Covid Wrap Up

I'm back at work today, so I guess my reading binge is officially over. I was out for 10 days and I finished 6 books. I feel pretty good about that because they all came off my shelves of books I own and one of them was from my 10 oldest books shelf.

The First 21: How I Became Nikki Sixx by Nikki Sixx - One of the prompts for my reading challenge was to read a memoir by someone you admire. Nikki Sixx is the bassist for Motley Crue. He's written several memoirs. I've of course read them all. This is about his early life up until he formed Motley Crue in the 70s. I admire his musical ability and the fact that he managed to kick a heroin habit. It killed him once, but they brought him back. And here he is aged almost 60, still going strong.

The Ex Hex by Erin Stirling - This book completes the challenge to read a book set in the Autumn. Vivienne dated a guy for 3 months one summer while she was in college. He let her know he had to go back to England to keep his dad from arranging a marriage for him and she freaked out. To assuage her broken heart, she and her cousin put a curse on him. 10 years later, he comes back to town for a Founders Day (his great somebody founded the town), and it turns out he kind of is cursed. Oops. It is a fun story. Not too thoughty. This is great when you're running a fever.

Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb - I started this book in June, but it was really slow going. 50 pages would take forever. Small print, you know. I read it in between those first two books on the list. After Ex Hex I downloaded the audiobook from my library and read along as I listened. I had to speed the audio up to almost 3x speed so it wouldn't slow down my reading, but I finished it. It was fantastic! Also, it met the challenge prompt to read a book written under a pseudonym. Who knew Robin Hobb is a pen name!

Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin - I read this one after I had read the other 3 books I had brought into my Covid Cave. It had been on my nightstand for months; maybe years. Anyway, it is one of the 10 oldest books on my shelves. It also met the challenge to read a book that starts with the letter B.

The Queen's Man by Sharon Kay Penman - After I read everything I had, I asked Mike for a list of books. At first I got these characters confused with the characters in Royal Assassin because they are both vaguely medieval. Well, this one is definitely set during the crusades as the action is set off by King Richard being captured and held in Rome. This meets the challenge prompt to read 3 books by the same author. This is book one. I have 3 more in this series, so I have a good start.

A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales - This was fun. It was also bizarre. It was a send up of Regency culture. Swampshire England was founded on principles of decorum at all times. It was built on a swamp, hence the name. There is a very long book of rules for ladies in 2 volumes. Beatrice is actually very fond of solving murders she reads about in the London papers. She writes to the detective giving him her take on the cases. At a ball given in the neighborhood, a guest dies a brutal death from poisoning and it just so happens a detective is present. Beatrice helps him solve the murder. I laughed out loud several times. This book meets the challenge prompt to read a book with an intriguing premise. It was indeed intriguing.

I started another book, but I'm only 12% through it, so that will have to wait.

That's my list.