So rather than asking watcha reading I’ll put it another way…..because I’m sure our Mums wouldn’t like the watcha word
What have you read recently….
After enjoying my first Stuart MacBride stand alone early last month I found this 3 book series (online at Hoopla) which I devoured one after the other in quick succession. With the same characters appearing – much humour injected into unthinkable situations along with police procedures (of good bad and ugly proportions) they were enjoyable- couldn’t put downable but enough for the time being I think
Ash Henderson Series – Stuart MacBride
Birthdays for the dead
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I’m not sure what the problem has been with my attention span recently, several books from various sources came into the cabin over the past few weeks but I couldn’t settle on any of them so resorted to looking online for older unread publications – comfort reading!
- The Far Country – Nevil Shute 1952.
This and others available to download free here at Faded Page
One of Shute’s Australian novels.
Set in England and Australia it looks at life in both countries during the 1950s. Jennifer Morton is given the chance to visit some distant relatives living on a sheep station where she discovers she is capable of far more than she ever anticipated
I enjoy Shute’s style of writing in a very understated way yet understandable on many levels
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Those two winter reads from last month I had lined up for this one didn’t happen- one had a dual time line that became more confusing the more I read and the other lost it’s appeal after a few chapters……so I chose this instead
- The Woods in Winter – Stella Gibbons 1970. Hoopla
Republished by Furrowed Middlebrow/Dean Street Press 2021
A different sort of read about a ‘take me as I am, basic, no nonsense, see the bright side of everything’ person- left a small (very dilapidated) cottage in a village close to where she was born and raised. She moves to live a solitary (by choice) life in the cottage taking a rescued dog plus very few belongings.
AI Overview
The Woods in Winter” by Stella Gibbons, is a novel focusing on Ivy Gower, a middle-aged charwoman who inherits a cottage in the English countryside. Despite her initial desire for solitude, she finds herself impacting the lives of her neighbors in unexpected ways, including a runaway boy, a mourning spinster, and the local gentry. The story blends humor and poignancy, exploring themes of old age, solitude, and the unexpected connections that can form in a rural setting.
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Lots of smiles when I found another Mary Wesley on line……I’m definitely a Wesley reader and will be on the lookout for more….listed here
- Not That Sort of Girl – Mary Wesley 1987/2006
Internet Archive
Ned Peel has died, Rose his widow has left the house (which now belongs to their son) and has gone to a hotel where she reflects on her life……lived with two men. One completely oblivious of the other.
Recommended reading
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I’m not sure where I first saw this authors name but books by her came up on an online site….this one sounded interesting
- Time of Flight – A. C. (Christina) Koning 2016
Internet Archive
republished as Murder at Hendon Aerodrome 2023
It is 1931, and the world has taken to the air: ’You couldn’t switch on the wireless these days without hearing news of the latest feat by Miss Johnson or Commander Kidson; the newspapers, too, were full of their exploits…’For blind First World War veteran Frederick Rowlands, the craze for flying holds little interest – after all, he is unlikely ever to set foot in an aeroplane himself.
Then I saw reviews of what sounded like the same book under a different title, (same author similar name) and realised it was part of a series. The Blind Detective.
Part of a series that really definitely should be read in order.
Lots of early aviation details – good……lots of social history relevant to the post WW1 years in England- good……several murders – the author obviously thought they were necessary- then several characters and events that were part of earlier books appeared/ were alluded to. I had no idea who what or when it was all about so much so it meant lots of page flipping yet wondering if I’d missed anything
I finished the book but only because I wanted to reassure myself I’d sussed out the murderer correctly
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What are you reading now…….
Another piece of light relief found in the laundry room
What do you think you’ll read next…….
A couple of quick picks from a library display
Death of an Airman – Christopher St. John Sprigg 1934
British Library Crime Classics 2015
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The Accidental Tourist- Anne Tyler 1985
Reissued by Vintage 2016
Once again slow speed and dodgy whatevers have kept me away
So what are the watchas in your life at the moment ?
Have you read any of mine?
And do we share the same superpower ðŸ¤ðŸ“˜ðŸ¤
Follow the link to find out what others are reading – What’s on your bookshelf
Still Waters 