June 2022 Additions to My Digital Security Blanket

 

While May showed a reduction in the titles I added to my digital security blanket, June saw the levels rise back up to something more normal. I will have to say that it's not quite as bad as it may look, since four of the additions are short stories.

 

Speaking of short stories, I've noticed something a bit strange. There are a few authors whose writing I really enjoy but-- for some unknown reason-- I find it more convenient to keep up with them through their short stories than through their novels. It doesn't really make sense to me, and I'm going to have to ponder the conundrum awhile longer. 

 

It's a good thing I can ponder and list at the same time, isn't it? Let me give you the rundown on what I just had to acquire last month. I've grouped them by genre/subgenre, and if you click on the link in the book's title, you'll be taken to Amazon US where you can learn more about it.

 

 

===Historical Fiction===

 

The White Girl by Tony Birch. 19th-century Australia.

 

▲ I've been wanting to read more Australian fiction, and I really liked the synopsis of this one, so... when the price was right...

 

Horse by Geraldine Brooks. 19th-century Kentucky.

 

▲ Combine one of my favorite authors with horse racing history, and this turned into a must-buy for me. How good do I think Brooks' writing is? Her People of the Book is one of my all-time favorites, and her Year of Wonders inspired me to visit the plague village of Eyam in England's Peak District, that's how good.

 

The Saints of Swallow Hill by Donna Everhart. Depression-Era North Carolina.

 

▲ I'm finding myself increasingly drawn to fiction set during the Depression, and it all started with Timothy Egan's The Worst Hard Time (another of my all-time favorite books). I'm glad to see that more authors are using the time period as the setting for their writing.

 

 

===Police Procedural===

 

Murder of Angels by Jack Gatland. England.

 

 ▲ I enjoyed the first DI Declan Walsh mystery, Letter from the Dead and intended to continue reading in the series, so when I discovered that the second book was FREE, you know what happened. (I'm so predictable.)

 

AUDIO: The Victoria Vanishes by Christopher Fowler. England.

 

▲ This is a series I want to spend more time with, and when this title came up on sale, I had a hankering to listen to Bryant and May while working on my latest knitting project. (As Jean-Luc Picard would say: Make it so.)

 

 

===Historical Mystery===

 

AUDIO: The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra. 1920s India.

 

▲ I've had my eye on this since its publication date, and after listening to a sample, I decided to spend an Audible credit to get it. I'm listening to it now... and loving it. I'm really enjoying the story, and the narrator is perfect.

 

 

===Non-Fiction===

 

AUDIO: Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill by Candice Millard. South Africa.

 

▲ I've been mesmerized by every book Candice Millard has written. She's a must-buy author for me. (I won't even check to see what the book is about before buying it.) Winston Churchill has always been fascinating to me. I decided to buy the audio version so I could hear how those South African place names are pronounced. (One of the best things about audiobooks, eh?)

 

Edward II's Nieces, The Clare Sisters: Powerful Pawns of the Crown by Kathryn Warner. England.

 

▲ I've long found British history to be fascinating, and I actually know more about it than my English husband-- possibly because all those shadowy figures lurking behind the arras plant such vivid pictures in my mind, and I always want to know what they're up to. So much skullduggery!

 

 

===Short Story===

 

Skin and Bones by Paul Doiron. Part of the Mike Bowditch series. Maine. 

The Caretaker by Paul Doiron. Part of the Mike Bowditch series. Maine.

Blood Moon by Linda Castillo. Part of the Kate Burkholder series. Ohio.

The Pact  by Linda Castillo. Part of the Kate Burkholder series. Ohio.

 

Have you read any of these already? Care to share your opinions, please? Or... did you add a title or two to your wish lists? Which ones? You know inquiring minds want to know!