Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: The Escape Reading Edition

Rain, rain, and more rain kept me inside for the bulk of last week. Ugh. I was beginning to feel stir-crazy. Maybe it was a good thing, though, because I have so much work to do.

The second week of the Olympics played in the background, but neither of us seemed to be very committed to watching. We intermittently turned to the news or let the games play while we read or did other things.

I'm looking forward to getting back to our regular shows or perhaps streaming an Oscar-nominated movie or two.

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman (Listening Library; 16 hr, 15 min) read by Katherine McEwan. This fantasy is set in the world Hartman created for Seraphina (my review here), but works absolutely as a standalone because it focuses on one of Seraphina's half-sisters. Tess has always been strong willed and an independent thinker, neither of which is a becoming characteristic of upper-society women. Despite her rebelliousness, she had a fairly sheltered upbringing, which left her vulnerable to a young man's attentions. Consequently, her family plots to place Tess in a nunnery. Needless to say, she runs away from home, ill-prepared but determined to survive on her own terms, whatever it takes. Through her adventures on the road and with the help of friends, both old and new, she finds her inner strength and discovers her true self. I enjoyed Tess's medieval-type world, which is inhabited by humans, dragons, and other creatures. The court politics and general societal details were believable and consistent, and the interplay between myth and science was well done. I liked the themes of self-reliance, friendship, prejudice, and redemption. Tess gets out scrapes a little too conveniently, but I was invested in her journey and rooted for her to find happiness and peace. The book does not end on a cliff-hanger, but there are clearly more Tess adventures to come. Audiobook notes: McEwan's characterizations and dialogue are strong, and her performance is expressive, capturing Tess's wide range of emotions. She has tendency to fall into a rhythmic cadence, but I was swept up in the audiobook nonetheless. (review copy)

Death of a Celebrity by M. C. Beaton (Blackstone Audio, 5 hr, 19 min), read by Graeme Malcolm. I can't believe it's been a year since I read my last Hamish Macbeth mystery. This is the 17th installment in the series, and although you could start here, it's really best to read these mysteries from the beginning. Hamish Macbeth is a village constable in the Scottish highlands. He's smart and a good detective and has successfully avoided promotion. This is a good thing; he doesn't want to move to the city, and he doesn't do well with precinct rules and regulations. These books aren't considered to be cozies because Hamish isn't an amateur sleuth, but the stories are as much about the easygoing copper and his village as they are about the murder investigations. In this outing, a tell-all television series is set to be filmed in Lochdubh, which has the townsfolk both excited and nervous. It seems that everybody has a long-buried secret he or she doesn't want exposed on national TV. When the snotty host of the series is found dead in her car from carbon monoxide poisoning, Hamish doesn't believe it was suicide, despite the hose running from the exhaust pipe. Only after two more deaths, does Hamish finally tease out the facts of the case to solve the mystery. These books are light, short, and fun. They are great escape reading and the plots are deceptively complex. Plus I love the setting and the people in Hamish's life. As all good series, the characters grow and change and their relationships deepen. I had some issues with the last installment, but fortunately, Beaton--and Hamish--are back to form in this book. Audiobook notes: I will be forever saddened that Davina Porter (with her lovely Scottish accent) no longer reads this series. I'm trying my best to get over this because there's nothing really wrong with Malcolm's performance. His accent isn't as engaging, but his pace and understanding of the characters are fine. I'll get used to him. (personal copy)