February Reading.  The month was way too short.

I did some very light and very heavy reading in February.  It's time for me to go through it.

Racing the Dead by Charles Todd. Always well written, I'll read anything by them, but the Ian Rutledge mysteries are my favorite.  Post World War One setting is somehow familiar and yet foreign and Rutledge's PTSD is just so very real.  One of two 5 star books this month, both by Todd.

A Dog's Purpose by Bruce W. Cameron.  I read this because I heard there was a movie coming out and it's been on my TBR file forever.  I loved it, such a sweet story and the point of view was well done.  Not nearly as sad as a lot of doggie tales.

What remains of Me by Alison Gaylin.  Hollywood murder. A good mystery. The protagonist was as confused and confusing as she was meant to be.  Very well written.

The Deadline by Ron Franscell.  Good stuff, a journalist trying to solve whether a man is innocent of a long ago murder.  Nobody wants him to mess with it.

The Obituary by Ron Francell.  Complex.  This guy gets into all kinds of trouble, missing bodies, highway piracy, hacking, lost silver. It all has such a real feel to it.

The Dolphins of Pern by Ann McCaffrey.  I really needed an escape this month and this was it.  I don't remember reading this before, but completely enjoyed it.  Intelligent dolphins that eat thread..what's not to like?

Orphan Number 8 by Kim Van Alkemade; Frightening stuff, a woman remembering her abused childhood meets her abuser years later. There is no remorse, no forgiveness.

A Bird in the Hand by Terry Everitt.  A very short book about art, about the nature of talent and skill.

The Piper by Charles Todd.  Hamish the voice in Rutledge's head when he was still alive before the war, with his own mystery.

January readings

I'm going to update with my January reads, since January has been and gone.



Not my Father's Son by Alan Cumming.
I don't read a lot of biography, this one appealed to me because of a blurb on Goodreads.com.  It was readable and had moments of great wit.  I do wonder if everyone has daddy issues.  Being a fan of PBS and Masterpiece Mysteries I gave it a go.  4 stars.

Hushabye by Celina Grace was probably one of only a few books I gave 5 stars to in January.  Great mystery with intense real feeling characters.  Scared the bejesus out of me a couple times, and I couldn't quit reading through the night.

So the is Christmas by Josh Lanyon, can I say that if anyone writes comfort fiction she's the one.  Josh's books are always among my favorites.  Gay fic with a side of mystery and if Adrien English isn't my favorite character in this genre, I don't know who would be.  5 stars cause there wasn't anything I didn't love in the story.

The Only Witness by Pamela Beason. This was a fun read, being a big fan of Koko the signing gorilla this took a similar character and created a mystery.  I loved the detective trying to explain that his witness was a gorilla.  Good stuff.  Good humor.  Well and unexpectedly written.  4 and a half stars.

In Praise of Bees by Kristin Gleeson.  Okay if you don't read anything else on my January list, read this. Because it is an amazing historical novel.  The sense of time and place is just so in your face, it all rings true. Middle ages just aren't what you think. The main character just becomes so much a part of life.  Definitely one of those books I hoped would not end.  5 big red stars.

Last Writes by Sheila Lowe.  Forensic handwriting analysis, come on what's not to love.  Good story, good mystery.  three and a half stars

The Dry by Jane Harper.  Secrets and lies and a great detective.  The sense of drought of place is so incredibly well done.  A fine mystery, certainly not what was expected from the beginning.  I like that. four and a half stars.

Ripper by Isabel Allende.  I started out really not liking anything about this book, and it trapped me. Computer folks solving or helping to solve the mystery.  There's nothing to add that hasn't been said about Allende's writing, it's as brilliant as it's said to be.   I ended up giving it 5 stars.

I intend to write a little about the books I read as I go along.  Chances are I'll write after I read them rather than during the process.
Mostly it'll be women mystery writers, but I do have some male writers that I read.
So hold on tight. It should be interesting.