April 8 - 14, 2018

Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch - Peter Grant, the junior member of the magic dept in the London police force is out of London into the countryside in the 5th book. Two girls are missing and there may be some magic involved. Something is stirring in the night and it might be a unicorn. The author is also back to the unnecessary sex scenes.

3 stars
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The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch - Peter investigates a drug overdose with magic overtones and is caught in a search for revenge by the Faceless Man. Way too many acronyms. It seems to me the author is trying to establish that he knows police procedure while at the same time making fun of it.

2 stars
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Murder in Vegas:New Crime Tales of Gambling and Desperation edited by Michael Connelly - I should have known better by the title. Sordid stories of cheating, double crosses, and murder. I only kept reading hoping to find one good story.

1 star
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Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger - a famous singer is missing and Cork O'Connor is asked by her father to go into the wilderness to find her. There are also other men searching for her but their minds are bent on murder. And winter is coming fast. The second in a long series. I don't think I'll read anymore.

3 stars
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Born a Crime:Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah - born of a white father and black mother, Trevor's very existence was a crime. In between his stories he gives a history of apartheid and the aftermath of freedom. I hope he writes more about how he left South Africa.

4.5 stars
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The Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing - Mary Turner almost accidentally finds herself married to a farmer in Rhodesia. Their poverty, the heat, and her hatred of the natives working for them slowly drive her mad and to a relationship with her houseman, Moses, that will have no good outcome for anyone. The writing is beautiful, hated the story. Especially hard to read after the previous book.

1 star
*RHC - a book of colonial or post-colonial literature