Sunday, December 05, 2021

November 2021 Additions to My Digital Security Blanket

 


Don't mind me. I'm just sitting here looking out the window, waiting for a carpenter to show up. At least I have plenty to occupy myself with while I'm waiting, eh? 

I've got a stack of books that I need to read, but before I make a start with those, I thought I'd share the eBooks and audiobooks that I acquired last month. You know... the ones I'd had my eye on, and when the price was right, I snapped them up.

I've got them grouped by genre and subgenre, and if you click on any of the book titles, you'll be taken to Amazon US to learn more about it. I'm not affiliated with Amazon-- well, other than the amount of money I spend there. 

Let's see what I couldn't resist last month!


=== Cozy Mystery ===

Forget Me Knot by Mary Marks, set in California. This is the first of Marks' Quilting mystery cozy series, and since I love quilts and liked the sound of her cast of characters, I thought I'd give this one a try.

Murder in Miniature at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison, set in England. My consumption of cozy series has hit a slump the past couple of years, but this is one of my favorites, and I have no intention of missing one!


=== Short Story Anthology ===

Rio Noir edited by Tony Bellotto, set in Argentina. If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you know I have a "thing" about Akashic's short story anthologies set all over the world.


=== Historical Mystery ===
 
The Last Mona Lisa by Jonathan Santlofer. I've always had a soft spot for the art world, so I couldn't resist this book about the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre.

Dangerous Women by Hope Adams. A murderer aboard a convict ship filled with two hundred condemned women bound for Australia? Sign me up!

AUDIO: Sovereign by C.J. Sansom, set in Tudor England. I've read the first two Matthew Shardlake mysteries and really enjoyed them, but I've fallen woefully behind in the series. I'm wondering if the audiobook route will jumpstart my enthusiasm again. Shardlake is a hunchbacked lawyer who works on commissions given to him by men like Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Cranmer, the right-hand men of Henry VIII.
 
 
=== Memoirs ===
 
Confessions of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell. Scotland. This bookshop owner in Wigtown, Scotland, has been on my radar for quite awhile. When the price was right, you know what happened.


=== Non-Fiction ===

AUDIO: The Fossil Hunter: Dinosaurs, Evolution, and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the World by Shelley Emling. "She sells seashells by the seashore" was one of my favorite tongue-twisters when I was a child, and when I learned that this was based on a real woman, I wanted to find out more about her.


=== Police Procedural ===

AUDIO: The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly, set in Los Angeles. Connelly's Ballard and Bosch mysteries are among my very favorites. I'm listening to this one right now, and I love how Connelly has woven Covid-19 realities into this story.

Not Dead Enough by Peter James, set in England. I've read the first two Detective Superintendent Roy Grace mysteries and really liked them, so when the price was right on this one... you know what happened!


=== Thriller ===

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard, set in Ireland. This is a book I'd heard about but never really thought a lot about until I watched the author's virtual event for The Poisoned Pen. See? Those virtual events work-- which is why we probably won't see as many live events if the world ever goes back to normal...


=== Fiction ===

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams, set in England. All it took was glowing recommendations from two of my most trusted book reviewers-- and the right price-- for this book to be added to my digital security blanket. What's not to like about a reading list that can change your life, right?


=== Humorous Mystery ===

AUDIO: Scents and Sensibility by Spencer Quinn, set in Arizona. Quinn's Chet & Bernie mysteries are some of my favorites, but for some reason, I've never felt the need to stay "all caught up" with the series. Sometimes I just need to spend some time in Chet's head, and I have to admit that I'm looking forward to listening to this to see how the narrator handles being a dog. *grin*


That's it for the month of November, which seems to have been a "little of this 'n' a little of that" month. Have you read any of these? Did you add any of these to your own personal lists? Inquiring minds would love to know!




11 comments:

  1. I hope you enjoy the Peter James, Cathy. I like that series, too, although I admit I've not read each novel. I like the Roy Grace character, and I think he develops well as the series goes on. And you've reminded me of how much I like the Honeychurch Hall series. I've not kept up with it as I should lately, so I ought to get back to it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If only we had world enough and time to read all these books!

      Delete
  2. Oh boy, lots of good ones! I've heard good things about the Mary Marks series. I like the sound of The Last Mona Lisa. Confessions of a Bookseller is on my TBR and I read The Reading List earlier this year. It is a unique story with interesting characters. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on these!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If ever I get back to Scotland, I want to visit Wigtown, which is Scotland's Book Town. I've been to Hay-on-Wye (England's Book Town) and would love to see how they compare.

      Delete
  3. What a haul, Cathy. You never cease to amaze me. I have the new Connelly book in hardback and I've read The Reading List, but there are several others that grabbed my attention, especially the one about the bookseller. I don't know if you're like me when it comes to buying more books than I can possibly read, but a quick count shows that I've acquired 92 books so far this year and have read only 39 of them. It's hopeless. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, but it's my kind of hopeless because it means that I will never EVER run out of books to read. ;-)

      Delete
  4. But it's such a good hopeless, like having too much chocolate! I mean, is there really too much chocolate or too many books?

    And it's such a good feeling to see a stack of unread books, or I'd imagine ebooks, too. It's like leaving yourself Christmas presents under the tree.

    And do I miss walking into a boostore just to look and smell the print on the new books and look at blurbs? Well, I guess it's still virtual bookstores and events. But the events online are just great. I get to travel everywhere and not spend a penny on transportation.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh, and I liked The Dark Hours. There are many books that tempt me here, but I will await the book reviews here. I can always know if I'll like the book or not.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll do the heavy lifting (reading) for you. It's why I'm here. :-)

      Delete
  6. Thank you. I hope not really lifting, but virtual lifting.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!