UPDATE: Summer Challenges Completed

I seem to by cycling with the reading challenges this year. I try a few, then get carried away and suddenly I'm stressing, and I know, they should be just fun, but, I really like to finish a list, and cross it off. And I'm picking books I want to read, so I'm not torturing myself here. I found June got a little crazy, with the Spring Reading Thing, Once Upon a Time and the Chunkster all finishing around the same time. So, to reward myself, I signed up for a bunch of summer ones, but a little more carefully. Here's what I have recently finished:

The Summer Reading Challenge, Round 2
1. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

2. Good Intentions by Joy Fielding

3. The Translator by Leila Aboulela

4. Arthur & George by Julian Barnes

All good reads, but the best was, Arthur & George.



Aah, mysteries. I couldn't pass up this challenge: read 6 new to you mystery authors. I could have done this one with already-read authors, because this just adds to my never ending list of books to read.
1. Murder on a Girl's Night Out by Anne George
2. The Princess of Burundi by Kjell Eriksson
3. One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
4. Restless by William Boyd (not a series)
5. Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris
6. Killer Swell by Jeff Shelby

All perfect little mysteries. I'll read more in each series, but I particularly liked Shakespeare's Landlord.


Then, was Joy's Nonfiction Challenge. I need this challenge more often, because I don't read as much nonfiction as I could, and I always enjoy when I do. Bring on more, Joy.
Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel
Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Zlato's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

I liked all of these in different ways, and would recommend any of them.

This was my favorite challenge, because it really exposed me to some authors and novels I would never have read. I didn't even realize it could be called a genre, or style. Maggie did a lot of prep work before this one started, and she got me intrigued. I still resisted, but finally succumbed, reading:

1. Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind: Ann B. Ross
2. Murder on a Girl's Night Out: Anne George
3. A Confederacy of Dunces: John Kennedy Toule
and for extra credit, because it got really hot here:
4. Quite a Year for Plums: Bailey White
5. Shakespeare's Landlord: Charlaine Harris
What perfect books for the lazy, hazy days of summer.


These challenges are so much fun. I'm reading good books I might never have found, meeting interesting people who also love books, and just having a lot of fun. What are you waiting for? Go try one. This group has a list of all challenges ongoing, and lets readers talk about the challenges they are doing, and completing. Or, this blog lists most ongoing challenges and links to them. Wendy (caribousmom) has been great to keep us all organized. I think she likes lists even more than me!

BOOK: Murder on a Girls' Night Out by Anne George

How appropriate that I finish the Southern Reading Challenge during a heat wave here in PEI. I'm sure it isn't as hot as Alabama can get, but we are not used to having 31 degrees (Celsius!) temperature. I am glowing like a Southern belle today.

Great mystery here with the sisters, as Mary Alice impulsively buys a country bar, and then the former owner is promptly killed. Sensible sister Patricia Anne narrates the story as the sisters look into the murder, somewhat. Between trying to set up their daughters, attending political fundraisers, and putting up fall preserves, the girls, who do not appear related other than their ability to read each others thoughts, are involved in the investigation up to their proper shoes and important necklaces. This was a great little mystery, and wonderful humorous, slice of southern life. There are many more books in this series, and they make a great single day read.

I started this last night, waiting in front of the library to meet booklogged and her husband, who were visiting PEI. We had a great seafood supper - chowder for booklogged and me, Oysters Rockefeller for her husband, and a wonderful visit. As we came out of the restaurant, a marching bagpipe band walked down the street. They were then headed to see Anne of Green Gables, the musical. I forgot to check if they had Kleenex before they saw the show. They left PEI today and are headed in a general way to Utah now. Have a safe trip, youse guys.

BOOK: The Princess of Burundi by Kjell Eriksson

Winner of the Swedish Crime Academy Award for Best Crime Novel

Great little police procedural, set in Sweden. A local man is killed, and the police try to solve the crime. This feels like it could be a series, with many police officers with their own personalities and stories. There was a comment on the inside cover, comparing this to Ed McBain's 87th Precinct books (which I loved!!) and then, a character makes reference to Carella, the main cop of the 87th books. That was neat. And the story was good, with enough twists to keep you on your toes, enough characters and other back stories and plenty of suspense. At times I wondered if there had been a book previous to this one, but I couldn't find any information to suggest that. There was a lot of information about the police officers, referring to their last case, so it felt like a sequel. But it wasn't so vague or confusing to make the story hard to follow.

I also picked this book because of the setting, and it didn't disappoint. I got a great sense of everyday life in Sweden, even if the place names and people were not what I was used to. But that is why is is fun to expand horizons this way. The next novel in the series is called The Cruel Stars of the Night, and I may have to request that at the library.

BOOK: Killer Swell by Jeff Shelby

--- A Noah Braddock Mystery---

At one point, I was feeling so overwhelmed with the reading challenges, I had given myself permission to not complete the mystery challenge. Just to ease the load, since it required six books by new to me mystery authors. But then, suddenly, things fell into place and here I am on the fourth mystery. I found it by searching the library for a book that had 'kill' or 'killer' in the title, because I needed a book that started with K for the alphabet challenge. Suddenly, I could kill two challenges with one book, appropriate for a murder mystery!

This would be a drug store paperback novel, which I tend to read super fast, because I can scan so much of the description. However, and I don't usually do this, I saw this mystery as a movie in my head, complete with a role for Matthew MacConnaghy. There is a lot of surfing in this book, so he'd be great. And since he's not someone I usually ogle, I cast him as the sidekick. The lead, will be, well, I don't know actually, because I never see the character, just their aura, as it were. I can't decide, but I'll know it when I see him. He's cute, and a surfer, but a little damaged, and a wise ass.

About the mystery, it was good, kept me reading and felt like a great summer book. The setting was San Diego, and I think Shelby did a good job, because I really felt the place. And for those interested, there is a sequel, Wicked Break. I'm not running out to get it, but I wouldn't turn it down either.

BOOK: Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris

This is a brand new series for me, and I think I'll be reading more. I came across it reading some reviews for the Southern Reading Challenge, but it's more for the Summer Mystery Challenge for me. It has everything you need for a good mystery series: a wounded yet tough as nails female narrator, two possible male love interests, and a mystery to investigate, reluctantly, by our narrator. On top of these standard requirements, it is southern, so I know that we need a small town, this one is in Arkansas, colourful and nosy characters all over the town, and unusual names like Pardon Albee, and Bobo Winthrop. I'm sure I saw more books in the library starring Lily Bard, so I better go request a few more books. See, her name is Bard and she lives in Shakespeare.


I used to love finding a mystery series that was new, because it made finding books at the library so much easier. Mystery series writers also tend to be quite prolific, so there are always more books to look for. And it amazes me how many of these mystery series are around, and that I haven't heard of so many of them. Hopefully, I'll find the time to read all these great books. They really are my comfort food of reading.

BOOK: Restless by William Boyd

I received Restless by William Boyd from randomhouse to read and review. And who can turn down a good book? This is going to be a mystery book by a new author for the Summer Mystery Reading Challenge. Mysteries have always been my default genre and I am enjoying this challenge a lot, but it isn't helping my to-be-read pile as many mysteries are the beginning of a series and then there are so many new books. So, the fact that Restless is a stand alone book was a big plus for it. However, the mystery in this book is, How well do you ever know anybody? And How can you ever trust anyone when you are working as a spy?
This spy thriller is set during World War II and present day England. In the 1970s, Sally Gilmartin suddenly reveals to her daughter, in the form of a manuscript, some of her role as a spy for Britain during the war. The story takes place back and forth, past and present, as both Gilmartins deal with the aftermath of double crossings and confusion over who is really whom.
Can't say much more, because mysteries aren't mysteries if you know what happens. I read this book quickly and got all caught up in the spies. It was just enough double crossing that I could truly follow and not be utterly confused, as spy thrillers often do to me. I liked the mother's part of the story better, but both parts are needed because the war story was never resolved. Overall great book, I'll look for another Boyd book to read.

BOOK: One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

It's always exciting to find a new mystery series. This was my first book in the summer mystery, new-to-you author read. I've been reading good things about this series, and it was a great summer read.
Stephanie Plum is new to the bounty hunting business, and she is on a steep learning curve trying to bring in Morelli, a cop accused of murder who has jumped bail. The novel follows Stephanie as she tries to bring in Morelli, but she goes way back with him, and you can feel the heat on every page. (I have a crush on Morelli already.) There is a lot more humor in the mystery than I expected and it means I will be looking for the next book in the series. I enjoy a mystery with humor; it balances all the blood and bombs and guns. I love how this series has catching titles: One for the Money, Two for the Dough, Three to get Deadly, ... The thirteenth book has just been released and I've been noticing reviews already.
First book of summer vacation.

CHALLENGE: Summer Mystery Reading Challenge

The Challenge:

Read six mysteries of any type by authors whose works you haven’t read before between June 1st and August 31st and you will have completed the challenge, hosted at reviewed by Liz

How awesome is this? I haven't been reading mysteries much lately. I found a new series with Inspector Montalbano by Camilleri, an Italian detective that I want to read more of, but this challenge says new to you authors. My first thought was, great. Now I'll have six new series I'll want to read, and I don't need more to read. But since I read most of Anne Perry's mysteries, I haven't really found new mystery authors, and I think I've been wanting to. I've been rereading some Agatha Christie books, and I've discovered some old time detective stories by Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett that I want to read.

I don't have to make a list, just read six new authors. I know I will start with some books I'm reading for the Southern Reading Challenge, such as:

1. Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B Ross not really a mystery after all. I'll have to find another for this

2. Murder on a Girl's Night Out by Anne George

Then I'll investigate:

3. The Princess of Burundi by Swedish author, Kjell Eriksson. I ordered this from amazon as part of my Reading Across Borders Challenge and haven't got to it yet

4. One for the Money by Janet Evanovich I've never read Stephanie Plum mysteries by Janet Evanovich, so I imagine that'll be one

5. And them I think I'll browse the library, looking for the little mystery symbol, and be adventurous for the last two. That sounds like a lot of fun.

So, here are the other books I've found for this challenge, with reviews linked:

1. Restless by William Boyd

5. Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris

6. Killer Swell by Jeff Shelby