A Trail of Ink - Mel Starr

The third novel in the medieval mystery Hugh de Singleton series focuses on the mysterious theft of his friend John Wycliffe's entire collection of books. His investigations lead him to several different groups of possible suspects, and to multiple attempts on his life as he tries to uncover the truth and retrieve the books. At the same time, he must try to win his beloved Kate from the latest of her persistent suitors.

Like the previous novels, A Trail of Ink is so rich in detail, especially in little everyday things like food, clothes or furnishings. This gives a real depth to the story and makes it more than just a mystery set in the past. Starr blends intrigue, action and comedy together to create a very readable novel that really brings the period alive.

Next up: Automated Alice by Jeff Noon

2015 Greatest Hits

Booking Through Thursday's New Year question (late again, I know) is:

What were your favorite books of 2015?
How many books did you read this year? Are you happy with the amount of reading you got done? Wish you’d had more time? (I know I always do!)

In 2015 I read 32 books, if you count those overlapping year boundaries. I do wish I'd read more, I always do.

In terms of favourites, I'll pick out some in chronological order:

A Corpse at St Andrew's Chapel by Mel Starr (read 12/02/2015-21/02/2015)
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever by Stephen Donaldson (read 03/04/2015-10/05/2015)
Les Liaisons Dangerueses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos (read 20/06/2015-15/08/2015)
Thank You, Jeeves by P G Wodehouse (read 10/10/2015-11/10/2015)
Nymphomation by Jeff Noon (read 12/10/2015-17/10/2015)

May 2016 bring some equally good reading!

Gifts

I realise I'm a little behind on this one, but this Christmas' Booking Through Thursday is:

What books are/were you hoping to get as gifts this holiday season?
Which books DID you get?
Are you happy, or did you rush right out to your local bookstore to pick up the book you’d hoped you’d be getting?

 
The books I got this Christmas are:

Cooking for Geeks by Jeff Potter (I had a copy of this previously when I lived in Canada but sadly had to leave it behind due to luggage weight limits)

Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson - the latest in the Mistborn series

A Trail of Ink by Mel Starr - the third in his Hugh de Singleton medieval mystery series

They were all from family and I'd specifically asked for each of them, which is how we usually do presents, so we all end up with something we actually want!


How about you, readers? Did you have a good book haul this Christmas?

A Corpse at St Andrew's Chapel - Mel Starr

I've been looking forward to this one ever since reading the first novel in this series, The Unquiet Bones, and I wasn't disappointed by the sequel.

Hugh de Singleton is a candid but openly flawed narrator, admitting when he takes credit for things he shouldn't or deceives by omission. He has no pretensions of being a hero, or even of being a particularly good bailiff, but sets out to do his duty as well as he can. As in the first novel, he does have progressive views on things - religion in particular, in this book - but his mindset is definitely more medieval than modern.

The beadle of the manor is found apparently mauled by a wild animal, but missing his shoes. When those shoes appear on the feet of one of the villagers, questions need to be asked that lead to much more than a simple wolf attack.

There are some wonderful historical details, for instance belches being a polite way to flatter your host by complimenting their dinner, and Hugh (like me!) takes pleasure in his meals, listing the dishes eaten and the manner in which they were served.

The mystery itself meanders through several different possibilities before finally discovering the truth. Hugh approaches his investigations in a Poirot-like manner, gathering most of his evidence from his knowledge of human beings and not from cold analysis.

A fascinating and immersive sequel from Mel Starr - the only bad thing is that this story ends on a cliffhanger leading into the next novel, and I don't have it so I can't read it right away!


Next up: The Adventures of Sally by P G Wodehouse

The Heart of a Hospital - Anne Vinton

As it turns out, it's nearly Valentine's Day, and by coincidence I have an appropriate trashy romance to review. This being a hospital-themed one was particularly amusing, as I've just started a new job up on the wards myself.

The beautiful, young, intelligent, serene, womanly, etc. Sister Eve Ramsey (in spite of her incredibly craggy illustration on the cover) is delighted to have just become secretly engaged to an almost-qualified young doctor. She loves her job, and in fact "always felt a heart-warming sensation as she opened the ward doors for the first time each day. It was as though she loved every patient there, and they in return watched for her appearance and sent out the warmth of their loving gratitude to her." The NHS has certainly changed in 65 years.

Eve's unruly and selfish half-sister arrives to work in her hospital, and a new patient, handsome, well-known (and heir to a baronetcy, naturally) also arrives. The plot unfolds with inevitable predictability and implausibility, our heroine is described as a ministering angel by almost anyone who knows her (and the others are of course just jealous), and her womanly compassion and patience win her romance and wealth and titles and all of the other things women could ever want.

Highly amusing and with several inadvertent laugh-out-loud moments. If you're ironically into vintage trashy romances (I hope it's not just me!) this is well worth a read.


Next up: A Corpse at St Andrew's Chapel by Mel Starr

The Unquiet Bones - Melvin R Starr

I was struck from the very beginning of this novel by the style of the prose. The story is framed as an account in the first person by Hugh de Singleton, a young surgeon investigating the murder of a girl found in the cesspit of his patron’s castle. The language is uncomplicated with no aspirations to poetic beauty, but instead has a wonderful clarity to it. The narrator’s candid honesty and independent mind made this a joy to read, and gave me the feeling that if Hugh de Singleton were a real person, he’d be someone I’d very much like to know.

Another advantage Starr’s novel has over most historical stories is that the narrator is, himself, imbued with medieval values. Too often, authors simply place a character with modern attitudes in an historical setting, with no real consideration for how they could possibly have developed in a way so different to everyone else at the time. Of course, for the reader to relate to the protagonist we must have points in common – and in The Unquiet Bones Hugh is very much a progressive, but in a way that could have been possible at the time. While he favours contemporaneous modern medical theories, and believes in bathing even in winter, he still takes the social status quo for granted and respects its boundaries.

As usual when historians turn to writing fiction, this novel is full of great little details that add to the atmosphere and to the genuine feel of the time. Everything from the seating and food at dinner to some rather graphic surgical descriptions and a thorough understanding of the different clothing styles allowed to various social classes is included. These facts aren’t thrust in the face of the reader, however, but taken for granted by the narrator as common knowledge.

The central mystery itself is well thought out and takes several twists and turns before reaching its conclusion, and we get to know several ancillary characters as the story progresses, which makes a nice change from most murder mysteries, in which the characters encountered are often just there as parts of the puzzle.

This one was a very pleasant surprise, and I’m happy to discover that there are 6 more left in the series.

Next up: The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E M Delafield

Graceling - Kristin Cashore

Graceling came with the rather dubious recommendation, “[This] exquisitely drawn romance … will slake the thirst of Twilight fans”, on the front cover. However, I really enjoyed Fire, so I went ahead and read it anyway.

While it doesn’t quite have the accomplished sense of depth of Fire, this is Cashore’s debut novel, and as such that’s simply a sign that her novels have developed since the beginning. She does a good job of introducing us to the fantasy world the story takes place in, without being artificially explanatory or giving us too many made-up terms to try and remember.

The heroine, Katsa, is a graceling, marked out by her mismatched eyes and an uncanny natural ability – in her case, the ability to inflict violence. Ever since her gift was discovered, her uncle the King has been using her as a tool of intimidation against those who displeased him. A chance to investigate the mysterious kidnapping of a neighbouring King's father offers her an opportunity to escape and to prove to herself and others that she’s more than just a mindless thug.

One of the things that really stood out about this novel was the unusual angles we see events from. Katsa is an unconventional young woman, but this is only to be expected as the heroine of a young adult fantasy novel. However, the feel of the narrative is also different – while the novel appears to be of the standard ‘vanquish the villain’ type, you get the feeling that defeating the bad guy wasn’t really what it was all about.

The Twilight-style epic romance promised on the cover was, thankfully, more human and believable than that, albeit made more complex by the respective graceling abilities of the pair involved. This novel is populated by strong characters throughout, and we also meet Princess Bitterblue, the protagonist of the third and final novel in the trilogy. Despite being a child, she's forthright and intriguing, and I’m really looking forward to reading more about her.

Next up: The Unquiet Bones by Mel Starr