European Reading Challenge 2020

European Reading Challenge hosted by Rose City Reader

I've signed up for the Three Star (Business Traveler) to read three books from three different countries. Go to the link to join in. There is a prize for reading and reviewing the most books that qualify. 

Sunday Salon: A Better Man by Louise Penny

A Better Man by Louise Penny, August 27, 2019, Minotaur Books

Genre: suspense, thriller 

Source: library book 

Inspector Gamache, agreeing to return to work in the homicide department in Montreal under diminished circumstances, finds himself second to his son-in-law in the Surete hierarchy. However, there is no conflict as others had expected. Gamache shows humility and willingness to work under his son-in-law, Jean-Guy, but goes out of his way to solve, in his own way, a case of a missing woman that comes to his attention through a new member of the department.

Suspense and another excellent plot and character delineation make this a very good read. The retirement of Jean-Guy to another position in Paris leaves the way open for more of Gamache in his previous role as sole head of the homicide department. I'm looking forward to more.


New mysteries on the shelf:

Careless Whiskers by Miranda James

January 21, 2020, Berkley 

Genre: cozy mystery

When librarian Charlie Harris' daughter is falsely accused of murder, he and his faithful feline Diesel must leap forward to crack the case .

Murder Ink by Lorraine Bartlett with Gayle Leeson, December 31, 2019, Berkley
Genre: cozy mystery

A tattoo parlor on Victoria Square? Some of the merchants get hot under the collar at the proposal, but could they be driven to kill to stop it? That's what the sheriff's office and Katie Bonner want to know when the building's owner is electrocuted with his own saw. (publisher)

What are you reading this week?

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Mailbox Monday and Sunday Salon

Book Review: The Last Thing She Remembers by J.S. Monroe

The Last Thing She Remembers by J.S. Monroe

Genre: thriller, suspense, British mystery

May 28, 2019, Park Row

Just finished reading this morning....

A thriller with memory....Lots of info re how our memories work and the circumstances under which it does not work. A woman shows up in an English town after traveling from Berlin and losing her memory as soon as she arrives at Heathrow Airport.  A couple take her in and set out to find out the story behind this unusual woman. When one mystery is solved about who the mystery woman is not,  another plot continues to solve the riddle of who she really is and why she showed up at this specific house in the town of Wiltshire, England. The action moves to Berlin and India, with themes of memory, amnesia, Alzheimer's, and missing persons. Excellent reading and plotting. I gave this an enthusiastic five stars.  It's Monday: What Are You Reading is hosted by Book Date.

A thriller with memory....Lots of info re how our memories work and the circumstances under which it does not work. A woman shows up in an English town after traveling from Berlin and losing her memory as soon as she arrives at Heathrow Airport.  A couple take her in and set out to find out the story behind this unusual woman.

When one mystery is solved about who the mystery woman is not,  another plot continues to solve the riddle of who she really is and why she showed up at this specific house in the town of Wiltshire, England. The action moves to Berlin and India, with themes of memory, amnesia, Alzheimer's, and missing persons. Excellent reading and plotting.

I gave this an enthusiastic five stars. 

It's Monday: What Are You Reading is hosted by Book Date.

It's Monday! Reading Japan and Vietnam

Ghost of the Bamboo Road by Susan Spann

November 12, 2019, copy from Seventh Street Books

 Master ninja Hiro Hattori and Jesuit priest Father Mateo of Portugal solve crimes and mysteries on their journeys in 16th century Japan.  In Ghost of the Bamboo Road, seventh in the series, the two must deal with what appears to be a vengeful ghost that terrorizes a mountain village.

The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian

Uncorrected proof, borrowed ebook, March 17, 2020, Doubleday

Genre: thriller, suspense

 (A)n American man vanishes on a rural road in Vietnam, and his girlfriend, an emergency room doctor, follows a path that leads her home to the very hospital where they met. (publisher)

What are you reading this week?
It's Monday: What Are You Reading is hosted by Book Date.

It's Monday: What Are You Reading?

It's Monday: What Are You Reading is hosted by Book Date.

Brewed Awakening by Cleo Coyle

December 3, 2019, Berkley Books

Theme: Temporary amnesia. Coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi awakens on a bench in Washington Square Park and has no idea she's been missing for the past week. Clare's missing memory is tied to a crime she witnessed.

A Time for Murder by Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land

November 26, Berkley

Theme: Jessica Fletcher returns to high school to investigate the murder of an old colleague, while we also go back in time to meet Jessica as a young teacher solving her very first murder

Also reading:

Harry's Trees

Harry's Trees by Jon Cohen, June 12, 2019, Mira Books. 

Theme: A sort of modern-day magical fairy tale about a Forest Service employee who decides to follow his dream to live outdoors and find "Harry's Trees."  This, to heal grief after the sudden death of his wife. Harry also helps a ten-year-old child deal with her own grief after the death of her father. 

What books are you reading this week? 

Sunday Salon: Cozies for November

Shot through the Hearth by Kate Carlisle, October 31, 2019, Berkley

Contractor Shannon Hammer tries to clear the name of her tech billionaire pal who is accused of murder at a conference on eco-living

The Dog Who Knew Too Much by Krista Davis

November 26, 2019, Berkley Books

There are several books by different authors with the same title as this one, but this is the most recent, the 6th in the Paws and Claws Mystery series

Inn owner Holly Miller has to prove that her dog Trixie is really hers, when a stranger claims he is the rightful owner.

Lady Takes the Case by Eliza Casey

November 26, 2019, Berkley Books

A new historical mystery case featuring Lady Cecilia Bates and  her intuitive Manor House cat Jack, in England, 1912

The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Mailbox Monday and the Sunday Salon

Sunday Salon: The Hidden World of the Fox by Adele Brand

New arrival:

The Hidden World of the Fox by Adele Brand, October 22, 2019, William Morrow

Genre: nonfiction, ecology

"Brand has studied foxes for twenty years across four continents—from the Yucatán rainforest to India’s remote Thar Desert, from subarctic Canada to metropolitan London. Her observations have convinced her that the fox is arguably the most modern of all wildlife, uniquely suited to survival in the rapidly expanding urban/wild interface."

Currently reading:

In the Shadow of Power by Viveca Sten, October 22, 2019, Amazon Crossing

The new summer house on Sandhamn Island in the Swedish archipelago is an architectural dream for its owner, Carsten Jonsson. It’s a nightmare for the locals. When a body is found, Detective Inspector Thomas Andreasson isn’t sure if it’s murder or a tragic accident.
~~~
On the home front, it's been raining for a few days now and windy and cold. We took a walk this afternoon in the park when it warmed up to the mid 40s, dressed in our winter clothes, of course. I may not be quite ready for winter!

The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Mailbox Monday and the Sunday Salon