The Bride’s Fortnight in Review

More or less, including what’s coming up in what’s left of March.

Not a bad beginning to the month. I managed to finish two books and made significant progress on one other, a chunky non-fiction that I’ve been reading on and off for what seems like centuries, but I’m determined to finish it this month. Determined I tell you!

Books read:

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca

Sadomasochism. Obsession. Death. All of the above are included in this set of three long short stories. I absolutely loved the title of this collection, though interestingly the main story isn’t the strongest one for me – everything in it happens so quickly and for once the email/message structure isn’t the most effective, though the ending was very creepy. The other two worked better for me, especially You’ll Find It’s Like That All Over (another great title). I will definitely be reading more of this author’s work in the future.

Written in Bone: Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind by Sue Black

Or Dame Professor Sue Black as I like to acknowledge. She is one of my absolute heroes and this book doesn’t disappoint. Working her way through the human skeleton from head to toe each section is a mixture of anthropological insights, personal experience and heaps of anecdotes, many from criminal cases on which she has worked. I learned such a lot from this book and my admiration for her keeps growing.

Currently Reading:

Three books currently on the go – Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz which I’ve kind of set aside for now but want to get moving on; ditto for Excellent Intentions by Richard Hull, a British Library Crime Classic by an author I don’t know and which I may have purchased because I really liked the cover; and Global Crisis which is a chunkster on 17th century world history and the impact of climate change during that period, which has popped up on this blog many times in the past and I WILL finish this month.

Coming up in March:

The TBR reduction challenge is to start a series I’ve never read before, with a stretch goal of completing the series this year. I’ve decided to choose the Love & Inheritance Trilogy by Fay Weldon, in honour of the fact that she died recently, starting with (obviously) book one Habits of the House.

Yes, it could be argued that a trilogy isn’t a series in the spirit of the challenge but I don’t care, I’m including it anyway. Don’t at me.

I also wanted to mention the passing of Christopher Fowler, author of the Bryant & May series, lots of creepy short stories and some fabulous standalone horror. I was lucky enough to meet him several times and he was a smashing person. He will be missed a great deal.

I have several books on pre-order which will be dropping into my reader this month:

Red London by Alma Katsu – Why? Female CIA operatives, Russian oligarchs and London.
Nothing but the Rain by Naomi Salman – Why? I’m from the west of Scotland where rain was a way of life when I was a child, so the idea that being out in the rain can wash away your memories sounds intriguing
The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear – Why? OK, it’s not a Maisie Dobbs story but it is about a female ex-spy, corruption in Scotland Yard and organised crime in London. There is possibly a pattern here…..
A House with Good Bones by T Kingfisher – Why? It’s a “haunting Southern Gothic” family saga.
Rubicon by JS Dewes Why? First line of the description: “Sergeant Adrienne Valero wants to die. She can’t.“
Games for Dead Girls by Jen Williams – Why? I love Jen’s work and this has urban legends, macabre secrets, and has been described as a propulsive read so I. Am. In.

That’s it so far!

April in Review

Here we are with a quarter of the year already gone and it’s time for another monthly round-up.

April was a good month for bookish matters.

The Stats

Books read = 8
Pages read = 2846
Goodreads challenge = 5 books ahead of schedule and already at 40%

Pre-orders for May

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon – “Vern – seven months pregnant and desperate to escape the strict religious compound where she was raised – flees for the shelter of the woods. There, she gives birth to twins, and plans to raise them far from the influence of the outside world. But even in the forest, Vern is a hunted woman.”
Phase Six by Jim Shepard – reading a book about a global pandemic while in the middle of a global pandemic seems counter-intuitive but I am unable to resist. This was written pre-Covid btw
The Album of Doctor Moreau by Daryl Gregory – HG Wells meets boy band culture with some murder thrown in. Sounds awesome.
Last Days in Cleaver Square by Patrick McGrath – I have always had a great fondness for McGrath but it’s a while since I’ve read anything by him. The premise of this – set in 1975 where an old man is haunted by visions of the dying General Franco – sounds fascinating.
The Beresford by Will Carver – two of my favourite books so far in 2021 were written by Will Carver and I fully expect to love this new standalone thriller also
Witch by Iain Rob Wright – all I know about this is it is horror, there’s a witch (duh) and there may or may not be cursed manuscripts…….
The Nine by Gwen Strauss – my interest in the experiences of women caught up in WWII continues; this is the story of nine women fleeing a German forced labour camp.

Coming up

I get my second Covid vaccination this week about which I am very glad. Mr B is already fully vaccinated and I’m looking forward to feeling more confident about heading into London again as the museums re-open.

A BBC adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love by Emily Mortimer starts next weekend. It looks lush and enjoyable with a great cast and high production values and I for one am sold.

I have a couple of challenges coming up:

Cathy at 746Books is hosting Twenty Books of Summer from 1 June to 1 September and I’m already compiling my list. This will be my year to finish, I can feel it 🙂
I’m challenging myself to read David Copperfield, prompted by having watched Armando Ianucci’s recent film version. These days I do tend to struggle with classic Victorian authors so I’m giving myself a chance and planning to read in line with the original publication schedule, which means I should finish around November. November 2022, that is.

Apart from that all is quiet (despite the howling wind outside at the moment). Hope you are all staying safe and have a great reading week!

Monthly Round-Up | February 2021

It’s been a pretty good month all in all. The big thing for me was getting my first Covid-19 vaccination, which went well; no side effects of any kind and I’m now just waiting for a date for round two. Not much else has been going on though we’ve had several warm-ish days which meant heating off (temporarily), windows open and lots of birdsong. Spring is definitely on the way 😀

But what of the books?

Books read = 6 (including two re-reads)

Pages read = 2032

Goodreads challenge = 2 books ahead of schedule

New Books

So I promised a book haul and actually started pulling it together but it was embarrassingly long and a bit overwhelming so I gave myself permission to pretend that January & February didn’t exist and I’ll start noting new books in my weekly round-up post from March.

March pre-orders

One Day All This Will Be Yours by Adrian Tchaikovsky – Welcome to the end of time. It’s a perfect day.
Inventory of a Life Mislaid by Marina Warner – I love Marina Warner’s works and am excited to read this memoir
The Cut by Christopher Brookmyre – Millie Spark can kill anyone. A special effects make-up artist, her talent is to create realistic scenes of bloody violence. Then, one day, she wakes to find her lover dead in her bed.
A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel – This is a secret history of our world like no other . . .
We Shall Sing a Song into the Deep by Andrew Kelly Stewart – A Canticle for Leibowitz meets The Hunt for Red October so that sounds cool
Maniac by Harold Schechter – the story of the deadliest school massacre in US history, which took place in 1927
The Last House on Needle Street by Catriona Ward – allegedly the must-read Gothic thriller of 2021; approved of by three authors I really like so have to give it a go.
Glossy by Nina-Sophi Miralles – the inside story of Vogue, presses all of my buttons 🙂
What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch – a Rivers of London novella – It is the summer of 2013 and Abigail Kamara has been left to her own devices. This might, by those who know her, be considered a mistake. While her cousin, police constable and apprentice wizard Peter Grant, is off in the sticks, chasing unicorns, Abigail is chasing her own mystery.
The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox – apparently this is a mix of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, American Gods and His Dark Materials, so you know, had to happen
The Consequences of Fear by Jacqueline Winspear – the sixteenth Maisie Dobbs novel is set in October 1942; I really need to catch up with this series; I’m about six books behind which is silly because I really enjoy this series.
A Broken Darkness by Premee Mohamad – the second in the Beneath the Darkness series: It’s been a year and a half since the Anomaly, when They tried to force Their way into the world from the shapeless void.
Where Stands a Winged Sentry by Margaret Kennedy – ‘Most people knew in their hearts that the lid had been taken off hell, and that what had been done in Guernica would one day be done in London, Paris and Berlin.’ Margaret Kennedy’s prophetic words, written about the pre-war mood in Europe, give the tone of this riveting 1941 wartime memoir: it is Mrs Miniver with the gloves off.
The Lost Village by Camilla Sten – The Blair Witch Project meets Midsommar in this brilliantly disturbing thriller from Camilla Sten, an electrifying new voice in suspense.
The Fall of Koli by MR Carey – the Third book in the Rampart trilogy – nature has turned against us so no change there….
Redder Days by Sue Rainsford – Twins Anna and Adam live in an abandoned commune in a volatile landscape where they prepare for the world-ending event they believe is imminent. Adam keeps watch by day, Anna by night. They meet at dawn and dusk.

That’s a lot but March is that kind of month.

You can find what I’m currently reading on my sidebar, and I’ll be posting some reviews soon. Honestly. I promise.

Hope you all have a great reading week, and stay safe !

October Monthly Round-Up

A week late, but what a week it’s been! So many distractions, but I did still want to come on here and register my reading progress for October.

Books read = 4

Number of pages = 1401

Drum roll, please………

I have hit my reading goal for this year – 60 out of 60 books with two full months to go. To early to say how many more I will read before the end of the year, but I will be reading more that’s for sure.

November pre-orders:

Fortune Favours the Dead by Stephen Spotswood – New York, 1946. Lillian Pentecost is the most successful private detective in the city, but her health is failing. She hires an assistant to help with the investigative legwork. Willowjean Parker is a circus runaway. Quick-witted and street-smart, she’s a jack-of-all-trades with a unique skill-set – and together they investigate the murder of a wealthy young widow. First in a anew series, couldn’t resist.
One by One by Ruth Ware – Snowbound thriller full of tense corporate shenanigans plus avalanche. I haven’t read any Ruth Ware before, so very much looking forward to trying her out.
The Children of Red Peak by Craig DiLouie – survivors of a cult digging into their past, releasing memories and trauma that they have repressed for years. The answers will no doubt be found at Red Peak.
Last Stand in Lychford by Paul Cornell – Exploding fairies, the architect of the universe and a celestial bureaucratic blunder make this a satisfying conclusion to the ever-popular Witches of Lychford series.

That’s it from me! Hope you all have a great reading week.

Sunday Salon |3 May

So, it’s been a while. Again. I must confess that I just haven’t been in the mood for blogging, and although I have been reading I’ve not finished anything, flitting from one book to another. But given it’s the beginning of a new month (apparently – who knows any more) I decided to shove some thoughts down in the hopes that it kickstarts me into blogging more regularly

But don’t hold your breath. I mean that, breath-holding really isn’t a very good idea at the moment.

May’s pre-orders

This was going to be a longer list but the current situation has seen schedules being moved around quite a lot. The new Stephen King was brought forward to April and a couple of others on my original list have been moved forward to late summer. But these three still seem to be heading my way

The Mother Code by Carol Stivers:

The year is 2049. When a deadly non-viral agent intended for biowarfare spreads out of control, scientists must scramble to ensure the survival of the human race. They turn to their last resort, a plan to place genetically engineered children inside the cocoons of large-scale robots–to be incubated, birthed, and raised by machines. But there is yet one hope of preserving the human order–an intelligence programmed into these machines that renders each unique in its own right–the Mother Code.

Hmm. Probably won’t read that just at the moment.

Westside Saints by WM Akers:

Return to a twisted version of Jazz Age New York in this follow up to the critically acclaimed fantasy Westside, as relentless sleuth Gilda Carr’s pursuit of tiny mysteries drags her into a case that will rewrite everything she knows about her past.

I really, really do need to read the first book in this series…..

Out of Body by Jeffrey Ford:

A small-town librarian witnesses a murder at his local deli, and what had been routine sleep paralysis begins to transform into something far more disturbing. The trauma of holding a dying girl in his arms drives him out of his own body. The town he knows so well is suddenly revealed to him from a whole new perspective. Secrets are everywhere and demons fester behind closed doors.

I love Jeffrey Ford so I am very much looking forward to this.

What are you looking forward to bookwise this month?