May 10: Reading Notes

May is proving to be a busy reading month for me.  For whatever reason I seem to be reading slower (or fewer books in any case) than last year.  I have a certain number of 'obligation' reads that I am working on, but I also seem to be reading lots of mysteries and thrillers.  They border on comfort reads for me as whenever I am especially stressed out I like to turn to them to as they often tend to be filled action and heart- (or gut-) wrenching scenes--someone else's life is filled with worse problems than my own, sort of situation.  I like getting wrapped up in a story so much that the pages are turned fast and furiously as I read in fear and fascination about a hero or heroine who you wonder if they'll even survive the end of the story.

So a little rundown on things. 

Mignon Eberhart's The Mystery of Hunting's Lodge is very much a cozy mystery.  In this case the murder, though it was originally passed off as an accident, occurred five years earlier.  The daughter of the victim, who was not much more than a girl really when the crime happened, has called together the guests who were all present at this lonely hunting lodge on that fateful night.  There are a couple of new additions.  A detective, posing as a friend of the family, and a young nurse taking care of an invalid aunt.  Sarah Keate is the narrator and perhaps the real star of the show as she helps detective Lance O'Leary piece together the movements of everyone in the party to figure out who is the murderer.  This is very traditional, along the lines of Agatha Christie.

I've finished Michael Robotham's The Night Ferry and will be writing about it later in the week, so won't say much here about it.  It was most definitely an edge of your seat, can't wait to get to the end sort of story.  I'll be reading more of his work, and had it not been necessary to turn to a few other books this month, I would already be reading something else by him. 

Next up is Daphne du Maurier's My Cousin Rachel, which I read years ago, but have forgotten all but the basic premise.  DdM always tells a cracking good story in my opinion, so this is a pleasure to read again.  Yet another case of older woman, younger man and a death.  The story is told by Philip Ashley whose uncle was married to a beautiful and sophisticated woman unknown to the family and then died in mysterious circumstances.  Did Rachel have something to do with his death?  

I've been a great fan of Elizabeth George from the very beginning of her Inspector Lynley series, and while her later books have gotten somewhat complicated and she has taken her characters in varied and not always happy directions I'm quite enjoying Careless in Red.  I had put off reading it for some time after hearing bad reviews of it, but I'm glad I picked it up in the end.  Her stories tend to have large casts of characters, and I'm not sure if this is one of the criticisms of her books, but at least this time around I like the puzzle aspect of things.  You get different perspectives of the crime and of the victim and have to try and figure out who had the best motive for murder.  I've got her new book sitting by my bed waiting as well.

Let's see, just a cursory mention of a few others.  I've been working on Petra Hammesfahr's The Lie for a while now, and it's a good psychological thriller--a story of two women who could pass for twins.  The book begins with the discovery of a murdered woman, which woman is it?  I can't quite decide on what library book to read, but it's been a toss up of mysteries--James Thompson's Snow Angels or Irene Fleming's The Edge of Ruin.  The first is a contemporary detective story set in Finland and the latter a historical mystery set in 1909 New York about the very new moving picture industry.  Last but not least is Karin Alvtegen's Shadow is another suspenseful thriller with several seemingly different storylines that will tie together at the end--am curious just how. 

I usually only read one mystery at a time, so I guess I am especially stressed out at the moment.  The thing is, while this might seem like a lot of books...you should see how many are on my TBR pile.  I sometimes feel that if I don't step things up a bit, I'll never make even a dent in them.  Besides, it's just so easy to be seduced by a good book.

Comments

[Sam Sattler]

I haven't gotten around to Elizabeth George's last novel yet either even though I bought it the second week it was in the stores...don't have the new one yet.

I've been a fan of her's from the beginning and it's a great feeling to know that I have two of her books available.

[iliana]

I also rely a lot more on mysteries when I feel like I've got too much going on. Hope you are finding some comfort and relaxation with your reads!

Really looking forward to your review of Night Ferry. I've got that one on my shelf!

[Danielle]

Sam--I think that Elizabeth George will be a writer I will continue to follow no matter what the reviewers say! I'm enjoying Careless in Red and hopefully will read the new one soon after. It is nice to know there is an unread Lynley book ready to read when you feel the mood arise!
Iliana--Mysteries do take your mind off things, don't they? I reread my post and wondered if it sounded strange, so I am happy to know you can relate. I really liked The Night Ferry and have started working on a post--will likely post it in the next couple of days. It is hard to write as I don't like giving too many details away! I plan on reading more of his work, too!

[Liz F]

Well that makes two of us Danielle that seem to be overcommitted to books! My library pile is huge but I still can't resist requesting new books when I see an interesting one reviewed and it goes without saying that they all come in at once!
Doesn't help that life is very stressful at the moment and I desperately need the escape into a book for a short while each day so I am in the process of reading about five books at the moment and not getting very far with any of them sadly!

[Stefanie]

So many interesting books going on! I love the cover of the Eberhart book.

[Cath]

Same here... I too seem to have concentrated on genre 'easy' reading books this year. Crime, fantasy, that sort of thing. I'm not stressed at the moment so I don't know why it is other than the fact that this kind of book is *so* enjoyable and wonderful to lose yourself in. There's a little voice in my head that's saying I should be stretching myself more with what I read but I seem largely to be ignoring it!

[Kathleen]

I loved My Cousin Rachel. It is just the sort of book to get me out of my doldrums since I get entranced by the mystery of who killed the uncle.

[Sakura]

I stopped reading Elizabeth George several years ago and have been meaning to get back into her world again. You keep mentioning her which is great, and as soon as I've made a little dent in my TBR pile, I'm going to start. I think I've got quite a few to catch up.

[Danielle]

Liz--I can totally relate to everything you say! My library pile is waaay too tall, but like you I can't seem to stop myself. My library has virtual lists of books that are new releases--the thing is they are just being processed so if you request several at once you will likely get a bunch on the hold shelf at once, too. Still it's nice to have a variety to choose from and I really need the escapism right now, too. I'm also reading and reading but finishing very slowly....
Stefanie--I'm never at a loss for a good book to pick up, that's for sure. The University of Nebraska publishes a bunch of her mysteries and they all have similar covers--am enjoying that one very much.
Cath--I think you/at least I/pick up books that you need mentally and for me that means maybe nothing too terribly challenging right at the moment. Reading should be enjoyable, and there is nothing wrong with crime or fantasy novels--many of them are really very well done and challenging in their own way (so we should neither of us feel guilty!).
Kathleen--I'm just a few chapters in and very much enjoying it. I am remembering bits as I go but I can't remember how it ended--these sorts of books catch my attention as well.
Sakura--I think the last Lynley book I must have read was maybe five or six years ago! I read her last one, which was a bit surprising, but then the next book she wrote wasn't a Lynley mystery so I skipped it. I put off reading this one, but the timing is right now as I have been wanting to pick it up and find out more--so, so far so good. I tend to read a variety of mystery series and many of them I have read a handful of and then not any for a long time. It's sort of nice when you know you have several to read if it's a series you enjoy.

[litlove]

Good news about The Night Ferry - clearly an author there for me to look out for! You sound like you have some fabulous books on the go (I adored My Cousin Rachel). However, I have just finished Karen Altvegen's Shadow and.. well, it worked less well for me than some others I've read. If that helps you come to a reading decision! I'll tell you more about it on email later on.

[Danielle]

Litlove--I'll be reading more by Robotham--as thrillers go, I really, really liked it! Sort of a dark story, but still kept me on the edge of my seat. I am enjoying rereading My Cousin Rachel--I think Daphne du Maurier did this sort of book really well and am reading it slowly. Too bad about the Alvtegen--please do share what you thought next time you get a chance to email as I am really curious! I am not very far into it so am still deciding what I think--as I requested it from interlibrary loan and it came from a library in a different state I will stick it out (plus it looks like a quickie). When you read several similar books together I wonder if one that is a little less successful stands out even more?