What’s on your bookshelf #24

Thistles and Kiwis

What with preparing to move house and lots of other things going on (ballet, eating burgers and, you know, life) I don’t seem to have read as much as usual. It is just one of those times in life when reading comes down the list of things being done. Audio books and podcasts are my clutter clearing and packing friends at the moment.

Anyway, first up, Mari Jungstedt’s Dark Angel (2013), the sixth book set in Gotland and featuring Inspector Knutas. As I have already passed it on, I don’t have a picture of the book cover, but you can see it here. Without giving the story away, it is a great tale of murder, intrigue and family mysteries … well worth picking up if you are a fan of detective fiction.

A possible contender for book of the year is Ann Patchett’s latest book, Tom Lake. I just loved this book. Beautifully written, it is a wonderfully told tale going back and forward in time as the central character tells the story of an old love to her family. Her characters are always so well drawn, and her description of places make you feel as if you are there. Wonderful.

This month’s food related reading was Animal, Vegetable, Mineral (first published back in 2007) by the novelist Barbara Kingsolver. This started off interesting, describing her family becoming almost self-sufficient on their Appalachian farm, but it got a bit repetitive and I got a bit bored towards the end. Still, an interesting read.

I listened to a couple of audio books, Agatha Christie’s Ordeal by Innocence (1958) and Dorothy Sayers Clouds of Witness (1926). Christie’s book was apparently one of her favourites of her own works, and I can see why. There is no sign of Poirot or Miss Marple, instead this is a tale of a man wrongly accused of murder and how a witness who has been in a coma for a year, comes forward to tell what happens and help to uncover the truth. Apparently this was made into a TV series in 2018 so I must see if I can find it.

Over the years I have listened to many an adaption of Dorothy Sayers books starring the actor Ian Carmichael, so it was a bit of a jolt not to hear his voice as Lord Peter Wimsey. Clouds of Witness (1926). Anyway, this is a true book of the so-called golden age of detective fiction, seeing Wimsey’s brother accused of murder and the hunt to find out what really happened. Good fun, and very much of its era.

Finally, just before I give my ratings, I got this lovely little box of miniature candles as part of a birthday present. Each one is supposed to burn for 20 minutes, 20 minutes to make you sit down and read. What a fun idea and one I must try soon.

  • Mari Jungstedt Dark Angel 4 poisoned cocktails!
  • Ann Patchett Tom Lake 5 cherry trees
  • Barbara Kingsolver Animal Vegetable Mineral 3 tomato plants
  • Agatha Christie Ordeal by Innocence 5 cars
  • Dorothy Sayers Clouds of Witness 4 jewelled cats

That is me for this month – what have you been reading? #whatsonyourbookshelf.

The what’s on your bookshelf challenge is hosted by fellow bloggers  Deb, Sue, Donna and Jo. The idea is to share what you’re reading, what you’ve enjoyed lately share – why they resonated with you, how they made you feel, who are your favourite authors and what you recommend.

Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer, good food and pretends to garden.

You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram @thistlesandkiwis. If you want to get in touch, email me on thistlesandkiwis@gmail.com or lofgren@thistlesandkiwis.com

Published by Thistles and Kiwis

Loves summer, sunshine and cats. Beginner gardener, likes eating, cooking and reading about food

28 Comments

  1. ordered books 1,2 & 6, used from Amazon of the Mari Jungstedt books.
    I love detective novels and have nearly finished all I have to read.
    I remember the Ordeal by Innocence on the BBC, which was good except – did you know they changed who the murderer was?
    I have seen several Agatha Christie TV versions where they mess about with the plot – not happy.

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      1. One of my blogging friends wrote about feeling emotional fatigue as well as physical fatigue. Such an apt term. I have felt emotional fatigue many times myself, and I expect you are feeling both.

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        1. Yes I am Laurie you are so right…we are going to go out for dinner tonight, and tomorrow we have a long planned beer festival to attend, so hoping the break will do us both good!

          Liked by 1 person

  7. Hi, Barbara – Thank you for joining us for #What’sOnYourBookshelf despite your hectic schedule. Although I’m not involved in a move, our summer has been jam packed and we will be embarking on our month-long Camino this fall. To deal with all of this I have currently declared a ‘reading break’. It feels a bit weird, but I am reading…just in a different form (mostly Camino related research). Wishing you smooth packing and move prep!

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  9. I haven’t read Ordeal By Innocence by I do recall watching it &, if memory serves me correctly, there was a bit of a palaver over changes to the plot. Thanks for linking up!

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  10. You have so much going on Barbara, and yet you’ve managed to read and post about some great books! Thanks for joining us and I must say Tom Lake sounds great!

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  11. I didn’t know until this year that “Nordic Noir” was even a book genre, but looks like Dark Angel fits that one. The Agatha Christie novel you mentioned is one of hers that I haven’t read but it sounds intriguing.

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  12. Those candles are so cute! What a fun idea. I love reading about/ watching shows about homesteading and living off the grid even though I honestly don’t think I could ever do that myself (especially since I can’t seem to keep plants alive!).

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    2. Same! I romanticize homesteading in my head, but when I had a small rural property, it always felt like work, work, work. Fix the fence, feed the animals, clean the chicken coop, gather the eggs, clean up after the windstorm, weed the garden, pick and process the produce… yeah, would’ve been great if I’d had a staff like people did in those country manors in 19th-century England.

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