Welcome to Bookish Nostalgia for March 2018. I've kept records of books I read for over 25 years and I enjoy looking back through my reading journals to see what I was reading 5, 10, 15, and 20 years ago. Let's see what I remember about what I was reading in those years:
March 1998 - One, Two, What Did Daddy Do? by Susan Rogers Cooper - This is the first book in Susan Rogers Cooper's mystery series featuring E.J. Pugh and her family. The author is from my part of the world, and I discovered her in 1998 and read the first 3 books. E.J. is an aspiring romance writer who lives with her husband and kids in Central Texas. She gets involved in mystery solving in her 'spare' time. There are now 13 books in this series, which I've wanted to reread for a long time. I should get started on that.
March 2003 - Killer Stuff by Sharon Fiffer - First in a mystery series about Jane Wheel, a 'picker' at estate sales and auctions and garage sales and flea markets. This was quite a few years before the TV show American Pickers became popular. At the time, I was working with a charity that had a thrift shop and managing the administrative end of that shop. It was fun to read, but I don't do thrift shops any more. Ha! There were 8 books in this series.
March 2008 - Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks - This book was a selection of a book group I moderated when I worked at the library. It was one of our early selections and introduced me to this great author. A tale of the plague and how a small community deals with a disease that they don't understand. I've read other books by Brooks and loved them, especially People of the Book.
March 2013 - Faithful Place by Tana French - The 3rd in Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad books - a loosely connected series. Looking at my book journal for this month, I can see that I reread the first 3 books, In the Woods, The Likeness, and this one in preparation for reading the 4th, Broken Harbor. I love these books, but Faithful Place is still my favorite of all of them (6 books).
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And so we end this month's Bookish Nostalgia. Have you read any of these books or authors? Hope you'll join me again next month to see what April books I remember from my journals.
I've read the first Tana French and as usual fully intend to read all the rest... one day! So many series out there...
ReplyDeleteYes, there are - so many series. Happily, this one is so loosely connected, you could skip a few. Ha!
DeleteSharon Fiffer's Jane Wheel series? Loved it! I was sorry to see it end.
ReplyDeleteGeraldine Brooks' People of the Book is one of my all-time favorites, and her Year of Wonders is the reason why Denis and I visited Eyam on one of our UK trips.
I didn't know that, Cathy - about your visit to Eyam. And, yes, I miss Jane Wheel.
DeleteEyam is in the Peak District, and as we made the turn to travel the last miles to the village, I could already feel as though we were being cut off from the world. It gave me shivers thinking back to the events described in the book. We rambled up and down quite a few streets that day.
DeleteYes, I remember the isolation in the book. Thanks for telling about that visit. Makes me want to reread the book! Ha!
DeleteI've only read Tana French, and I LOVE her books. I hope she'll have a new book out soon!
ReplyDeleteYou and me both, Melody!
DeleteIt's great that you've kept records. Looking back is fun.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely is, Pat. Brings back a lot of memories.
DeleteI loved Year of Wonder! It remains my favorite novel of hers, but now I will have to check out People of the Book too.
ReplyDeleteYou should, Michelle. I discussed that one also with a book group and we all liked it.
DeleteLove all Tana French books but Faithful Place is definitely my favorite, also. Frank Mackey is such a great character. Remember one reviewer's criticism of The Secret Place was when Frank shows up in a book (if only in brief spurts), he takes it over. Agreed. And I like it! I hope she revisits him in one of her future novels.
ReplyDeleteI hope so too. Actually, I've been surprised that he shows up as often as he does.
DeleteI enjoyed Year of Wonders when I read it quite a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteIt was quite different wasn't it? And compelling in its way.
DeleteI'm a Tana French fanand can't wait for the next installment!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait either!
DeleteAnother nice list, Kay. Thanks for reminding me that I need to start the Tana French series (I bought the first book years ago) and for introducing me to author Susan Rogers Cooper. I may give the E.J. Pugh series a try!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure to remind you and introduce you! LOL
DeleteThis is so cool, Kay; I wish I'd kept records earlier, before I began blogging. This must be so much fun to look at!
ReplyDeleteIt is fun. Though I wish I had done this all my life. Sometimes I have a book I read in my teens or 20's right on the tip of my tongue - and then can't remember it. Sigh. I knew a lady once who had kept a list since she was 8 years old. Imagine!
DeleteI read The Year of Wonders with my book club in Lincoln and enjoyed it and the group discussion. I haven't read anything else by her, though.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fan of Tana French and loved Faithful Place, but her more recent book (The Secret Place) was a big disappointment for me. I hope The Trespasser is better.
I remember I liked The Secret Place much more than you. It had the whole boarding school vibe for me - always a good thing. Plus Frank was part of it, sort of. LOL
DeleteYour should try People of the Book by Brooks. It's really good.
Interesting that Faithful Place is your favorite of the Tana French series. I have only read the first two and I liked both of those a lot. I hope to get to Faithful Place soon.
ReplyDeleteTracy, I hope you do get to read it soon. I like Frank a lot and Faithful Place is 'his' book.
DeleteGeraldine Brooks is one of my favorite authors. I've read both Year of Wonders and People of the Book... People of the Book is one of my favorites and would love to reread it again. I listened to Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks last year and enjoyed it and also read March by Geraldine Brooks years ago. I am hoping to read The Secret Chord by Geraldine later this year. So many books to read, so little time it seems!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like Geraldine Brooks too. I've read March, but didn't like it as well. Have not read The Secret Chord or Caleb's Crossing.
DeleteI love how you can look back at what you read for the past 25 years! That is amazing. It is so fun to see the list of books that we read in the past. I wish I’d been keeping mine for 25 years.
DeleteI do enjoy looking back and seeing what I can remember. It's amazing how clearly I can also remember where we were or life events based on what I was reading.
DeleteThe Tana French series must be good if you've read them more than once! I have the first 3 on my TBR pile. Someday...
ReplyDeleteI've read them in print and then listened to them on audio. I reread a lot of books that way.
DeleteI love Tana French. She can't write fast enough for me! I also really liked YEAR OF WONDERS. I've only read one other book by Brooks -- I think I need to check out more of her novels.
ReplyDeleteYou do. You definitely ought to try People of the Book.
DeleteI remember Killer Stuff! I read that when I was going through more of a cozy mystery phase. And, I absolutely loved Year of Wonders. Of course the Tana French series is one of my favorites too. Oh this was so fun to read and remember books I've also read!
ReplyDeleteGlad our tastes overlapped, Iliana.
DeleteOoh this is fun. I've decided I really need to read Tana french one of these days. Maybe this year.
ReplyDeleteYou do!
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