RIP X: 12, The League of Beastly Dreadfuls and 13, Sad Cypress

My last two RIP reads have nothing in common but it's time to wrap this month up so ...

The League of Beastly Dreadfuls by Holly Grant is a middle grade fantasy/mystery that is a bit uneven and leaves too many threads hanging at the end. I wanted to love this book but it feels badly edited and Anastasia, the main character, is a bit of a dummy. She's at school one day when the school secretary comes and takes her out of class with the news that her parents have been in an accident. She's told that her "aunts", two women she's never seen, met, or even heard of, are there to pick her up. She takes the bait and leaves the school, only to find herself in an abandoned Victorian mental asylum, locked in a mildewy bedroom, and wondering if her parents are okay. And yet, for a significant amount of the book, she finds her situation unfortunate but not strange. I just didn't get it. And things were left open at the end for an obvious sequel/series but in a way that you still know nothing about why any of this happened to her. I'm not sure if I will read book two when it comes out or not.

I put off reading the last few Poirot novels that I had on my shelf because I had watched the television series first and so I knew all of the plots. But enough time has now passed that I was able to pick up Sad Cypress and not know what was going to happen. This one is a riff off of the old country house murder -- three women in a house, one ends up dead. Did Elinor really kill Mary out of jealousy? Eventually Poirot is brought in to figure it out. This was a standard Christie -- not one of her best but still entertaining and a good way to end the RIP season.

Returning to peril-less reads,
K

RIP X: 10, Jackaby and 11, Beastly Bones

With Beastly Bones being released this month, I couldn't help but reread Jackaby as well because William Ritter has created a fascinating world of strange magic and malevolent creatures, part Sherlock Holmes, part Doctor Who. (I know it says this same thing in the cover copy but I swear that it is true. You will find yourself thinking of both as you read.) With a smart and secretly caring detective and a strong and capable female assistant, these stories are a pleasure to read. The crimes are bloody and the climaxes are explosive but everything is tempered with a bit of humor and romance, which makes these my ideal RIP books.

My review of Jackaby was actually posted a year ago tomorrow and I would be immensely pleased if Ritter could keep to this brisk schedule as he releases successive books in the series. I wouldn't mind total series rereads every October!

Under a spell,
K

The Tiffany Aching Novels

I have been slowly working my way through Terry Pratchett's Discworld series and hadn't yet gotten to the Tiffany Aching books. (The entire world is broken down into smaller series and these are the later books in the Witches sub-series.) However, since I knew the final Discworld novel (and Pratchett's final book ... sob!), was coming out in October, I decided to catch up beforehand so that I could cheer/grieve with everyone else. I started at the beginning of August with The Wee Free Men and fell instantly in love with not only the main character, Tiffany Aching, but with almost every side character as well. Then, about every two weeks, I picked up another of these books (or audiobooks) -- going from A Hat Full of Sky to Wintersmith to I Shall Wear Midnight and then finishing with The Shepherd's Crown on the morning of Readathon.

I can't say enough good things about this series. The characters, many of whom are witches, are interesting and smart and complex. The plots are exciting and unique while being nestled in a coming-of-age master plot. The audiobooks, read by Stephen Briggs, are wonderful. (To be honest, having the audiobook helps a lot with understanding the Scottish-like brogue of the Nac Mac Feegle.) Through the series I laughed (a lot), gasped, and even cried.

These books are listed as YA but I really think that's only because Tiffany herself is a tween/teen throughout the series. I didn't notice much difference between the writing in these books and in the other eight Discworld books I've read so far. If you are new to this series, the Tiffany Aching books aren't a bad place to start either.

I will absolutely be buying my own copies of these five books for my personal library. I plan to reread them often as I continue working my way through the approximately three dozen other Discworld novels that I haven't yet had the pleasure to read.

Until we meet again,
K

RIP X: 9, The Law and the Lady

I still have a couple of unread Wilkie Collins novels on my TBR shelves so I decided to pick up The Law and the Lady this season. It is one of Wilkie's later books (1875) and is a thrilling story.

Valeria is an orphan who lives with her aunt and uncle. One day she meets a man who is fishing near her home and it is basically love at first sight. The two quickly get married but, only days later, Valeria finds out that her husband might not be who he says he is. It is therefore up to Valeria to discover the truth.

Yes, this is another super vague description because some of the secrets of the story are revealed quite early and I don't want to give anything away because it's such a crazy, twisty tale. But, as you probably expect from Wilkie by now, there are questions of identity, crime, and, of course, social justice. Valeria is constantly expected to behave in a certain way simply because she is a woman. However, she also happens to be strong-willed and tenacious and this leads to a first-person account that is compelling and ultimately a bit stressful to read! It manages to be smart but insane at the same time and is a great example of Collins' genius with plots and his concern about the Victorian society's treatment of women. I had so much fun reading this book that I will probably choose another Collins to read this winter.

Peeking in the diary,
K

New Release: Wilkie Collins

I was very excited to be offered a copy of Peter Ackroyd's new Ackroyd's Brief Lives entry, Wilkie Collins. 'Tis the season where one cannot help but choose one of Wilkie's brilliant stories to indulge in as the wintry gloom approaches. And what better way to preface a Collins read (mine was The Law and the Lady this year) than by learning more about the man himself.

Small in size (not unlike Collins himself), this book nevertheless covers Wilkie's life, including so many scandals and illnesses. It was an easy read and I appreciated the opportunity to flesh out those things I already knew about one of my favorite authors. It was obvious while reading that he is also one of Ackroyd's favorites and it produced a feeling of veracity about the facts in the book -- both from faith that Ackroyd was diligent in his research and also trust that he viewed Collins' actions in a more sympathetic light that some other biographers.

I have really enjoyed Ackroyd's non-fiction (including London Under) and fiction (featuring an RIP read from five years ago) and look forward to picking up his Brief Lives volume about Poe (and eventually getting back to the very large London: The Biography).

Solving the mystery,
K

24-Hour Read-a-thon Kick-Off Post

It is Read-a-thon time, my pretties! As is customary for one who lives on the west coast, I will not be awake for the start of the event. As a night owl, the only time I ever see 5:00am is from the other side. Depending on when I fell asleep last night, I'll be up around hour four or five and that's when I will start in on this lovely stack --

The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace & Babbage (graphic novel)

The Shepherd's Crown (the final Tiffany Aching book -- SOB!!)

The League of Beastly Dreadfuls (middle grade)

Jackaby (a reread because it is awesome)

Beastly Bones (... and the sequel)

I also have two audiobooks queued up -- A Blink of the Screen (Terry Pratchett's collected short fiction) and The Witch of Blackbird Pond for while I'm baking my traditional scones, making dinner, and/or any other time my peepers need a rest.

Speaking of scones, I have a few snacks for the day, of course --

I'll post more pictures on Instagram as the day goes on and you can find me on Twitter if you want to chat. I wish you all a fantastic day of reading and socializing!

Planning my fashionably late entrance,
K

RIP X: 8, House of Thieves (New Release)

I'll admit that I initially ran hot and cold on the idea of House of Thieves by Charles Belfoure. I am not always a fan of gangs and mobsters because they tend to be a bit too violent for my tastes. But I am happy to report that this story is much more than its seedier elements.

John Cross is a successful architect with a wayward son. George Cross, a recent Harvard graduate, has very hefty gambling debts and they have been called in by New York City's most ruthless crime boss, James Kent. As there is no chance of George paying up, Kent holds him ransom until he can extract a promise from his father -- to assist Kent in robbing his wealthy clients by using his inside knowledge of their homes and buildings.

The main plot of this story is exciting and unputdownable. Make no mistake -- Kent is definitely an evil and formidable villain. But there is a hidden surprise in the side stories about John's other two children. It balances out in a way that gives the reader a rest between suspenseful moments. The ending is a bit fanciful and tidy but, while caught up in the excitement of the story, I didn't mind it. And if you need more inducement to pick up this book, this story is set to become a television series (miniseries?). As it is quite picturesque--full of beautiful buildings, colorful underworld characters, and society grandeur--I'm sure it will make a thrilling show!

Hiding the valuables,
K

New Release: The Golden Specific

When I read S.E. Grove's The Glass Sentence last November, I fell in love with the world building, the characters, and the plot. I was therefore very excited to see the sequel (this will be a trilogy) out so soon and so I got to it immediately.

The Golden Specific picks up where TGS left off, with the main character, Sophia Tims, still trying to locate her parents -- explorers who went missing when she was a child. What complicates this is that they all live in a world where time has been fractured in different regions of the globe. The eastern seaboard of the US is in 1892 but other parts of the world are either far behind in time (the Prehistoric Snows region that would have been Canada) or are far ahead (Australia). This makes is difficult and dangerous to travel and hard to find a missing person. Luckily, Sophia has friends and the Fates on her side.

I adore this series. It has diverse characters and settings, interesting alternate histories and religions, and a more complex plot than you get in many middle grade stories. Also, for being a second in a trilogy book, I was surprised to be so satisfied with the ending of this book. It, of course, left some loose ends but there were no major cliffhangers or unanswered questions. It is now just a matter of finding out HOW things work out. Book three is going to be so fun!

Hoping there will always be time,
K

RIP X: 7, The Mangle Street Murders

Moving right along with my RIP reading, I was in the mood for a detective story so I picked up The Mangle Street Murders by M.R.C. Kasasian, first in the Gower St. Detective series (there are currently three books in the series). The crimes were strange but nothing incredibly amazing but the characters were fantastic.

The year is 1882. March Middleton's father had died and she has no other relatives and so she goes to live with her godfather, Sidney Grice, in London. She has never met him but she knows he is a famous detective. What she finds is a strange, arrogant man with an ill-fitting glass eye and a poor opinion of young women. But, fortunately, March is awesome and she immediately inserts herself into his business. Though her instincts sometimes fail her, her unique knowledge does not and through the course of the story she grows into a formidable detective in her own right.

The best part of this story was definitely the commentary on the various lives of late Victorian women. From match girls to wealthy widows, this book presented a broad range of female lives. March's strength was refreshing and Grice's late change of heart was as well. I will definitely be continuing on with this series.

Celebrating girl power,
K