Part 2: This post contains the books, #66 to #106, I’ve read or listened through in April and May 2018.
The number beside each book is my personal rating for the book, or audiobook, at the time of reading with the range being:
(1) = would not recommend,
(2) = some interesting aspects but not one of my recommended reads,
(3) = would recommend.
(4) = Really good, enjoyable, (or worthy) read, would definitely recommend
(5) = Excellent book, highly recommend
The next few are ongoing, sip, reads so I’m adding them here until they are finished:
A: How to Read Slowly ~ James W. Shire (3)
B: How the Heather Looks ~ Joan Bodger
C: The Christian Family ~ Larry Christenson (4)
D: Christian Living in the Home ~ Jay Adams (4)
E: The Invisible Child: On Reading and Writing Books for Children ~ Katherine Paterson
(As in previous posts, I haven't included the books I'm reading for my own extra-mural studies; and, the titles in green are ones I pre-read as possible reads for Daisy. The numbers in blue, and location details are for a Brit Trip reading challenge I'm taking part in this year.)
1: KJV Life Application Study Bible: The Books of; Psalms, Acts (5+) the Bible linked is lovely to use!
April
66: The Unknown Ajax ~ Georgette Heyer (re-listen) (3.5) Sussex/Yorkshire.
A relaxing night time listen. I really appreciate the droll sense of humour Heyer has gifted Hugh with.
67: Why Didn’t They Ask Evans ~ Agatha Christie (re-listen) (2.5) Denbighshire, Wales / London. Bobby and Frankie show shades of Bundle & Bill (Seven Dials) and Tommy & Tuppence.
68: Sister Eve, Private Eye ~ Lynne Hinton (e.book) (3) USA
I enjoyed the story about Eve, the murder mystery was a little weak - definitely ranks as a bubblegum read. I don’t think I’ll be following the series any further
Extra content others may like to know too: I’m not sure how devout a nun Sister Eve is? (Her “calling to be a nun” crisis may be offence to Catholics?) Drug taking. Adultery and divorce are prominent themes – Hinton shows the destructiveness both can bring. While two of the characters are involved in a homosexual relationship, the author does not detail any physical encounters.
69: The Labour of Hercules: Hercule Poirot ~ Agatha Christie (2.5) Berkshire/ “English village” / “Lyde Manor”/ “Mertonshire” / “Cranchester” / Devon / London
70: Battles at Thrush Green: Bk4 ~ Miss Read (3.5) Gloucestershire
71: The Unexpected Guest ~ Agatha Christie (4) Wales
72: The Valley of the Shadow: A Cornish Mystery Bk3 ~ Carola Dunn (4) Cornwall
73: Unashamed: Rahab ~ Francine Rivers (5) Bible-based fiction. Christian Fiction. Favourite read this month!!
74: The Richest Man in Babylon ~ George S. Clason (3.5) N/F (audio)
recommended read by Jay. He’s so pleased I’ve finished a book he appreciates so much.
75: Buried in the Country: Cornish Mystery Bk4 ~ Carola Dunn (4)
Very easy listening. I do wish the key characters that “moved in” together had made a commitment via marriage first. Buried in the Country covers a topic about South Africa, and African students studying in England, that I knew next to nothing about.
(Wondering why the author needed to inject a homosexual relationship into the story – these men would have been scarcely tolerated, and imprisoned, during the era this story is set in. That aspect detracted from the book for me.)
Others may like to know there is some cursing in each book, no f-bombs. Bigamous relationship.
76: A Circle of Quiet ~ Madeleine L'Engle N/F USA epukapuka copy. (4.5) https://tuesdaysviews.blogspot.co.nz/2018/04/a-circle-of-quiet-madeleine-lengle.html
77: Miss Seeton Sings: Bk4 ~ Heron Carvic (2) London / Italy/ Switzerland/ Paris
78: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry ~ Rachel Joyce (? ) Devon / Bristol / Glouchesterhire/ Derbyshire/ Burmingham/ London/ Derbyshire/ Leeds, Yorkshire? / South Yorkshire/ North Yorkshire/ Durham/ Northumberland
The book contains some pretty raw, gritty, life scenarios and choices – “social and relationship issues” - and, the swearing sinks into f-bombs, which was easier to skip in printed format. I’m struggling to give this a rating as I can't say I liked this book - I don't – nor is it a book I would recommend to my IRL reading friends, yet it's one of those books I'm glad I read it, as it's very thought-provoking and I know will stay with me for a long time… whether I want it to or not ;)
79: The Gate Keeper (Ian Rutledge #20) ~ Charles Todd (4) Audio London/ Suffolk /Surrey/ Essex
80: Miss Silver Comes to Stay: Miss Silver Bk16 ~ Patricia Wentworth (4) Nottinghamshire
81: The Zookeeper’s Wife ~ Diane Ackerman (4.5) N/F Biography WWII
Having initially seen the movie first – which was not a love match for me - I was a little resistant to reading the book. I’m so pleased I did, the book is a gem!
Happiness is something that comes from our own hearts, not other people.
83: First Lady: The Life and Wars of Clementine Churchill ~ Sonia Purnell (4.5) p.448 Isle of Wight/Oxfordshire/Norfolk/Surrey/Essex/London/Kent/ Buckinghamshire.
Started out with a library book, switched to audio. https://tuesdaysviews.blogspot.co.nz/2018/04/first-lady-life-and-wars-of-clementine.html
84: Three Men in a Boat ~ Jerome St. Jerome (3) (Classic) London/ Chesire/ Buckinghamshire/ Surrey/ Berkshire/ Dorset/ Oxfordshire
85: Waves of Mercy ~ Lynn Austin (2.5) epukapuka. Netherlands / USA 1800’s
If I had known this was the first in a serial I would not have started it – drawn out, serial formatted, historical Christian romance is not a favourite genre for me to spend my reading time on. The historical portion of the book was very interesting though.
86: The Listerdale Mystery ~ Agatha Christie (audio) (3) The Listerdale Mystery = London / “Philomel Cottage” (wildcard) / The Girl in the Train = Merseyside, Hampshire/ Surrey/ An “English Village”
87: Racing the Devil: Ian Rutledge Bk19 ~ Charles Todd (4) (Eastbourne) East Sussex / Kent/ Surrey
88: The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding: Hercule Poirot. BBC Radiodrama ~ Agatha Christie (3) (wild card “Kings Lacey”, England)
May
89: The Foundling ~ Georgette Heyer (book & audio) (4) “Sale Park” (wildcard) / London / /Hertfordshire/ Bedfordshire/ Lancashire / Buckinghamshire/ Somerset/ Gloucestershire
I started out with the audio narrated by Phyllida Nash then, as I had to wait somewhere for Dd, I switched to the book and speed read it which, unfortunately, does wreck the enjoyment factor even when it is a repeat read.
90: A Fine Summer’s Day: Ian Rutledge Bk17 ~ Charles Todd (3) London/ Kent/ Surrey/ Wiltshire/ Dorset /Cumbria /Yorkshire/ York/ Somerset/ Buckinghamshire/Devon/ “wildcard” = Beecham
91: Hunting Shadows: Ian Rutledge Bk16 ~ Charles Todd (3.5) Cambridgeshire/ “Wriston” (wildcard) in the Fens/ Suffolk/ London
92: The Case is Closed: Miss Silver Bk2 ~ Patricia Wentworth (audio) (4) Bedfordshire
93: Tom Brown’s School Days ~ Thomas Hughes (book & audio) (5) (Children’s Classic) Warwickshire/ Oxfordshire/ Berkshire/ Wiltshire.
The narrator, Jamie Parker made this an absolute joy to listen to.
If you find it hard to navigate through books that reflect a Victorian era, Christian-based worldview you may want to skip this one.
94: A Cold Treachery: Ian Rutledge Bk7 ~ Charles Todd (4.5) Cumbria (Including a sensitive-issue heads up: this story centres around the tragic shooting of a family, parents and their young daughter and newborn twins. The oldest child, a son seems to have escaped being shot and the solving of the case brings to light the traumatic events surrounding the mass killing. )
95: North and South ~ Elizabeth Gaskell (book & audio) (5) (Classic) Manchester/ Cornwall/ London http://tuesdaysviews.blogspot.com/2018/06/north-and-south-elizabeth-gaskell.html
96: The Barefoot Investor: The Only Money Guide You'll Ever Need ~ Scott Pape (currently a 3) N/F The crude jokes and crass language on the audio got to me in the end. I don’t require modern slanged, potty-mouthed, sarcasm to keep me entertained, nor as an inducement to keep listening to a book on finance. Humour can be witty without having to sink into crassness. I might have to borrow a library copy so I can skip the “land-fill” and concentrate on the helpful financial suggestions – those portions of the book are very good.
97: The Confession: Ian Rutledge Bk14 ~ Charles Todd (3) epukapuka Essex / Norfolk/ London/ Oxfordshire The authors seem to drag this story out. I think the story could have been told without a need to create pages to read.
98: The Silent Pool: Miss Silver Bk24 ~ Patricia Wentworth (audio) (3) Herefordshire Extra content others may like to know about: Wentworth gifted the murderer with a borderline personality. Adultery (emotional and physical).
99: A Death in the Dales: Kate Shackleton Bk7 ~ Frances Brody (audio) (3) North Yorkshire Content extra, a violently abusive father forces his daughter to live as his incestuous “wife’. (No graphic details, just the situation being discussed)
I wasn’t happy with the twist the author gave to Kate’s courtship.
100: Death in the Stocks ~ Georgette Heyer (audio) (3) Buckinghamshire
101: The Red Door: Inspector Rutledge Bk12 ~ Charles Todd (3) (epukapuka)
Lancashire/ Suffolk/ Essex/ London/ Lincolnshire/ Kent/ Durham/ Cambridgeshire/ Dorset/ Worcestershire/ Cheshire/ Hertfordshire
102: False Colours ~ Georgette Heyer (audio) (3.5) Sussex/ London I really enjoy the story of the twins, but with each consecutive read I dislike their mama more and more.
103: Elizabeth the Queen ~ Sally Bedell Smith (audio) (4) (663pgs. Chunkster) N/F Biography London/ Scotland/ Norfolk/ Berkshire http://tuesdaysviews.blogspot.com/2018/06/elizabeth-queen-sally-bedell-smith.html
104: A Red Boyhood: Growing Up Under Stalin ~ Anatole Konstantin (3) N/F (epukapuka) though the writing quality is a little uneven the content was interesting enough to keep me reading.
105: The Toll-Gate ~ Georgette Heyer (audio) (4.5) (repeat listen. A favourite Heyer story even though it’s more kissy/romance-y than many of her books) Derbyshire
106: The German Girl ~ Armando Lucas Correa (audio) (2.5) N/F Biographical Fiction, parallel stories 1939 & 2014 http://tuesdaysviews.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-german-girl.html
Part 3: of 52 Books in 52 Weeks
Part 3: of 52 Books in 52 Weeks
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