Reading Update…
It has been a looooong time since I checked in with what I’ve been reading. With all the crazy deadline knitting there was probably been more audiobook reading than printed book reading, but reading is reading, right? Mostly I’ve been reading fluff. It has been to keep me entertained while knitting so the knitting at least appears to go faster or it is to try turn my brain off before bed.
The one non-fluff book I’ve read so far this year was Loving Frank: A Novel. It is a fictionalized account of Frank Lloyd Wright’s affair with Mamah Borthwick Cheney. Very little is known about their relationship as it often appears as just a footnote in most biographies on Wright. This was a very thought provoking and entertaining read. It took a long time of having it on hold before I got a copy from my library, but I would say it was worth the wait. There is a lot of meat in it and I think would make a good book club selection as there are many topics for discussion in it. If you are a fan of FLW’s work the book is filled with imagery and his philosophy on design. As I feel with many fictionalized historical novels I find myself constantly wondering which parts were true and which parts were fictionalized. It has me thinking of adding some biographies to my reading list.
I also checked out two mysteries from the library. One I finished just before the new year, Jasper Fforde’s The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime It is the first book in the Nursery Crimes series which kind of spun off of the Thursday Next series. I didn’t find it quite as enjoyable as the Thursday Next books, but it was better than many books and I’ll continue to read the series as it grows if it maintains this level of quality or better. The other mystery book I checked out is the second Claire Watkin’s book by Mary Logue, Dark Coulee. I think this one was as good as the first one, Blood Country. While it was somewhat predictable there were enough turns that made you doubt your suspicions. It is another series I will continue to read for the time being.
I also broke out one of the Christmas gifts and read the next Aunt Dimity book which I received from my MIL & FIL. This one was Aunt Dimity: Detective. Once again Lori finds herself falling for a handsome man who appears to help her solve her latest case while her husband works hard at the London office. Aunt Dimity played a bit smaller role in this story than she does in some others, but it made the book no less enjoyable. This is just a fun cozy series that offers love, attraction, ghosts, small town dynamics, murder, and of course some mayhem. If it says anything, this is the only cozy series I see myself owning. It is one of those you’d pull from the shelf to occupy a snow day with a cup of hot tea or a sick day in bed. I have some gaps early in the series to fill, but from here on out I will actually forgo the library on this series and buy the books.
On the iPod I’ve read the second Ceepak mystery from Chris Grabenstein, Mad Mouse. This one isn’t a cozy, it is closer to a thriller. A sniper appears to be loose in the NJ seaside town and the target appears to be Danny Boyle and his friends. There is nothing like having your first case as an official year around cop to have you and your closest friends in the crossfire. It was a high impact book that I had to give up trying to read at bed time as it just kept me awake with all the action.
Currently I’m nearing the end of Passion, Betrayal and Killer Highlights, the second in a newer series featuring murder mystery writer Sophie Katz and the PI she is lusting after, Anatoly, set out to prove Sophie’s sister innocent of her cheating husband’s murder. This is a mystery novel for those who like witty comebacks and sexual tension between the characters. The whole cast are full of smart remarks that make me laugh out loud. The reader of the Audible.com version also does a fantastic job with the voicings, making it especially easy to listen to while knitting.
I really wish I could show you what all I’ve been knitting on. I’m super excited about it all, but alas I can’t. Hopefully I’ll be around a bit more regular for the next week or more. Though I am still having some shoulder trouble so I have to ration my computing and knitting time carefully right now so I can’t make any promises.
