November has very much been a blur, which I think is reflected in my blogging output this month. I only managed 7 reads, one of which I will be discussing next month. Alongside my book reviews I also did a post on 10 books I forgot I had, as well as a new picture quiz. November also saw me join Instagram. If you are on there and enjoy classic crime fiction and inept reels involving cats, then do look me up! (Account Name: armchair_sleuth1920).
In terms of pure mystery novels there was no standout read and looking through my reviews I think the book I had the most fun with (and therefore the book I decided to merit with the Book of the Month accolade) was Norman Lindsay’s The Flyaway Highway (1936). This is the first time a children’s book has won the award. This is a great book to try if you enjoy stories which parody or spoof genre types. Its exploration of mystery fiction is definitely entertaining for fans of detective tales.
Coming up in December I will be launching this year’s Reprint of the Year award on Saturday, so get your thinking caps on as to which titles you think should make the voting list. Over 160 classic crime novels were reprinted this year, so there is plenty of choice!
What books do I hope to read this month? One book which is at the top of the reading list is The Better to Eat You by Charlotte Armstrong. It is my book group read, recommended by moi, so fingers crossed I picked a good one. Although if everyone hates, I suppose that gives us something to talk about? After that I have no firm decisions but here are some of the contenders:
- Crime at Christmas by Gwyn Evans (Its seasonal background makes it a sensible choice to go for)
- The Sunday Pigeon Murders by Craig Rice
- Death of an Old Sinner by Dorothy Salisbury Davis
- Murder a la Mode by Patricia Moyes
Finally, my Coffee and Crime book box subscription is having a sale at the moment until the 27th December, so follow the link if you are interested.
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