January Reading Journal

I just finished my first book of 2013.  Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny was a fabulously written story featuring the character Armand Gamache. This is the sixth book in the series set in the Quebec providence of Canada.  Armand is the Chief Inspector of the Sûreté du Québec (basically the Police Department of the providence). I have read the books in order - which I recommend to others.  The characters change and evolve as the series progresses.

In this book, Armand is in Quebec City recovering from a yet to be described trauma.    You are given insights to this trauma as the story unfolds.  One of the characters is also re-investigating a murder from the previous book. And of course there is another murder - and more intrigue. These books are less action packed and more character driven.   I can't wait to start the next one! This is the Goodreads review

The other series I am reading that also takes place in Montreal, Quebec, are the books by Kathy Reichs.  The books feature the character Temperance Brennan. These books were used for the inspiration for the TV show Bones.  I had enjoyed the TV show, so decided to read the books.  I was shocked to discover that the books and the TV show have very little in common.  The name of the main character (Temperance Brennan) and her work as a forensic anthropologist is the only thing they share. I did some reading about the author to discover this was quite purposeful.  Kathy Reichs did not want her books to be tied to the TV series in terms of changes and progressions.  I just finished Spider Bones, the 13th book in the series. 


Other books read so far this year:
Return to Willow Lake (Lakeshore Chronicles #9) by Susan Wiggs- A nice change from my normal mysteries. This series was a fun escapism read. Not great literature, but nice characters.

The Mysterious Howling (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #1) by Maryrose Wood  - A children's book on this year OBOB (Oregon Battle of the Books) list.  My students are loving it.  And I can see why - told in the style of the Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. 

As you can see from this post, I am trying to use Goodreads more effectively. It is a popular website for many -kinda a Facebook for book lovers.  The other webiste I like is FictFact - it makes it easy to keep track of all my favorite series books - and what is next.