Starting the year

 

with a fictionalized account of an Iraq war veteran YELLOW BIRDS by KEVIN POWERS Publication date: September 2012 (Debut novel that won a lot of accolades)

 It intermingles the past with the present (I have heard that it is often a way to soften the effects of what happens in the past- it was done beautifully in The Orphan Master's Son).
 Set in Tal Afar in Iraq, the book is about Bartle, Murph and Bartle's promise to Murph's mother to not let him die. It was no surprise that Murph dies- but why he dies, how he dies and what happens next changes Bartle's life (as if the war itself had not changed him enough)

The next couple of books were Golden-age mystery books

a) The Circular Staircase By Mary Roberts Reinhart

A book of how a spinster's Rachel Innes quiet summer plans turn into something of an adventurous whodunnit. When it involves her niece (Gertrude) and nephew (Halsted), she makes it her mission to find out what is going on in the country house. A story of bank roberry, murder and ghosts!
I enjoyed it the book since I could not stop playing the guessing game (I could hear myself constantly asking- who could it be?) - very entertaining!
Rating ****

b) The Moving Toyshop By Edmund Crispin
A murder in a toyshop (for one night) which turns out to be a grocery store by day- Gervase Fen a funny literature professor at Oxford helps his poet friend Richard Cadogan solve this mystery. Fen is quite daring and usually just dives head-on into any given situation. The final chapters kind of triggered vivid imagery in my head- you the comical Hollywood or Bollywood kind with fights and crowds following the bad guy.
I had a blast with this book-it was a quick read!
Rating ****

Phew- 3 more to go...

Reading Challenges- an update

 

Updates on the Color coded challenge

1. A book with "Blue" or any shade of Blue (Turquoise, Aquamarine, Navy, etc) in the title- Blue plate special by Kate Christensen

2. A book with "Red" or any shade of Red (Scarlet, Crimson, Burgandy, etc) in the title-

Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

3. A book with "Yellow" or any shade of Yellow (Gold, Lemon, Maize, etc.) in the title

4. A book with "Green" or any shade of Green (Emerald, Lime, Jade, etc) in the title.

5. A book with "Brown" or any shade of Brown (Tan, Chocolate, Beige, etc) in the title- 
The Poisoned Chocolates Case By Anthony Berkeley

6. A book with "Black" or any shade of Black (Jet, Ebony, Charcoal, etc) in the title-  

The Black Cat by Martha Grimes

7. A book with "White" or any shade of White (Ivory, Eggshell, Cream, etc) in the title.
The Ivory Trail by Talbot Mundy

8. A book with any other color in the title (Purple, Orange, Silver, Pink, Magneta, etc.)-

Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman

9. A book with a word that implies color (Rainbow, Polka-dot, Plaid, Paisley, Stripe, etc.)

BLUE PLATE SPECIAL

This past weekend, traveling from Houston to Kansas city- I managed to read Blue plate Special, a memoir by Kate Christensen. I have not read any of her other books. In this book she is quite candid about her own life- from her childhood through to her 50s.

At times it felt wrong reading about someone's intimate private life especially one which involves a lot of troubled periods but then I thought to myself "she wants us to read about it- otherwise why would she write a memoir". Despite all her/their tribulations, she managed to do well for herself and so did the rest of her family.

Food is not the subject but it very well could have been- she intricately weaves it in with her own life story.

The name "Blue Plate Special" comes from when her mom who called her meals blue plate specials. There are some interesting recipes in there as well. I could not get to try them- it is quite a popular book and it was on hold for some one else :)