Book Round-up

 A Stroke of the Pen by Terry Pratchett: This collection of Pratchett's early stories (mostly published under pseudonyms) had all of his trademark wit and whimsy. A quick, fun read.

The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman: The mystery in this, the third of Osman's delightful series, wasn't as strong or as interesting, but at this point I'm here for the wonderful relationships. I think there's one more to read.

Weight by Jeanette Winterson: Part of the Canongate Myth series, where modern authors reinterpret or retell a myth of their choice. Winterson's retelling of the Greek myth of Atlas and Heracles is a wonderful meditation on the weight (get it?) of expectations and responsibility.

Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz: The second in Horowitz's series about the editor of a cozy series who has to solve not-so-cozy mysteries in the "real" world. I enjoyed the dual stories in this one, but I'm not sure how long Horowitz can sustain this premise.

Dream Angus by Alexander McCall Smith: Another novella in the Canongate Myth series. McCall Smith tells some of the stories surrounding the Celtic god Aengus, alternating with stories -- vignettes, really -- about love and dreams set in modern Scotland. The stories are not particularly profound, but they nonetheless touch on universal truths.

Book Round-Up

The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz: a meta-ish cozy riff on the Sherlockian/Watson partnership, where a fictionalized Horowitz teams up with a disgraced former cop. I should have loved it, but I didn't; it left me cold. 

In preparing this post, I realized I never wrote about the other Horowitz book I read!

 Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz: I liked this mystery quite a bit more, in part because there's a mystery within a mystery -- Susan Ryeland is the long-time editor of Alan Conway, and when he dies mysteriously she must not only solve his murder but figure out what happened to the last chapters of his last manuscript. We are treated, then, to both a contemporary whodunit and a pastiche of a Golden Age cozy. Lots of fun.

D: a Tale of Two Worlds by Michel Faber: D is for delightful. This was a wonderful middle-grade novel about a girl -- Dhikilo, a refugee from Somaliland -- who is sent on a quest to return the letter D to the world. It reminded me very much of The Phantom Tollbooth, one of my favorite childhood books. A reviewer on Goodreads complained that the choice of the letter was arbitrary, but early on a politician states that "iversity [sic] was all very well, but not if it got in the way of forging a strong, safe nation." It seems quite clear to me why Faber chose D.

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala: Another delightful read. This is the first in Manansala's cozy mystery series, set amongst the Filipino community in a small town in Illinois. The writing was a little green, not surprising given that this is Manansala's first novel, but I loved the characters and the story. Can't wait to read the next two!