Monday Mash Up

Monday, August 28, 2023 ~ Books & More...

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THOUGHTS

Seen quoted:
" Find the people that are like sunlight for you, kiddo, who make you bloom."
South African author Lauren Beukes, quoted in The Boston Globe

 

 

OUGHTTOBIOGRAPHY
The brain is in neutral -- and the engine is idling.

100 DAYS OF SUMMER
Just  4 reading days left and no idea if any of the books that I read this  coming week will fit any of the categories left on the list. On that basis, I'm calling it quits. It has been a lot of fun!

Book with summer, beach, sun or sand in the title.
Midsummer Mysteries by Agatha Christie
Pts: 8     RT: 396    Avg: 7.14

Book set in a rural area/small community.
The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson
Pts: 9     RT: 402    Avg:  7.17

 

THE BOOKS

I don't seem to be suffering fools very gladly this week.  I have been very picky/sensitive this week and ended up ditching two titles that I started -- one for the narrator and the other for the content (and the narrator).

Midsummer Mysteries by Agatha Christie

One in a series of books packaging and repackaging her short stories by theme. All of these stories have been published in other anthologies.
3.5 stars

 

A Game of Fear by Charles Todd

I'm letting the series go on a high note but it is definitely time to call it quits. Rutledge is losing his edge, his roughness and his melancholy -- all of the things that made him the interesting character that he was. The mystery was good, the unwinding of it kept me hooked -- and baffled -- to the very end.
3.75 stars

Tyrant by Stephen Greenblatt

This one is about Shakespeare and how he confronts the issues of tyranny without saying in so many words that his monarch is a tyrant (which in his day was treason).  I had to put this one down. The narrator was driving me up a wall. I hope to return when I am in a better mood, turn up the speed and try again.
DNF. No rating.

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson

NECESSARY ROUGHAGE!!
DD1 and I talked about this one over dinner on Saturday night. We both agree that it was FLAWED, FLAWED, FLAWED. DD1 was annoyed by the fact that the woman lied to everyone and didn't called out by anyone for having done so and was hailed as the hero who saved the day.  I, on the other hand, was entirely pissed off at people who were too stupid to be running the businesses they were running written by an author who seems to have no idea what it takes to run a business in the first place.  Honestly, the only way to read this one is to start with a couple of glasses of wine.
3 stars -- but only because the author is a passable storyteller, regardless of how stupid the story is.

The Glass Room by Ann Cleeves

The best of the week -- and I couldn't find a spot for it on 100 Days.

4 Stars

 

Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry

Given my state of mind, this was absolutely the worst book for me to choose.  The writing was beautiful; Barry is a Booker-listed author. The book itself absolutely depressing and horrifying.  This is one that I will not be returning to.
DNF. No rating.

Quicksand by Gigi Pandian

Book 3 in the Jaya Jones series -- and the last one I am going to read. This one is terrible. The only reason that I continue to read it is that I'm happy to have it playing in the background while I do other things, like nap.
Just about 3 stars -- and only because I have read and enjoyed her stuff before.