Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Thursday Thirteen 351: Recently Read

With autumn comes a new crop of books. Here's a peek at what I've read recently. As always, click on any cover or link to learn more about a book.














ABOUT THE BOOKS:

ROW 1: Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs is a collection of short stories from the Mercy Thompson universe. Some have been published previously in other collections, some are new. Urban Sensation by Debb Webb is a modern Gothic romance, an older rom-suspense I plucked out of Mount TBR for a reading challenge (it was my "U" book for "S-U-M-M-E-R"). A Rancher's Brand of Justice was also a challenge book (My "R" book).

ROW 2: The first two books in this row are steamy hot reads with explicit content that were free and read on a friend's Nook. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov was a classic group read. It was a bit slow in parts, but worth finishing and not quite what I was expecting. It was banned in many countries when first published. Though not banned in the USA, it is frequently challenged.

ROW 3: The Chocolate War is one many teens read in high school, and which is frequently challenged due to content. It was left behind by my sister when we went to college, and which I finally got round to reading. This was a tough read emotionally— particularly at the end. I have been wanting to read The Phantom of the Opera for some time now, and was not disappointed in this classic group read. The writing and mystery are excellent -- I highly recommend it, especially to anyone who thinks they know the story. The Mysterious Affair at Styles is a classic mystery by the imcomparable Agatha Christie, and the first to feature Hercule Poirot. I don't recall reading it before or seeing the movie, and yet I knew parts of it, so must have done one or the either at some point.

ROW 4: Jenn McKinlay was the September "featured author" in the Cozy Mysteries group. The first two books in her "Library Lovers" series were okay, and I will probably read book three at some point, since it is in Mount TBR. A Fatal Stain is the third and final book in Elise Hyatt's "A Daring Find" series. Did not like this one as much as the first two.

ROW 5: A Killer Crop is book four in Sheila Connolly's "Orchard" mystery series, which I've been meaning to catch up on for some time now. One down, three four to go. Not to mention two other series of hers to catch up on.


YOUR TURN: What have you been reading lately?


LINKING TO: Thursday Thirteen



14 comments:

Shelley Munro said...

A great selection, Heather. I've been reading books that had sat on my iPad for ages. I've also been listening to some of Nora Roberts In Death books on audio.

Heather said...

Thanks, Shelley. I've been reading a lot of books from Mount TBR lately.

sandyland said...

excellent reads all

colleen said...

I like your mini reviews. I always think of you as doing mind melds with books, like Spock on Star Trek.

Heather said...

Thanks, Sandy!

Heather said...

Colleen: Thank you, I'm glad people appreciate these regular posts. But...mind melds? LOL I admit, there are days I wish I could download a book directly to my brain, or by osmosis while sleeping.

CountryDew said...

You are an amazing reader. I am currently reading nonfiction, a book called Factory Man by Beth Macy. She's a local writer but this book has been optioned by HBO and Tom Hanks.

Alice Audrey said...

There's a bunch you didn't teaser from.

Paige Tyler said...

I'll have to check out those Intrigues!

*hugs*
Paige

My TT is at http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com

Mia Celeste said...

I read only The Chocolate War from your list, but I'm looking at the others and possibly adding to my to-read list. Thanks.

http://tinyurl.com/kroc6v2

Heather said...

Anita: Thank you! I remember your review on that book, it sounded good. I'm sure Tom Hanks will do it justice.

Alice: That's because I sometimes read 2-3 books a week, and can't tease them all. ☺

Heather said...

Paige: I would have thought the first two books in row two would catch your interest, too. ;-)

Mia: That was a pretty intense read, wasn't it? Hope you've found a few here that caught your eye. ☺

Alice Audrey said...

There was a time when I read that voraciously. Then I started blogging.

Heather said...

LOL...it happens. ☺