This year, my family and I decided we should go camping before the official start of spring. After years of planning, we finally upgraded our camper from the popup type to a hard-sided RV. But, as a reminder that it's still technically winter, the day we went to pick up the trailer, it was below freezing and snowflakes were falling (thankfully, it was only a handful).
Despite the cold temperatures, we will be primitive camping next weekend - no electricity, no running water. There's not even a bathhouse at the campground, only a composting toilet near the campsite. However, we're looking forward to a lot of hiking and some truly spectacular vistas. Who knows? Perhaps I will be inspired to write another camping mystery.
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A Glimpse at Ashleigh's Bookshelf |
Every Wednesday, I review a new book on my blog. Last week and this week, I reviewed cozy mysteries.
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Sixteen-year-old Lizzie Bennet has one aspiration in life - to become a barrister. However, achieving this feat in nineteenth century London is not an easy task. Determined to prove herself to her father, as well as to clear the name of a man falsely accused of murder, Lizzie begins her own investigation into the case. It has been quite a while since I have read Jane Austin, but I get the feeling this book is written much in the same style. It is heavy on the narration and descriptions, along with continually pointing out issues with societal norms. While it took a while to get into the story, I did find it interesting. I enjoyed watching Lizzie grow, although I did find it a little frustrating that she was constantly explaining what she was doing wrong with her own investigation. Information occasionally felt repeated and overanalyzed. However, I found myself curious enough about the mystery to continue reading and was satisfied with the ending.
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On a cold spring day, rabbit farmer Jules is out for a walk when she discovers the frozen body of Arty the Mime. When someone breaks into her barn, With the help of her pet rabbit, Bun, who communicates with her telepathically, Jules must try to figure out who is behind the murder before they can hurt her and her rabbits. While I liked the premise of this book, and the characters, I had a difficult time reading it. If it weren't for the fact that this was chosen for my book club, I probably would not have finished it. One of my biggest problems with the story was the narration. I felt many things were repeated: once for the reader and then again within the context of dialogue (sometimes more than once). Although this was the first book in the series, the backstory was so over-explained, I often felt as if I had missed something by not reading a previous book. It was also injected at random times, interrupting the flow of the story. For example, the body is found almost immediately. Instead of focusing on this key moment of the story, the narrator goes into several pages of backstory before returning to the dead body. I felt as if it took away from the story. Especially since much of what was said was repeated later on. I also did not like the fact that the narrator often broke the fourth wall. This caused both a change in tense and point of view that I found irritating. The main character introduces her self to the reader on the first page (My name is Juliette Bridge, better known as Jules. I'm the owner of the Fur Bridge Farm, where I raise rabbits...) right after finding a frozen hand stuck in the ice, but just before realizing there is a body attached. In my opinion, the story would have flowed better had the narrator continued describing the body and had Jules introduce herself when calling the police. This brings up another problem I had with this story. There were many times when things were told through narrative instead of shown through dialogues and actions. Combined with the repetition of information, I found it difficult to become engaged in the story. There was also at least one plot hole. While searching the barn, Jules finds a piece of paper she sticks in her sweater pocket to read later. I still have no idea what was on it. Another issue I had with the story was the dialogue and overall feel of the main character. While she is supposed to be a twenty-five year old woman, she comes across as more post-menopausal in her speech. I have never known anyone who says "golly", especially a 25-year-old. Much of the dialogue felt stiff and unnatural, as well as some of the narrative. I very rarely saw the character as a young woman. Ultimately, I walked away feeling underwhelmed by this story.
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Wondering what to read next? Try these new reads
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Slaughter of Innocents A gripping UK Murder Mystery
MURDER IS EASY… WHEN NOBODY CARES…"Dark, grim, tense. A compelling new voice." - PAUL FINCH, author of the Detective Mark Heckenburg novels. DCI David Garrick is recovering from the tragic murder of his estranged sister – an event that happened halfway across the world… Working for the Major Investigations Team in Kent, he is immediately drawn into a new case: a murdered illegal immigrant. And she’s not the first…
Garrick uncovers the work of a serial killer. One with a passion for taking souvenirs off his victims. Tensions between the locals and the ‘unwelcome’ visitors are thinly concealed in the Garden of England’s quaint villages. But the resentment is there… ...only the identities of the victims are missing.
SLAUGHTER OF INNOCENTS is the explosive debut crime thriller novel from M.G. Cole – the first in a thrilling British crime series!
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Hanging Softly in the Night A Detective Nick Larson Novel
2021 Bronze Medal Winner New York City Book Awards 2021 Top Pick Medal Author Shout Reader Ready Awards A questionable suicide... a detective's suspicion... and a desperate hunt for a serial killer before more victims are found.
New York Police Department’s Sixteenth Precinct in Manhattan is under siege by the flu, and Detective Nick Larson and his partner, Detective Victor Sacco, are up to their armpits with work overload. The captain’s cigar is seriously chewed, and everyone is working around the clock. To complicate matters, on a personal level, things aren’t going smoothly, either. Laura Howard, the woman Nick loves, is also having issues with a psycho twin sister who is doing everything to ruin Laura's business and her life. Then Nick's captain assigns a new case, a suicide. From the moment Nick steps on scene, however, something doesn't feel quite right, especially when, upon investigating the case further, the supposed suicide looks more and more like an actual homicide. Immediately, Nick's instincts kick into gear, but rev into overdrive when similar, questionable suicides pop up around the area. And with the way things have been going lately, it would just be Nick’s luck to have a serial killer on the loose. Set in New York City, Hanging Softly in the Night is a story of murder, mental illness, determination, dedication, perseverance, and, ultimately, justice.
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