Well, mostly mysteries anyway. I know we're already a week into June but I was looking at my reading pile and realized that the books I seem to be reaching for most this week are almost all mysteries. So why not make a whole month of it, I thought. You know how bookish serendipity goes. I am in a mystery/crime novel mood to begin with. Then the CWA International Dagger shortlist was announced last week, and as I already had one of the books on my reading pile, it prompted me to pick it up and start reading. Not that I need a tipping point, but did you know that June is International Crime month? Perfect timing (maybe there was something subliminal going on there, too?).
As a side note Melville House has a special deal on a bundle of crime novels, which I sorely wish I could order, but I need to save up for my vacation so am trying to avoid these kinds of temptations. And have you seen Europa Editions new World Noir imprint? I already own several of their noir mysteries and am waiting for another which found its way into my last book order, Jean-Claude Izzo's Garlic, Mint and Sweet Basil: Essays on Marseilles, The Mediterranean and Noir Fiction.
So, the line up (no pun intended)? First and foremost will be to finish the books I already have started. Normally I only read one mystery at a time, but I have been over enthusiastic about starting books of late (more than normal that is). I'm well into all of them, and in most cases am at or past the halfway mark. Agatha Christie's Evil Under the Sun is my lunchtime reading and I am finding Pierre Lemaitre's Alex absolutely compelling reading (though at the moment somewhat disturbing and uncomfortable, too). I'd been enjoying Peter Lovesey's The Last Detective and now have the excuse I need to spend more time with it so I can finally finish. And Louise Penny's Still Life will be my last Canadian Reading Challenge book. All very good in different ways.
And then there is a small pile of 'set aside' books from earlier this year (or dare I admit it) from last year. They are books I always mean to get back to but there is something else that needs to be read first, and you know how that goes. Cleo Coyle's On What Grounds is an easy, entertaining and light mystery set in a coffee house. John Lawton's Black Out is a genre crossing novel set towards the end of WWII and has elements of espionage in it. He's very good and I want to read all the Inspector Troy books. And then there is last year's Summering in Italy book The Faces of Angels by Lucretia Grindle set in Florence, which is more of a psychological crime novel.
And yes, there will be the miscellaneous pile. I am sure I will be picking up a few new books this month, too. I'm not sure yet what they will be. Maybe some from this pile (these are some of the books I had close at hand), or maybe something entirely different. I've been contemplating reading Thomas Cook. I want to read one of the Europa Editions authors. Laurie King wrote a series set in San Francisco that would be perfect. Maybe another cozy or two? An Agatha Christie or another Miss Silver book. It's definitely time to pick up the next Andrea Camilleri novel (am working my way through the Montalbano books very slowly). I will likely read some international crime like something by Argentine writer Claudia Pineiro. And I've been itching to read Stephen King's new one. The problem is I am terribly spoiled for choice. I have a pretty massive mystery collection (and I might just give you a tour this month sometime), so it is always an agonizing choice. There are so many good one I can never decide (hence the multiple mysteries and crime novels I have started at the moment).
And more serendipity? The most recent New Yorker also happens to be their Summer Fiction edition, subtitled "Crimes and Misdemeanors". There are stories by Dashiell Hammett, Annie Proulx, Cormac McCarthy to name just a few as well as some interesting "true crimes" articles, all of which I am looking forward to reading.
I will still be reading a few other books (hope to finish the Pym this weekend) this month and need to catch up on writing about books I've recently read, so I won't feel like I am completely gorging on chocolate (though is there anything wrong with that now and again?), but expect to see lots more posts focusing on the mystery genre! I only wish I had thought of this earlier and could have organized myself better!