It’s the end of week 3 and I have finished one more book this week. It was There Goes the Bride by M.C. Beaton. It’s an English cozy mystery, and is the latest in the Agatha Raisin series. Truthfully, this book doesn’t have a tremendous amount to recommend it. I started reading the Agatha Raisin books a year or two ago. Agatha is an obnoxious character, but since the reader is allowed to see her insecurities, they end up feeling somewhat sorry for her. I liked the first books, but now they are too formulaic. I’m honestly not sure why I read this one except that I have a compulsion to read all the books in a series.
Since I do have this compulsion, I’ve noticed that there are a lot of mystery series that should go ahead and end instead of continuing on. The reason that I keep reading is that I feel some connection with the characters, but at the same time find the characters becoming less interesting and more predicable as the series gets longer. That’s one of the reasons that I quit reading the Sue Grafton books. Although with my compulsion, I might cave in sometime. (It’s really hard to quit an alphabet series when you’ve read through R!)
I’ve spent most of my time this week reading The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling. Also on the nightstand waiting in line are Tea with Hezbollah, Plain Pursuit, and Instructing a Child’s Heart. To see what others are reading, visit 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
By Kristen H.
I will warn you that the tea book is a pretty engaging read. 🙂 I wasn't quite sure what to expect with that one, but it is turning out to be an interesting one so far.
BBC Scotland had produced a TV show based on the Hamish Macbeth mysteries written by M.C. Beaton. I got these out of a local library and really liked them (quirky characters, nice scenery). I have since read a couple of the books. As you say, a bit formulaic, but I can think about the TV show as I read them and it's Scotland, what can I say?
I mentioned them to my sister, who likes mysteries and she said she likes the Hamish stories but does not like the Agatha Raisin.
So, you might try the Hamish Macbeth ones. Not what you would call literature, but a nice, quick read.
Sarah