Currently Reading - Mar 20, 2015

Just a quick post on a rainy first day of Spring. It really hasn't stopped since early this morning. A grim old day, but it's still nice to have a Friday off. This working full-time skit gets a bit tiring at times.

Anyway, I wanted to provide a brief mid-month update on what I'm currently reading. I've got three books on the go and each is excellent, even if they are all somewhat different.

So let's get started.

1. Sharpe's Fury by Bernard Cornwell. This is the 11th novel in the Richard Sharpe historical adventure series. I've enjoyed every book so far and Jo and I have enjoyed the TV series that was based on the books. I like to try and read one or two a year; they are comfort food in a way; easy to read, a good adventure and pure entertainment. This is the synopsis for Sharpe's Fury. "In the winter of 1811, the war seems lost. Spain has fallen to the French, except for Cadiz, now the Spanish capital and itself under siege. Inside the city walls an intricate diplomatic dance is taking place and Richard Sharpe faces more than one enemy. The small British force is trapped by a French army, and their only hope lies with the outnumbered redcoats outside refusing to admit defeat. There, in the sweltering horror of Barrosa, Sharpe will meet his old enemy  Colonel Vandal again." And it's moving along very nicely so far.

2. One Good Turn by  Kate Atkinson. This is the second book in the Jackson Brodie mystery series. Now that I look at the books I'm reading, they all have one thing in common; TV series were created based on the books. The Jackson Brodie mysteries on BBC were somewhat different from the books in that they were all set in Edinburgh. The first book was set in England and this book, while set in Edinburgh, finds Jackson Brodie retired from being a detective and visiting Edinburgh with his girlfriend, Julia. The plot is familiar and I do recall the gist of it from one of the TV shows, but it's still nice to read it and see the differences. Atkinson has a nice meandering style that wanders from character to character and gradually starts to tie things together. This is the synopsis of this book. "Two years after the events of Case Histories left him a retired millionaire, Jackson Brodie has followed Julia, his occasional girlfriend and former client, to Edinburgh for its famous summer arts festival. But when he witnesses a man being brutally attacked in a traffic jam - the apparent victim of an extreme case of road rage - a chain of events is set in motion that will pull the wife of an unscrupulous real estate tycoon, a timid but successful crime novelist, and a hard-headed female police detective into Jackson's orbit. Suddenly out of retirement, Brodie is once again in the midst of several mysteries that intersect in one giant and sinister scheme."

3. The Cold Dish by Craig Longmire. This is the first in the Walt Longmire mystery series. I've had the book on my shelf for a couple of years now, at least, and now that I'm finally getting around to reading it, I'm kind of upset that I waited this long to start it. Once again, this was made into an excellent TV series on AMC; in fact, it quickly became one Jo and my favourites. Unfortunately, for some reason having to do with a preference to silly reality shows, AMC cancelled it last season. So now I get to read the books and I'm quickly realising that they are also excellent and I will be reading the whole series. Set in Wyoming, Longmire is the sheriff of Absaroka County. I find the style of the book nice and folksy and at times laugh out loud humorous. In a way, the book reminds me of two other favourite series of mine; the Bruno, Chief of Police books by Martin Walker and the Inspector Brunetti books by Donna Leon. I say this because the story is more than a mystery, it's a social interaction. We get into the community, the lives of the characters and I find myself wanting to meet then, to spend time with them. Anyway, this is the synopsis of this first book. "After twenty-four years as sheriff of Wyoming's Absaroka County, Walt Longmire's hopes of finishing out his tenure in peace are dashed when Cody Pritchard is found dead near the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. Two years earlier, Cody had been one of four high school boys given suspended sentences for raping a local Cheyenne girl. Somebody, it would seem, is seeking vengeance, and Longmire might be the only thing standing between the three remaining boys and a Sharps .45-70 buffalo rifle. With lifelong friend Henry Standing Bear, Deputy Victoria Moretti, and a cast of characters both tragic and humorous enough to fill in the vast emptiness of the high plains, Walt Longmire attempts to see that revenge, a dish best served cold, is never served at all."

So there you have it, my current selections. I'm not sure what I'll pick next, but I'll let you know in an upcoming post. Have a great first day of Spring!