I finished Josephine Tey's The Franchise Affair, which I really enjoyed and was quite impressed by. I'll be writing about it soon, until then I need to decide on a new mystery to begin. I was thinking something with an 'exotic' setting would be a nice change of pace. I've pulled a few out to choose from and came up with: The Death of Faith by Donna Leon (I had been reading her Commissario Brunetti mysteries, but I've not picked one up in a long time), The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri (I've not yet tried his mysteries which are set in Sicily), A Death in Vienna by Frank Tallis (I keep hearing great things about this series and it is set in one of my favorite cities: Vienna), and last but not least Rosa by Jonathan Rabb (This has long been on my TBR pile--it's set in Post-WWI Berlin). I'll have to read a few pages of each and see which grabs me.
After much indicision I've decided which Persephones to read. I'm going to tackle House-Bound by Winifred Peck and Good Evening, Mrs. Craven by Mollie Panter-Downes. Winifred Peck wasn't actually in the running initially, but I just couldn't decide what sort of story I'm in the mood for at the moment. The latter is a collection of short stories written during WWII. I hope to actually complete the Peck, but I expect to work on the short stories for a while. I'd like to read a short story every day. We'll see how I manage. This has not been the year for short stories for me! You might see several Persephone posts next week in honor of the Persephone Reading Challenge.
My plan this summer was to take a break from 'obligation' reading (that sounds so school-ish, though I don't mean it that way) and just read at whim. Now that summer is more or less coming to an end (fall classes begin at the university where I work on Monday) I'll likely be joining in some group reads, and I see Cornflower's Book Group is going to read something that is tempting me, The Tortoise and the Hare by Elizabeth Jenkins. I think I'll be looking for a copy.
I might as well mention Dawn Powell's Dance Night while I'm at it. The Slaves of Golconda will be discussing it at the end of the month, and you're welcome to join us. It's a bit dark, but I've really been enjoying it. My library has a biography of her as well as some criticism, so I might share a little before we start chatting and posting about it.
One last note. There's been lots of talk around the book blogosphere about BBAW awards. A few of you were kind enough to put my blog forward and nominate it for an award or two. I have no expectation of actually winning anything, but I do want to say thank you, as it is very much appreciated to even be considered. So, Thank You.