Spell the Month in Books – December 2023 and RIP K.M. Peyton

From books I have read this year:

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross (2023). Iris is alone after her brother goes to war and her mother dies (orphan alert!). The journalism career – and rivalry with handsome but annoying Roman Kitt – that meant so much to her now seems meaningless, but she uses what she’s learned to get a job as a war correspondent so she can find her missing brother. My review.

Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie (1941). Hercule Poirot is staying at a small resort hotel off the Devon coast when a beautiful actress is murdered. Her scandalous behavior has resulted in plenty of alienated people with motives but even Poirot is stumped for a while. My review.

Courses for Horses by Caroline Akrill (2023). Thirty years ago, the author wrote a horse series in which teenage Elaine was desperate to make a career as an eventer, taking a job with the Fane sisters who rarely had enough money to pay her. Akrill decided to write a fourth book in which Elaine has recognized she does not have the talent to continue eventing and decided to open a riding school; it is very entertaining.

Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena (2023). When nine-year-old Ella Wooler disappears mysteriously, her father is terrified his affair with a neighbor will be revealed, so does not tell the police everything he knows - or did. It turns out he is not the only person on the block with secrets that will slow down the search for Ella. This suspense author has really grown on me – I’ve listened to three of her audiobooks since September: they are fast-paced and entertaining, perfect for my commute.  The only flaw is that I feel they are full of twists just for the sake of the twistiness, not so much to advance the plot.  This seems to be a trend.

Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune (2023). Fern and Will spent one perfect day together in Toronto when they were in their early 20s and promised to meet in Muskoka in exactly a year. But Will didn’t show up and Fern was devastated. Years later, she has moved on and is working at the family hotel when Will suddenly appears as a consultant who can help save the business – if she can trust him.  I wanted to read this because I have visited Muskoka and had just been in Toronto.  My review.

Blitzcat by Robert Westall (1989). An intrepid black cat pines for her owner when he joins the RAF, and resents the new baby Geoff’s wife, Florrie Wensley, fusses over instead of her in this children's book. Sensing strongly that Geoff is somewhere, she sets off to find him. She won’t let World War II interfere with her quest. My review.

Evil Things by Katja Ivar (2019). Set in 1952, this police procedural series launch features a bad-tempered, female murder squad detective, demoted from Helsinki to a remote Lapland village, then sent to a settlement near the Soviet border by her chauvinistic boss to investigate an old man's disappearance.

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld (2023). I loved this book about an SNL-like comedy writer who falls for the guest host/musical star, curses herself for sabotaging his friendly overtures, and then reconnects with him during the pandemic.  This may turn up on my Best of 2023 list in January.  Stay tuned - the votes have not yet been tallied!

A varied assortment: one YA fantasy and a YA horse story, one juvenile WWII book, three mystery/suspense, and two romantic novels.

Off the Blog: So sad to hear one of my all-time favorite authors, K.M. Peyton, author of Flambards and many other beloved books, passed away last week.  For years I have been meaning to write to her and this is what happens to procrastinators!  Above is a look at my shelf of her books.  Jane Badger has written a lovely tribute - like many readers, I had virtually no interest in horses yet was enthralled by these books (and quite a few do not involve horses at all).  Here is the obituary from the Telegraph.