Sunday Summary: 12 April 2015

Welcome back to another edition of Sunday Summary. I introduced this feature to the blog in September 2014, so there are now seven months of weekly posts detailing the books I've read and what's been showing up on the blog. And, as usual, I'm linking up with The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

Where I've been reading

Another week, another business trip. A couple of days this past week I was in Pittsburgh; the city of bridges. And boy, were there a lot of bridges. I took advantage of the time spent in airport terminals and aboard planes to get a lot of reading done. I was even able to listen to a half-hour or so of The Innocent.

 

What I've been reading: Completed this week

Format: eBook
Source: purchased from Amazon, January 2015
Completed: 5 April

★★★☆☆

When she was a teen, Anna Kronberg began dressing as a man so that she could attend medical school. She became Dr. Anton Kronberg, eventually the most renown bacteriologist in England. Her first story is told in The Devil's Grin which I read in March. Now, in The Fall, after her masquerade was discovered, she has fled London to live quietly again as Anna.

That was until James Moriarty tracks her down and kidnaps her. Setting her up in a laboratory, he has ordered that she develop germ-laden weapons to spread deadly diseases. Anna turns to Sherlock Holmes to help her escape Moriarity's clutches. Annelie Wendeberg has crafted an excellent series of historical mysteries.

Format: Trade Paperback
Source: purchased ages ago
Completed: 6 April

★★★☆☆

Circle of Quilters is the ninth book in Jennifer Chiaverini's Elm Creek Quilters series. Now a going concern, Elm Creek Quilt Camp is losing two of its instructors. An advertisement placed in a national quilting magazine draws many applications for the open positions. The reader learns all about the five finalists in Circle of Quilters.

With a chapter dedicated to each finalist, we discover how they came to become a quilter and about their life and quilting style. Each of the five applicants is invited to an interview at Elm Creek Manor in Pennsylvania, providing more insight into each as they interact with the characters introduced in prior episodes.

Chiaverini excels in character development and this book is all about the characters. It sets the stage for future volumes in the series by introducing us to the newest members of the Elm Creek Quilters.

Format: eBook
Source: borrowed from library via Freading.com
Completed: 8 April

★★★☆☆

Continuing on my quest to complete the Brother Cadfael mysteries this year, I read The Sanctuary Sparrow, the seventh book in the series. In this episode, a young acrobat and juggler rushes into the monastery chapel of Shrewsbury Abbey, claiming sanctuary. He's followed by a violent mob determined to lynch him for theft and murder. According to law, Liliwin is entitled to spend 40 days in sanctuary, and Brother Cadfael is determined to use that time to prove the young man's innocence.

Format: Hardback
Source: borrowed from Sanger Public Library
Completed: 10 April

★★★★☆

I hadn't intended to seek out A Dangerous Place quite so soon after its publication date. But when I wandered into the library a couple of weeks ago, one of the librarians mentioned that she had just about finished reading it and asked if I wanted to be the next one to borrow it. I gladly agreed and she put my name on the reserve list. A couple of days later, I received notice that the book was available for me.

Set roughly four years after Maisie left England for a retreat in India, we discover that she has gone through a major upheaval in her life. Grieving deeply, she again retreated to India, but is now on her way home to England. When her ship makes a short stop at Gibraltar, she departs against the advice of the ship's captain. It's 1937. Spain is a war zone as Franco's Nationalists are fighting to grasp control of the country. Gibraltar, although a British territory, is located on the Iberian peninsula and a gathering place for dissidents, spies, and refugees. In spite of the danger, Maisie persists in her determination to delay her return to England—at least for a few weeks.

What I've been reading: In progress

Whenever I'm alone in the car, I am listening to The Innocent, first book in the Will Robie series by David Baldacci. Like most thrillers by Baldacci, there's a lot of action, a lot of danger, and an exciting story. I'm enjoying The Innocent and already looking forward to continuing the series.

Another book borrowed from the library is The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing. Most Private Investigator Vish Puri must investigate the murder of Dr. Suresh Jha. The Goddess Kali suddenly appears in front of Jha's entire laughing club, and strikes him down. It's mysterious. Just the kind of case to attract Inspector Puri.

This Week on the Blog

The blog hasn't been neglected as much this week. I finally made time to get a couple of reviews written and posted. I don't think I can keep up the pace of writing four reviews a week—that might cut into the time available for reading!

1. SYNC returns in Summer 2015
2. March Wrap-Up
3. Review: The Secret History of the Mongol Queens
4. Stacking the Shelves (27)

Coming Up

Next week is the book blitz for Siobhan Davis's True Calling. Dozens of book bloggers will be sharing information about the book and many will be posting reviews. All of this just a couple of weeks before the publication date of book #2, Beyond Reach. The book blitz runs from 13 till 17 April. You can view the complete blitz schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours.

 

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on the blog, showcase books and things received. Share news about what is coming up on the blog for the week ahead.