April & May's Reads

I'll start with an apology. I had this post written when it was supposed to go up, but then I had some technical issues that I just didn't get around to solving. So, I apologize for missing a month. This post will technically cover two months, April and May. I'll get the latter out of the way quickly. May's genre was History and Biography, which I love, but it does make for some slow reading. So, unfortunately, I didn't actually finish any books this month. I'm about 3/4 of the way through Letters to America: Courageous Voices from the Past by Tom Blair. It's a collection of fictionalized letters from ordinary people throughout America's history. I'm really enjoying it. I'm not honestly sure why it's taking me so long to finish; I'll blame it on the spectacular sunshine we've been having. Anyway, with that out of the way, I'll focus on April's reads, which fell under the Mystery genre. 

So, when April began, I quickly realized that I don’t actually own a lot of mystery books. It’s just not a genre that I typically dip into much. I don’t necessarily dislike mysteries – I just don’t usually read them.

So, I started with what I own (turns out it was really only one book) and went from there.

The mystery novel I own and have actually read before was Rules of Murder by Julianna Deering. This is the first book in her Drew Farthering series.

(From Julianna’s website)

From his black Homburg hat to the crease in his stylish cheviot trousers, Drew Farthering is the epitome of the well-bred English gentleman of 1932, but things at Farthering Place are not quite so ideal.

There’s been a murder at the old manor house. With the help of the alluring Madeline Parker, Drew sets out to solve the crime and save the family fortune. Before long, he realizes no one at Farthering Place is who he appears to be – not the blackmailer, not the adulterer, not the embezzler and not even Drew himself.

As I said, I’ve read this one before, and I enjoyed reading it again. I then proceeded to read the rest of the series, getting what I could at the library and buying what I couldn’t: Death by the Book, Murder at the Mikado, Dressed for Death, and Murder on the Moor. There’s one more book in the series, Death at Thorburn Hall, but I didn’t get to that before the end of the month.

So, since I read almost the entire series, I’ll give my general impressions without specific spoilers. All the books have engaging characters and interesting mysteries. The first book introduces the main characters very well, although I found the romance a little bit rushed. That being said, I really like Drew and Madeline, and his interactions with his best friend Nick are hilarious and extremely entertaining. I like the way Deering utilizes faith in the books – it’s never preachy, and it feels more organic as the series goes on. All mysteries, in my opinion, have an element of sadness to them, because they center on people’s mistakes and sins. Book #4 in this series, Dressed for Death, is the saddest of the bunch. The others strike a good balance. I enjoyed #3, Murder at the Mikado, and #5, Murder on the Moor, the most.

After starting that series and while waiting for the rest of the books to come in at the library, I re-read a book my sister owns – Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham.

I don’t read many Grisham novels – outside of this one, I’m not sure if I ever have. As the name suggests, it’s kind of middle grade or young adult fiction, but it held my attention just fine (and I really don’t like most young adult books). I picked it up remembering it as a mystery, but it’s really more of a legal thriller.

(From the author’s website)

In the small city of Strattenburg, there are many lawyers, and though he’s only thirteen years old, Theo Boone thinks he’s one of them. Theo knows every judge, policeman, court clerk—and a lot about the law. He dreams of being a great trial lawyer, of a life in the courtroom. But Theo finds himself in court much sooner than expected. Because he knows so much—maybe too much—he is suddenly dragged into the middle of a sensational murder trial. A cold-blooded killer is about to go free, and only Theo knows the truth. The stakes are high, but Theo won’t stop until justice is served.

The book has a bit of a slow build, and it ends in a cliffhanger. But Theo is a particularly likeable main character, and he’s surrounded by an eclectic bunch of people, including his parents, both lawyers; his uncle, a disgraced lawyer; an important judge; and a host of school friends who come to Theo for legal advice. There are six more books in the series, so I’ll need to fit those in around the rest of my reading.

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June's genre is Thriller, another one I don't read much. I will probably end up trying to finish the Theodore Boone books. So, what have you been reading? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!