Books of the month: March 2017

Pick of the month

The good news is my reading picked up in both quantity and quality during March but the downside of that is it takes more effort to choose a favourite read of the month. After see-sawing between two I’m going with Sarah Ward’s A DEADLY THAW which I thought excellent.  It has a mixture of contemporary and cold case elements, addresses a confronting theme in a realistic way and is not predictable. I don’t get surprised all that often by procedurals anymore and am always pleased when it happens.

The rest, in reading order 

•  Jørn Lier Horst, ORDEAL (a solid series back on top form)
• Elizabeth Edmondson, A MAN OF SOME REPUTE (a historical mystery set in post war Britain that I enjoyed as I listened but a day later couldn’t remember enough about it to string together a proper review)
• Laura Lippman, WILDE LAKE (a thought-provoking look at the way time can make our actions and behaviour look very different but an unlikeable central character kept this from being a great read for me)
• Candice Fox, CRIMSON LAKE (first book in a new series featuring two fractured characters seeking justice in different ways)
• Margery Allingham, THE CASE OF THE LATE PIG (my Crimes of the Century read for the month was another irksome tale of the English upper class)
• Meg & Tom Keneally, THE UNMOURNED (second in a series set in colonial Australia from the father/daughter duo was a terrific romp and very atmospheric)
• J.M. Peace, THE TWISTED KNOT (second book from a serving police officer that really makes you question what constitutes justice)
• Sally Andrew, RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER (a South African cosy with dark overtones that is only enhanced by the audio format)
• Ellery Adams, MURDER IN THE PAPERBACK PARLOR (my next read in the series that takes place in a retreat for book lovers, I can’t help but wish myself there)
• Agatha Christie, SPARKLING CYANIDE (I listened to a narration by Hugh Fraser and was thoroughly captivated, even if I didn’t quite believe all the suspects would have love as a motive for murder)
• Adrian McKinty, GUN STREET GIRL (the 4th book in the Sean Duffy trilogy is another cracker of a read – or listen – and was vying for favourite of the month but wasn’t as surprising as the one I selected)

Progress on bookish goals

Australian Women Writers Challenge: Read & Review 25 books 

5 down, 20 to go. Heading in the right direction at least.

Participate 8 times in Crimes of the Century

3 down, 5 to go. Looking good for this one.

Read 36 books owned prior to the start of the year and/or reduce the TBR to less than 100 (from 131)

Better progress this month with 7 of my books read belonging to my pre-2017 collection, bringing my total of pre-owned books read for the year to 14. But with acquisitions taken into account my TBR now stands at 128 which is a paltry a reduction on the year’s starting total. At least it’s downward movement this month.

Buy no physical or eBooks from stores outside Australia (Audio books are my exception)

So far so good.

Read at least 10 books eligible for my virtual tour of the US via its fiction (each one set in a different state and by a new-to-me author).

Did not add to my tally this month, my yearly total read is a paltry 2.

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What about you? How did your reading go in March? Any books you need to recommend?