Wednesday 14 October 2015

The Murder Stone by Louise Penny

When I decided to do the Canadian book challenge, I knew I had at least two Canadian books in my posession. This book wasn't one of them! 
I didn't know anything about this book, had never heard of the author and it was published in the UK, so I didn't give it much thought. 

Imagine my surprise, when I started reading it! Here is Inspector Gamache, on vacation in an auberge in Quebec! Wondering why it was set in Quebec (my province, go figure!), sent me on a searh to see if the places within the book really existed. Then I was left wondering about the author, why would she set this in Quebec, was she Canadian as well? She is indeed! Born in Toronto, living in Quebec. How awesome is that?!?! 

Not only is this a great read, but I can add the book to the challenge!

What I enjoyed about this story is that while it's part of a series, you're given enough information about the characters, that it's not necessary to have read all the previous books to get an understanding of who they are. 

The only mystery that went unsolved, was "what is Bean?". As I went searching through the web looking up information about the author to see if she was Canadian, I visited her website. There, in the FAQ, I found a question asking about Bean's gender. To which the reply was, that the author never gave Bean a gender. 
Had I not come across this question, it would have never occured to me that Bean was genderless. It doesn't make a difference really, but to me, Bean had always been a boy. I ended up backtracking to the point where Bean was first mentioned, just to check if Bean really hadn't been introduced as a boy. Nope, seems my brain finished off Bean's intro on its own!

Some aspects of the book were predictable. Namely, the person who gets murdered. I also had my own suspects for the murderer. The true murderer ended up being one of my suspects but for a completely different reason. 

Overall, it was a very fun read, quite the page turner and I'm looking forward to reading more books from Louise Penny. 

This book is also published under the title: A Rule Against Murder (in Canada and the USA - I have the UK published version, so I went with that title)

Saturday 12 September 2015

Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich ~ A Stephanie Plum Novel

Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter. 
Finding and bringing in skips is her job. Over the years, she's gotten better at chasing after skips and with her trusty "sidekick" Lula, you can be sure they'll eventually get their man, but the whole showdown will have you in stitches!

In Top Secret Twenty-One, Rangeman has been targeted in an assassination attempt! Thankfully, the attempt failed but we learn that someone from Ranger's past wants to settle a score with him and take out everyone close to him, including Stephanie! 

Stephanie's been chasing after a skip, Jimmy Poletti, a used car dealer who was selling more than used cars out of his dealership. Randy Briggs, who was Poletti's bookkeeper, turns up at Stephanie's doorstep, after someone bombed his home, asking for protection. He's got nowhere else to turn and, although the greatest pain in her backside, she allows him to stay in hopes of using him as bait to lure Poletti out.

Hilarious and captivating as always, Stephanie Plum doens't fail to deliver! She's true to herself and as unlucky as ever!

This was a hard book to put down, had I had the chance, I'd have read it in one sitting!

What I like about this series, is that you don't need to have read all the previous books to get into them. Whether you're new to the Stephanie Plum series, or a long-time fan (like I am), you'll be sure to enjoy this book!

Although, I'd recommend reading them all, if you have the chance, as they're quite hilarious.

Sunday 14 June 2015

Just a day, like any other

Just a day like any other, only it doesn't feel like it.
What defines what a day is going to be like? Is it defined by going through daily routines which you can go through on most days, without much thought. Or is it by the state of mind you're in when you wake up? What defines a good day, and what does a bad? Are days that are sunny only good and those that are rainy only bad? But rainy days can be good too! Then isn't it all just based on perspective? What's good for me or bad for me, depending on my perspective, it can differ, isn't that so?

Is it possible to predefine a day as good or bad, before it unrolls itself? If it's been predefined, is there a way to shield it from going bad. I mean in the sense of not becoming a recluse. I know that others' actions cannot be stopped, but is there a way of protecting my good day? In a sense where "I don't give a care" to what they're doing..whether they're trying to incite or instigate? It's easy to say "don't get ravelled" but how do you keep that state of mind, even when they're looking for it, winding you, or trying to?