Book Review: The Examiner by Janice Hallett

 This book is both compelling and confusing (in a good way.) It kept me guessing all through until the last pages. There were good plot twists. I liked the format of chats and reports. I liked most of the characters, except for one who was so irritating I was sure she would be the murder victim! Overall, I enjoyed it and recommend it. I will be looking for other books by this author. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for giving me a copy.

Book Review: The Beanstalk Murder

 This is a fantasy-mystery middle grade novel. Anwen lives in a village called Old Stump with her grandmother. They are Meadow Witches but Anwen dreams of going to the Magic Academy and learning High Magic. She is rejected but her arch-nemesis Cerys gets in. None of that matters when a giant body from the Sky Kingdom comes crashing down on the village. After helping the townspeople, Anwen and her grandmother Eria examine the giant's body only to discover he had been murdered. Since a war between the giants and humans there has been no communication between the two kingdoms. Eria decides to send a message to the Sky Kingdom to let them know what happened (and possibly stave off another war.) She plants a magic beanstalk to take a message to them, but Anwen and Cerys accidentally get caught on it as it shoots to the sky. When they reach the Sky Kingdom, Anwen discovers that the body belonged to the king. She is determined to help with the investigation.

I liked Anwen and the way she was able to find allies, eventually including even Cerys. It was an interesting mystery with an unusual background. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for letting me read it. 

Midyear Freak Out Tag

 This tag is usually done on You Tube by booktubers. But I always have fun with the questions, so I am joining in too.

1. What is the best book you have read in 2024?

This goes to The Bodyguard by Katherine Center. I enjoyed it so much that when I reached the end I promptly turned back to the beginning and read it again. I then picked up How to Walk Away, What You Wish For and Hello Stranger. Katherine Center is now a favorite author of mine. 

2. What is the best sequel you have read in 2024?

Witchy Woman Blues, by Lily Harper Hart, which is the final volume of the Hannah Hickok witchy mystery series. We have followed Hannah from her arrival in Cooper Creek and her discovery that she is a witch till this story. This was an extremely satisfying end to the series.

3. What is a new release you want to read but haven't gotten to yet?

Rom-commers by Katherine Center. The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer. I've talked about Katherine Center above. I loved The Wishing Game last year and have high hopes for The Lost Story.

4.  What is your most anticipated release for the rest of the year?

I have three. A Witches Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sanhu Mandanna. I loved The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches last year and am waiting impatiently for this one to come out December 24. Somewhere Beyond The Sea by TJ Klune, coming out September 10, which is the sequel to A House on the Cerulean Sea, which I loved. And last but definitely not least, Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, coming out on August 6. Assistant to the Villain was one of my favorite books last year and I am looking forward to this one. 

5. Biggest disappointment. 

My biggest disappointment was the ending of the Charlie Rhodes series by Amanda Lee. The Grim Reaper Gaffe really ended the series on a whimper, not a bang. I still enjoyed it but it was a letdown. 

6. Biggest surprise

Someone Else's Bucket List is a contemporary book and I don't read many of them outside my main genres. I was surprised to like this one so much. It is by Amy T. Matthews. 

7. Favorite new to you author.

I have already talked about Katherine Center who definitely is an answer to this question. I also discovered Abby Jimenez, reading her Part of Your World romance trilogy. I really enjoyed all of these books, especially Yours Truly, and am looking forward to her Friend Zone trilogy.

8. Newest fictional crush

I don't really do fictional crushes. So I will slide in my favorite non-fiction book in here instead, Why We Read by Shannon Reed. I love books about books and reading and this is a great one. 

9. Newest favorite character

Ernest Cunningham from Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone and Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson. I also have a soft spot for the narrator in Murder Your Employer. 

10. Book that made you cry

The Measure by Nikki Erlick. I do cry while reading so there may have been others, but I definitely remember crying when I read this one. 

11. A book that made you happy

The Princess Protection Program by Alex London. I read this for Middle Grade March and loved it. I am pleased to learn a sequel is coming out next year. 

12. The most beautiful book you have acquired this year

The most beautiful book I bought this year was Jane Eyre illustrated by Marjolein  Bastin. The exterior is lovely and so are the interior drawings and extras. 

13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

Aside from the books I've already mentioned, I want to read Funny Story by Emily Henry. I also want to read the new Olympus Inc novel, Love Laodice. I plan to participate in Series September, Shaketember, Victober and Nonfiction November so I will be planning my TBR's for those as they come closer. Right now I am doing and loving Jane Austen July. I still need to read a contemporary of Jane Austen. 

Nonfiction for Jane Austen July - reviews

 I am having a lovely Jane Austen July so far. Although I have read two of her novels (Persuasion and Sense and Sensibility), my focus has been on nonfiction related to Jane Austen. 

Love and Marriage in the Age of Jane Austen by Rory Muir was my first and favorite read. It is an excellent look at courting and marriages, both good and bad, in Jane Austen's day. Although it is well documented, it reads very easily and was fascinating to me. I now want to read his other Regency life book, Gentlemen of Uncertain Fortune. 

Next I read Jane Austen: A Life from Beginning to End, part of a series of biographies by Hourly History. It is short but a good refresher for the other Jane Austen biographies I have read. (My favorite biographies are Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley and The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things by Paula Byrne.)

For something different, I read Jane Austen Embroidery by Jennie Batchelor and Alison Larkin. I don't embroider myself, but the directions seemed very easy to follow. The pictures of the designs and finished projects are lovely.

Jane Austen and The Price of Happiness by Ingrid Sigrun Bredkjaer Brodey was a very interesting look at the endings of her novels. Did they, in fact, undermine romance instead of celebrating it? She looks at each novel, its contemporary reception, and its adaptations. It was a new perspective for me.

A New Jane Austen by Juliette Wells, subtitled How Americans Brought Us The World's Greatest Novelist. Part three of a trio of books about Jane Austen's readers, this looks at American views of her writing, beginning with Oscar Fay Adams in the 1880's. It was drier than the other books on this list but still a good view at how Americans received Jane Austen. 

Last but not least I read Jane Austen Cover to Cover by Margaret C. Sullivan, an illustrated look at the covers of her novels from the first editions to today. I am a visual person and really enjoyed this book. Some covers are lovely, some ludicrous, but all worth looking at. I found this book to be great fun.

Jane Austen July 2024 TBR

 Jane Austen July is an annual readathon focused (of course) on Jane Austen, hosted by Katie at Books and Things, Marissa at Blatantly Bookish, and Claudia at Spinster's Library, all on YouTube.

Here is my TBR:

1. Read one of Jane Austen's main 6 novels. The group read this year is Sense and Sensibility which I will read, but I think I will start with another novel, probably Persuasion.
2. Read one of Jane Austen's other works. The group read is Sanditon and The Watsons. These are short, so I may also look at some of her letters.
3. Read a non-fiction about her or her time. My original pick for this was Jane Austen Embroidery, which I have started. But I got sidetracked by Love and Marriage in the Age of Jane Austen, which I really enjoyed. I also finished a short biography of Jane Austen, and am reading Jane Austen and the Price of Happiness, also very good so far.
4. Read a retelling or a novel set in her time period. I am planning to read The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh by Claudia Gray.
5. Read a contemporary of Jane Austen. I am trying to decide between Frankenstein, A School for Scandal, and Evelina.
6. Watch a direct retelling or adaptation.  I want to watch the Sense and Sensibility starring Emma Thompson.
7. Watch a modernised retelling. I am hoping to finally get to Bride and Prejudice this year - I am not very good at keeping up with the watching challenges.

UPDATE:

I did read Persuasion and loved it as much as ever. I finished Jane Austen and the Price of Happiness, a 5 star read for me. Jane Austen Embroidery was good even for someone who does not embroider. I have started A New Jane Austen. 

Favorite Classics of 2023

 I read fifteen classics last year, most of which were rereads. My favorite reread was Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen. For the purposes of this list I am not counting books by Agatha Christie, Georgette Heyer, poetry collections, or other mysteries.

Favorite New Reads:

Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. This was a sensation novel, and it is still very suspenseful. I could not put it down. A man's search for his friend ends up leading him to Lady Audley, the new wife of a close friend, Sir Roger Audley. But what does she have to do with his friend George? And what is Lady Audley's secret? I loved it and am looking forward to more by Mary Elizabeth Braddon during next Victober, if not earlier.

The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde. A brash American family moves into a haunted castle in Victorian England. The ghost puts on his best performances for them, but the Otis family is unmoved. What's a poor ghost to do? This is short and very funny. 

The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope. I love reading Anthony Trollope and this novel was no exception. The mysterious Augustus Melmotte arrives in London, rich but with no obvious background explaining his wealth. He brings his wife and daughter Marie with him. He is soon involved with many financial schemes. In the meantime, Marie falls in love with Sir Felix Carbury, a lazy and dissolute man in search of a rich bride. Other love stories arise as well. It is a lovely look at London society in the 1870's and its weaknesses, filled with memorable characters. 

Books/Authors I want to read in 2024

 These first two books were on last years list also.

Hellbent by Leigh Bardugo. This is the sequel to Ninth House, about Alex going to Yale to deal with the secret societies there.

Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse. This is the sequel to Black Sun, which was one of my favorite books of 2021. The third book, Mirrored Heavens, comes out June 24, so I really want to get to this one soon.

I don't want to know much more about either of those books, as they are sequels, but I am eager to finally get to them.

Next are some individual books I would like to read this year.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi made so many people's favorite of the year lists. It is about a pirate who comes out of retirement due to a big bribe to save a granddaughter. 

Love and Saffron is another book I saw on favorite lists. Its subtitle is a novel of friendship, food and love, which sounds great. It is also suggested as a book for those who love 84 Charing Cross Road, one of my favorite books.

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone just sounds like a fun mystery, and it has also gotten good reviews. 

The Marlow Murder Club is another mystery with good reviews. It has been compared with The Thursday Murder Club, which I enjoyed. 

The last of my fiction titles is The Bandit Queens. A woman's husband disappears, and everyone in her Indian village assumes she killed him. Soon other wives approach her to get rid of their own husbands. This also got great reviews.

Agatha Christie is a biography by Lucy Worsley. I read her biography of Jane Austen and really enjoyed it so I am looking forward to this one. Agatha Christie is one of my all time favorite authors.

Speaking of authors, this next section is authors I want to catch up on, or just read more of their books.

Donna Andrews writes the Meg Langslow series, which I love and I am behind two books. I want to catch up in 2024. The series is currently 36 books long. The first book, Murder With Peacocks is one of my favorite mysteries.

T. Kingfisher has so many novels I want to read. I want to read the sequels to A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking first, and then Thornhedge and Swordheart.

Martin Gilbert has written several books on the two world wars. My son and I are watching the Time Ghost youtube series on WW2 and I have become very interested in it. I want to start with The Second World War and go on from there. 

I have only read Brandon Sanderson's Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians middle grade series, which concluded last year, and I want to read more. I may start with Tress of the Emerald Sea or jump right into Mistborn or The Way of Kings.

I want to catch up with Olivia Atwater as well. I want to read the two sequels to Half A Soul, a favorite book of mine for 2023. She also has a new book set in the Victorian era, The Witchwood Knot.

I love any new release by Amanda Lee/Lily Harper Hart. She is concluding her Charlie Rhodes series on June 11, and I can't wait. She also has books coming out in her many other series that I look forward to.

Last but not least, is Mary Elizabeth Braddon. I read Lady Audley's Secret in Victober and loved it. I am eager to read more from her this Victober or possibly earlier.