I hope to get out two posts today. This one because I really need to get my book stack cleared out and shelved, and another one with a more varied topic. I suspect my rate of finishing books will slow down considerably—from now until whenever we move, I've given up the "system" and will be focusing on finishing all the books I've been working my way through, and burning through my nonfiction TBR shelves as fast as I can. Among other reasons, it's a lot less messy that way; I can keep my shelves looking much neater.
These are all series installments. Starting with:
Rex Stout, The Silent Speaker. A nice outing for Archie and Nero, containing a couple of women characters who were more than just foils for Archie's wit. Not sure if the plot itself was much of a page-turner, but as always it was a fun ride.
James Howe, Howliday Inn. I'd read the first book, Bunnicula (yes, these are children's books!) a while back, and it was solid. The sequel, Howliday Inn, has literally been on my TBR shelf since we lived in North Carolina. Have to say, it wasn't worth the shipping cost to move it twice! Thin plot, threadbare devices, too hurried denouement. Not a keeper.
Anne Perry, Seven Dials. I love the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt books. I tried to read the first of the William Monk series and couldn't get interested in it, and haven't checked out the new World War I era series, although I may at some point. And I'm finding it unfortunate that my favorite Perry series seems to be the author's least favorite. Also, REALLY not interested in the whole mega-conspiracy plot. But the character development moves forward (at least some of it), and I do enjoy the writing, so I'll be sticking with the series as long as it lasts.
Janette Oke, Love's Unending Legacy. I really like the first part of this series. Love Comes Softly is a classic, and the characters are rich and interesting. Love's Unending Legacy reads like the end of the series, and IMO should have been. The three books that come after it just lack the poignancy, the simplicity, the homey "let's put up our feet and shoot the breeze" kind of feel that make the first several books such good reads. This one seems a bit rushed, but I suspect it's the one where the author really ran into the "I have too many characters to try and fit in" problem that eventually led her to end the series altogether. As far as I'm concerned, it ends here!
Finally, Cynthia Peale, Murder at Bertram's Bower. This is a relatively new series (well, new to me—no telling how many there are now that I've finally gotten through the second book!)—set in Victorian Boston. The setting drew me, the characters keep me. Very much like Perry's Pitt novels, these are wonderful portraits of proper Victorians reaching out of their sheltered existence, and the effect that has on their lives.
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