Sunday, April 30, 2023

April 2023 Additions to My Digital Security Blanket

 


My new restraint in adding books to my Kindle and audiobook apps continues. Will wonders never cease? I think it's aided by the fact that good eBook sales are still few and far between, but I recently sat down with my Kindle and went through a couple of the genres (Kindle calls them "collections") and was a bit gobsmacked by how many books that I know I would love reading have fallen down the rabbit hole. As a result, I've made myself a bit of a monthly reading map, adding these forgotten jewels to the lineup of advance reading copies that I need to read. 
 
We'll see how this reading map goes, although I have been "following" it for a couple of months, and my eyes are still lighting up when I see that one of my rabbit hole books is next up to read. 
 
What books proved to be irresistible last month? Let me show you! I've got them grouped by genre/subgenre, and if you click on the link in the book title, you'll be taken to Amazon US where you can learn more about the book.


=== Canine Themed Mystery ===
 

 
Synopsis: "Ex-police officer and former P.I. Molly Madison is starting over. After the death of her husband, she and her golden retriever, Harlow, move cross-country to California. But as charming and peaceful as the beachside town seems, she soon learns its tranquil tides hold dark secrets.
 
On her first day in the new house, a large, slobbering Saint Berdoodle wanders in. Molly winds up taking on the responsibility of training Noodle since his owner is too busy to do the job. On one of their daily beachside walks, Noodle digs up a severed hand. Once Molly alerts the police and they run a background check on her, an incident from her past makes her an immediate suspect—after all, Noodle’s testimony to clear her name won’t hold much water in court. 
 
To prove her innocence, Molly must rely on instincts keener than a canine’s to sniff out the real killer. But when Molly’s life is put in danger, will her two very loyal pups be able to rescue her?
 
♦ I'm a sucker for a well-written dog-themed mystery, and when I came across the second book in the Molly Madison Dog Wrangler series, something about it just grabbed me, and I found myself looking for the first book in the series. As you can see, I found it!
 
 
 === Thriller/Suspense ===
 
 
AUDIOBOOK: Homecoming by Kate Morton. A dual timeline novel set in Australia and England.
 
Synopsis: "Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959: At the end of a scorching hot day, beside a creek on the grounds of a grand country house, a local man makes a terrible discovery. Police are called, and the small town of Tambilla becomes embroiled in one of the most baffling murder investigations in the history of South Australia.

Many years later and thousands of miles away, Jess is a journalist in search of a story. Having lived and worked in London for two decades, she now finds herself unemployed and struggling to make ends meet. A phone call out of nowhere summons her back to Sydney, where her beloved grandmother Nora, who raised Jess when her mother could not, has suffered a fall and is seriously ill in the hospital.

At Nora's house, Jess discovers a true crime book chronicling a long-buried police case: the Turner Family Tragedy of 1959. It is only when Jess skims through its pages that she finds a shocking connection between her own family and this notorious event – a mystery that has never been satisfactorily resolved.
 
♦ I don't think I've ever been disappointed in any book I've read by Kate Morton, so when I realized that I had a spare credit at Audible, I decided to indulge myself. I've just begun listening to it. It's narrated by actress Claire Foy, who portrayed Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown. So far, so good.


=== Historical Fiction ===



The War Nurses by Anthea Hodgson. Set in World War II Australia and Southeast Asia.

Synopsis: "In 1941, country girls Minnie Hodgson and Margot McNee set sail from Perth, Australia, for Singapore in search of adventure, full of excitement and keen to do their part working as nurses to the fallen soldiers in a time of war. What they encounter is an army of new friends and the terrors of a city under siege.

When the Japanese attack and Singapore falls, they are forced to flee aboard the
Vyner Brooke. The ship is bombed, resulting in utter devastation. Separated in the mayhem, one group of nurses find themselves in prisoner-of-war camps for the duration of the war, surviving on their wits, with humour, dignity, loyalty and determination. But another group of young Australian nurses – the girls on the beach – are washed ashore on Bangka Island, where they will meet a fate that must never be forgotten.

Inspired by the author’s own family story, this is an unforgettable novel of enduring friendship and boundless courage, based on the shocking true events of the Bangka Island Massacre. It is both a riveting tale and an important tribute to our brave nurses who sacrificed so much during World War II.
"

♦ I was alerted to this book by Shelleyrae's review on her blog, Book'd Out. Her review and the book's synopsis pushed so many of my (good) book buttons that it was impossible for me not to buy it. And guess what? It's on my reading map!


What do you think of last month's purchases? Have you read any of them? Did you add any of them to your own wish lists? Do tell! Inquiring minds would love to know!

12 comments:

  1. You've got some nice choices here, Cathy. Glad to see you have a Kate Morton there. The others look really interesting, too.

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    1. I'd actually forgotten how much I enjoy Morton's books!

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  2. The War Nurses looks really good! I like reading WWII books that aren't set in Europe.

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    1. So do I-- probably because my grandfather served in the South Pacific during WW2. Also in our hometown: a survivor of a Japanese POW camp, another who survived the Bataan Death March, and a third who was at Pearl Harbor.

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  3. I am intrigued by your reading map. I really like the sound of A Deadly Bone to Pick. In fact, all three sound like great choices.

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    1. It probably should be called a reading calendar, since all the books I intend to read are plugged in around the ARCs and their due dates.

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  4. I've enjoyed other Kate Morton books and "Homecoming" sounds interesting to me. Adding it to my list.

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    1. It's certainly holding my interest, Dorothy.

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  5. I enjoy canine mysteries, so I'll have to look into that series. And I have a different title from Kate Morton on my (physical) TBR shelf, waiting for me to be interested enough to pick it up ...

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    1. Sometimes you just have to wait until they shout loud enough, right? ;-)

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  6. It is getting harder and harder to find ebook bargains anymore, and I wonder if those days are gone forever. I just don't like the idea of paying more than ten dollars for them, and even that price seems like a stretch. My solution has been to rely on the library for downloads that I know I'll only read once - if that - but publishers are making even that not nearly as easy as in the past by limiting copies, exorbitant library prices, etc.

    I still get a couple of "freebies" from Amazon Prime every month but since Amazon starting emphasizing its own imprints, the quality is just not what it used to be for the most part.

    But guess I shouldn't really complain much since I still have several hundred unread books on my Kindle and on my shelves.

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    1. No need to complain here either, Sam. I have about 1,000 physical books and 400 eBooks in my "security blanket".

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