With another exceptionally busy week on the work front I decided that I would reinvent myself as a bit of a domestic goddess this weekend, so chose the most important area to keep spick and span, yes you’ve guessed it, the bookcases. I can now confirm that the excel spreadsheet is up to date and complete and there are no longer random piles of books strategically placed throughout the house.
I then turned my hand to making some chutney and now have a stack of bramley apple and walnut chutney which tastes divine and should be even better once it has sat a while – if it lasts that long!
This Week on the Blog
The week got off to a cracking start when I took my turn on the blog tour with my review for Death Knocks Twice by Robert Thorogood, the third in the Death in Paradise series.
My extract post was from The Secrets She Keeps by Michael Robotham which was published on 11 July 2017.
This Week in Books featured the authors Agatha Christie, Simon Lelic and Peter Robinson.
On Thursday I published my review of Shelter by Sarah Franklin set in The Forest of Dean (where I grew up) during World War II – I was really taken with this story, the setting was lovingly recreated and the story of the lumberjill’s a piece of history that is a little known one.
I moved further south when I reviewed the seventh book in my 20 Books of Summer challenge, That Girl from Nowhere by Dorothy Koomson
And then I changed continents for my review of the non-fiction book, Midnight in Peking by Paul French. This true crime story not only took me across the world but back in time to 1937 when Pamela Werner was killed and mutilated.
This Time Last Year…
I was reading The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie the book that is considered by many people as one of the best of the Queen of Crimes books, and I certainly can’t disagree. Poor old Roger Ackroyd was stabbed quite literally in the back, and that was how our narrator, Doctor James Shepard found him in the locked room of his study.
You can read my full review here or click on the book cover below.
Blurb
Agatha Christie’s most daring crime mystery – an early and particularly brilliant outing of Hercule Poirot, ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’, with its legendary twist, changed the detective fiction genre for ever.
Roger Ackroyd knew too much. He knew that the woman he loved had poisoned her brutal first husband. He suspected also that someone had been blackmailing her. Now, tragically, came the news that she had taken her own life with a drug overdose.
But the evening post brought Roger one last fatal scrap of information. Unfortunately, before he could finish the letter, he was stabbed to death… Amazon
Stacking the Shelves
With life here still difficult I decided I needed something a little bit lighter for relief and was approved for One Day in December by Shari Low which seems to fit the bill perfectly.
Blurb
By the stroke of midnight, a heart would be broken, a cruel truth revealed, a devastating secret shared, and a love betrayed. Four lives would be changed forever, One Day in December.
One morning in December…
Caro set off on a quest to find out if her relationship with her father had been based on a lifetime of lies.
Lila decided today would be the day that she told her lover’s wife of their secret affair.
Cammy was on the way to pick up the ring for the surprise proposal to the woman he loved.
And Bernadette vowed that this was the day she would walk away from her controlling husband of 30 years and never look back.One day, four lives on a collision course with destiny… NetGalley
I made a purchase of Death of a Cuckoo by Wendy Percival which is a short story featuring genealogist Esme Quentin who has her own series…
Blurb
A letter. A photograph. A devastating truth.
When Gina Vincent receives a letter of condolence from a stranger following her mother’s death, a photograph slipped inside reveals a disturbing truth – everything she’s ever known is based on a lie. Shocked and disorientated, she engages genealogy detective Esme Quentin to help search for answers.
The trail leads to an isolated and abandoned property on the edge of Exmoor, once the home of a strict Victorian institution called The House of Mercy and its enigmatic founder, whose influence seems to linger still in the fabric of the derelict building.
As they dig deeper, Esme realises that the house itself hides a dark and chilling secret, one which must be exposed to unravel the mystery behind Gina’s past.
But someone is intent on keeping the secret hidden. Whatever it takes. Amazon
I was also forced to purchase a copy of The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books by Martin Edwards, because Fiction Fan featured this in her Bookish Selfie post last week. I’ve been steadfastly resisting the British Library Crime Classics series as I knew I could easily end up acquiring the whole set and so I fear this book will open the floodgates.
Blurb
The main aim of detective stories is to entertain, but the best cast a light on human behaviour, and display both literary ambition and accomplishment. Even unpretentious detective stories, written for unashamedly commercial reasons, can give us clues to the past, and give us insight into a long-vanished world that, for all its imperfections, continues to fascinate.
This book, written by award-winning crime writer and president of the Detection Club, Martin Edwards, serves as a companion to the British Library’s internationally acclaimed series of Crime Classics. Long-forgotten stories republished in the series have won a devoted new readership, with several titles entering the bestseller charts and sales outstripping those of highly acclaimed contemporary thrillers. Amazon
Since my last post I’ve read 3 books and gained 3 plus I found a couple of books to remove and a few more to add to the spreadsheet!
The current total is therefore 178
Physical Books – 103
Kindle Books – 16
NetGalley Books – 15
I love the bookcase! It feels good to get the books off the floor and various spots around the house. I do have plenty of bookshelves, but I still have a pile on my coffee table to remind me of what’s next.
The chutney looks delicious!
The Secrets She Keeps is a book I hope to read soon…it is on Pippa, my Kindle. Thanks for sharing, and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES
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It made a big different to the clutter around the house and I have the pile of books to be read in a neat pile on the side for easy access 😉
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I couldn’t operate without my blog spreadsheet either so I understand the sense of satisfaction in having it up-to-date. I have One Day in December as well; it’s something slightly different to what I usually read.
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It all got in a muddle because I had to leave unexpectedly and hadn’t logged the books from my holiday so I’m pleased it is up to date finally.
I hope we both enjoy the change with One Day in December 🙂
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I love that original chutney combination! And I had to laugh, because all of my major tidying up operations start (and usually end) with my book cases too.
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😂 I practice prioritisation!!
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I’m in love with your bookshelves! 🙂 great to see what you’ve been up to! You’re doing great with your reading this year!
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Thank you – I love them too there are so many good books sat on there! It’s been a bit erratic on the reading front with a bit more variety of late than normal.
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Fiction Fan also sold me The Story of Classic Crime in 100 books, haha! We both got trapped! 🙂 Another busy week for you 🙂
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Haha 🙂 Hopefully next week will be better, my assistant and my boss are both on holiday so I have had lots of extra work!
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Always a bad idea when several team members go at the same time!!!
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Gotta inject a bit of literature gazing in the domestic routine, and I’m so impressed by your chutney making skills, I wouldn’t have a clue, but fortunately I have friend who does who has a big fig tree and is very generous. I hope this week is calmer, you do such a great balancing job, but when it’s a passion we find a way don’t we! 💜
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Thank you and absolutely 😊
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I too have been sucked into the British Library Crime Classics series and ended up buying 5 in one go. They’re awfully pretty though so there’s that. 😄
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I now have three but can see that I will end up with an entire shelf 😊
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We are so ready for the book shortage apocalypse! 😂
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If you’re going to open the floodgates, Cleo, then The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books is a good way to do it. It sounds as though your other books are just what the doctor ordered, too. I know what you mean about wanting to do domestic things after a crazy week at work. That chutney looks delicious and I’m impressed with the way you’ve sorted out your books!
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I agree Margot – it looks fab and the drawbridge is now down!
My chutney is superb although I say so myself 🙂
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Great! Your post just made me want to reorganize my shelves and make apple butter! 😂 love the shelves by the way!
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“…a heart would be broken, a cruel truth revealed, a devastating secret shared, and a love betrayed…” Hahaha! Only you could describe this as a “lighter” read! 😉
Ooh, you wait till you read the Classic Crime book – you’ll be way over the 200 mark on the TBR then! I’ve actually created an entirely new spreadsheet for them all, and can see a major challenge looming ahead… 😀 When you get a chance, please count how many books are listed in the table of contents at the front – my proof copy actually has 102 rather than 100, and I’d love to know if the final version has cut two out…
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😂
My copy has 102 too – I had to count straight away and yes I’m now doomed! I see the need for a new spreadsheet too and can see this will be a much loved addition to my bookshelves 😊
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Those extra two may just be the straws that break my poor TBR’s back… 😉
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😂
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Looking at the state of our house I might need to dig deep and find my domestic goddess this week. Glad you got your priorities right though books and food!
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😂 and that’s as far as it went!!
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Your bookcase looks great -as does the chutney! and yes, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is probably my favorite Christie novel. So far at least!
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
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It seems many of us are bitten by the cleaning bug. Your shelves look great. Mine make me shudder. LOL Every time I organize them, I eventually start cramming the new books in anywhere they ill fit. LOL I need one more bookshelf in the guest room and then I’ll really give it a good organization. Lots of wonderful books. You should be all set for a couple days:)
My Sunday News
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I love the look of your bookcase! Mine is such a mess – board games and dvds and books all jumbled together. I clearly need to make some domestic goddess time!
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Haha this is just mainly my TBR lots hidden in the cupboard underneath the shelves – domestic goddess was very short lived 😏
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Thank you for mentioning the Wendy Percival book – I wasn’t aware that she’d written another one! I managed to read it this morning – a great read.
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Oh brilliant – I like the look of the series but decided to go for the short novel to get a taste…
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