Weekly Reading Round-Up

Usually, around this time of year, I wallow in seasonal stories. I embark on orgies of Christmas reading. This year, what with small person and book deadline, I’m a little off my usual schedule.

Since it’s already time to start researching for my next book, another 1920s-set stand alone, I decided to mingle work and pleasure and reward myself with a few days of Dorothy Sayers. So this week I read Unnatural Death, which is set right in the same year as my projected book, and the first two Harriet Vane mysteries, Strong Poison and Have His Carcase. And then it’s on to my pile of research books!

What have you been reading this week?

For those of you who have been more seasonally attuned this year, The Mischief of the Mistletoe is now on sale for only $3.79 on Kindle and $3.99 on Nook . (After the holidays, it pops back to $10.99.)

Happy reading!

11 Comments

  1. Christine on December 20, 2013 at 12:15 pm

    I’m reading River of No Return and, as advertised, it’s fantastic.

    Christmas means I’ll be getting more books, which will lead to the inevitable WHAT DO I READ NEXT??!?!?! SO MANY OPTIONS!!!! freak-out.

  2. Pam on December 20, 2013 at 1:47 pm

    I’ve been reading some of the new Sherlock Holmes stories by Donald Thomas, having bought them during the Kindle Cyber Monday sale. Of the Conan Doyle imitations that I’ve read these come the closest, though they still don’t quite get him right. The language/diction is really well done and the mysteries themselves are good puzzles. Where they fall slightly flat is in their characterization of Holmes, who is a bit too one-dimensional at times. Similarly, Thomas falls back too often on the trope of Holmes’s dazzling deductive demonstrations, wherein he astonishes potential clients by divining their life’s story and the problem they need solved simply by looking at them. If you enjoy Conan Doyle, though, I definitely recommend Thomas’s contributions

  3. Christina on December 20, 2013 at 2:45 pm

    I had a reading binge this week so lots of stuff. I read Charlaine Harris’ Harper Connelly series: Grave Sight, Grave Secret, An Icy Cold Grave, Grave Surprise. The crimes in the 3rd one were a bit macabre for my taste. I like the characters in her Sookie books better but she did a much better job in this series with continuity across the books moving toward the series conclusion. I liked the series but didn’t love it the way I did the Sookie books. I also read Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich. Not my favorite Stephanie Plum book but Stephanie, Lula, and Grandma Mazur are always entertaining. Lastly I read And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander based on people talking about it here. I really liked it and have book 2 out from the library to read now.

  4. Elizabeth Lefebvre on December 20, 2013 at 6:12 pm

    Oh, I really like the Harper Connelly series, so much more then Sookie!

    This week I’ve been trying to do Christmas books, I started with Nancy Mitford’s Christmas Pudding, which was quite funny, now I’m onto Harriet Evans’s Going Home, again, lovely Christmas atmosphere.

    Earlier this week I finished Kate Morton’s House at Riverton, and was disappointed. Not enough plot for me, I like her later books more.

    Also, Merry Christmas to everyone!

  5. Kristen A. on December 20, 2013 at 6:41 pm

    I reread Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.

  6. Christina on December 20, 2013 at 10:24 pm

    Elizabeth , the Harper books are better written. I just love Sookie, Eric, & Sam….continuity flaws and all. The House at Riverton is on my TBR list. I seem to be reading Kate Morton backwards. I really liked The Sexret Keeper & I loved The Forgotten Garden. I have Distant Hours out from the library now.

  7. jeffrey on December 21, 2013 at 7:05 am

    I’m smack in the middle of a lovely Christmas story entitled A Ruby Christmas, written by a ‘committee of authors.’ There are at least SIX fellow authors and maybe more but the story is seamless in its beautiful simplicity.

    I also have Teach Me Under the Mistletoe by Kay Springsteen lined up after that for my annual dose of Christmas spirit.

    And, dear readers, if you want to read one of the best-ever Christmas romances, try The Toymaker, also by Kay Springsteen.

  8. Sue G on December 21, 2013 at 10:30 am

    I finished an ARC from ALyssa Alexander Smuggler Wore Silk. Debut author, great characters,suspenseful . I am re reading Turnip ‘s story…just love him! Next up is a Christmas novella by Katherine Garbera.
    Noticed that Sourcebooks is having holiday special sale. On 12/30, some of Sussannah Kearsley’s books will be on sale and on 1/2 Grace Burrowes Windham books are on sale.
    Looking forward to purchasing a couple of Sussanna’s books and to complete my Windham collection.

  9. Alice on December 21, 2013 at 6:12 pm

    Read “Banquet of Lies” by Michelle Diener. I always enjoy her books as they are well written and deviate from the usual plot lines. Almost finished with a new book by Anne Cleeland called “Daughter of a God-King.” I absolutely love it! Her writing reminds me quite a bit of Barbara Michaels. The characters are fascinating, dashing hero and a plucky heroine. Definitely will be reading more by this author.

  10. Betty S. on December 21, 2013 at 9:34 pm

    I finished Anne Perry’s A Christmas Hope – 1860’s London and a man is wrongly accused of murder at a Christmas party – good intrigue between upper and lower classes.

    Next up is Melissa Hill’s A Gift From Tiffany’s as I continue my Christmas reads.

  11. Sheila on December 21, 2013 at 11:22 pm

    I also read A Christmas Hope, and a mystery called The Impersonator, a first novel by Mary Miley. It was excellent, about a vaudevillian, so very new territory for me, and Lauren could read it because it is set in the Twenties!

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