Sunday 31 January 2010

Serial Anticipations for Winter/Spring 2010

A few years ago, I fell into a reading routine that included seeking out book series, particularly British cosy mysteries.  I read blogs and reviews of such books and got into the habit of following a set of characters through a series of novels.  This can be quite a comforting exercise if you enjoy the style of writing and the world created by the writer and you are always (more or less) assured of another instalment in a year or so (once you've binged on the whole available oeuvre).

This year, I am looking forward to the publication of quite a few novels.  Some of these authors publish an instalment in a series annually, whilst the amazing Alexander McCall Smith manages to publish four or more books a year!

There are other anticipated novels that are due to be published later in the year, and I shall place those on the blog as the cover art becomes available.

Are you a series reader?  What series novels do you look forward to reading each year?


February 2010
25   Precious and the Puggies: Precious Ramotswe's Very First Case - Alexander McCall Smith
This is a children's book about Mma Ramotswe and is published in Scots, ahead of an English publication in 2011. A glossary is provided and I am sure that adult fans will find it a thrilling enterprise.



March 2010
4   The Double Comfort Safari Club (No. 1 Ladies' 11) - Alexander McCall Smith
I have tried to get into The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency but have had to put it on hold as the prose does not click with me.  I have, however, enjoyed the film series and still enjoy discovering the lyrical and whimsical titles of each new novel.  I will attempt the first book soon...



5   The Shooting in the Shop (Fethering Mysteries 11)- Simon Brett
Ah... one of my favourites.  I devoured the whole series in less than a year and love the Sussex setting.  I had to take a break from it two years ago to let the instalments accumulate.  I hope to reacquaint myself with the village of Fethering and its inhabitants again this year.




April 2010
6   The Mapping of Love and Death - Jacqueline Winspear
An excellent series set between the wars that is written beautifully and with great psychological and historical insight.  The first novel, Maisie Dobbs, was less of a mystery novel and more of a psychological one as it sketches out Maisie's war-linked history and lays the foundations for future novels.  The sequels are more crime focused and have been clever and highly enjoyable.  I learnt a lot about Britain between the wars from this inspiring work of fiction.  Highly recommended!

15   The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag (Flavia De Luce Mystery 2) - Alan Bradley
I have read promising reviews about the first in this series, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, so look forward to embarking on this series.




May 2010
1   The Dog Who Came in from the Cold (Corduroy Mansions 2)- Alexander McCall Smith
I love this cover!  This book, and the first instalment, was written as daily chapters that were published online with the ability for readers to comment on the story as it unfolded.  Fans (and newcomers) can still read this book on the Telegraph website here.  There are 78 chapters in total and also access to an audio version read by the wonderful Andrew Sachs.  Hurry as these are likely to be removed from the website shortly before the book's publication.

2 comments:

lyn said...

Cristina, thank you for your kind comments on my blog. Abby is obviously the real star of the blog & it's an excuse for me to crawl around the garden on my stomach with a camera looking for her best angles. I love mystery series too. I read The Dog Who... in instalments by email late last year & loved it. Freddie De La Hay (the dog in question) is wonderful & I'm obviously not a dog person. I've added you to my blog list, we have several authors in common.

Cristina (Rochester Reader) said...

Welcome Lyn! Thanks for stopping by and kindly adding me to your blog list.

Yes, Freddie is something and I am still saving up 'The Dog Who...' as a treat. I tried not to read it at the time but I will be savouring it soon - I'm surprised I had the resolve... so tempting :-)

Have you met Cyril from McCall Smith's '44 Scotland Street' series? They are my favourite AMS books and Cyril the dog (with the golden tooth and resultant twinkling smile) is such a sweetheart and a bit of a super dog, really :-)

It's funny that AMS writes about dogs in a couple of his series when he has quite a cat living with him. He's a Tonkinese called Augustus Basil and you can watch him muscle in on the show here (50 seconds in): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR8Ka-s7VF4