Books & Blog: February 23, 2015

by | Feb 23, 2015 | 2015

Books of the Week

  • Burned, Karen Marie Moning
  • Murder Most Persuasive, Tracy Kiely
  • Bound by Flames, Jeaniene Frost
  • As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust, Alan Bradley
  • Vision in Silver, Anne Bishop
  • Mystery in White, J. Jefferson Farjeon

I’ve read a delightful assortment of books lately, ranging from the romance side of paranormal to classic British mystery to contemporary cozy.
 

Burned is a continuation of Karen Marie Moning’s very successful Fever series. Moning is able to establish that incredible spark between her characters and her readers, and it’s no surprise that she has devoted followers for this series, which ties a lot of her work together. If you’re a fan of Mac and Jericho Barrons, this book is a must-read.
 

Tracy Kiely was new to me, but came highly recommended. Murder Most Persuasive is an entry in a series about Elizabeth Parker, professional fact-checker and Austen devotee, who has a slew of colorful relatives (including two sisters) and a talent for detection. She’s a very likeable character, and this book was a great read. Murder is set in the Washington area, but from hints in the book, others in the series are set elsewhere.
 

Who doesn’t love Jeaniene Frost? The third Leila and Vlad book contains more trouble from Vlad’s many enemies, of course, and also trouble from Vlad’s overprotective attitude when it comes to Leila. There’s a lot of action in Bound by Flames, and it’s just as successful as Frost’s previous books.
 

Alan Bradley’s series about the very young and very intelligent Flavia de Luce continues on course with Chimney Sweepers, when our heroine is shipped off to Canada to her mother’s former boarding school, a training ground for spies. I had hoped this place would bring happiness to Flavia, but she is hopelessly homesick – and wrapped up in a murder inquiry from almost the moment she arrives.
 

I was very excited to get an ARC of Vision in Silver, Anne Bishop’s third novel set in a world where the indigenous people are the supernaturals, and they rule. Humans are in America because they are allowed in certain areas.  Meg, a blood prophet, has escaped from a compound where women like her are used for their prophetic ability and then cast aside. She is sheltering in a Courtyard where Indigenes trade with humans, but it’s a time of crisis for the Indigenes. Humans are rebelling against their restrictions. Silver is a very satisfying entry in an increasingly enthralling series. This book will be out MARCH 3.
 

J. Jefferson Farjeon is one of the semi-forgotten writers of Britain’s Golden Age of Mystery. Mystery in White has a classic set-up. An ill-assorted group of people get off a train stranded in the snow and make their way across the countryside. Freezing, they stumble upon a house. Its door is open, the fires are lit, and food is prepared. But there is no one inside. With some hesitation, they avail themselves of the shelter, but they are aware that something very strange has happened in that house. Why is there a knife on the floor in the kitchen? If you can find a copy of Mystery in White, you’ll enjoy the journey.
 

Blog

Winter is a traditional reading time, and this winter surely must have broken the record, especially in the northeast. I wonder if Amazon or Barnes and Noble can tell us how many more books were sold this year than last year in the area? It might be interesting to find out.
 

Books are a great way to fight cabin fever. If you can’t get out on the roads, at least you can go somewhere else in your imagination. It’s too bad we can’t harness them to dig out our sidewalks and get snow off our rooftops! There are some things only our own muscles can accomplish.
 

I understand that Spring (at least on the calendar) is just around the corner, though it may be hard for some of us to believe that right now. The Spring publishing season is definitely coming up! I’m awaiting a crop of new and wonderful books.
 

For those of you who are sick of snow and ice, keep your heads down and keep reading. When you look up, it’ll be over!
 

Charlaine Harris

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