Book bags

Nope, not a cute pattern for a DIY bag, or a link to a great sale, but a description of the type of bags that are under my eyes. Book bags: caused by lack of sleep by reading.
I’ve always been a bookworm, but these days, the light is coming into my room VERY early in the morning, so I'm awake earlier (British blackout curtains? Humbug. Spain has bat cave blinds. Maybe I should start a business...). Add to that the page-turner mystery series I’ve picked up, and I’ve been doing so much reading that book-boa seems more like it.

For those of you in London, Shoe Lane Library is having a book sale that goes until the end of the week. The deal? Fill a bag of books for 2.50. A BAG!!! For TWO –FIFTY!!! Burrito, Chippy and I went on Tuesday – a restrained 8 for me (I’m moving, remember?), a solid 18 for Chippy and a whopping 25 for Burrito! Don’t worry, we left some for you, and new stock comes out every day, complete with nice, library-issued dust jackets.

Now, back to the series  - Maisie Dobbs, by Jacqueline Winspear, and Thora Gudmunsdottir, by Yrsa Sigurdardottir. Yes, there are two!

Maisie - I happened upon book five shortly after we arrived in London, and I loved it, but somehow just didn’t get around to reading any others until now. My favourite (so far) is the third book, Pardonable Lies:

·         our heroine gets off the Tube at Holborn (where I work)
·         she moves to Pimlico (not far from me)
·         the mystery involves a barrister (I work with barristers)
·         it’s set in the 30s (I love art deco and 30s fashion)
·         AND it’s a well-written page-turner

I got hooked on the Thora series whilst in Iceland (you can check that trip out here, here, here, here and here), and I am currently reading Ashes to Dust:

·         it’s set in modern day Iceland (I love Iceland)

·         it’s gruesomely thrilling (the first one narrowly escaped a night in the freezer)

·         the heroine is very intelligent and likable (I love a good heroine)

·         the translator is good (or so I suspect. It still flows, and I like the style.)

Yes, I have a detective 'stache bookmark

Warning, Thora is not for the faint of heart. The faint of heart should stick with Maisie.
Although there are more in my stack, my next book will not be a mystery – I'm already peering over my shoulder suspiciously, jumping at sirens, and checking the stairwell at work for bodies...