Roro's a Series Reader in 2017

Hi everybody, my name is Rochelle, Ro for short. I live on the Sunshine Coast in Australia, a very popular tourist destination. I love to read, knit and sew - in that order. I work four days a week and have a family to run around after, plus I will be doing some work related study in 2017. So life is busy. In light of that I am going to shake up my system for 2017.

In 2017 I plan to be a serious series reader. Like many other LTer's I have a lot of series on the go and even more that I would like to start. My theme for 2017 is series. I have a variation on my usual suspects and a surprise category to extend my reading. I will be doing 7 categories plus my bonus - year round personal CAT - category. In order to encourage myself to read my series I am going with a point system for my reads. A book from a series will count for more points. Book 3 in a series will count for 3 points, book 5, five point etc. Any other book will count for 1 point. My first 6 categories will need 10 points each to reach target. The last 2 will be as indicated below. I don’t really know if that number is going to work, but I figure I will give it a go.

There will be a bonus point for each series completed or that I read up to the currently published book.

Queens of the Conquest - HISTORICAL FICTION - 17 points

Frieda Klein - MYSTERY / CRIME - 17 points

Maggie Hope Mystery - HISTORICAL MYSTERY - 17 points

Frontier - AUSTRALIAN - 17 points

The Saxon Chronicles - BOY BOOKS - 17 points

Blood Rose - GIRL BOOKS - 17 points

NON FICTION / STUDY RELATED - 6 points

year round personal CAT - TITLE TWIN - 6 points

Let me explain my TITLE TWIN category. So many times I go looking for a specific book, either on my kindle, ibooks, LT, the library, and there are multiple books with the same title. Some of which make me think – oh, that looks interesting. So I have decided to try and extend the books that I read by reading the book that I was looking for, plus another one of the same title (that I wasn’t looking for). I am hoping this is going to lead to some good discoveries. I suspect this may not always be the case.

I still aim to read my usual 60 books. At an average of 400 pages, that means I am aiming for 24 000 pages in 2017.




Total points target for 2017 is 114 points.

Pages read = 21761 out of 24000

Books read = 55

1

HISTORICAL FICTION – 17 points
The Queens of Conquest



I love historical fiction, escapism in time and place.

1 point - Six Tudor Queens: Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen by Alison Weir, book 1 in Six Tudor Queens
3 points - The Queen's Captive by Barbara Kyle , book 3 in the Thornleigh series
1 point - The Girl with the Painted Face by Gabrielle Kimm, not a series book
2 points - Enemy of God by Bernard Cornwell, book 2 of the Warlord Chronicles
4 points - Spirit of the Wolves, by Dorothy Hearst, book 3 in the Wolf Chronicles - final book bonus point
2 Points - The Constant Queen by Joanna Courtney, book 2 in Queens of Conquest
1 point - Dunstan by Conn Iggulden, not a series read
2 points - The Drowning King by Emily Holleman, book 2 Fall of Egypt
1 point - The Falcons of Fire and Ice by Karen Maitland
2 points - Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession by Alison Weir, book 2 in Six Tudor Queens
1 point - The Comet Seekers by Helen Sedgwick, not a series book
1 point - For the Most Beautiful by Emily Hauser, book 1 in the Golden Apple series
2 points - The Winter Crown by Elizabeth Chadwick, book 2 Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy
1 point - Mischling by Affinity Konar
1 point - The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, not a series book

POINTS TOTAL = 25

2

MYSTERY / CRIME – 17 points
Frieda Klein



Here is somewhere for my contemporary crime reads. I can't resist a good thriller every now and again.

4 points - Thursday's Children by Nicci French, book 4 in the Frieda Klein Mysteries
3 points - The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny, book 3 in Chief Inspector Armand Gamache
1 point - Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan, not a series book
5 points - Friday on my Mind by Nicci French, book 5 Frieda Klein
6 points - Saturday Requiem by Nicci French, book 6 Frieda Klein
1 point - I See You by Clare Mackintosh, not a series book
1 point The Killer on the Wall by Emma Kavanagh, not a series book

POINTS TOTAL = 21

3

HISTORICAL MYSTERY - 17 points
Maggie Hope Mystery



Quite a few of my current series are historical mysteries, I obviously love them too!

5 points - When Winter Returns by Kathryn Miller Haines, book 4 and final in the Rosie Winter Mysteries
1 point - The Scent of Death by Andrew Taylor, book 1 Edward Savill
1 point - The Liberation by Kate Furnivall
3 points - The Silent Boy by Andrew Taylor, book 2 Edward Savill
1 point - The Queen's Secret by Victoria Lamb, book 1 Lucy Morgan Mysteries
2 points - Silesian Station by David Downing, book 2 John Russell
1 point - Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
1 point - Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas by Stephanie Barron, book 12 in Being a Jane Austen Mystery (but my first so only 1 point)
2 points - A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn, book 2 in the Veronica Speedwell mysteries

Points Total = 17

4

AUSTRALIAN - 17 points
Frontier



You might be surprised at some of the books that appear here. This is for books either set in Australia or written by Australians, or both.

7 points - The Tying of Threads: A Woody Creek Novel by Joy Dettman, the 6th and final book in the Woody Creek series.
4 points - To Chase the Storm by Peter Watt, book 4 of The Frontier series
1 point - The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
1 point - The Best of Adam Sharp by Graeme Simsion
3 points - The Rosie Effect by Graeme Samson
5 points - To Touch the Clouds by Peter Watt, Book 5 of The Frontier series

POINTS TOTAL - 21

5

BOY BOOKS – 17 points
The Saxon Chronicles



I know "Boy Books" sounds a bit sexist, but lets face it, some books are marketed more towards males. That does't mean that us girls don't read them. I read quite a few and this is where they will go in 2017.

2 points - The Seventh Scroll, book 2 in Wilbur Smith's Egyptian series.
9 points - Warriors of the Storm, by Bernard Cornwell, book 9 in The Last Kingdom/The Warrior Chronicles.
2 points - Hunting the Eagles by Ben Kane, book 2 Eagles of Rome series
4 points - Eagles in the Storm by Ben Kane, book 3 Eagles of Rome series - final in series

POINTS TOTAL = 17

CATEGORY TARGET REACHED

6

GIRL BOOKS – 17 points
Blood Rose



Well, fair's fair. Girl Books is for the romances and relationship based books. Books that men may read, but most likely would prefer not to be seen reading.

2 points - The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston, book 2 in the Witch Chronicles
3 points - Before the Storm by Diane Chamberlain, book 1 in Before the Storm duo, book 2 read previously, bonus point for completing the series
1 point - How to Break Your Own Heart by Maggie Alderson, not a series book
1 point - The Art of Keeping Secrets by Rachel Johns, not a series book
1 point - We Never Asked For Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, not a series book
1 point - Keep Me Safe by Daniela Sacerdoti, book 1 Seal Island
1 point - Before I was Yours by Virginia Macgregor, not a series book
1 point - Hello From the Gillespies by Monica Mcinnerney, not a series book
1 point - The Golden Son by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, not a series book
1 point - Summer on the River by Marcia Willett
1 point - Court of Lions by Jane Johnson, not a series book

POINTS TOTAL = 14

7

NONFICTION / STUDY RELATED – 6 points



I like a good biography or memoir. I hope I get to read a few in 2017. I will definitely be reading some medical/nursing texts as I am doing some study - Gastroenterology Nursing.

1 point - Various articles on the occupational health and safety risks associated with Infliximab preparation and administration, and associated legal documents relating to workplace health and safety.
1 point - Great Australian Outback Police Stories by Bill "Swampy" Marsh

POINTS TOTAL = 2

8

TITLE TWINS - 6 points



Here is the location for my crazy Title Twin concept. This should be interesting and totally random in terms of genre. Fingers crossed for some good ones!!

Before the Storm by Leslie Tentler - book 1 in Rarity Cove series = 1 point
Before the Storm by Diane Chamberlain - book 1 in Before the Storm


POINTS TOTAL = 1

I think I am ready for action.

My CAT and KIT participation will be totally random in 2017. I haven't involved myself in any of the planning as I like to read randomly, or impulsively. I will continue to participate in the Reading Through Time group and those reads will be here too.

Hello Ro, this is a great concept! The "Boy books" made me smile, I've been reading those since I was ten years old. Cowboys and Indians, mostly.

2017 will be a series year for me as well, but I'm still mulling over how to set it up. I like what you've done with yours!

I love your set up Ro! Gastroenterology nursing sounds like a great path. Will you be working in an Endoscopy setting?

Great theme! I'm looking forward to following your reading in 2017, especially your Australian category. I need more Australian book bullets!

I love your concept, Ro, looks like lots of fun! :)

Great set up and I love your personal challenge of reading different books with the same title. Looking forward to following along.

Love how you organized this. Definitely intrigued by the twin titles concept and can't wait to see how that turns out.

>11 MissWatson:, I've not really read a lot of Cowboys and Indians, I'm more of a Roman legions type of girl.

>12 LisaMorr:, I'll pop in and check your's out when it's ready. I thought the point system would encourage me to read a series book more than a stand alone. There is no way I'll be able to reach my targets for 2017 without reading plenty of series.

>13 luvamystery65:, I've been working in chemotherapy for the last 16 years, so this is a change in career direction for me. I'm working in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, i.e. crohn's and ulcerative colitis.

>14 VivienneR:, Maybe I've hit you with Aussie BBs before? I usually have an Aussie category - have to support the locals!

>15 Chrischi_HH:, Thanks. Fun and achievable I hope.

>16 DeltaQueen50:, Hi Judy, thanks for popping in.

>17 LittleTaiko:, hopefully it will give me the encouragement I need to move along with my series. I'm looking forward to my title twins too.

Great setup and excellent idea to put a dent in some of your series! Hoping to get a few new series ideas from here this year ;)

Good to see you here!!

I think a lot of us will be following your twins category with great interest. I'm hoping to get a bunch of series reading done next year too.

>20 rabbitprincess:, I hope I actually get up to date with a few series through this plan.

>21 VictoriaPL:, you too :-)

>22 dudes22:, fingers crossed that your series reading goes well in 2017 too.

Great to see you here! Looking forward to seeing how your challenge develops!

I'm planning a modification to my scoring system. Instead of 2 points for a series read, I'm going to score it according to its number in the series, so book 2 will get 2 points, book 3 will get 3 points etc. I will update my first post to reflect this.

>24 -Eva-: hi Eva!

Love the series reading theme and making mental note to look into the Maggie Hope books. Mention of Enid Blyton brings back great reading memories for me!

>26 lkernagh:, thanks Lori.

I just realised that with my adjusted scoring system I need to adjust my target. Seeing as it is going to be 2017, I will aim for 17 points in most categories. That will definitely encourage me to read more series if I want to succeed.

Good idea to add a point system to your reading, which makes it more of a challenge. I wondered how to do something similar instead of just reading whatever comes to hand without any real challenge. Hmmm, I must give this more thought.

Your thread is going to be fun to follow! I'm anxious to start the new reading year as I always am in December. I had picked up the Queens of Conquest series from one of your earlier posts. I look forward to starting it in 2017. I need to do some focusing on series too, I think I'm up to date on 1! Good luck with the new career path.

>28 VivienneR:, the point idea was the only way I could think of to promote moving forward with series. I think it will work. I have at least one series where I am up to book 9, and book 10 has been released. With 17 as a target that is major encouragement to read those two books and get up to date with that series.

>29 clue:, I was pretty keen to read the next Queen's of Conquest book, The Constant Queen straight away, but I'm holding off for 2017 - it will be worth 2 points then. I wonder if there is a title twin for that one!

Ro, you have encouraged me! I've added a letter grade system to my challenge this year. A for already owned, B for borrowed, and F for new buys. I'll aim for 80% A over the year - and hope all the books I've ordered arrive before Jan 1. :-)

>31 VivienneR:, good one! I would also be stocking up on my books before the end of 2016 with that system. I will definitely be checking out your thread.

Sounds like you may make some real progress on your series.

Hi Ro! I'm also concentrating on series for my reads this year. Good luck!

>34 Tess_W:, I hope you do well too.

I am being a bit naughty and plan on starting a couple of new series before the end of 2016, just to increase my selection for next year! Naughty me. I did put some ongoing series book titles on my Christmas wishlist though so we will see how that request goes.

I really agree with your love of a good historical fiction series. I think the one that really sticks out is the tragically short series by Arianna Franklin. I have been slowly working through the Brother Cadfael series. Good luck with your random search for twin series! I can't think of any suggestions but maybe others can. Here's to a wonderful year of reading in 2017!

Love the organization. I'm a series fan as well - will keep checking back

>36 mamzel:, the twin thing doesn't have to be a series. It will just mean it is only worth 1 point if it isn't a series read. I don't want to make my own challenge too difficult. I honestly don't know how it will go. If it is a success it may be a keeper for future years.

I'm bad at reading series. I tend to read the first few and never get back to it. I'm planning on re-reading the Harry Potter series this year, and to read some Discworld.

Even though I am not much of a planner, I am starting to think about what series books I can read that will work for any CATs and groups for January.

Awards CAT - ??
Unofficial SFF - The Winter Witch book 2 in a series
CATwoman, Classics by Women - ??
RTT First Encounters - ??
RTT 16th century - Six Tudor Queens: Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen by Alison Weir - 4 stars
RandomCAT, Search and Rescue - The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden - didn't read
CultureCAT, Ethics in Science and Technology - ??
AlphaKIT letters M & S - The Seventh Scroll by Wilbur Smith - 3.5 stars and Warriors of the Storm by Bernard Cornwell

>39 The_Hibernator:, I do that type of thing sometimes too. Other times I read a book not realising that it is part of a series until I have finished it.

I'm starting my reading year with The Seventh Scroll by Wilbur Smith. I borrowed it from my father-in-law more than a year ago. I've put off starting it mainly because it doesn't exactly follow on from the first book which is sent in Ancient Egypt. This one is set on the 1990's with archaeologists searching for the tomb that was discussed at the end of the first book. I'm only 80 pages in, it's seems interesting but I'm predicting what is going to happen so we will wait and see if I am surprised or not.

>43 The_Hibernator:, thanks for the quirky greeting 😀

I have finished my first book for the year, worth 2 points, The Seventh Scroll. Review coming soon.

1. Boy Books

AlphaKIT, Letter S

The Seventh Scroll By Wilbur Smith
Book 2 in The Egyptian Novels



A fading papyrus, nearly four thousand years old. Within it lie the clues to a fabulous treasure from an almost forgotten time . . . a riddle that becomes a savage battle across the unforgiving terrain of North Africa.

When her husband is brutally murdered, beautiful half-English, half-Egyptian Royan Al Simmu is forced to seek refuge in England. With eminent archaelogist Nicholas Quenton-Harper, she can pick up the pieces of her shattered life and find the courage to return to Ethiopia. For Duraid. And for the dreams of an ancient Pharoah . . . Because others will stop at nothing to claim the prize as their own. (Blurb from Booktopia website.)

This is one of those adventure/tomb raider/pursued by ruthless competition/bit of romance for good measure/jungle warfare, type of books. It does not pick up where the first book leaves off. This one is set in the 1990s. Royan and her husband Duraid have spent years translating the scrolls written by Taita. The seventh scroll seems to allude to the hidden tomb of an Ancient Pharaoh. The pair are getting quite exited about finding out the potential location of the tomb.

They get disturbed and thieves take their precious scroll, and Duraid is brutally murdered. Royan decides to go to England to see her mum and pursue one of the potential persons of interest that might help her to begin her search for the lost tomb. And so her adventure begins.

Apparently the next book goes back to Ancient Egypt. As I have borrowed this one from my father-in-law, I will have to go visit him to swap it over for the next book in the series.



2 POINTS

Will be back to keep an eye on your Australian category.

>46 Roro8: I was very happy when the series went back to Ancient Egypt. I could have done without this one.

>47 pamelad:, my current Australian series are Peter Watt's Fronteir series and Joy Dettman's Woody Creek books. No doubt there will be a few other non series books that appear in there throughout the year.

>48 mamzel:, I think it was you that warned me that this book was an exception to the rest of the series. I thought it was ok, though weird when he referenced himself as being an author of River God in his own book. It threw me each time he did it. Anyway, it is done now, and I can get back to the Ancient Egypt setting with the next book.

I have just finished Alison Weir first book in the Six Tudor Queens series. Review coming soon. I also saw my father in law yesterday so I was able to finally return The Seventh Scroll, which I must have had for nearly a year! I picked up the next book, Warlock.

I think my next read will be The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston.

2. Historical Fiction

AlphaKIT, Letter S
Reading Through Time quarterly time period 1500s

Six Tudor Queens: Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen by Alison Weir
Book 1 in Six Tudor Queens



Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen by bestselling historian Alison Weir, author of The Lost Tudor Princess, is the first in a spellbinding six novel series about Henry VIII's Queens. Alison takes you on an engrossing journey at Katherine's side and shows her extraordinary strength of character and intelligence. Ideal for fans of Philippa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick.

A Spanish princess. Raised to be modest, obedient and devout. Destined to be an English Queen. Six weeks from home across treacherous seas, everything is different: the language, the food, the weather. And for her there is no comfort in any of it. At sixteen years-old, Catalina is alone among strangers. She misses her mother. She mourns her lost brother. She cannot trust even those assigned to her protection. KATHERINE OF ARAGON. The first of Henry's Queens. Her story. Acclaimed, bestselling historian Alison Weir has based her enthralling account of Henry VIII's first wife on extensive research and new theories. She reveals a strong, spirited woman determined to fight for her rights and the rightful place of her daughter.

A woman who believed that to be the wife of a King was her destiny. History tells us how she died. This captivating novel shows us how she lived. (Blurb from Booktopia website.)

All the Alison Weir novels I have read have delivered a good story and this is no exception. She tells the story of Katherine of Aragon with Katherine as the narrator.

The story begins with Katherine setting off to England to become the wife of Prince Arthur. Prince Arthur is a sickly young royal who does not live long, leaving Princess Katherine in limbo, not sure of where she stands. This remains so for quite some time before she eventually becomes Henry VIII's Queen. They have a lovely romance that has joys and sorrows. We see the start of the changes in King Henry and follow the path of Katherine's life right to the end.

A very well told version of Katherine of Aragon's life. I'm sure to be reading book 2 eventually.



1 POINTS

>51 Roro8: I have read 2-3 different series on The Tudors, especially the wives of Henry VIII. I enjoy that time period.

>52 Tess_W:, I have too. There are so many out there. Henry VIII was such a tyrant.

3. Girl Books

SFFkit - book that you meant to read in 2016

The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston
Book 2 in The Witch Chronicles



In her small early nineteenth century Welsh town, there is no one quite like Morgana, who has not spoken since she was a young girl. Her silence is a mystery, as well as her magic. Concerned for her safety, her mother is anxious to see her married, and Cai Jenkins, a widower from the far hills, seems the best choice.

After her wedding, Morgana is heartbroken at leaving her mother, and wary of this man, whom she does not know, and who will take her away to begin a new life. But she soon falls in love with Cai's farm and the wild mountains that surround it. Cai works to understand the beautiful, half-tamed creature he has chosen for a bride, and slowly, he begins to win Morgana's affections. It's not long, however, before her strangeness begins to be remarked upon in her new village. A dark force is at work there--a person who will stop at nothing to turn the townspeople against Morgana. Forced to defend her home, her man, and herself, Morgana must learn to harness her power, or she will lose everything. (Blurb from Booktopia website.)

Firstly, this series is not a series in the sense that it carries on the story of the same people. It is a series of books about witches, all of them different and not linked in any apparent way. Each one is a self contained story.

Morgana comes from a small Welsh village where she lives with her mum. Her Dad had magic and left at a young age. Morgana is special in that she also has magic in her, however she does not speak. When her mother realises that she is unwell she decides a husband must be found for Morgana. When Cai offers a proposal it is well received.

Morgana goes with Cai where she faces the challenges of being wed to a stranger. She enjoys the outdoor life she has with him, and makes a new friend in the housekeeper Mrs Jones. Evil powers are at play and Morgana is struggling against them. It seems the only person on her side is Cai.

I enjoyed this novel, even though it was a little predictable. Both Morgana and Cai are likeable characters. And the villain is appropriately evil.



2 POINTS

4. Boy Books

AlphaKit - letter S

Warriors of the Storm by Bernard Cornwell
Book 9 in The Last Kingdom series



The new novel in Bernard Cornwell's number one bestselling series on the making of England and the fate of his great hero, Uhtred of Bebbanburg.BBC2's major Autumn 2015 TV show THE LAST KINGDOM is based on the first two books in the series. A fragile peace is about to be broken…King Alfred's son Edward and formidable daughter, Æthelflaed, rule Wessex, Mercia and East Anglia. But all around the restless Northmen, eyeing the rich lands and wealthy churches, are mounting raids.Uhtred of Bebbanburg, the kingdoms' greatest warrior, controls northern Mercia from the strongly fortified city of Chester. But forces are rising up against him. Northmen allied to the Irish, led by the fierce warrior Ragnall Ivarson, are soon joined by the Northumbrians, and their strength could prove overwhelming. Despite the gathering threat, both Edward and Æthelflaed are reluctant to move out of the safety of their fortifications. But with Uhtred's own daughter married to Ivarson's brother, who can be trusted?In the struggle between family and loyalty, between personal ambition and political commitment, there will be no easy path. But a man with a warrior's courage may be able to find it. Such a man is Uhtred,and this may be his finest hour. (Blurb from Booktopia website.)

It took me a while to get into this book, probably the first 100 pages. It opens with the classic Bernard Cornwell Uhtred battle scene, no intro - just straight into the fight. I found this a bit jarring and it took a while before all the usual characters appeared and I could work out what had happened since the last book.

Uhtred is still fighting for Ethelflaed, protecting Mercia from the Northmen invasions. A new strong opponent has appeared who must be repelled - Ragnall. Not only is Ragnall threatening Mercia, he is also threatening Uhtred's daughter Stiorra. The storyline develops, battles are fought and we progress a bit further through English history.

I wouldn't rave about this one, however I do have the next book on my bookshelf so I will be reading it in the future.



9 POINTS

I am currently working on my first two reads for the Title Twins category. I should have the first one finished in the next couple of days.

Even though I am not much of a planner, I am starting to think about what series books I can read that will work for any CATs and groups for February.

Awards CAT -
Unofficial SFF, Space Travel -
CATwoman, Debut books -
RTT Storico Italia - Hunting the Eagles by Ben Kane, book 2 Eagles of Rome
RTT 16th century - The Queen's Secret by Victoria Lamb
RandomCAT, Mine, Yours and Ours - Thursday's Children by Nicci French, book 4 Frieda Kein
CultureCAT, Medicine and Public Health -
AlphaKIT letters W and H - When Winter Returns by Kathryn Miller Haines, book 4 Rosie Winter Mysteries

5. Girl Books

AlphaKit - letter S

Before the Storm by Diane Chamberlain
Book 1 in Before the Storm Duo
Audiobook



Fifteen-year-old Andy Lockwood is special. Others notice the way he blurts out anything that comes into his mind, how he cannot foresee consequences, that he's more child than teenager. But his mother sees a boy with a heart as open and wide as the ocean.

Laurel Lockwood lost her son once through neglect. She's spent the rest of her life determined to make up for her mistakes, and she's succeeded in becoming a committed, protective parent?maybe even overprotective. Still, she loosens her grip just enough to let Andy attend a local church social, a decision that terrifies her when the church is consumed by fire. But Andy survives, and remarkably, saves other children from the flames. Laurel watches as Andy basks in the role of unlikely hero and the world finally sees her Andy, the sweet boy she knows as well as her own heart.

But when the suspicion of arson is cast upon Andy, Laurel must ask herself how well she really knows her son? And how far she'll go to keep her promise to protect him forever. (Blurb from Booktopia website.)

I read the sequel to this book a few years ago. I could not remember much about it, which is probably just as well or I would have known what happened in this one.

Laurel tries very hard to be the perfect mum to her 'special' boy Andy. His big sister is very protective of him too. Laurel has been through some difficult times and has tried to become the best mum she can be, making up for her earlier mistakes.

The local church burns down in an arson attack while a kids 'lock-in' social is under way. Surprisingly Andy is the hero of the night, leading many children to safety. It doesn't take long before the town starts looking suspiciously on Andy. Laurel can't believe her son is capable of such an act.

This is a story of family dynamics, loyalty and love. It also a book about second chances. A very good read.



1 point for book 1 in the series plus 1 point for completing the series (even if it was only 2 books)

2 POINTS total

January Summary

Total books read = 5

Number of series book read = 5

Number of series completed/up to date this month = 1

Number of new series started = 2

Total number of points for January = 16





January - Before the Storm by Diane Chamberlain

My January summary has just highlighted something to me. I am up to date with one (very short) series - Yay! However, I have managed to start one more too - Boo! That was not the point of this challenge, but bound to happen I guess. At least it was a good book.

Congratulations, Ro! Your points score is impressive for just one month! It must feel good to be up to date on a series. I don't think I'll achieve that this year!

"I have managed to start one more too"
It's a common enough problem here. :)

>60 VivienneR:, Thanks Vivienne. I'm pleased I'm off to a good start.

>61 -Eva-:, So true, and thanks to my Title Twins category, I just started another one!

6. Title Twins

Before the Storm by Leslie Tentler
Book 1 in Rarity Cove



Six years earlier, Trina Grissom disappeared, on the run for her life. Now living under an assumed identity-as Samantha Marsh-she still struggles with the dark secret she harbors and the fear she might one day be found. When she moves to the coastal town of Rarity Cove, South Carolina, to open a cafe, a handsome widower begins to chip away at the walls she's built to protect herself. Mark St. Clair lost his wife two years ago in a tragic accident. Head of the grand St. Clair resort, he distracts himself from his lingering grief by running the family business and caring for his troubled young daughter...until a beautiful restaurateur sets up shop in town. Before meeting Samantha, Mark was convinced he could never be drawn to another woman. But as his attraction to Samantha grows, the mystery surrounding her deepens. As the two begin a hesitant courtship, double perils emerge. Someone from Samantha's lurid past comes calling, threatening to expose her. And a powerful hurricane is forming in the Atlantic with the small beach town in its path. Trapped in the storm by the brutal man who wants vengeance on Samantha, she and Mark must fight for their lives." (Blurb from Booktopia website.)

This book was a quick read for two reasons. One, it was pretty easy reading, and two, I felt compelled to read. It isn't a literary masterpiece by any means. It is however, a very enjoyable romantic suspense novel, a little predictable but enjoyable anyway. There are flawed but likeable characters.

Funnily enough, I think the underlying themes in this novel are not that different to it's "title twin" (by Diane Chamberlain). A book about second chances.



1 POINT

>59 Roro8: - Congratulations on being caught up with one of your series!

>64 lkernagh:, thanks. I am currently listening to the audio of The Tying of Threads by Joy Dettman, the 6th and final book in the Woody Creek series, so it looks like I'll have another one finished soon.

7. Boy Books

Reading Through Time - Storico Italia

Hunting the Eagles by Ben Kane
Book 2 Eagles of Rome series



AN ARMY DEFEATED

AD 14: Five long years have passed since the annihilation of three legions in the wilds of Germania. Although the bones of 15,000 soldiers now moulder in the Teutoburg Forest, not all the Romans were slain in the bloody ambush.

A CENTURION OUT FOR VENGEANCE

Demoted, battle-scarred and hell-bent on revenge, Centurion Tullus and his legionaries begin their fightback. Ranged against them is the charismatic chieftan Arminius, who is gathering thousands of hostile tribesmen, and determined to crush the Romans for a second time.

AN EAGLE RECOVERED

The eagle belonging to Tullus' old legion is still in enemy hands, but as the Romans' reprisals take their army deep into German tribal lands, he remains convinced that it is within reach. But Arminius and his warriors are perilously close. As battle begins, Tullus and his comrades know they must fight as never before - just to stay alive...
(Blurb from Booktopia website.)

Ben Kane does not disappoint. Roman legions, loyal soldiers, disloyal soldiers and their enemies. This is your typical Ancient Rome legions go to war book with Ben Kane's very readable style.

The perspective alternates between that of Tulles, a Roman centurion and Arminius, an enemy of Rome. Both sides portrayed in a believable way, it's hard to know who you want to succeed.



2 POINTS

I am currently listening to The Tying of Threads by Joy Dettman, and absolutely loving it. they are now up to the 1970's, the decade I was born, so I can remember some of the historical references made. Books don't come more Aussie than this series. Such a shame this is the final in the series. I am definitely going to miss these characters when I'm finished.

On the bright side - you've finished a series. And she could decide to write another book.

>66 Roro8: You've reminded me that I have one of Ben Kane's trilogies to complete. So are I have only read the first book in his Forgotten Legion series but I have the next two on my shelves.

>68 dudes22:, you are right. Plus there are plenty of other books out there with lovable characters.

>69 DeltaQueen50:, That was the first trilogy of Ben Kane's that I read. I obviously liked it as I have now read most of his historical fiction.

8. Historical Fiction

Reading Through Time - Quarterly time period 16th Century
RandomCAT - Yours, Mine, Ours

The Queen's Captive by Barbara Kyle
Book 3 in the Thornleigh series



A vengeful, bloody queen imprisons her own half-sister...

England 1554, and twenty year old Princess Elizabeth is a captive of Queen Mary. She longs for liberty - and in Honor and Richard Thornleigh and their seafaring son Adam, the young princess has loyal allies. When Mary releases her from the Tower, hoping she will make a false move and condemn herself, the Thornleighs return from exile to help Elizabeth in the fight of her life.
But Honor is playing a dangerous game as double agent, aware that a false move of her own could uncover her past as a condemned heretic. To save her family and Elizabeth, Honor must turn a headstrong princess into a queen before Bloody Mary destroys them all...
(Blurb from Booktopia website.)

Honor is a wonderful character, returning to feature in the third novel in the Thornleigh series. Also featuring is Adam, Honor's stepson, a now ruggedly handsome and loyal man.

Queen Mary is in the midst of her reign, burning heretics left and right. With her marriage to the Prince of Spain and her phantom pregnancies there is no wonder that the young and beautiful Princess Elizabeth has followers just waiting to assist her to the throne.

Adam and Honor are involved with keeping the Princess safe, whilst trying hard to keep themselves free of charges of heresy and treason. Political plots abound. There is romance and scheming. And where would a novel featuring the Tudors be without betrayal.



3 POINTS

Popping in to say hello Ro

>72 luvamystery65:, Hi Ro!! Nice of you to pop in. I have been extremely busy this year. I have a new job which means I am now working 4 days a week. I am also doing one uni subject externally. Plus the kids extracurricular activity seems to have increased.

I left home this morning at 7am with my youngest son and daughter to take Ethan to his first Field Archery session. It started at 8 and finished at 1.30. It was out in the middle of whoop whoop, fortunately I have a couple of friends who live out there so my daughter and I went out having cups of tea while he was doing his thing. Then home (45 min drive) to take my older son out to get tools for work. Then uni homework....oops then distracted by LT. Naughty me.

9. Australian

AlphaKIT - letter W

The Tying of Threads: A Woody Creek Novel by Joy Dettman
Woody Creek book 6



Georgie

Independent and spirited, Georgie is her mother's daughter through and through. But after a house fire takes the life of her sister, Margot, and burns her home to the ground, Georgie is lost. She flees town with nothing but a cardboard box and the determination to be somebody, anybody, else.

Cara

After almost losing her adopted daughter, Cara's view of the world has radically shifted. She's decided that life is to be lived and love is to be cherished, even when that means crossing boundaries she'd never dreamed of. But is any love great enough to overcome an unimaginable burden of guilt and shame?

Jenny

With her nest empty, Jenny is more lonely than ever. Rattling around her big old house with too much time to think, she's left to wonder: should her secrets stay buried forever or will revealing the truth set her free?

As the new millennium draws ever closer and Woody Creek struggles to survive, one thing becomes clear - in order to face their futures, Jenny and her daughters must first make peace with their pasts.

If it's not too late.
(Blurb from Booktopia website.)

I have absolutely fallen in love with these characters. At times the events just seemed a bit too outrageously coincidental to be true. But I didn't care. The author even says that real life can be stranger than fiction.

If you want a dose of Aussie, Aussie, Aussie then this series is a great choice. I read the first three books and listened to the final 3 on audio. I have to say I think the audios are great and wished I had listened to them all in audio.



6 POINTS
1 BONUS POINT for completing the series

10. Historical Fiction

Reading Through Time - monthly theme Storico Italia
Reading Through Time - quarterly time period 16th century

The Girl with the Painted Face by Gabrielle Kimm



Modena, Italy, 1582. Seventeen-year-old seamstress Sofia Genotti is on the run, falsely accused of theft. Penniless and desperate to avoid the perils of whoredom, she is introduced to a troupe of travelling actors, who ask her to join them as costume mistress. Within weeks she is learning to act.

Acting will bring her closer to Beppe Bianchi, who plays the anarchic character Arlecchino. As the two become increasingly intimate, Sofia is sure that she has never been happier. But after a fated performance at an aristocrat's castle, she is accosted by the owner. . . and the following morning he is found dead. Sofia is accused of murder.
A tale of blackmail and sexual jealousy will reveal the true killer and the redemptive power of theatre will triumph. If you like Philippa Gregory you will love THE GIRL WITH THE PAINTED FACE.
(Blurb from Booktopia website.)

This was a lovely romance, set in a travelling troupe of actors in Italy. Everything is going along beautifully, until there is a murder. The wrong person is accused and everything changes. Hearts are broken. The mystery must be solved to set things right.

Even though it was a bit predictable at times, I enjoyed the setting and the characters.



1 POINT

February Summary

Total books read = 5

Number of series book read = 4

Number of series completed/up to date this month = 1

Number of new series started = 1

Total number of points for February = 14





February - The Tying of Threads: A Woody Creek Novel by Joy Dettman

January - Before the Storm by Diane Chamberlain

Ro, you are doing well with your series reading. It seems to me that for every series I finish, I start two or three new ones!

>74 Roro8: - Sounds like the series must really be good. Looks like the first one is Pearl in a Cage, is that right?

>77 DeltaQueen50:, thanks Judy, I know what you mean about starting more and more series. I am trying to stick to my on the go series as much as possible. It's only been two months though. At least my number of new series started is currently equal to those finished.

>78 LittleTaiko:, Pearl in a Cage is the first book. If you like audiobooks I can highly recommend the audio versions. The reader does a fabulous job of all the voices. I can visualise all the characters when I'm listening to her.

11. Mystery/Crime

Thursday's Children by Nicci French
Book 4 in the Frieda Klein Mysteries



When psychotherapist Frieda Klein left the sleepy Suffolk coastal town in which she grew up she never intended to return. Left behind were friends, family, lives, and loves but alongside them, painful memories; a past she wouldn't allow to destroy her. Then, years later, an old classmate appears in London asking Frieda to help her teenage daughter and long-buried memories resurface. Death soon follows, leaving Frieda no choice but to return home to confront her past. And the monsters no one else believed were real....

Through a fog of conflicting accounts, hidden agendas, and questionable alibis, Frieda can trust no one as she tries to piece together the shocking truth, past and present. Before another innocent dies.
(Blurb from Amazon website.)

Here is a fast paced addition to the Frieda Klein Mystery series. Once again Frieda finds herself drawn into the solving of a mystery, with herself as one of the victims. Frieda is asked to help the daughter of an old school friend. The girl needs help, and Frieda is doing the best she can to do that. She finds herself confronting old skeletons in the closet in more ways than one.

She obtains no official help from the police and feels she must get to the bottom of this crime in spite of that. Her character seemed a bit different in this book. I still don't understand her but I like her.

The usual group of friends and not-friends appear. I predicted a couple of things but did not guess who the baddie was.

There is no doubt I'll be reading book 5.



4 POINTS

Love your "Book of the Month" posts. No Joy Dettman at my local library but I'm adding her to my wishlist. I have Nicci French books on my tbr list, you reminded me to give them a push closer to the top!

I love Nicci French books but so far I haven't read any from the Frieda Klein series. I know, another new series, but I will definitely be keeping these in mind.

>81 VivienneR:, I have no idea how popular Joy Dettman's books are outside Australia. I would have been pleasantly surprised if your library had any of her books. LT is definitely good for reminding us of books we had planned to get to.

>82 DeltaQueen50:, I haven't read any of the non Frieda Nicci French books. As far as adding another series to your reading list Judy, I wouldn't worry too much about that if I could read books as fast as you. I was thinking with each title having a day name in it that there would only be 7 books. Looks like they added a twist by doing 2 Saturday books!

I just noticed that it's my thingaversary March 4 (I think the time difference might indicate otherwise on the top of my post though). I've been clicking my way through LT for 6 years now.

Let me be the first to wish you a Happy Thingversary!

>85 mamzel:, thanks :-)

Happy Thingaversary! Enjoy picking out your Thingaversary books :)

Happy thingaversary and happy reading!

Happy Thingaversary!

Happy 6th Thingaversary, Ro!

By the way, I just happened to pick up the first Frieda Klein mystery, Blue Monday. ;)

Happy Thingaversary!!

Happy Thingaversary!!

Happy Thingaversary!!

Congratulations on your 6th Thingaversary!

Thanks for the thingaversary wishes everybody.

>90 DeltaQueen50:, I think you will like Blue Monday Judy.

I did buy some new books to add to my collection.
The Patterson Girls by Rachel Johns
The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
Loss of Innocence by Richard North Patterson
Fall From Grace by Richard North Patterson

There are heaps of other books titled Fall From Grace, so that will be a potential candidate for my "Title Twin" category.

12. Girl Books

How to Break Your Own Heart by Maggie Alderson
Audio book



Amelia Bradlow seems to have everything she needs to be happy - a handsome husband, a beautiful home, money, good looks and a glamour job. Everything, that is, except the thing she wants most - a baby. Ed, her husband, is funny, affectionate and sophisticated but simply not interested in parenthood. He likes his life neat and tidy. And he likes having a wife who attends solely to his needs. As she approaches 37, Amelia is faced with a life-changing decision, aided and abetted by Kiki, her hopelessly disorganised but ridiculously rich friend. Should Amelia stay in her nearly happy marriage, or expose herself to the vagaries of single life and the distant possibility of meeting someone who wants to start a family? Maggie Alderson brings her deep understanding of the human heart to this new novel about the compromises we make in life, and about those rare moments of grace when we decide to risk everything for the chance to be truly, madly and deeply happy.
(Blurb from Amazon website.)

A light and enjoyable chick-lit read tackling the challenges of unfulfilled needs in an established marriage. Amelia is a likeable doormat who starts to come out of her shell under the influence of her new-found friend Kiki (an outrageously rich, outgoing, Australian woman). Poor stubborn, pompous Ed doesn't know what has hit him.

A little predictable, but enjoyable anyway. Plus the narration was very good.



1 POINT, not a series read

I had a lovely weekend at a friend's place with my family. My teenage boys had fun on motorbike and quad bike. My daughter enjoyed hanging out in the camper and has requested the use of it for her next birthday party sleepover! Plus it was stinking hot again 35 degrees, and my friends are living in a giant shed on their 50 acres. Needless to say I am exhausted. I'm picking up my book next. I think my eyes will be shut within 10 pages, especially considering it's not the most exciting book - Enemy of God by Bernard Cornwell.

Happy belated Thingaversary!

>98 lkernagh:, thanks Lori.

I just noticed that all my categories have at least 1 point now. Boy books is in the points lead.

13. Non-Fiction Reading for my uni course pertaining to workplace health and safety and safe handling of infliximab.

1 Point

14. Historical Fiction

Reading Through Time - March meeting Madness

Enemy of God by Bernard Cornwell
Book 2 in the Warlord Chronicles



When Bernard Cornwell embarked on his Arthurian trilogy, beginning with The Winter King and alive again in his latest, Enemy of God, it was his intention to extract the legendary king from the mire of myths. He hoped to set the tale of Arthur's fifth century against a more certain -- and less chivalrous and romantic -- historical backdrop. His purist approach demanded that he eliminate both the dashing Lancelot and even the mystical Merlin, because, as Cornwell has noted, 'It's almost certain that Merlin had nothing to do with Arthur whatsoever.'

Searching for the meaning of Arthur led Cornwell back to the earliest of histories, folktales, and epic poems. Without the colorful additions of Merlin's magic and Lancelot's betrayal, what he found was a relatively dark tale set in an even darker age. And so Cornwell chose to compromise fact and fiction, striking a celebrated balance between the academic truth and the familiar yet compelling, arguably fictional characters who act as a vehicle for his well-researched version of Arthurian history.

Enemy of God picks up where Cornwell's first, Novel of Arthur, left off, with Arthur having defeated the last holdouts of civil war in southern Britain and secured King Mordred's throne. But the unified kingdom seems no steadier, its balance threatened by Merlin's ceaseless -- some say futile -- quest for the last of the Thirteen Treasures of Britain, by conflict between the ancient religion and the new Christianity, and by Britain's war against the Saxons.
(Blurb from Booktopia website.)

It took me ages to read this book. I must have been at leat 300 pages in before I started to gain interest. I think this is partially due to the story not providing me any characters that I just loved, and partly because I have a lot going on right now and perhaps should have read something a bit lighter.

Bernard Cornwell has made his character more human. They are not the standard romantic hero types. The villains are a bit more typical though. There is a fair bit of action going on. I think the device of using an old man telling his story gives things away. Not only that the narrator does give things away as he goes. It's actually a bit annoying and takes away some of that thrill of discovery.

It was an ok book. I wouldn't rave about it. If I didn't already have book 3 on my shelf I probably wouldn't bother reading it. Seeing as I do have it I will be reading it at some point in the future.



2 POINTS

15. Non-Fiction

Great Australian Outback Police Stories by Bill "Swampy" Marsh
Audiobook - not a series read



Yarns and memories that capture the experience of policing in the bush, gathered by the inimitable Bill 'Swampy' Marsh, bestselling author of GREAT AUSTRALIAN FLYING DOCTOR STORIES and GREAT AUSTRALIAN CWA STORIES.

'I tell you, you meet some strange characters in this game ...'

Boasting the biggest beats in the world - some as large as France - Australia's outback police have seen it all: natural disasters, incredible acts of selflessness, unspeakable crimes and daring rescues, just to name a few.
And they've met some unforgettable characters along the way: from the murderer who stuffed his victims' bodies down wombat holes; to the policeman who arrested his own wife; to the prisoner who risked his life to rescue his own captor from certain death.
Master storyteller Bill 'Swampy' Marsh has travelled the length and breadth of the country to gather their tales of adventure and misadventure, drama and mayhem, and larrikinism and laughter, to create this memorable collection of real-life stories about those on the front-line in the heart of Australia.
(Blurb from Booktopia website.)

I found this an interesting book to listen too. Some of the stories went back more than 100 years, with most seeming to be from the 1940's onwards. Interesting anecdotes.



1 POINT

16. Girl Books

The Art of Keeping Secrets by Rachel Johns
not a series read



Little secrets grow up to be big lies…

They’ve been best friends since their sons started high school together, and Felicity, Emma and Neve share everything … or so they thought.

But Flick’s seemingly perfect marriage hides a shocking secret which, with one word, threatens to destroy her and her family’s happiness. Emma is in denial about a potential custody battle, her financial constraints, the exhaustion she can’t seem to shake off and the inappropriate feelings she has for her boss. And single mum Neve is harbouring a secret of her own; a secret that might forever damage her close-knit relationship with her son.

When the tight hold they have each kept on their secrets for years begins to slip, they must face the truth. Even if that truth has the power to hurt the ones they love, and each other.

Perhaps some secrets weren’t made to be kept.
(Blurb from Booktopia website.)

This was an enjoyable, easy to read chick-lit type of book. It was a bit predictable at times though, but that's ok. Felicity's secret was the most surprising one of all and quite challenging.

The right book at the right time for me.



1 POINT

March Summary

Total books read = 6

Number of series book read = 2

Number of series completed/up to date this month = 0

Number of new series started = 0

Total number of points for March = 10





March - Thursday's Children by Nicci French

February - The Tying of Threads: A Woody Creek Novel by Joy Dettman

January - Before the Storm by Diane Chamberlain

17. Australian

RandomCAT - Love in the Stacks

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Audiobook from the library



Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. Then a chance encounter gives him an idea. He will design a questionnaire—a sixteen-page, scientifically researched document—to find the perfect partner. She will most definitely not be a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker or a late-arriver.

Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is strangely beguiling, fiery and intelligent. And she is also on a quest of her own. She’s looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might just be able to help her with—even if he does wear quick-dry clothes and eat lobster every single Tuesday night.
(Blurb from Booktopia website.)

It has taken me a couple of years to get around to reading this book, and I have to agree with all the positive things I have heard about it. It is a fun, quirky and interesting story about Don Tillman's search for the perfect wife. In order to locate the perfect life partner Don comes up with a questionnaire to filter out the non-compatible applicants. Don is a very interesting character. He has some unusual personality traits that are very entertaining at times, and heart-breaking at others.

Rosie is a very interesting character herself. She is quite an emotive person, but is obviously a thinker and very good at communication. Somehow she gets Don interested in helping her with her search for her biological father. This leads to some very funny moments.

I really enjoyed every minute of this book.



1 POINT

18. Australian

Reading Through Time - Family Saga

To Chase the Storm by Peter Watt
Book 4 in The Frontier series



Major Patrick Duffy is torn by conflicting duties: his oath to the Queen is unwavering as she gathers her armies together to march on the Boers of southern Africa, but his duty to his family is equally clear. But when his beautiful wife Catherine leaves him for another, returning to her native Ireland, Patrick's broken heart propels him out of the Sydney Macintosh home and into yet another bloody war. However the battlefields of Africa hold more than nightmarish terrors and unspeakable conditions for Patrick - they bring him in contact with one he thought long dead and lost to him.

Back in Australia, the mysterious Michael O'Flynn mentors Patrick's youngest son, Alex, and at his grandmother's request takes him on a journey to their Queensland property, Glen View. But will the terrible curse that has inextricably linked the Duffys and Macintoshes for generations ensure that no true happiness can ever come to them? So much seems to depend on Wallarie, the last warrior of the Nerambura tribe, whose mere name evokes a legend approaching myth.

Through the dawn of a new century in a now federated nation, To Chase the Storm charts an explosive tale of love and loss, from South Africa to Palestine, from Townsville to the green hills of Ireland, and to the more sinister politics that lurk behind them. (Blurb from Booktopia website.)

To Chase the Storm continues the ongoing family saga of the Duffy and MacIntosh families. We are now in 1899 Australia. The Boer war means that young Australian men are volunteering for service. There is a fair portion of this book set in Africa with three regular characters taking part.

Patrick Duffy's wife Catherine has run off to Ireland with another man. Their young daughter Fenella experiences the joy and pain of first love. Their son Alex gains some life experience travelling in the Queensland wilderness with Michael O'Flynn. Not much is said about their oldest boy, George - I predict some trouble from this character in future novels.

Patrick's half-sister Helen and her husband feature more in this novel too. I rather like Helen.

Some of my old favourite characters will not be back in future novels :-(

A good book. Book 5 is on my shelf ready to go.



4 POINTS

>104 Roro8: Nicci French has been on my want-list for aeons. Glad to see she is your "book of the month" choice.

>105 Roro8: - I've had this on my radar for a while now after I took a BB from Lori (ikernagh) in 2015. Found it at a library sale last year and now just need to get to it.

>108 dudes22:, I'm yet to see a negative review for it so the odds are good that you'll like it.

I have just finished The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny, another series read, review coming soon.

19. Mystery / Crime

The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny
Book 3 in Chief Inspector armand Gamache



It's Easter, and on a glorious Spring day in peaceful Three Pines, someone waits for night to fall. They plan to raise the dead...

When Chief Inspector Gamache of the Surete du Quebec arrives the next morning, he faces an unusual crime scene. A seance in an old abandoned house has gone horrifically wrong and someone has been seemingly frightened to death.

In indyllic Three Pines, terrible secrets lie buried, and even Gamache has something to hide. One of his own team is about to betray him. But how far will they go to ensure Gamache's downfall.
(Blurb from Booktopia website.)

I found it quite funny that this book starts on Easter weekend, which is when I started reading it. I didn't even realise it had anything to do with Easter!

There is another death in Three Pines requiring the skills of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team. All the regulars are back to help solve the mystery. And the regular bunch of community members are featured plus a few extras.

The mystery itself takes a back seat at times while the ongoing backstory of the repercussions of the Arnot case continue. Somebody is targeting Gamache. He needs to find out who and work out what to do about it.

Another excellent mystery that had me turning the pages wanting to know what is going to happen. The fact that there are many more books in the series made me think that Gamache must be in the homicide solving business for a while yet.

The outcome of the case itself was well done.



3 POINTS

20. Historical Fiction

Spirit of the Wolves by Dorothy Hearst
Book 3 in the Wolf Chronicles, final book in series.



Set in Southern Europe at the end of the Ice Age, Spirit of the Wolves follows the visionary young she-wolf Kaala in the Wide Valley as she attempts to bring peace between wolves and humans, for the sake of both species. When some of the Swift River pack resists the attempts at bonding with mankind, Kaala and her closest friends must travel beyond the valley for the first time in their lives in order to find her long-lost mother and bring the Promise of the Wolves to reality.

Meanwhile, TaLi, Kaala's faithful human companion, is being ruthlessly pursued by a rejected lover, and Kaala must balance keeping her safe with completing her quest. And with a rival wolf plotting to thwart their plans, Kaala must rely on her loved ones more than ever. But there are many dangers outside of the valley, and the young wolves have much to learn about the world outside their pack.

This stunningly detailed journey, seen through the mind of a wolf, details the origins of the relationship between the human race and man's best friend.
(Blurb from Booktopia website.)

I found it quite funny that this book starts on Easter weekend, which is when I started reading it. I didn't even realise it had anything to do with Easter!

Lets just say I did not get a lot out of this book. Nothing nice or inspiring happened. The climax was a let down. The first 2 books seemed perfect for the basis of a disney movie, however I don't think children would be interested in a conclusion like this.



4 POINTS including bonus point for finishing the series.

April Summary

Total books read = 4

Number of series book read = 4

Number of series completed/up to date this month = 1

Number of new series started = 1

Total number of points for March = 12





April - The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny

March - Thursday's Children by Nicci French

February - The Tying of Threads: A Woody Creek Novel by Joy Dettman

January - Before the Storm by Diane Chamberlain

>112 Roro8: Hurray for completing a series, but sorry to hear that the conclusion was such a letdown!

>114 rabbitprincess:, thanks RP. I think my next read will be much better. It's keeping me awake at night because it is a bit creepy.

21. Crime / Mystery

AlphaKIT letter C

Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan
Not a series read



Margot Lewis is the agony aunt for The Cambridge Examiner. Her advice column, Dear Amy, gets all kinds of letters - but none like the one she's just received:

Dear Amy,
I don't know where I am. I've been kidnapped and am being held prisoner by a strange man. I'm afraid he'll kill me.
Please help me soon,
Bethan Avery

Bethan Avery has been missing for nearly two decades. This is surely some cruel hoax. But, as more letters arrive, they contain information that was never made public. How is this happening? Answering this question will cost Margot everything . . .
(Blurb from Booktopia website.)

My daughter lent me this book after both she and her friend read it. It is quite a compelling read.

Margot Lewis is a teacher at what sounds like a prestigious school. She also writes the advice column in the local paper. So when she gets a letter from a girl that has been missing for 20 years Margot is quite rattled and takes the letter to the police. A couple more letters follow and Margot finds herself involved in assisting in the investigation.

Margot has her own issues too, a history she would rather her employers did not know and husband problems.

This is a debut book by this author, and even though there are a few areas that could have been developed a bit more it was a very good read.



1 POINT

22. Australian

The Best of Adam Sharp by Graeme Simsion
Not a series read



A novel about love, music and coming to terms with the past, from the author of the international bestseller The Rosie Project.

On the cusp of fifty, Adam Sharp has a loyal partner, earns a good income as an IT contractor and is the music-trivia expert at quiz nights. It’s the lifestyle he wanted, but something’s missing.

Two decades ago, on the other side of the world, his part-time piano playing led him into a passionate relationship with Angelina Brown, who’d abandoned law studies to pursue her acting dream. She gave Adam a chance to make it something more than an affair but he didn’t take it. And now he can’t shake off his nostalgia for what might have been.

Then, out of nowhere, Angelina gets in touch. What does she want? Does Adam dare to live dangerously? How far will he go for a second chance?
(Blurb from Booktopia website.)

This book was recommended to me by my retired neighbour. She obviously got a lot more out of it than I did.

Adam Sharp pretty much decides that he is Adam Flat. There is nothing exciting going on is his life. He does not seem to be an active participant in his relationship with his partner Claire. Then out of the blue and old flame gets in touch with Adam. Adam has unresolved issues with this woman.

What takes place is basically an analysis of relationships, how different relationships work and don't work, and a self assessment of Adam Sharp.

For me, this book is a plodder. I personally did not get a lot out of it.



1 POINT

>117 Roro8: Oh great, I just bought it. I don't think I'll get to it soon but will give it a try somewhere down the road.

What a coincidence, I just got an email today from the author through Goodreads promoting the book. It sounded interesting but then I started reading the reviews and it became less interesting.

>116 Roro8: This sounds intriguing, BB for me. I really like the books you've read (except for the few less enjoyable ones), good choices.

>118 clue:, you might like it, you never know.

>119 LittleTaiko:, if you talking about the Graeme Simsion book, it might be a good idea to see what a few more people on LT think. Maybe my thoughts are not the main stream.

>120 Chrischi_HH:, thanks :-) I hope you like it too. It isn't perfect, but it did suck me right in.

>121 Roro8: - Actually your thoughts are fairly in line with the general reviews on Goodreads and LT.

I have completed my first category for 2017 - BOY BOOKS, with my recently finished Eagles in the Storm by Ben Kane getting me to the 17 point total. I will post a review for this book soon.

Congratulations on finishing your first category!

23. Boy Books

Eagles in the Storm by Ben Kane
Book 3 in the Eagles at War trilogy



AD 15. The German chieftain Arminius has been defeated, one of the lost Roman eagles recovered, and thousands of German tribesmen slain.

Yet these successes aren’t nearly enough for senior centurion Lucius Tullus. Not until Arminius is dead, his old legion’s eagle found and the enemy tribes completely vanquished will he rest.

But Arminius – devious, fearless – is burning for revenge of his own.

Charismatic as ever, he raises another large tribal army, which will harry the Romans the length and breadth of the land.

Soon Tullus finds himself in a cauldron of bloodshed, treachery and danger.

His mission to retrieve his legion’s eagle will be his most perilous yet…
(Blurb from Booktopia website.)

As you all know, I like a good historical fiction action book. This is the 3rd book in Ben Kane's Eagles at War trilogy. It continues the action from the first two books, and perhaps even lifts a bit.

The honourable and admirable Tullus is committed to finding the lost eagle of the 18th, and defeating Arminius for good. He has his loyal soldiers supporting him, and finally, a leader he respects and admires.

Arminius is again rounding up the Germanic tribes to work together to expel the scourge of Rome from their soil.

Even though the ending is known this is a very well written take on the action and how the participants may have thought and behaved. A very good read.



3 POINTS
1 Bonus Point for series completion

I enjoy a good historical fiction story as well so I am taking note of this trilogy.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the mums out there. I hope you have a great day.

My day has started out nicely, a cup of tea in bed, some pressies (including a couple of books), my daughter made me a pancake breakfast, and now the whole family is downstairs doing the housework while I chill out.

>127 Roro8: That sounds lovely! Glad you had a good day.

24. Historical Mysteries

When Winter Returns by Kathryn Miller Haines
Book 4 in the Rosie Winter Mysteries
Final book in series



Back from their USO stint in the South Pacific in the fall of 1943, Rosie Winter and her best friend, Jayne, head upstate to visit the home of Jayne's recently deceased fiance. But what they find leaves Rosie wondering if the man ever existed to begin with.

As Rosie searches for the truth behind his identity--and a way to help heal Jayne's broken heart--she faces an unpleasant homecoming of her own. The newspapers are filled with tales of saboteurs infiltrating the East Coast. Her ex, Jack Castlegate, is also back in Manhattan, nursing severe war injuries, under scrutiny for desertion, and engaged to a gorgeous WAC private. Rosie and Jayne's friend Al is in hiding and no one seems willing to help him out.

Desperate to make things right, Rosie finds herself telling lie after lie to protect her friends and herself. But as her deceit mounts and lures danger out of hiding, she starts to wonder if they weren't all safer on the warfront than they are on the home front.
(Blurb from Booktopia website.)

I've been meaning to get to this book for quite a while. My empty historical mystery category was a big prompt.

Rosie and Jayne are back from their USO tour. They unexpectedly discover that Jayne's finance is not who he was cracked up to be. Somebody has black listed them for employment and their room at Shaw House has been taken over by a newcomer who is becoming a major threat to their friendship. Add to this the pile of lies Rosie has been telling and their involvement with the mob, there is plenty of action.



4 POINTS
1 Bonus Point for series completion / up to date

25. Girl Books

RandomCAT - All about Mum

We Never Asked For Wings by Vanessa Diffebaugh
Audiobook



How far would you go for your children? Would you lie for them? Flee with them? Let someone else mother them if you thought they would do a better job? As a single parent, Letty does everything for her two children - apart from raise them. Being a mother terrifies her more than she can admit, and so she's always let her mother take that role. When Maria Elena ups and leaves, however, Letty has to confront her fears and become the parent she doesn't think she can be.

Even as she tries to give her children a future, Letty's teenage son, Alex, struggles to forgive his mother for choices she made in the past. But he and Letty are not so dissimilar, and both are prepared to risk everything for those they love. Honest and compelling, We Never Asked for Wings is about family; it's about the decisions we take, the mistakes we make, the people we trust, and, above all, how - and where - we find love.
(Blurb from Booktopia website.)

Letty has not been a good mother. She has let her mother bring up her 2 children thinking that she would do a much better job of it. So when Maria Elena leaves, going to Mexico in search of her husband, Letty panics. How is she going to care for these children. She has no idea about how to be a mother. She has to try. Yet she makes mistake after mistake while trying to find her way.

Meanwhile Alex, her 15 year old son, is having his own struggles. He finds himself is some difficult situations while trying to navigate the normal territory of being a teenage boy. Is Letty able to step up and provide her son with the support he needs?

This is a well written book tackling some serious issues.



1 POINT
not a series read

Stopping by to get caught up. Glad to see you enjoyed The Rosie Project! Such a fabulous story!

26. Girl Books

RandomCAT - All about Mum

Keep Me Safe by Daniela Sacerdoti
Book 1 Seal Island



Your child asks for her mother. But she doesn't mean you. When Anna's partner walks away from their relationship, she is shattered. But it is her little girl Ava who takes it hardest of all. The six year old falls silent for three days. When she does speak, her words are troubling. Ava wants to go home. To a place called Seal. To her other mother. Anna knows to unravel the mystery she must find Seal and take Ava there. She hopes this tiny island will unlock her daughter's memories. But could it also offer a new life...and unexpected love...for Anna too?
(Blurb from Booktopia website.)

This book is fairly predictable in what the outcome is going to be, however getting there is interesting.

Anna and Toby have a daughter, Ava. Toby is a terrible partner. Anna is very hard working and has had a terrible family life so she values a stable family life for her daughter. When Toby up and leaves, Ava takes it very badly. Anna will do whatever it takes to make her little girl happy again. So when Ava starts asking for her other mother and talking about memories that aren't hers Anna is worried. In an effort to help her daughter she takes her to this other home, Seal Island. Seal Island might just be the best thing that has happened to them.

A quick, easy, enjoyable read with just one weird bit that was a bit too much for me.



1 POINT

This book was a Mother's Day present from one of my daughters. I have unwittingly started another series.

May Summary

Total books read = 6

Number of series book read = 3

Number of series completed/up to date this month = 2

Number of new series started = 1

Total number of points for May = 13



A difficult decision this month.



May - We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

April - The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny

March - Thursday's Children by Nicci French

February - The Tying of Threads: A Woody Creek Novel by Joy Dettman

January - Before the Storm by Diane Chamberlain

27. Historical Fiction

The Constant Queen by Joanna Courtney
Book 2 Queens of Conquest



Elizaveta is princess of Kiev, but that doesn't stop her chasing adventure. Defying conventions, she rides the rapids of the Dneiper alongside her royal brothers, and longs to rule in her own right as a queen.

Elizaveta meets her match when the fearsome Viking warrior Harald Hardrada arrives at her father's court seeking fame and fortune. He entrusts Elizaveta to be his treasure keeper, to hold the keys to his ever-growing wealth - and eventually to his heart.

Theirs is a fierce romance and the strength of their love binds them together as they travel across the vast seas to Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Iceland. In 1066, their ambition carries them to Orkney as they plan to invade England and claim the crown...
(Blurb from Booktopia website.)

This was an interesting and enjoyable read. I have read a lot of books set in this period told from the English side, so it was interesting to read this one.



2 POINTS

28. Historical Fiction

Dunstan by Conn Iggulden
Not a series read



** 'Iggulden has created an intriguingly complex saint - flawed, spiteful and unreliable as the teller of his own tale. Through his eyes we watch the story of the making of England' Times ** From acclaimed historical writer Conn Iggulden comes a novel set in the red-blooded days of Anglo-Saxon England. This is the original game for the English throne. In the year 937, King Aethelstan, grandson of Alfred the Great, readies himself to throw a great spear into the north. His dream of a kingdom of all England will stand or fall on one field and the passage of a single day. At his side is Dunstan of Glastonbury, full of ambition and wit, perhaps enough to damn his soul. His talents will take him from the villages of Wessex to the royal court, to the hills of Rome - from exile to exaltation. Through Dunstan's vision, by his guiding hand, England may come together as one great country - or fall back into anarchy and misrule ...From one of our finest historical writers, Dunstan is an intimate portrait of a priest and performer, a visionary, a traitor and confessor to kings - the man who changed the fate of England.
(Blurb from Book depository website.)

It did take me longer than usual to read this book. Probably more to do with exam preparation that lack of interest in the story on my part.

Dunstan is an intriguing and interesting character. At times he is not very likeable, and for a priest he does a lot of un-christian behaviour. Conn Iggulden is such an excellent story-teller, making this a good read.



1 POINT

29. Girl Books

Before I was Yours by Virginia Macgregor



Sam and Rosie Keep have always wanted children of their own but life hasn't worked out that way for them. The only option available to them now is adoption: they'll do anything to have a child to love.

Seven-year-old Jonah is far away from home and his mama promised he'd be looked after in England. But the man who's meant to be taking care of him has disappeared and now Jonah's all alone.
When Sam and Rosie meet Jonah they're certain they've found their son, and open their home and their hearts to him. Finally, their family is complete.

And then the unthinkable happens and life changes for all three members of the Keep family. Suddenly Sam and Rosie must answer an impossible question: how far are they willing to go for a child who isn't really theirs?
(Blurb from Booktopia website.)

Sam and Rosie Keep are desperate for a child, or should I say Rosie is desperate for a child and Sam is desperate to ensure Rosie's happiness. So when the couple meet Jonah who had been abandoned at the airport, they think their dream may finally have come through.

There is more to Jonah's story though, and he has some very specific needs. Are the Keeps up for the challenge, or is it all too hard?

This book didn't go where I had anticipated based on the cover. Even so, it was an OK read, but not one I would rave about.



1 POINT

June Summary

Total books read = 3 ( a slow reading month for me!)

Number of series book read = 1

Number of series completed/up to date this month = 0

Number of new series started = 0

Total number of points for May = 4





June - The Constant Queen by Joanna Courtney

May - We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

April - The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny

March - Thursday's Children by Nicci French

February - The Tying of Threads: A Woody Creek Novel by Joy Dettman

January - Before the Storm by Diane Chamberlain

30. Mystery/Crime

July CultureCAT

Friday on my Mind by Nicci French
Book 5 in the Frieda Klein Mysteries



Your ex-lover is murdered. With no other leads the police make you their chief suspect . . .

When the police fish a body from the Thames, the name tag on the wrist says it's 'Dr F. Klein' and the cut throat tells them it was murder. But appearances are deceptive - for Dr Frieda Klein was once the lover of the Sandy, the dead man. Now she's the only suspect.

Frieda can let the police take her in, or run and try to clear her name. But that means being a fugitive. And alone and vulnerable is exactly where Sandy's killer wants Frieda to be . . .
(Blurb from booktopia website.)

The pacing of this book is a little different this time. Frieda herself is the suspect in the murder of her ex-boyfriend Sandy. Instead of allowing herself to be arrested Frieda flees. The police are obviously never going to find the real killer while they think it is her. Frieda is not used to being a fugitive and her fierce independent streak has to be re-adjusted while she is in this difficult situation.

The pace really picks up in the second half of the book and I found it really hard to put down.

An excellent read.



5 POINTS

Enjoying your reviews. And took a BB for Dear Amy.

Thanks Lisa. Dear Amy was a good one.

31. Historical Mystery

Reading Through Time - Revolution

The Scent of Death by Andrew Taylor
Book 1 Edward Savill



∗WINNER of the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award 2013∗
‘Andrew Taylor wrote superb historical fiction long before Hilary Mantel was popular' Daily Telegraph
From the No.1 bestselling author of THE AMERICAN BOY comes a new historical thriller set during the American War of Independence. August, 1778. British-controlled Manhattan is a melting pot of soldiers, traitors and refugees, surrounded by rebel forces as the American War of Independence rages on.

Into this simmering tension sails Edward Savill, a London clerk tasked with assessing the claims of loyalists who have lost out during the war.

Savill lodges with the ageing Judge Wintour, his ailing wife, and their enigmatic daughter-in-law Arabella. However, as Savill soon learns, what the Wintours have lost in wealth, they have gained in secrets.

The murder of a gentleman in the slums pulls Savill into the city's underbelly. But when life is so cheap, why does one death matter? Because making a nation is a lucrative business, and some people cannot afford to miss out, whatever the price…
(Blurb from booktopia website.)

This was an interesting read about a series of murders occurring in Manhattan set against a backdrop of the American Revolution.

The contrast between the rich, middle class and extremely poor is apparent. The complete lack of insight of some of the characters is typical of the time. The story itself is a bit slow and could have been made a bit more suspenseful and dramatic. Even so, it was a good read, and I love the cover.



1 POINT

32. Girl Books

AlphaKIT - letter G

Hello From the Gillespies by Monica McInerney



For more than thirty years, Angela Gillespie has sent friends and family around the world an end-of-year letter titled 'Hello from the Gillespies'. It's always been cheery and full of good news. This year, Angela surprises herself - she tells the truth . . .

The Gillespies are far from the perfect family that Angela has made them out to be. Her husband seems to be having a mid-life crisis. Her grown-up twins are having career meltdowns. Her third daughter, badly in debt, can't stop crying. And her ten-year-old son spends more time talking to his imaginary friend than to real ones.

Without Angela, the family would fall apart. But when Angela is taken from them in a most unexpected manner, the Gillespies pull together - and pull themselves together - in wonderfully surprising ways . . .
(Blurb from booktopia website.)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were laugh out loud moments and some very sensitive moments. It is a wonderful story of a family, warts and all, living their lives in outback South Australia.

I listened to the audio version on my way to and from work each day. The narrator was excellent.



1 POINT

33. Historical Fiction

The Drowning King by Emily Holleman
Book 2, Fall of Egypt



It's the dawning of a new era for Alexandria and Cleopatra and her younger brother, Ptolemy are established on the throne. Long overlooked by his father in favor of his beguiling sister, eleven-year-old Ptolemy is desperate to assert himself as a man and as a king. But he and his advisors are no match for Queen Cleopatra, who's quick to establish her primacy throughout the land, from Alexandria to Upper Egypt.

When, a year later, Cleopatra alienates Rome's remaining legions and flees the palace, Ptolemy finally gets his first taste of power, though not without its complications: Cleopatra has joined forces with their sister Arsinoe in Egypt, and Ptolemy must prepare to meet their army head-on and prove his ruthlessness to Caesar. Despite mounting doubts about where her sister's loyalties lie, Arsinoe has remained faithful to her. But when news comes that Cleopatra has manipulated Caesar to regain the throne and embraced Rome's dominance, Arsinoe is torn between her warring siblings and sensing her own nascent hunger to lead rising within.

Arsinoe must choose whether it will be her dear sister or brother she irrevocably betrays . . . and make a decision that will determine the fate of a kingdom, and all the future of history.
(Blurb from booktopia website.)

This book picks up shortly after the end of book 1, Cleopatra's Shadows. The story is told from the viewpoints of Ptolemy and Arsinoe. It is a very readable telling the the internal battling between the royals and the impact of the arrival of Caeser.



2 POINTS

July Summary

Total books read = 4 ( the slow reading continues!!)

Number of series book read = 2

Number of series completed/up to date this month = 1

Number of new series started = 1

Total number of points for May = 9





July - Friday on my Mind by Nicci French

June - The Constant Queen by Joanna Courtney

May - We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

April - The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny

March - Thursday's Children by Nicci French

February - The Tying of Threads: A Woody Creek Novel by Joy Dettman

January - Before the Storm by Diane Chamberlain

>141 Roro8: - Great cover and a BB for me.

>144 Roro8: Your book-of-the-month choice is always a BB for me. With two Nicci French books in that category already this year, you have reminded me that I really must get to them soon. They've been on the tbr shelf and/or wishlist for too long.

>145 lkernagh:, I hope you like it too.

>146 VivienneR:, I have been pretty impressed with this series. I might even read then next one this month.

34. Historical Fiction

The Falcons of Fire and Ice by Karen Maitland



1564, Lisbon. The Inquisition displays its power and ruthlessly spreads fear. Heretics are tortured and burned. Any who oppose the Church's will realize that silence is preferable to a slow and agonizing death. Isabela, daughter of the Falconer at the Royal Court, is about to be caught in the Church's terrifying schemes. The slaughter of two of the King's precious white falcons sees her father arrested and imprisoned. As punishment he and his family will be killed unless the birds are replaced. Isabela, young and headstrong, decides that only she can save her father. These birds are impossibly rare, and she will have to travel far and into strange lands to find them to clear her father's name. It is a journey that will take her into a dark and dangerous world filled with menacing people driven by fearful beliefs. And, unfortunately for Isabela, the Church has sent a companion to ensure she never returns.
(Blurb from booktopia website.)

This is another historical fiction journey book. Some elements of the novel were quite good. Others, not so much.

Isabel goes on an impossible journey to find the falcons that can save her father's life. But can this effort really save her father's life? Or is the effort futile? Is she doomed regardless? The inquisition wants them gone.

Not a bad book, but certainly not my favourite Maitland effort.



1 POINT

35. Mystery / Crime

Saturday Requiem by Nicci French
Book 6 in the Frieda Klein series



1Did a teenager kill her family, or was she framed? You must find the truth . . .

Thirteen years ago Hannah Docherty was arrested for slaughtering her family. The police saw an open and shut case and ever since Hannah has been locked up.

When psychotherapist Frieda Klein is asked to assess Hannah, she finds a traumatised woman who appears as much a victim as her family. Delving deeper into the case, Frieda uncovers mistakes, inconsistencies and the suggestion that someone has been hiding the truth. Someone who'll do anything to protect themselves . . .
(Blurb from booktopia website.)

I absolutely love this series and highly recommend it to anybody who enjoys a good psychological thriller.

Frieda is reluctantly drawn into solving another crime. She is asked to assess Hannah, a woman committed of the murder of her family as an 18 year old girl. She has been locked in a mental institution since. Frieda's assessment results in her reinvestigating the crime.

I have to admit, I did not predict the end. Another good addition to the series.



6 POINTS

36. Girl Books (not really, more like literature but I had to put it somewhere!!)

The Golden Son by Shilpi Somaya Gowda



The first of his family to go to college, Anil Patel, the golden son, carries the weight of tradition and his family's expectations when he leaves his tiny Indian village to begin a medical residency in Dallas, Texas, at one of the busiest and most competitive hospitals in America. When his father dies, Anil becomes the de facto head of the Patel household and inherits the mantle of arbiter for all of the village's disputes. But he is uneasy with the custom, uncertain that he has the wisdom and courage demonstrated by his father and grandfather. His doubts are compounded by the difficulties he discovers in adjusting to a new culture and a new job, challenges that will shake his confidence in himself and his abilities.

Back home in India, Anil's closest childhood friend, Leena, struggles to adapt to her demanding new husband and relatives. Arranged by her parents, the marriage shatters Leena's romantic hopes, and eventually forces her to make a desperate choice that will hold drastic repercussions for herself and her family. Though Anil and Leena struggle to come to terms with their identities thousands of miles apart, their lives eventually intersect once more-changing them both and the people they love forever.

Tender and bittersweet, The Golden Son illuminates the ambivalence of people caught between past and present, tradition and modernity, duty and choice; the push and pull of living in two cultures, and the painful decisions we must make to find our true selves.
(Blurb from booktopia website.)

This is the type of book I usually love. I picked it up from the library after reading the blurb, not reviews, nothing seen from LT. I loved it.

Anil is from the big family in a small Indian village. He is smart and has potential. His father encourages him to pursue a career in medicine. This results in Anil ending up in a residency program in Dallas. The culture differences are tremendous. Anil's ability to adjust to his changing persona and his changing perception of the two worlds he is living in is beautifully handled in this wonderful book.

He cannot forget the friend he left behind. Leena is living a completely different life. She is facing challenges that Anil cannot even begin to imagine.

Highly recommended.



1 POINT

37. Australian

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
The second and most current book in the Don Tilman series
audiobook



'We've got something to celebrate,' Rosie said.

I am not fond of surprises, especially if they disrupt plans already in place. I assumed that she had achieved some important milestone with her thesis. Or perhaps she had been offered a place in the psychiatry-training programme. This would be extremely good news, and I estimated the probability of sex at greater than 80%.

'We're pregnant,' she said.

Don Tillman and Rosie Jarman are now married and living in New York. Don has been teaching while Rosie completes her second year at Columbia Medical School. Just as Don is about to announce that Gene, his philandering best friend from Australia, is coming to stay, Rosie drops a bombshell: she's pregnant.

In true Tillman style, Don instantly becomes an expert on all things obstetric. But in between immersing himself in a new research study on parenting and implementing the Standardised Meal System (pregnancy version), Don's old weaknesses resurface. And while he strives to get the technicalities right, he gets the emotions all wrong, and risks losing Rosie when she needs him most.

The Rosie Effect is as charming and hilarious as its predecessor.
(Blurb from booktopia website.)

I have almost finished this book, in fact, I will finish it tomorrow on my journey to and from work and will update this review after that.

So far it's pretty good, probably not quite as good as the first but the first was pretty special.

ETA, finished now. The ending lifted a bit. Good, not as good as the first though.



3 POINTS
2 points for second book, 1 bonus point for being up to date.

>151 Roro8: - "So far it's pretty good, probably not quite as good as the first but the first was pretty special."

Agreed.

>150 Roro8: - Oooh, that sounds really good.

>153 LittleTaiko:, It is. Highly recommended by me ;-)

August Summary

Total books read = 4 ( the slow reading continues!!)

Number of series book read = 2

Number of series completed/up to date this month = 1

Number of new series started = 0

Total number of points for August = 11





August - The Golden Son by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

July - Friday on my Mind by Nicci French

June - The Constant Queen by Joanna Courtney

May - We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

April - The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny

March - Thursday's Children by Nicci French

February - The Tying of Threads: A Woody Creek Novel by Joy Dettman

January - Before the Storm by Diane Chamberlain

38. Historical Mystery

The Liberation by Kate Furnivall
Not a series book



Italy, 1945: as British and American troops attempt to bring order to the devastated cities, its population fights each other to survive. Caterina Lombardi is desperate – her mother has abandoned them already and her brother is being drawn into the mafia. Early one morning, among the ruins of the bombed Naples streets, she is forced to go to extreme lengths to protect her family and in doing so forges a future very different to the one she expected. But will the secrets of her family’s past be her downfall?

This epic novel is an unforgettably powerful story of love, loss and the long shadow of war.
(Blurb from booktopia website.)

Set in post WWII Naples, Caterina must protect her brother and grandfather from the bad guys that are trying to destroy her family. She has help in the form of an American soldier and some locals. She has a lot of courage for a young woman.

A very good read.



1 POINT

39. Girl Books

Summer on the River by Marcia Willett
not a series book



Evie loved the house. The bright, sunny rooms looking across the river. The terraced gardens with fruit trees growing against the high stone walls. The scent of lavender at the end of a hot day.

It was a family house.

As summer beckons, Evie's family gathers once more at the beautiful old riverside house they all adore. But when Evie discovers a secret that threatens their future, a shadow falls over them all: this summer by the river could be their last together . . .

For Charlie, a visit home to see stepmother Evie is an escape from his unhappy marriage in London. Until a chance encounter changes everything: in the space of a moment, he meets a woman by the river, falls in love, and his two worlds collide.

As Evie and Charlie struggle to keep their secrets safe, they long for the summer to never end . . . Can the happiness of one summer last for ever?
(Blurb from booktopia website.)

This was an easy to read enjoyable type of book. The story flowed along nicely. There were some of the usual themes, loyalty and betrayal, forbidden love, family secrets, and revenge.



1 POINT

40. Historical Fiction

Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession by Alison Weir
Book 2 in Six Tudor Queens



The young woman who changed the course of history.

Fresh from the palaces of Burgundy and France, Anne draws attention at the English court, embracing the play of courtly love.

But when the King commands, nothing is ever a game.

Anne has a spirit worthy of a crown - and the crown is what she seeks. At any price.

Anne Boleyn. The second of Henry's Queens. Her story.
History tells us why she died. This powerful novel shows her as she lived.
(Blurb from booktopia website.)

Alison Weir is a masterful author of historical fiction and non-fiction. At times this book was a bit dry and super packed with historical facts with a tell, rather than show feel. However Anne Boleyn is not exactly a likeable historical figure, and nor is Henry VIII, so reading a book featuring these two was never going to be a great read for me. That being said, Anne is portrayed in a much more sympathetic way than I have ever seen her before. Plus, I needed a tissue at the end, even though I knew what was going to happen.

I will be reading the next book in the series. Hopefully Jane is going to be more likeable than Anne.



2 POINTS
plus 1 bonus point for being up to date with this series

41. Historical Mystery

The Silent Boy by Andrew Taylor
Book 2 Edward Savill



From the No. 1 bestselling author of THE AMERICAN BOY comes a brilliant new historical thriller set during the French Revolution. Selected as Historical Novel of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times, and picked as one of Radio 4's Crime Books of the Year.

Paris, 1792. Terror reigns as the city writhes in the grip of revolution. The streets run with blood as thousands lose their heads to the guillotine. Edward Savill, working in London as agent for a wealthy American, receives word that his estranged wife Augusta has been killed in France. She leaves behind ten-year-old Charles, who is brought to England to Charnwood Court, a house in the country leased by a group of emigre refugees.Savill is sent to retrieve the boy, though it proves easier to reach Charnwood than to leave. And only when Savill arrives there does he discover that Charles is mute. The boy has witnessed horrors beyond his years, but what terrible secret haunts him so deeply that he is unable to utter a word?
(Blurb from booktopia website.)

This book is a sequel to The Scent of Death and follows Edward Savill's story quite a few years after his return to London from America. He gets word through his runaway wife's uncle that she has been brutally murdered in the French Revolution and she has left behind a son that he wants retrieved. Savill agrees to finding the boy and bringing him back.

He certainly gets more than he bargained for. The boy has witnessed something he never should have seen. Somebody wants to ensure he keeps silent. But at what cost. Savill must unravel the mystery to ensure the boy's safety.



2 POINTS
plus 1 bonus point for being current with the series.

September Summary

Total books read = 4 (this seems to be the new pace)

Number of series book read = 2

Number of series completed/up to date this month = 2

Number of new series started = 0

Total number of points for September = 8





September - The Liberation by Kate Furnivall

August - The Golden Son by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

July - Friday on my Mind by Nicci French

June - The Constant Queen by Joanna Courtney

May - We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

April - The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny

March - Thursday's Children by Nicci French

February - The Tying of Threads: A Woody Creek Novel by Joy Dettman

January - Before the Storm by Diane Chamberlain

42. Australian

To Touch the Clouds by Peter Watt
Book 5 in The Frontier series



In 1914, the storm clouds of war are gathering. Matthew Duffy and his cousin Alexander Macintosh are sent by Colonel Patrick Duffy to conduct reconnaissance on German-controlled New Guinea. At the same time, Alexander's sister, Fenella, is making a name for herself in the burgeoning Australian film industry. But someone close to them has an agenda of his own - someone who would betray not only his family but his country to satisfy his greed and lust for power. As the world teeters on the brink of conflict, one family is plunged into a nightmare of murder, drugs, treachery and treason. To Touch the Clouds is a powerful continuation of Peter Watt's much-loved saga of the Duffy and Macintosh clan, begun in The Cry of the Curlew.
(Blurb from book depository website.)

This novel continues the family saga of the Duffys and Macintoshes. Two families tied together through the decades by an old Aboriginal curse. It is the 5th book in the series and follows the lives of Patrick Duffy and his 3 adult children. George, the eldest who runs the family businesses and finances (and is also the villain). Alex, the younger son who is a chip of the old block, just like his grandfather Michael and his dad. Fenella, the daughter, Australia's darling actress who finds herself in some serious trouble. Matthew Duffy, their cousin, is also a major character in this move, another brave, adventurous young fellow.

The majority of the story is in the lead-up to WWI. There is some secret spy work and espionage, betrayal and murder, as well as the loyalty of friendship and love.



5 POINTS

43. Historical Fiction

The Comet Seekers by Helen Sedgwick



Roisin and François first meet in the snowy white expanse of Antarctica. And everything changes.

While Roisin grew up in a tiny village in Ireland, ablaze with a passion for science and the skies and for all there is to discover about the world, François was raised by his beautiful young mother, who dreamt of new worlds but was unable to turn her back on her past.

As we loop back through their lives, glimpsing each of them only when a comet is visible in the skies above, we see how their paths cross as they come closer and closer to this moment.

Theirs are lives filled with love and hope and heartbreak, in a story that shows how strangers can be connected and ghosts can be real, and the world can be as lonely or as beautiful as the comets themselves.

(Blurb from booktopia website.)

This book was told using an interesting structure. Each chapter was set during the time of a comet being visible, jumping backwards and forwards through time.

Francios was raised by his mother, who was a loving parent but often absent, busy and fulfilled by things that did not include Francios. Francios has an adventurous spirit and desires to explore the world, but his mother will not leave her home town of Bayeux.

Roisin also has an adventurous spirit. She has a love for astronomy and desires nothing more than studying the stars and travelling around the world. She leaves her home town in Scotland feeling quite troubled by personal relationships.

Eventually the two meet in Antartica and the two separate stories eventually make sense.

I enjoyed this novel and it's astronomical influence.



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44. Mystery/Crime

I See You by Clare Mackintosh



When Zoe Walker sees her photo in the classifieds section of a London newspaper, she is determined to find out why it's there. There's no explanation: just a grainy image, a website address and a phone number. She takes it home to her family, who are convinced it's just someone who looks like Zoe. But the next day the advert shows a photo of a different woman, and another the day after that.

Is it a mistake? A coincidence? Or is someone keeping track of every move they make . . .

(Blurb from booktopia website.)

I was totally drawn into this book right from the start. A lady on the underground in London feeling uncomfortable with the close contact with strangers. This theme is taken to the extreme in this novel. Zoe Walker catches the same public transport at the same time every day. She gives money to the same busker every morning end evening every day. How many more people are like this every day on public transport? Thousands. And some sociopath is cashing in on the innocent daily routine of people like Zoe. People who have no idea they are being watched.

Kelly Swift is a cop with a history. She has compassion and empathy for victims. But maybe too much. She is desperate to get involved in this case. Her own thoughts and opinions are not always right though.

This book really kept me interested. There were enough possibilities for the "bad guy" to keep me intrigued and wanting to know more. Needless to say I did not pick correctly. I was found this book had the right mix of story, drama, scare factor and mystery for me. I will definitely be reading more by this author. The subject matter is disturbing and it's a good reminder to try to think of your safety. I am so lucky to live in such a safe environment that I would never dream of anything like this happening here. But maybe it can.



1 POINT

ETA - This would be an excellent choice for November's randomCAT

I've just decided on my theme for next year. I'm looking forward to setting it up soon.

>164 Roro8: Eeee! Looking forward to seeing it :)

>163 Roro8: "You're being watched" books and movies are a catch 22 for me. Enjoyable and yet...when I was a teen my mother's friend Susan was encouraged by someone to join a bowling team after the death of her husband. It turned out to be a really good thing at first, it was good for her to get out and make new friends. But then. One night she came home from bowling, relaxed for awhile and after about an hour got ready for bed. She had gotten into bed and turned out the lights when she heard something. Looking around her room she saw a man come out of her closet. He had been in there all along. He knew her routine because he had been watching her several weeks. She was raped and robbed. The police caught him with an undercover operation, she was not his first victim. It was such a scary thing that decades later I still think of it. She was a lovely person but just never the same after this incident. I think now there would be a support group available to help but there may not have been then.

>166 clue:, oh my goodness, that poor lady. It sounds so much more horrible when it is true. I always feel a bit guilty when I say I enjoyed a book about a horrible crime. I will have to think of another word, instead of enjoyed. Maybe riveted or disturbed, or both. Susan probably dislikes this type of book very much. Thanks for the reality check. I will go and edit that review a bit.

>167 Roro8: Well, I read and "enjoy" plenty of books where terrible things happen to people. I petty much avoid a mystery or suspense with the "being watched" theme though because I think of that real event.

45. Historical Mystery

AlphaKIT letter V

The Queen's Secret by Victoria Lamb
Book 1 in the Lucy Morgan Mysteries



Desire and power collide in the court of Elizabeth I Warwickshire, 1575 Pomp, fanfare and a wealth of lavish festivities await Elizabeth I at Kenilworth Castle. Organised by the Earl of Leicester, he knows this celebration is his last chance to persuade the Queen to marry him. But, a fickle man, he is unable to resist the seductive wiles of Lettice Knollys. Enraged by the couple's growing intimacy, Elizabeth employs a young black singer and court entertainer to keep a watch on them. Brought up by a spy, Lucy's observational skills are sharper than anyone at the castle realises, and she soon uncovers far more than she bargained for: Someone at Kenilworth is plotting to kill the queen. Can the knowledge Lucy is gaining prevent the death of the monarch? Or has it put Lucy in mortal danger instead?

(Blurb from book depository website.)

Set in Elizabethan England this mystery novel introduces a new unintentional sleuth and saviour, the moor Lucy Morgan. Lucy is somewhat a novelty with her dark skin. The start of the book sees her hidden away in case she offends. Throughout the course of the story we see Lucy coming more to the fore.

Her former guardian Master Goodluck, is in the employ of Lord Cecil as a spy. Perhaps Lucy has picked up some of his skills in espionage. The court is on progress and whilst staying at the castle of the Earl of Leicester, the Queen's favourite, a plot is afoot which threatens Elizabeth's life. Master Goodluck is trying to find out who is behind this plot. It is not long before both he and Lucy are in danger as the plot develops.

There is also the problems with Lettice Knollys, the thorn in Elizabeth's side.

This book was worth the read. It is the first in a series featuring Lucy Morgan. It is most likely that I will read the next book at some stage.



1 POINT

October Summary

Total books read = 4

Number of series book read = 2

Number of series completed/up to date this month = 0

Number of new series started = 1

Total number of points for October = 8





October - I See You by Clare Mackintosh

September - The Liberation by Kate Furnivall

August - The Golden Son by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

July - Friday on my Mind by Nicci French

June - The Constant Queen by Joanna Courtney

May - We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

April - The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny

March - Thursday's Children by Nicci French

February - The Tying of Threads: A Woody Creek Novel by Joy Dettman

January - Before the Storm by Diane Chamberlain

46. Historical Mystery

RandomCAT & CultureCAT

Silesian Station by David Downing
Book 2 John Russell



n July 1939 Russell returns to Berlin as the newly-appointed Central European correspondent of an American newspaper. With his communist past, German son and English-American parentage he's the perfect catch for any of Europe's warring espionage services, and none will take no for an answer. Through the long Berlin summer, through trips to Prague, Warsaw and Moscow tracking Europe s descent into war, Russell seeks to satisfy his secret masters, protect his girlfriend Effi and his son Paul, and retain some sense of his fragile integrity. And if this wasn't difficult enough, a friend needs his help in finding the missing Jewish niece of an employee. With a whole continent headed for self-immolation, saving just one person shouldn t be so difficult...
(Blurb from amazon website.)

Following on from Zoo Station, this novel continues the story of John Russell, British born, ex wife German, 14 year old son German, in Berlin as WWII becomes an imminent possibility. John finds himself in the difficult position of having to co-operate with the Nazi's in order to keep his actress girlfriend Effi safe. His friend Thomas is concerned about a missing Jewish girl and wants John's help.

John finds himself acting as spy for certain political parties. He also feels the need to help the missing Jewish girl, among others. He is always on the knife edge of terrible failure and success.

The foreign locations and names required some extra concentration on my part, however it was a good book and I will read the next one...eventually.



2 POINTS

>162 Roro8: BB taken for this one.

I'm all caught up now.

47. Historical Fiction

CultureCAT

For the Most Beautiful by Emily Hauser
Book 1 in The Golden Apple series



Three thousand years ago a war took place that gave birth to legends - to Achilles, the greatest of the Greeks, and Hector, prince of Troy. It was a war that shook the very foundations of the world. But what if there was more to this epic conflict? What if there was another, hidden tale of the Trojan War?

Now is the time for the women of Troy to tell their story.

Thrillingly imagined and startlingly original, For the Most Beautiful reveals the true story of Troy for the first time. The story of Krisayis, daughter of the Trojans' High Priest, and of Briseis, princess of Pedasus, who fight to determine the fate of a city and its people in this ancient time of mischievous gods and mythic heroes.

In this novel full of passion and revenge, loyalty and betrayal, bravery and sacrifice, Emily Hauser breathes exhilarating new life into one of the greatest legends of all - in a tale that has waited millennia to be told.
(Blurb from amazon website.)

I was totally engrossed in this book right from the start. The tale of Helen of Sparta and Paris of Troy, and the Trojan War is so well known, even by non history lovers. This was a great way to look at the story from a different perspective.

I also really liked how the author involved the Gods, causing trouble from up above, entertaining themselves with the battles, miseries and successes of their favourite humans.

An excellent read. I am certainly looking forward to reading the next in the series For the Winner, a retelling of Jason and the Argonauts.



1 POINT

Stopping by to get caught up. Great reviews!

>174 lkernagh:, thanks for popping in :-)

48. Historical Mystery

AwardCAT - Local Prize

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
audiobook
not a series book



In northern Iceland, 1829, Agnes Magnusdottir is condemned to death for her part in the brutal murder of two men.

Agnes is sent to wait out the time leading to her execution on the farm of District Officer Jon Jonsson, his wife and their two daughters. Horrified to have a convicted murderess in their midst, the family avoids speaking with Agnes. Only Toti, the young assistant reverend appointed as Agnes' spiritual guardian, is compelled to try to understand her, as he attempts to salvage her soul. As the summer months fall away to winter and the hardships of rural life force the household to work side by side, Agnes' ill-fated tale of longing and betrayal begins to emerge. And as the days to her execution draw closer, the question burns: did she or didn't she?

Based on a true story, Burial Rites is a deeply moving novel about personal freedom: who we are seen to be versus who we believe ourselves to be, and the ways in which we will risk everything for love. In beautiful, cut-glass prose, Hannah Kent portrays Iceland's formidable landscape, where every day is a battle for survival, and asks, how can one woman hope to endure when her life depends upon the stories told by others?
(Blurb from booktopia website.)

I have been listening to this amazing novel over the last couple of weeks. I am very grateful to the excellent pronunciation of all those Icelandic names and locations. I would have made a total mash-up of them in my mind as I was reading.

Agnes is to be executed for her part in the murder of two Icelandic men, one of which was her lover. Whilst waiting for her sentence to be completed, she must stay in the home of the local district officer and his family. This does cause some strife among the family members. A young priest is a regular visitor to help guide Agnes to the path of God before her execution. It is to the young priest that Agnes shares most of her story.

The people and the locations are literally brought to life in this portrayal of Agnes' last months. I felt true empathy with most of the characters throughout the novel. The harsh environment is so different to anything I have ever experienced. And the day to day life of the characters seems so real.

An excellent novel.



1 POINT

Phew, all caught up now. I see a lot of great books (as usual) on your thread. I'm taking a BB for I See You, which sounds scary, but like a good read. Silesian Station is already on my TBR, I'm looking forward to it.

One of these days I will read Burial Rites!

>177 Chrischi_HH:, I've done some big catch ups on LT recently too. I hope you find I See You as compelling as I did.

>178 rabbitprincess:, those were my thoughts exactly, then I saw it was available on the library BorrowBox app. I would highly recommend the audio version if you like audios. The narrator made easy work of all those Icelandic names.

>179 Roro8: I love your idea of going with an audio version of Burial Rites. It's been on my wishlist for some time, but I would probably get to it sooner if I have the audible version.

I'm currently reading The Winter Crown by Elizabeth Chadwick. It is a series book but it is not going to help me complete one of my categories. Oh well, there are only a few weeks to go in the year now. I have made a fair bit of progress with many series throughout the year so I am happy enough with that.

49. Historical Fiction

The Winter Crown by Elizabeth Chadwick
Book 2 in the Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy



An extraordinary woman. A legendary queen.

In 1154, Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the most powerful women in Europe, is crowned queen of England beside her young husband Henry II. While Henry battles their enemies and lays his plans, Eleanor is an adept acting ruler and mother to their growing brood of children. But she yearns for more than this - if only Henry would listen.

Instead, Henry pushes Eleanor to the sidelines, involving himself with a young mistress and denying Eleanor her rightful authority. As matters reach a crisis, Eleanor becomes caught up in a family rebellion. And even a queen must face the consequences of treason...

Award-winning author Elizabeth Chadwick continues the fascinating story of a queen fighting for her rightful place in a world of divided loyalties and passionate betrayals.
(Blurb from booktopia website.)

This book continues on from The Summer Queen. Eleanor has more children and gradually suffers from the loss of Henry's love and respect. We see her older children grow and become ready to take on some responsibilities only to be thwarted at every step by their father. Eventually they rebel and their mother has to take a side - and the consequences that follow.

As you would expect, this is a very well written account of this period in Eleanor's life. I will definitely be reading the third and final book in this trilogy.



2 POINTS

50. Mystery/Crime

The Killer on the Wall by Emma Kavanagh
not a series book



The first body comes as a shock

The second brings horror

The third signals the beginning of a nightmare

When fifteen-year-old Isla Bell finds three bodies propped against Hadrian's Wall, her whole world falls apart. In such a close-knit community, everyone knows the victims, and the man who did it.

Twenty years on and Isla has dedicated her life to forensic psychology; studying the brains of serial killers, and even coming face to face with the convicted murderer who turned her world upside down. She is safe after all, with him behind bars.

Then another body appears against the Wall.

And another.

As the nightmare returns and the body count rises, everyone in town is a suspect.

Who is the Killer on the Wall?
(Blurb from booktopia website.)

At the age of 15 Isla Bell, daughter of the local police hero, discovers 3 bodies and a survivor against Hadrian's wall. This type of thing just doesn't happen in their small village. It also changes the lives of many of the villagers.

Isla dedicates her life to understanding what makes a psychopath. When the killings start again 20 years later, both Isla and her father are involved in the investigation. Who did it?

I really struggled to put this book down. It kept me totally engrossed.



1 POINT

November Summary

Total books read = 5

Number of series book read = 2

Number of series completed/up to date this month = 0

Number of new series started = 1

Total number of points for October = 7





November - Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

October - I See You by Clare Mackintosh

September - The Liberation by Kate Furnivall

August - The Golden Son by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

July - Friday on my Mind by Nicci French

June - The Constant Queen by Joanna Courtney

May - We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

April - The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny

March - Thursday's Children by Nicci French

February - The Tying of Threads: A Woody Creek Novel by Joy Dettman

January - Before the Storm by Diane Chamberlain



I have reached my target of 114 series points for 2017.

51. Historical Fiction

Mischling by Affinity Konar
audiobook
not a series book



It's 1944 when the twin sisters arrive at Auschwitz with their mother and grandfather. In their benighted new world, Pearl and Stasha Zagorski take refuge in their identical natures, comforting themselves with the private language and shared games of their childhood. As part of the experimental population of twins known as Mengele's Zoo, the girls experience privileges and horrors unknown to others, and they find themselves changed, stripped of the personalities they once shared, their identities altered by the burdens of guilt and pain.

That winter, at a concert orchestrated by Mengele, Pearl disappears. Stasha grieves for her twin, but clings to the possibility that Pearl remains alive. When the camp is liberated by the Red Army, she and her companion Feliks - a boy bent on vengeance for his own lost twin - travel through Poland's devastation. Undeterred by injury, starvation, or the chaos around them, motivated by equal parts danger and hope, they encounter hostile villagers, Jewish resistance fighters, and fellow refugees, their quest enabled by the notion that Mengele may be captured and brought to justice within the ruins of the Warsaw Zoo. As the young survivors discover what has become of the world, they must try to imagine a future within it. (Blurb from booktopia website.)

The first part of this book is truly confronting. More than once I considered stopping. The violence and torture these children endure in Auschwitz is truly horrifying. Pearl and Stasha are twins, making them of particular interest for Mengele's experiments. Their relationship is truly beautiful, so when Stasha loses Pearl it is like she loses herself.

Though horrific, the story is compelling and well told.



1 POINT

Hurray for reaching your target for series points!

>183 Roro8: The Killer on the Wall sounds very good, Ro, and I am adding it to my wishlist. Congratulations on reaching your series points, I need to give a little more attention to my series next year.

>186 rabbitprincess:, Thanks RP

>187 DeltaQueen50:, The Killer on the Wall was a good read. I've got my eye open for more my Emma Kavanagh when I go to the library. I'm pretty happy I reached my target. I had no idea how possible it was.

52. Historical Fiction

Reading Through Time - Twisted Fairytales

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
not a series book



Frost-demons have no interest in mortal girls wed to mortal men. In the stories, they only come for the wild maiden.

In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, an elderly servant tells stories of sorcery, folklore and the Winter King to the children of the family, tales of old magic frowned upon by the church.

But for the young, wild Vasya these are far more than just stories. She alone can see the house spirits that guard her home, and sense the growing forces of dark magic in the woods...

Atmospheric and enchanting, with an engrossing adventure at its core, The Bear and the Nightingale is perfect for readers of Naomi Novik's Uprooted, Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, and Neil Gaiman.
(Blurb from booktopia website.)

Vasya is a wild and reckless girl living with her family in the northern lands in Russia. They are surrounded by forrest and live a fairly simple life of worshipping the household spirits to keep them safe. Then a new priest comes to their village. HE begins to bring the locals to fear God, not the spirits they have always cared for and considered. As a result, dark things begin to happen. Vasya does her best to hold the evil back, for it seems only she is aware of the looming dangers.

Vasya's stepmother wants rid of her and comes up with multiple means of doing so. The girl is determined to keep her family safe, whatever it takes.

This novel is based on an old Russian fairytale about the Winter King. A fairy tale that I am not familiar with, but I enjoyed this book regardless. It is also the first book in a series, I'm on the fence about reading the next one. I will wait for a few more reviews to be available first.



1 POINT

>189 Roro8: I loved The Bear and the Nightingale! Glad you enjoyed it as well. :)

53. Girl Books

AlphaKIT Letter J

Court of Lions by Jane Johnson
not a series book



An epic saga of romance and redemption. Court of Lions brings one of the great turning points in history to life, through the stories of a modern woman and the last Moorish sultan of Granada.

Kate Fordham, desperate to escape her past, has fled to the beautiful sunlit city of Granada, where she is scraping by with an unfulfilling job in a busy bar. One day in the glorious gardens of the Alhambra, once home to the last Sultan of Granada, Kate finds a scrap of paper hidden in one of the ancient walls. Upon it, in strange symbols, has been inscribed a message from another age. It has lain undiscovered since before the Fall of Granada in 1492, when the city was surrendered to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. Born of love, in a time of danger and desperation, the fragment will be the catalyst that changes Kate's life forever.
(Blurb from booktopia website.)

This novel uses the format of two stories, told taking turns, interlining threads as it goes along.

Kate has ran away to Granada. What has she run from and why? What has she left behind? She is alone and afraid in a foreign country.

Blessings is the companion of the ill-fated future sultan Momo. The pair grow up together. Blessings adores Momo and would do anything for him. However their relationship is complex with the court politics around them. They stick together through the struggles of Momo becoming the sultan and the conflicts with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.

I liked this book. I would rave about it, but enjoyable. I do really like the cover though (not really relevant to the review, but true).



1 POINT

Almost time to pick my BOOK of the YEAR!!!

As pretty much all your "books of the month" have ended up on my wishlist, I am eager to see which one is your "Book of the Year".

>193 DeltaQueen50:, I have one in mind already. I'm just going to wait a bit in case I read a masterpiece before the end of the year ;-)

>193 DeltaQueen50: Same goes for me!

54. Historical Mystery

AlphaKIT Letter J
Christmas Mystery read

Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas by Stephanie Barron
Book 12 in Being a Jane Austen Mystery - but my first, so only 1 point



Christmas Eve, 1814: Jane Austen has been invited to spend the holiday with family and friends at The Vyne, the gorgeous ancestral home of the wealthy and politically prominent Chute family. As the year fades and friends begin to gather beneath the mistletoe for the twelve days of Christmas festivities, Jane and her circle are in a celebratory mood:Mansfield Park is selling nicely; Napoleon has been banished to Elba; British forces have seized Washington, DC; and on Christmas Eve, John Quincy Adams signs the Treaty of Ghent, which will end a war nobody in England really wanted.

Jane, however, discovers holiday cheer is fleeting. One of the Yuletide revelers dies in a tragic accident, which Jane immediately views with suspicion. If the accident was in fact murder, the killer is one of Jane's fellow snow-bound guests. With clues scattered amidst cleverly crafted charades, dark secrets coming to light during parlor games, and old friendships returning to haunt the Christmas parties, whom can Jane trust to help her discover the truth and stop the killer from striking again?
(Blurb from booktopia website.)

I read this book because I wanted to participate in this year's Christmas mystery reading. I have never intentionally read a Christmas themed book at Christmas time before. I really enjoyed this mystery, and I think reading it at Christmas time added an extra element of enjoyment.

Jane is spending the Christmas period at her brother James' home. They are invites to The Vyne, to stay with the Chutes. It is a very fine house and there are some interesting guest present to enjoy the Christmas festivities. One of the party is murdered resulting in Jane and one of the other guests trying to solve the mystery. Then there is another death, and things seem even more sinister.

Among the drama of the murders, the traditions of Christmas at that time are interwoven, adding an extra element of historical interest.



1 POINT

Hi Ro, stopping by to wish you and your loved ones peace, joy and happiness this holiday season and for 2018!

>197 lkernagh:, thanks Lori. Merry Christmas to you and your family too.

I have been super busy today preparing food for tomorrow's Christmas dinner. I think my priorities are very clear when I make sure the dessert is prepared first. Then onto prepping my favourite prosciutto wrapped carrots. The ham will get prepped next.

On top of all that I thought it would be a great idea to have some friends over for a BBQ tonight. It's a stinking hot and humid 33 degrees outside. The swimming pool is looking very inviting.

Merry Christmas everybody

Merry Christmas! Love the picture!

I have finished my 5th category and probably my final book for 2017. I will post my review and then announce my book of the year.

55. Historical Mystery

AlphaKIT Letter R

A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn
Book 2 of the Veronica Speedwell mysteries



London, 1887. At the Curiosity Club, a ladies-only establishment for daring and intrepid women, Victorian adventuress Veronica Speedwell meets the mysterious Lady Sundridge, who begs her to take on an impossible task—saving society art patron Miles Ramsforth from execution. Ramsforth, accused of the brutal murder of his mistress, Artemisia, will face the hangman’s noose in a week’s time if the real killer is not found.

But Lady Sundridge is not all that she seems, and unmasking her true identity is only the first of many secrets Veronica must uncover. Together with her natural-historian colleague, Stoker, Veronica races against time to find the true murderer. From a Bohemian artists’ colony to a royal palace to a subterranean grotto with a decadent history, the investigation proves to be a very perilous undertaking indeed....
(Blurb from booktopia website.)

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, A Curious Beginning. This book continues with the intriguing relationship between Veronica and Stoker, both very unique and interesting characters - non-conformists for their time.

Veronica and Stoker find themselves investigating a murder. Artemisia's throat was slit and she was found in her lover's bed. Veronica finds herself in the position of proving the committed murderer of the crime. She uses some interesting techniques which are quite entertaining at times.

Unusually for me I picked the correct murderer early on. I'm not sure if I was just lucky or if it is obvious to all readers. Even so, the verbal sparring that occurs and the story itself is very enjoyable.



2 POINTS

December Summary

Total books read = 5

Number of series book read = 1

Number of series completed/up to date this month = 0

Number of new series started = 1

Total number of points for December = 6





December - The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

November - Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

October - I See You by Clare Mackintosh

September - The Liberation by Kate Furnivall

August - The Golden Son by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

July - Friday on my Mind by Nicci French

June - The Constant Queen by Joanna Courtney

May - We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

April - The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny

March - Thursday's Children by Nicci French

February - The Tying of Threads: A Woody Creek Novel by Joy Dettman

January - Before the Storm by Diane Chamberlain



5 Categories completed for the year

Series points target reached

Total number of series books read (not counting book 1) = 25

45% of all my reading in 2017 continued a series

Page total less than target
Book total less than target

Oh well, try again next year. Let's just focus on the progress with series ;-)

The Golden Son by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

You made great progress with the series!

>206 rabbitprincess:, I was pleasantly surprised when I worked that out. My challenge set up for 2017 actually worked. :-)

Taking BBs for The Golden Sun and for The Bear and the Nightingale. Surely these are the last of the year! Look forward to see what you will hit me with in 2018!

>208 clue:, I can confidently say I will be finishing no more books in 2017. I hope you enjoy the hits when you get to them.