Reading in July

Published on by Margaret

I read nine books in July – it was a really good batch of books. I’ve written about 7 of them – click on the titles to see my reviews.

  1. The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths 3*
  2. Katharina: Fortitude by Margaret Skea 5*
  3. The House by the Loch by Kirsty Wark 4*
  4. The Bear Pit by S G Maclean 5*
  5. Who Killed Ruby? by Camilla Way 3.5*
  6. Dolly by Susan Hill 5*
  7. Blood on the Tracks edited by Martin Edwards *
  8. Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L Sayers 4*
  9. The Art of Dying by Ambrose Parry 4*

I’ll be writing more about Clouds of Witness and The Art of Dying later this month, but for now here are my initial thoughts.

Clouds of witnessClouds of Witness by Dorothy L Sayers is the second Lord Peter Wimsey book. I really enjoyed this book. It has wit and humour as  as well as being a murder mystery. Lord Peter Wimsey’s brother, the Duke of Denver is accused of murder and refuses to explain or defend himself, so it’s down to Peter to get to the truth. The murder took place at the duke’s shooting lodge and Lord Peter’s sister was engaged to marry the dead man. One of the things I like about it is that it is clearly a book of its time with all the class distinctions and snobbery of the 1920s clearly on display.

Art of DyingThe Art of Dying by Ambrose Parry, anothoer book I really enjoyed is a new publication due out on 29 August this year.  It’s the sequel to Ambrose Parry’s debut novel, The Way of all Flesh. Ambrose Parry is a pseudonym for a collaboration between Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman. It’s historical fiction set in Edinburgh in 1850 as  patients are dying all across the city, with doctors finding their remedies powerless. Will Raven returns to Edinburgh as a doctor having been in Europe studying. Dr. James Simpson is being blamed for the death of a patient in suspicious circumstances, and Will and former housemaid Sarah Fisher are determined to clear his name.

 

 

10 thoughts on “Reading in July”

  2. You had a good reading month, Margaret, and I’m glad for you. And there are several there that are on my list, too. For instance, I do like MacLean’s work, but haven’t gotten to The Bear Pit yet, and I really must.

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  3. I was considering The Stranger Diaries, but with ‘only’ three stars I may give it a miss. When I read Clouds of Witness in my teenage years, I really liked it. I am tempted to reread to see if it still holds up.

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  4. I did a double take when I saw the author /s for Way of All Flesh because I associate that title with Samuel Butler ‘s book of the same name. Rather different books…..

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  5. I nabbed Stranger Diaries for my Kindle when it was 99p so if it’s not wonderful it really doesn’t matter. You commented in your review that it might be best read in the autumn so I’ll do that I think. I loved Clouds of Witness too. A good reading month for you.

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    1. I know other people loved The Stranger Diaries, so it’s probably just my reaction, because I didn’t find it particularly spooky … my expectations were too high!

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