Tag: Books

“Stalking Jack the Ripper” Series Wrap Up

Published on by Meaghan Elizabeth

As I mentioned in my May Reading Wrap Up, I recently finished reading the Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco. I started this series around the time when the first book came out in 2016, and then I was paused on it for a bit and read the last two books this year. I thoroughly enjoyed the series, and it is one that I am already thinking about re-reading, so I thought that I would do a series wrap up with my overall thoughts.

The Stalking Jack the Ripper series is a Young Adult mystery/thriller/historical fiction series set in the late 1800’s. The first book is set in London during the Ripper murders (as the names implies), but the series does not stay in London and later books explore other historical events and figures such as Vlad the Impaler, Houdini, and the White City Devil.

For this wrap up, I’m going to give a brief synopsis of each book and then I will sum up my thoughts on the series in a few points. I am going to keep this wrap up spoiler free. There are a few things (such as mention of a romance), that could be considered spoilers, but they are mentioned on the backs of the later books, or in the Goodreads descriptions, so I’m going to consider them not spoilers… And I promise I won’t go into detail about those “border line” topics.

I want to note that I listened to all 4 books on audiobook, and thoroughly enjoyed them in that format. If you enjoy listening to audiobooks, these are ones that I would highly recommend checking out.

Book #1 – Stalking Jack the Ripper

Throughout the series we follow our main character Audrey Rose Wadsworth, and we see the events through her eyes. She would much rather spend her time in her Uncles’ laboratory learning about forensics and investigating murders than in engaging in the typical societal pursuits. In this first instalment, Audrey Rose, her Uncle, and her new, often aggravating acquaintance, Thomas Cresswell, are right in the middle of the Jack the Ripper investigations. The investigation quickly becomes personal as Audrey Rose and her companions rush to discover the identity of Jack the Ripper and put an end to his reign of terror.

Book #2 – Hunting Prince Dracula

In this story, we leave London and follow Audrey Rose and Thomas to a school of forensic medicine in the heart of Romania. The school is located in the castle of Prince Vlad the Impaler – also known as Vlad Dracula – making the setting dark, creepy, and atmospheric. Our main characters are once again faced with a series of murders to investigate, these ones bearing a terrifying resemblance to those of the Impaler. The lines between myth and reality become blurred as Thomas and Audrey Rose, along with a number of new characters, rush to identify and stop the killer.

Book #3 – Escaping From Houdini

In this book, we once again follow Audrey Rose, Thomas and her Uncle, this time as they embark on a week long voyage across the Atlantic travelling from London to New York. They are to be entertained nightly on their voyage by a troupe of circus performers, fortune tellers and a daring young escape artist (three guesses who…) The voyage is not destined to be one of pleasure only, however, as young women begin to go missing and then people begin to die in brutal and shocking ways. Thomas and Audrey Rose must rush to figure out who the murderer is before they arrive at their destination, and before someone close to Audrey Rose comes to harm.

Book #4 – Capturing the Devil

In this finale, Audrey Rose, Thomas and her Uncle are on the hunt for the elusive killer known as the White City Devil. In this instalment our main characters travel from New York to Chicago in the hopes of capturing the killer who has not only been hunting in New York, but who they suspect to be connected to the murders on their voyage across the Atlantic, Thomas and Audrey Rose find themselves in the middle of an investigation that threatens to turn deadly at every turn.

My Thoughts

1) History with a twist

One of the things I loved the most about this series was the way Maniscalco took historical events and people as inspiration but then expanded on the well know stories to create new and exciting plot lines. Knowing the true stories, especially in the case of Books 1 and 2 for me, didn’t take away from the plot of these books in anyway because Maniscalco came up with ways to make the stories fresh and unpredictable. The world the books are set in is clearly our own, and yet not quite ours all at once.

2) The Second Book Slump?

I have long enjoyed books that combine the history of Vlad the Impaler with a touch (or more) of the mythical and fantastical. And this book was no exception. The mix of legend and reality in the story was well executed and throughly enjoyable, but for some reason, looking back, something about this one fell just a bit flat. I can’t put my finger on why – maybe second book syndrome? – but this book was probably my least favourite of the series.

3) Thomas and Audrey Rose’s Relationship

I loved this aspect of the series. It may not be for everyone, and I read a couple reviews from people who thought the romance/friendship was given too much space and time as the series went along, but I really enjoyed it. I especially liked the way their friendship and relationship grew and developed over the course of the series. Both Thomas and Audrey Rose made mistakes and they hav disagreements to work through, but they also grew in their relationship and learned how to compromise, respect each other and communicate. And I really liked that aspect of the story.

4) Character Development and Growth

Along the same lines as my previous point, I enjoyed how both Audrey Rose and Thomas changed over the course of the series. Neither are exactly the same people in book 4 as they were in book 1. They both grow and change and are impacted by the events that they face in each book. I was impressed with how Maniscalco had her characters grow and develop as individuals along with growing in their relationship.

5) The Connecting Plots

Each book in the series centres around a different mystery and investigation. Despite this, you really shouldn’t read the books out of order. There is a story line, outside of the character development and relationships, that connects the entire series. Jumping in out of order would leave you missing references and feeling quite confused. Sometimes with thriller and mystery series’ it can be difficult to have a balance between a new, gripping mystery and series development and growth in each book, and I thought Maniscalco did a good job finding this balance.

6) A few miscellaneous “cons”

Very few books or series get everything right all the time, and this series is no exception. Though I would say that the pros for this series definitely outweigh the cons. One thing that took me out of the story frequently was Maniscalco’s tendency to overstate some of the themes or points she was trying to get across. While I almost always agreed with the points, and understand that we were supposed to be seeing the themes through Audrey Rose’s perspective, it felt a tad heavy handed at times. This improved as the series went on and these points were less clunky by book 4

My only other complaint would be the loose ends. I think it’s good when a series doesn’t tie up all loose ends or storylines. I like to be left feeling like the characters are going to continue living and having adventures after the last cover closes. But there were a few things in this series, in particular with relation to certain side characters, that I would have liked answers to, or a little bit more information about.

One other thing I would like to mention before we wrap up is that something a bit odd happens as part of the conclusion to Book 1. I thought it was an interesting twist, but I can see it being the type of thing that turns some off from the series. I would say, though, that if you didn’t love that part but enjoyed the characters and the rest of the story, it might be worth checking out the rest of the series.

In Conclusion

I highly enjoyed this series, and would give it an overall rating of 4 stars. This isn’t an average, I gave a couple of the books 3 star ratings, but since the last two books have made me want to re-read the series, and pick up something else by Maniscalco, I think that 4 is what I am going to settle on for overall rating. Consider it a “whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts” type of situation.

If you enjoy mysteries and thrillers with a touch of fantasy and a solid side of friendship and romance, then you should definitely pick this series up. The characters are fun and exciting and I enjoy that the author is exploring forensic medicine and investigation against a Jack the Ripper time period and back drop.

Have you read any books in this series? If so, what did you think of them? Can you recommend to me any other mystery/thrillers similar to this series?

Until Next Time,

Meaghan Signature

May 2020 Reading Wrap Up

Published on by Meaghan Elizabeth

If you’ve been around the book blog or Booktube world, for any length of time, then you will be familiar with wrap ups. They’re generally monthly, but they can be other frequencies as well – quarterly tends to be popular, as are end of year wrap ups. I’m not sure yet if I want to continue to post monthly wrap ups, or if I want to post them less frequently, but we shall see how it goes.

After having a very successful reading month in April with the Magical Readathon, May was borderline a reading slump. I’ve still been watching/listening to a fair amount of YouTube, so I haven’t listened to as many audiobooks as normal, and right up until the last week of the month, I could not bring myself to pick up an e-book or a physical book. I didn’t know what I wanted to read, and I had zero motivation. I still managed to have a not bad reading month, and I finally read a book at the end of the month that seems to have snapped me out of my slump… so here’s to hoping for an even better June!

The Books I Finished in May

Image of Book Covers

Audiobooks = 3
E-books = 2

1. On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle (2 Stars, Audiobook)

I was so disappointed with this book. Years ago I read a later book in this series and I can remember enjoying it, but never pursued reading more of the series. So, when I found the first book available as an audiobook at my library, I was excited to give it a try. I don’t know if it’s a matter of the series getting better as it progresses, or if this is a series that doesn’t hold up across the years or the way that I have changed and grown as a reader, but there was too much that bothered me and not enough enjoyable about the story to balance it out.

The book is dated in its language and some of its themes, and there was a lot that made me cringe. I am generally willing to provide a certain amount of leeway to account for the time in which a novel was written, but I had a hard time doing that in this case. And quite frankly, other than the information about coffee included throughout, the story itself was not engaging enough for me to overlook the many things that I didn’t like. I doubt that I will read more in this series.

2. Fool Moon by Jim Butcher (4 Stars, Audiobook)

I originally gave this book 3 Stars on Goodreads, but on looking back, I think it’s closer to a 3.5 or a 4. This is the second book in The Dresden Files series, and I am really enjoying the series so far. The series focuses on Harry Dresden – a wizard living in Chicago, who specializes in paranormal investigations and consultation. He also consults for the police department… or at least he did.The start of this book finds Harry dealing with some of the consequences of his actions in the first book, and on top of all that, it seems like Chicago might have a werewolf problem.

Harry is a man of many flaws, many of which he is starting to become more aware of over the course of this book. I can only hope his personal development will continue. The mystery in this instalment was solid, and well written – even more so than that of the first book – and I really enjoyed it. And I am thoroughly enjoying the mixture of mystery and fantasy. So far, this series is shaping up to be everything I hoped it would be.

3. The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (4 Stars, E-book)

The blurb describes this book as “Steel Magnolias meets Dracula,” and though I’m not overly familiar with Steel Magnolias, I would say that’s not a bad description. This is the book that pulled me out of my reading slump. Instead of needing to force myself to pick it up, I absolutely couldn’t put it down. I was hooked from the first page to the last – even if it made me somewhat worried about a vampire crawling into my bedroom window.

I don’t read a lot of horror because I don’t like a lot of gore or gruesomeness, and I often find that the topics in horror novels make me uncomfortable outside of the creepiness. I don’t often like to read those types of topics, so I have a hard time finding horror that I want to read. Because of that, I want to make it very clear that this book dealt with some very uncomfortable and terrible topics, and it will not be for everyone. The bad things are condemned by the book and the characters within it, but it is still uncomfortable, and at times upsetting, to read.

This book was creepy, and uncomfortable, and infuriating, and it was supposed to be. But I enjoyed the story and the women who were the main characters, even if they also drove me nuts at times. And don’t even get me started on the husbands. Overall, this was a hit for me, and I absolutely loved how the author pitted his monster against a group of Southern housewives.

4. Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco (4 Stars, Audiobook)

This is the fourth and final book in the “Stalking the Jack the Ripper” series, and I loved it! I’m not going to go into too much detail, since it’s the 4th book in the series, and I don’t want to include any spoilers here. I am also planning on doing a spoiler free wrap up of the series next week. What I will say is that I think this was my favourite book of the series, and I am going to miss the characters very much. I will definitely be picking up whatever the author writes next.

This book takes us on a thrilling chase from New York to Chicago in search of a serial killer stalking the White City. Based on the true story of the White City Devil, which I did not know much about prior to now, this book has moved Erik Larson’s non-fiction Devil in the White City higher up on my TBR for sure. Set against the background of the World’s fair, and with the main characters facing just about as much drama in their personal lives as in their search for th killer, this book was definitely a wild ride. Stay tuned for my series wrap up coming soon.

5. Small Town Hearts by Lillie Vale (3 Stars, E-book)

This was a nice, light, summery read. Set in a small, coastal town in Maine, this story feels like summer through and through. The main character, Babe, is in that last summer between High School and the rest of her life. And her summer is not going to go anything like what she had planned. Between having a major fall out with her best friends at the start of summer, and breaking her one rule of “never dating a summer boy,” her summer will be one to remember, even if she’s not sure she’ll enjoy the memories.

While not joining the ranks of my favourite YA contemporary romances, this was enjoyable and fun. I had a hard time getting used to the main character’s name being “Babe”, which is a silly complaint, but it took me at least the first half to get used to it, and before that it was very distracting. I also wish that there had been a bit more depth to the characters. I always felt they were holding me at arms length, and I didn’t get as drawn into their lives as I would have liked. But overall, it was an enjoyable and fun read. I think this would be the perfect beach read.

Those are all the books that I have in May. Though there was one book that I really didn’t enjoy, overall I think that I had success with the books that I ended up reading. I think my favourite book from this month would have to be Capturing the Devil.

What about you? What was your favourite book that you read in May? Do you enjoy reading wrap ups? Or do you prefer to read individual book reviews? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,

Meaghan Signature

Mapping the Books – Reading around the World and Across Genres

Published on by Meaghan Elizabeth

I don’t know about you, but I love it when a book includes maps in the front. I love how they allow you to situate a book in a place – especially when that place is not part of this world. Whether you reference the map as you read the story, or only look at it at the start, the map is one of the tools that the author uses to ground their story in a setting and to create a world. If the places that the characters visit are marked on a map, they are made that much more real.

I love maps. Between maps in books and maps in travel, I am often referencing them.

Today I want to introduce a new series that combines books and maps in a different way. I’m not actually sure if it should be classified as a series, as it’s more of a way to manage and organize books and posts… but don’t think there’s a word that sums that up. And since there will be posts directly related to this organizational method… series it is.

Maps Spread out on a Table

The Background

As I have mentioned before, when I started up this blog I knew that I wanted to write about both reading and travel. I had many brainstorming sessions to think up ways to combine the two on an ongoing basis. One of the ideas that came out of these sessions was to map out the books that I read, books that I would like to read, or use maps to create reading lists for specific places.

The more I thought about it, the more I started to get really excited about the idea of being more intentional in reading books from different areas of the world. I also wanted to see where the books that I read and talk about are located, and how they’re spread out around the world. I have an idea about where the majority of books I read are set, but as someone with both history and math in her background, I love the idea of seeing it actually laid out and plotted.

My vision for this is to have clickable maps that allow you to navigate to a section of the world of books and see all the posts about the books from that area. At this point, however, I’m not completely sure how to make that happen. I don’t know if I can add such a thing to a blog without major programming required. I have a few ideas, but I need to work on it and play with it some more. In the meantime, the world of books will be organized into separate pages to group the books from each area.

A Series in Two Sections

This series is going to consist of two parts, at least to start. The first will be mapping books in the physical world. This section will include books of any genre that are set in “real” locations on earth or in space. These might be books that are set in alternate, or more fantastical, versions of real locations, as well as those that are more realistic. If you can find it on a map then it can be included, even if it’s completely different than how we know the place in the past or present.

The second section will be the world of genres. This section is one that will definitely be more interesting once I can figure out how to make clickable images, but I’m going to start it up now and work towards the vision. For now, this section will organize the books I read and talk about by genre. I would like this world map of genres to include everything from Fantasy to Non-Fiction.

I love the idea of seeing books and genres on a map. In the case of the genres, it’s fun to imagine what they would look like on a map. What are the continents, and the countries? Which genres are “border” each other? There are so many things that I want to explore with this series, and I’m excited to get started with it.

You can find the “Map of Books” page and the “Map of Genres” pages linked below. They will also be linked under the “books” menu going forward, once I get that set up.

Do you enjoy maps? Do you categorize the types of books that you read or look for trends in this way? Do you find that you read books mostly from one area of the world or do you read more widely? Let me know in the comments!

World Map of Books
The Map of Genres

Until next time!

Meaghan Signature

Reading Books from Each Year of My Life 1986-2020

Published on by Meaghan Elizabeth

Hello! Welcome back to another reading challenge post. Last week I talked about how I enjoy setting reading challenges, and reading lists for myself. (You can check that post out here for some background.) Today I wanted to talk about another challenge that I am currently working my way through. I started this challenge in July of 2019 just after my birthday, and the goal was that it would be a year long challenge. Seeing as how we are almost at the 1 year mark, and I am only a third of the way through, that is not going to happen. So I’m extending it another year.

I got the idea when Emma from Drinking by My Shelf completed a challenge where she read a number of books from the day she was born. I really loved the idea, and started looking into doing that for myself. As I was looking for books that were published in 1986, I decided that I wanted to switch the challenge up a bit for myself, and read a book from each year of my life. Because I’m apparently incapable of setting challenges of reasonable length.

Because of the way the years work out, I’ll be reading 1 book more than my actual age. Since I am not going to be completing this challenge by this year’s birthday, I’ve added 2020 on to the list. So the challenge covers 1986-2020, which is 35 books. 35 books isn’t unreasonable for me to read in a year, but I like to read a wide variety of books, as well as reading more current books, which makes it more difficult.

There are some years where I am determined to read a specific book, or one out of a couple books. In these cases, even if I read a different book from that year, I’m not going to consider the slot completed, unless I get to the end of the challenge and find that I still haven’t picked up the preferred book. On the other hand, there are a some years where, if I happen across a book that fits the year but wasn’t on my initial list, then that’s the book I’ll put into the slot.

I’m also trying to not fill too many slots with multiple books in a series, if possible.This means that if an author I love releases a book a year, I’m not going to binge read their books and list them for 5 or 6 consecutive years. Make sense? One exception to this rule for now is The Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett – there are a few books from that series on the list of possible titles.

I decided not to list all the options I’ve included on my list because it’s so rough, and fluid, so I will just mention the books I end up using to fill the slot. I’ll try to give a progress update every few months, depending on how many books I get through in the time. For now, here are the books I have read so far. I have completed 13/35.

1986 – The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
This is book 2 in the Discworld series. I enjoyed this one, though it’s not among my favourites. There were some great quotes and I liked it better than book 1, so it might even be one I re-read at some point. Stay tuned at some point in the future for more Discworld content, including recommended reading guides.

1988 – The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
This is a short, somewhat strange, book that is SO GOOD. I absolutely loved it and would 100% recommend it. It’s been less than a year since I read it first, and I’m already thinking about re-reading it.

1998 – Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs
This was a re-read. I decided it should have a place on this list since the Temperance Brennan series is a favourite for me and I read and re-read all of them regularly. These books are definitely “comfort reads” for me.

2000 – Storm Front by Jim Butcher
I mentioned this book in my Magical Readathon wrap up post. This is the first book in a Mystery-Fantasy series that I am really enjoying. I have read the first 2 books in the last two months and have the third out from my library already. I may write a more in depth look into the series in an upcoming post.

2011 – The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
This is a fantasy retelling of the story of Achilles. I didn’t love this as much as Circe, by the same author, but it was really enjoyable and I will definitely keep reading Madeline Miller’s books. If you enjoy Greek myth retellings, these are definitely ones to look into.

2012 – Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger
This is the first book in a Middle Grade fantasy series that I have started reading over the past year. I am loving it so much. The characters and the stories are so well written! It is without a doubt a new favourite series. There are 8 books out so far.

2013 – NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
This one was definitely out of my comfort zone, as it is horror, but I think I enjoyed it? I’m still not completely sure how I would rate it. It is very long, and it is the type of book that felt long. It is also the type of book that is supposed to make you uncomfortable at times.

2014 – Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Unpopular opinion – I didn’t really like this book. There. I said it. For the most part I enjoyed the first part of the book. But then there’s a twist/switch part way through that ruined the book for me. It wasn’t the twist itself, but everything that happened after the twist. I will probably still check out more Gillian Flynn in the future.

2016 – The Dry by Jane Harper
This is the first book in a Mystery/Thriller series set in Australia. It took me awhile to get into the story, but I’m not sure if I was trying to do too much while listening to the audiobook. I plan on picking up at least one more book in this series.

2017 – The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The internet loves this book. I will say that this wasn’t my favourite Taylor Jenkins Reid book – I think that place goes to Daisy Jones and the Six, but I really enjoyed this one. I love the writing style, and the way that it makes you feel like the characters mentioned could actually exist.

2018 – Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
This is the first Robert Jackson Bennett book that I have read, as well as the first book in a new fantasy series. I loved the magic system in this book, and I really enjoyed the story and the characters. My favourite character is the talking key… are you intrigued? This was a five-star read for me and I cannot wait to pick up 2.

2019 – The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
This was such a cute contemporary romance. I loved the writing, and I loved the concept, which is two people living in the same flat (apartment) that work completely opposite schedules and communicate primarily through sticky notes. Would highly recommend.

2020 – The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson
This is the third and final book in the “Truly Devious” series. It is a young adult mystery series set in a strange boarding school with a mysterious past. I thought this one wrapped up the trilogy well, and I enjoy where they left the characters. I think book 2 might have been my favourite, but this is definitely a trilogy that I plan on re-reading.

Have you read any of these books? Do you have any suggestions for books I should read for the years that I have not yet completed?

Until next time,

Meaghan Signature

Reading the 1920’s: A Reading Challenge

Published on by Meaghan Elizabeth

Happy New Year! We have now officially entered into the Twenty-Twenties! …

The Great Gatsby book in front of Letterboard

Okay, so it’s clearly not January (though I’m not sure any one has informed the weather), and we are already well into this whirlwind that is 2020. This is a “reading goals for the new year” type post, which means that it is at least 4 months late. Because of that, I considered not even posting it. But then I figured that we still have 8 months left in the year, and it seems likely that this challenge will go into 2021, so I might as well just go for it.

A bit of background

I enjoy setting reading challenges for myself. I like to put together lists to challenge myself to read books within a specific theme. Sometimes the lists are seasonally themed, sometimes they are themed by genre or by some other category that interests me. I put these lists together all the time. I would like to think that I’m pretty good at putting together these lists.

What I’m not good at is completing these lists. I start strong, but then I gradually lose interest or motivation or, more often, come up with another shiny new challenge and the old challenge is left to sit unfinished.

Part of the problem is that I’m something of a mood reader. I like the idea of having a structured TBR, and it works for me for a while, but then I get really drawn to a certain author or a certain type of book, and that’s all I want to read. When I’m in one of those moods, forcing myself to read something else can push me into a slump. And then I don’t want to read anything. Which is no good.

The second part of the problem is that I put too many books on the list. Why put together a list of 10 books, when you can put together 20 books instead? Along with making a long list, I am prone to making the timeline too short. These two things together make the challenge unmanageable, and I inevitably just give up. Good challenges should stretch you without being completely unmanageable.

Despite these problems, I keep setting challenges. But I’m working on setting them better. I try to put a variety of genres on a list, and I leave myself open to swapping books out if I decide I have no interest in reading them. I’m also working on setting more accurate timelines. If a book list is long, it should have a long, even more open ended, timeline. Maybe eventually I will set myself a challenge that I can finish!

Onto the Challenge!

This year I decided that since we were entering into the Twenties, I wanted to devote some of my reading time to books set in or written in the 1920s. There are 20 books on this list, because that felt fitting. It’s a long list, but I’m trying to leave the timeline fairly open. I would love to read these all this year, but next year is still going to be the Twenties, so if it becomes a two year challenge, so be it.

The books cover many genres, so there should be something to fit into almost every reading mood. I’m also open to swapping out books if I change my mind, or find something better. I had a difficult time coming up with 20 books that I was interested in for this challenge, so there are a few on here that I already think I might not read. There are also a couple series, so there’s room for one series to take multiple slots if I get hooked.

Since I’m so late in posting this, I have already completed a couple of the books on this list. I’m not going to indicate that here, but I’m going to try and do a mid-year wrap up at the end of June where I’ll talk about my thoughts on the ones I’ve completed by then.

Onto The Books

Images of book covers

1. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (1920)

This, Agatha Christie’s first novel and first in the Poirot series, was first published in 1920. I can’t remember if I’ve read this one before – so it may end up being a re-read. I wonder if I’ll still be surprised by the twist?

2. The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot (1922)

Though I’m familiar with the poem, and have read excerpts, I would like to be able to say that I’ve read the entire thing. I rarely pick up poetry, so this one will definitely stretch my reading.

3. Ulysses by James Joyce (1922)

I have added and removed this book from the list a number of times already. It is a big book, and I really don’t know if I’m going to enjoy it or not. I can already see this being one that I swap out.

4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)

It seems like everyone has heard of the Great Gatsby. I read this book during University, but it has never been one of my favourites. Since it is short, and an iconic book of the decade, I thought a re-read was in order. Perhaps I’ll like it better the second time around.

5. Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh (1930)

Though this book was published in 1930, it is set in the late 1920s. I have never read anything by Evelyn Waugh, but Emma from Drinking By My Shelf (YouTube) raves about this book, so I have decided to give it a try.

6. Whose Body by Dorothy L. Sayers (1923)

Sayers is the second mystery novelist on this list, but unlike Christie, I have not read any books by her yet. This is her first mystery featuring Lord Peter Whimsey. If I enjoy this one, then I think she has quite a few other books that I will be able to add to pick up and enjoy.

7. The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (1927)

When I discovered that there were Sherlock Holmes stories that fit into my publication period, I knew that they needed to be on this list. I am a lover of most things Sherlock Holmes, though I have not actually read all of the original stories. This collection includes the final set of 12 Holmes stories published in the Strand from 1921 to 1927.

8. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (1926)

I originally intended to have 20 different authors on this list, but I was having a difficult time landing on 20 books, and I know that I enjoy Agatha Christie. I am also 99% certain that I have not read this one.

9. Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne (1926)

As I was looking for books to include on this list, I realized that there were a number of classic children’s books written during this time period that I have not yet read. I have always loved Winnie the Pooh, but have read very few of the stories themselves, so I think I will read the stories between other books.

10. The Story of Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting (1920)

I have watched the movie, but never read any Doctor Doolittle stories. And now with the new movie this year, it seemed like a perfect time to pick up this classic.

11. Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery (1923)

L.M. Montgomery is one of my favourite authors, and the Emily of New Moon series are some of my favourite books. I think the last time I read this series had to be when I was in high school, so I am very interested to see what I think of it as an adult.

12. The Secret of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton (1927)

Another mystery! I have wanted to read something Chesterton for ages, but have never managed to pick one up. I am familiar with the Father Brown character, as I have listened to a couple stories that were turned into audio drama’s, so I am hoping that I will enjoy this one.

13. New Hampshire by Robert Frost (1923)

More poetry! Look at me go stretching my reading comfort zone (at least if we ignore all the comfortable mysteries included in this list). This collection includes some of Frost’s most well known poems.

14. The Diviners by Libba Bray

We have now officially reached the section of this list where books are set in the 1920s but written more recently. The Diviners is the first book in the series of the same name set in 1920s New York City. The series is tagged as both fantasy and mystery, and I love that combination!

15. The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

I know very little about this book, other than that it is a short, dark fantasy set in New York in the 1920s. This one is recommended by Books with Emily Fox on YouTube. Sometimes with this type of book, it’s better to go in without knowing too much.

16. The Gallery by Laura Marx Fitzgerald

The Gallery has been on my library TBR for a couple years now but I have never felt the itch to pick it up. The description on Goodreads calls it “an historical art mystery set in the Roaring Twenties”… which sounds pretty amazing and right up my alley.

17. Born of Illusion by Teri Brown

I had not heard of this book before researching this list. With a description that includes words such as “magic,” “romance,” and the “New York Jazz age,” I am hopeful that it will be exactly my cup of tea.

18. Death at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn

I am always looking for a new cozy mystery series to dive into. This is the first book in a cozy mystery series set in 1920s Britain. The description has me completely hooked, and I hope the book can deliver.

19. Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

The front cover of this book practically screams 1920s. It is the first book in a series set in New York during the last summer of the jazz age. I’m not completely convinced that this is one that I will enjoy, because the genre is outside of my comfort zone. But I will give it a try.

20. Wildcard Slot

I didn’t intend to have a “wildcard” slot in this challenge. I had a book slotted into this spot, until I realized it wasn’t set in the 1920s. I’m not sure where I got my misinformation, but I had to remove the book, and I haven’t been able to find a replacement. I am open to suggestions!

Have you read any of the books on this list? If so, what are your favourites? Do you have any other books set in the 1920s or written in the 1920s that you would recommend?

Until next time,

Meaghan Signature

Books And Travel? What’s The Connection?

Published on by Meaghan Elizabeth

In both my first post (which you can read here if you missed it), and on my About page, I have mentioned that my intention is for this blog to be focused around both travel and books. But I haven’t really talked about the reasons why I think that those two topics can be combined in one place.

When I was trying to decide on what type of blog I wanted to start up this time, I kept getting hung up because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to write about just travel. Don’t get me wrong, travel is a great topic on it’s own, and there is so much that can fall under the travel umbrella. My concern wasn’t about having a shortage of things to write about. The main stumbling block was that I didn’t know if I was ready to give up on the idea of writing about books and reading.

The last blog that I started was focused on books and stories. I didn’t get very far with that blog for a variety of reasons, but in trying to decide on my next project, the topic was persistent in popping up in my mind. Reading, books, and stories more generally, are such a big part of my life that I wasn’t ready to give up the idea of writing about the topic.

On the other hand, I knew I didn’t want to work on a blog that was exclusively about books and reading. I wanted to write about other things, and more specifically, I wanted to explore the world of travel blogging. Mixed into all of these considerations was the blogging advice that stress how you should keep your topic narrow. It might seem like a good idea to write about anything and everything, but in practice it’s very hard to pull off. So, what was a girl to do?

After thinking about it for a long while, and working through all of the reasons why it wasn’t a good idea, I finally decided that despite all those reasons, I was going to write about both. I know, I know, shocker. But I kept coming back to the idea that travel and reading might actually work as partner topics. I started thinking about how for me, travel and reading are connected in a lot of different ways. And the more I thought about it, the more I started thinking that, if they’re connected for me, they might be connected for others too.

Not yet convinced of the connections? Let me explain the main points of my thought process.

Image of a book lying open on an open map
Exploring the world through books and travel

1. Books can be a major source of Travel Inspiration

I don’t know if you can relate, but at least a portion of my travel inspiration comes from books that I have read, either directly or indirectly. Have you ever read a book that described a place so well you couldn’t help but wish you were there? Have you ever then gone and researched that place afterwards to see what it might be like to travel there? Have you ever loved a place in a book so much that you booked a trip to that place – maybe not right away – but at some point after you read the book?

When I was a child I fell completely in love with the Anne of Green Gables series, and then in turn with all of L.M. Montgomery’s works. Each additional book that I read made me want to visit Prince Edward Island more. Eventually, I talked about wanting to go so much, that we decided to travel there as a family one summer. Now, my obsession with the Green Gables series obviously wasn’t the only deciding factor, but I know for a fact that if we hadn’t gone that summer, my love for the Anne and Emily books would have driven me to the Island sometime in my life.

2. Travel can be a major source of Reading Inspiration

On the flip side, sometimes travelling to, or being interested in a place in real life, can influence the books that we choose to read. Reading about places that we love can make us feel like we’re back there. I will always love reading books set in London, England, for example, because they remind me of the year I lived there.

We might also pick up books because they are set in a place that we would love to go someday. Sometimes a place grabs hold of our imagination in such a way that even if we never travel there in person, we find ourselves gravitating towards books or movies set in that location. I can’t say when it happened exactly, but at some point in my childhood, I became fascinated with Russia. I will probably never travel to Russia, but I have read many a book primarily because of that setting.

3. Reading can be a form of Travel

Apart from providing us with the inspiration to travel, reading can be a form of travel all on its own. Obviously, books can’t physically transport us to different places (though I think we can all agree that it would be pretty cool if they could), but they do transport us to different worlds while we are reading them. While this might be most apparent within the Fantasy genre, with books that are quite literally set in different worlds, I think it can be true for all genres. A really good book will make you feel like you were living in the world within it’s pages.

Narnia. Middle Earth. Hogwarts. A little house on an unforgiving prairie. All of these, and more, are places that I have travelled to through the pages of books. I am certain that, if you’re a reader of fiction, you have a list like this of your own. I would argue that Non-Fiction also does this in it’s own way, even though the world within the pages is familiar to us. I thought it would be really fun to explore reading from this angle.

4. Books travel with us

This last point may be a stretch, but I think it’s still valid. For people who read, books are an important part of our travel packing. Tablets, phones and e-readers have made travelling with books infinitely more easier, but I don’t think I’ve ever gone on a trip where I didn’t bring at least one book along with me, even before these technologies were an option. I can remember camping trips where I would have packed more books than clothes if I had been fully in charge of my packing. Audiobooks have saved me from many a noisy hostel experience, and ebooks have been a major source of entertainment on bus rides that felt never ending.

The lists of “Beach Reads” that start to come out early summer every year suggest that it’s not too much of a stretch to say that there are books, or types of books, that are good for certain types of trips. Beach Reads. Camping Reads. Plane Reads. Books to listen to on a long road trip… I think that this also could be a fun avenue to explore.

I hope from all that, you can get an idea of what I see when I think about combining these two topics. Maybe as I go, I’ll find that I focus on one over the other, or maybe the topic of this blog will shift into something that I haven’t considered yet. In any case, I’m excited to start writing about travel and reading both alone and combined, and seeing where the journey may take me.

Do you have any stories about a time when a book you read inspired a trip you took? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,

Meaghan Signature

For the stories that take you on adventures, and the adventures that turn into stories.