What I'm Reading on My Winter Vacation

Not surprisingly, Ian Rankin

I'm off tomorrow on a quick winter vacation and, of course, I've got a mystery novel with me. Somehow I missed Ian Rankin's In a House of Lies when it came out in 2018, but luckily found it when I was looking for books to take with me on the library website. It's not my only book, but it's the one that I plan to read on the plane tomorrow. 

 How do you find new books to read? Do you browse the library shelves? I do! I still enjoy spending time looking at the array of books at my local branch library. It's one of my favorite things to do. Until very recently I didn't know that the "open stacks" library system wasn't part of libraries until the beginning of the Twentieth century. Before that it was necessary to know what book you wanted and to request it from the librarian. 

I also find read reviews online, browse my terrific local independent bookstore and read the NY Times book review. What are your favorite ways to find new books?  

Another favorite way to find new books is to chat with friends. Dear book-loving friends, what are you reading these days? 

As ever, thanks for visiting and happy reading!

I Never Thought I'd Fall in Love Again...

But I'm in love and I'm not hiding it.

 

At 67 I believed that my falling in love days were over and done. But after finishing Rather Be the Devil, Ian Rankin's latest mystery novel, I realized that I was in love and had been in love for years. Of all the men and detectives, I'd fallen for John Rebus, the very human hero of these novels.

 

Yes, Rebus is "seeing someone," may start smoking again at any second, lives 3,000 miles away in Scotland and perhaps the biggest impediment to our relationship, is a fictional character. But in this latest novel, dark and brooding as ever, he is very real to me, and his intelligence and sense of fairness drew me to him in this book, as in every past novel. In Rather Be the Devil Rebus has just retired from the Edinburgh police force, but not surprisingly is drawn back into an unsolved murder case from the 1970s.

 

In an era where corruption and power are part of every day discussion Rather Be the Devil looks at these issues through the lens of a mystery novel. As someone who has crossed over to retirement, I enjoyed seeing these issues through Rebus' cynical and experienced lens and the twists of the plot and the characters kept me reading.   

 

My dear Rebus, I'm glad your retirement was brief. I bet I'm not the only reader who waits eagerly for your next adventure when you'll once again be a part of my life.   

Can You Just Jump in?

Pardon me for composing a title that ends in a preposition, but that question seemed to be the clearest way to introduce this post's topic. Can you start reading a mystery series in the middle of the series? I had the good fortune to spend time yesterday with two former colleagues who happily remain friends. They are also mystery fans and as so often happened during my years working with reading friends, the topic turned to our latest reads. I mentioned  Cara Black's Murder on the Quai, which is number 16 in this very enjoyable series set in Paris. I offered to give my copy to my friend and she asked a good question, "Do I need to start at the beginning of the series, or can I just jump in?"

A lively discussion followed. We thought one could jump into Sue Grafton's Alphabet Series, but would caution against that for Ian Rankin's outstanding Scottish series. And, yes, a post on Ian Rankin is long, long overdue.

Also long overdue is a post on a mystery novel that begins one of my all-time favorite mystery series. I found C.J. Sansom's Dissolution in a bookstore in Notting Hill in 2005. I started reading in the bookstore and kept reading as I flew home across the Atlantic. I'm a fan of all things Tudor and besides being a complex and interesting mystery, it's an extraordinary historical novel. There are six books in the series which focuses on life in Tudor England. We meet the human, vulnerable and brilliant lawyer Matthew Shardlake, and follow him through the reign of Henry VIII. Each book builds on the one before and it would be a difficult series to jump into somewhere in the middle. The series is at most times dark, violent, sad, and yet always interesting.

When I first thought of writing a mystery novel blog I thought I would begin with a post on Dissolution. Like so many things in life I was sidetracked, but am happy to feature one of my favorite novels. If you're familiar with this series, you're a fortunate reader. If you're about to start reading it, you're in for a treat. The title refers to the Dissolution of the Monasteries, that took place under the reign of Henry VIII. 

So many books to read and so many books to write about and so, so little time! As ever, thanks for visiting and happy reading! 

Time for Cafe Con Leche

Coffee Light... is taking a short hiatus while I travel to Peru, for some café con leche.  I anticipate a lot of sightseeing in addition to a lot of coffee drinking. I'll be looking for mysteries set in Peru and reading my almost infinite to-be-read list on the flights. When I'm back I'll be writing about Ian Rankin, one of my all-time favorite writers.

 

 

Until then, so many mysteries, so little time.

Thanks so much for visiting.