Happy Friday!
I started off the new month with some non-fiction: Nadine Akkerman’s Invisible Agents: Women and Espionage in Seventeenth-Century Britain
— and if you think that has something to do with what I’m working on next, you might be right.
Right now, I’m stealing every spare moment I can with Tana French’s new stand alone novel, The Witch Elm
, in which a man’s life is turned upside down when a body is found in the garden of the family home. I’ve been a fan of French’s Dublin Murder Squad books for some time, and it’s fascinating to see that familiar world inside out, to have the story told from the point of view of the person on the other end, not the detectives.
In other news, did I mention that my summer 2019 book, The Summer Country
, aka the Barbados Book, has a cover? I’ll be unveiling that at some point next week. Stay tuned!
What have you been reading this week?
I’m on vacation this week so my reading is less than normal! I finished A Cast of Falcons by Steve Burrows. We’ve been listening to Blue Labyrinth by Preston and Childs. I just started The Shadows of Stormclyffe Hall by Lauren Hall. Sounds wonderfully gothic.
Last night I finished Anna Lee Huber’s new Verity Kent book, Treacherous is the Night. Excellent read. Now I have to decide what next. It’s rainy and cool here so good day to hunker down with a cuppa tea and pick my weekend book. (Which in all likely hood I could finish today. 😁)
I just finished The Glass Ocean…..wow. What a compelling read – so well crafted and written! Once again, it is amazing that the 3 of you wrote it so seamlessly. I was away when my copy arrived on release day….but it was worth the wait. Now I will likely begin my re-read of it – as is my custom with your books, Lauren. I am so plot-driven the first read…..what is going to happen?? – and I love the re-read to catch all of the details and the clues that I missed the first time!
I cannot wait for the new book!
I haven’t read anything worth mentioning this week, sadly, but the good news is, I’ve kind of started writing again, soooooo, happy me!
I just finished The Ruin by Dervla MacTiernan. I’m a big fan of Tana French, and I think this book will appeal to others who like her writing.
I can’t wait to read The Witch Elm!
I am reading ‘the Death if Mrs. Westaway’ by Ruth Ware… listening to ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ by Toni Adeyemi and ‘Raven Black’ by Ann Cleeves.
How exciting– can’t wait for the cover reveal! 🙂 For me this week it’s been less reading than Netflix, since I just started Death in Paradise. (the actor who plays Fidel was on Downton Abbey!)
Finished Grace Draven’s latest, Phoenix Unbound, which is terrific. Now reading new one from Mimi Matthews, The Matrimonial Advertisement–great new author!
While waiting for my preordered The Witch Elm, I’m rereading an earlier Tan a French book, Broken Harbor.
I finished A Discovery of Witches, which I enjoyed very much. Now skimming my way through Inferno by Dan Brown, so I can then read Origins (also by Dan Brown) which a friend lent me ages ago.
I also read the latest Verity Kent book, which was fantastic! Then “Dear Mrs Bird” which was a very pleasant surprise and completely adorable! Just finished Crazy Rich Asians. The movie altered a few plot points and I actually think I enjoyed the movie more than the book.
Just finished “Sold on a Monday”, which I saw mentioned on here. Most excellent.
Women were not the only spies in 17th century Britain. John Dowland, the most famous lute player of his day was probably a spy for Queen ELizabeth I, while he was working at the Danish court. See Peter Hauge’s book Double Agents.