What I read in January 2020

Happy Friday crafty people!

Last year I set myself the target of reading 50 books and I managed to squeeze in 57.  This year I am aiming for 52 and I thought I would share with you what I’ve read each month.  I always love seeing what other people are reading so I thought I would give this a go.  I keep track of my books on Good Reads and give them a rating , from 5 stars.  So without further ado, these are my books from January 2020…..

Every Dead Thing by John Connolly – This is the first book in the Charlie Parker series (I read the 3rd last year and enjoyed it so I’m going back to read the rest in order).  The story follows Charlie Parker, an ex policeman, following the brutal murder of his wife and young daughter as he searches for their killer and gets involved in a missing person investigation.  This is a pretty gruesome read but I found the story very interesting and I was compelled to keep reading to find out what would happen next.  I gave it 4 stars and I’ve ordered the next book in the series!

Nothing to Hide by James Oswald – My husband gave me this book at Christmas and I was excited to discover a new to me Scottish crime author.  This is the second book featuring DC Constance Fairchild.  The book takes place between London and Edinburgh (my home town) and starts with the discovery of a very badly injured boy near to Con’s home.  I really loved this book and read it very quickly as I didn’t want to put it down.  I rated it 5 stars and I’ve ordered the first one in the series from the library.

Midnight Son by James Dommek Jr, Josephine Holtzman & Isaac Kestenbaum – I listened to this audiobook as it’s an Audible original.  It is set in the Alaskan Arctic and tells the story of a local man who is on the run following the death of his mother and his reported experience of encountering the Iñukuns (a mythic tribe).  This was really interesting as I knew nothing of the lives of people in this really remote wilderness and the Inupiaq community and their folklore.  I gave it 3 stars and I wonder if the listening experience wasn’t as enjoyable for me as reading a book.

Dying Light by Stuart McBride – The second in the Logan McRae crime series set in Aberdeen.  This was a great book, although again pretty gruesome.  The story follows a couple of different investigations as Logan struggles to keep out of trouble in his police job.  I’ve ordered the next one in this series from the library as I really enjoy the thriller aspect as well as the cast of characters and the challenges they face!  I gave this book 4 stars.

Agatha Raisin and the Deadly Dance by M.C Beaton – I’ve been working my way through the Agatha Raisin series and as expected I thoroughly enjoyed reading this installment.  Agatha has started her own private investigation business and starts to get cases from death threats to missing pets.  These books always make me smile, I love the characters and the (mis)adventures that ensue!  I rated this one 4 stars.

The Five – The untold lives of the women killed by Jack the ripper by Hallie Rubenhold – This is a fascinating exploration of a well known tale from a totally different angle.  The author is a social historian and she has done a fantastic job of piecing together the lives of these five women who were all murdered by Jack the Ripper.  Traditionally known as “just prostitutes”, Hallie challenges this and tells their stories.  I would say this is more of a social history than a true crime book and I loved it, 5 stars.

Haunted St Andrews by Geoff Holder – I picked this up on a visit to St Andrews as I have lots of happy memories of childhood holidays in the town.  The book is less than 100 pages but it covers lots of different spooky tale from the White Lady, haunted student residences and poltergeists!  It is a good balanced read with the author challenging reports and identifying some of the ghostly sightings are more folk tale than paranormal experiences.  I would definitely pick up another book by this author.  Mr Darcy was enjoying these spooky tales too!  We give it 4 stars!

I’d love to hear if you’ve read any of these and what you’ve been reading this month.  You’ll also find me here on Good reads if you want to connect there!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog, I hope to see you again soon.

Crafty hugs

Jenny (AKA the Ginger Ninja!) xx

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