When I did Elaine's Personal Challenge a couple of years ago, in which I promised I would read one modern novel a month, I had a monthly round up so I could see how I was getting on and to focus my attention on my reading. I was very pleased with myself that I managed to complete this Challenge successfully, in fact I well and truly went over my target and beyond, which I was not expecting. Since then I have given up on setting myself Reading Plans and Challenges (though I am not averse to taking part in others set by fellow bloggers) and decided to read whatever swims into my ken and see what arrives. I have thoroughly enjoyed, still am actually, this Random Reading which sits well with my blog title Random Jottings.
However, I am resurrecting the monthly round up as I found it very useful to see just what I had been reading and doing and helps me to keep track, otherwise I tend to get a bit vague about when and where I read a book. OK, I know some of you out there keep journals and notes and pictures and sticky bits etc and are frightfully organised, but I am not so good at that so use the blog Elaine, I told myself, and have a record as you go along. This will also help me in my Books of the Year choices as I can just pull up all my monthly round ups and, flourish of trumpets and wild singing in the choir, there I am.
OK, enough wittering and here we go for January 2009. And what do I find? Mainly crime and detection which I simply love, have done all my life and I have been wallowing in Italy. Picked up a Donna Leon idly one day when lying on the couch in vacant and in pensive mood, and read it and then found myself back in 2006 when I discovered the gorgeous Guido Brunetti and read the entire lot in a month. Decided to reacquaint myself with him and Venice and so read several of them all over again and loved them all over again.
Then the Inspector Montelbano books by Camilleri. These did not impress me favourably when I first started reading them, probably because I started them straight after Donna Leon and found them such a different book, both in style and setting that they just did not appeal. However, I have now Seen the Light, have done my usual and read them all one after the other, and am totally hooked and adore them all. For those of you who know and love them, all I can say is Catarella and you will know what I mean. Those of you who do not know them, will have to read to found out who Catarella is and you will take to him prontissimo. Believe me, you will.
Then two new discoveries - The Coroner by M R Hall, a first in a promising new series. Rave reviews from other blooggers, I am not raving quite so much, but did thoroughly enjoy it and am looking forward to the next one.
Sheila Radley - Death in the Morning. The first in a series which features Inspector Quantrill and were recommended by one of my book group members and thank you for so doing as I am now going to hunt out the others as this was a great find. Published back in the 1970s, never heard of them before, and now reprinted by an American publishers who rejoice in the simply wonderful name of Felony and Mayhem, they are slightly dated but as one who remembers this period very well, they have a nostalgic air about them.
Rest of my crime reading was the incomparable Ngaio Marsh who I revisit every other year and work my way through all 30+ of them, and never ever tire.
My discovery of E F Benson last year and Mapp and Lucia has led me to source more of this author and in the last four weeks I have read Mrs Ames, Paying Guests and Michael all of which are totally different in content and character and I am amazed at the versatility of this writer. Lots more for me to look out for.
Book of the Month - Michael by E F Benson
Gosh, I feel very smug and organised I can tell you.
