highschool, but then I got old.