Here’s what I read in May:

1. The Serpent on the Crown by Elizabeth Peters (350 p.)
2. Tomb of the Golden Bird by Elizabeth Peters (381 p.) The last two “Amelia Peabody” mysteries. I read through most of the series last month. Delectable series, although the earlier books are better, I think.

3. The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby (209 p.) Exactly what it sounds like–a book on photography. Each page is a tip or a method written as simple advice, as if you and the author were out on a shoot together. Lots of useful hints, though many of them require a DSLR to use … but not all of them! Short, simple, helpful.

4. A Fine Fleece: Knitting with Handspun Yarns by Lisa Lloyd (156 p.) Tips on preparing and spinning a fleece, and then patterns for using the yarn–including some very nice patterns. Good book, though I wish some of the sweater photos were less “artistic” and more practical in terms of seeing the actual shape of the sweater.

5. Search the Dark by Charles Todd (310 p.) Second Inspector Rutlege book, taking place just after WWI. I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first one, a nice, intelligent mystery with an engaging lead character who’s stricken with a post-traumatic-stress-syndrome ghost of his very own who “comments” on the case as it moves along.

6. Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition) by Bryan Peterson (158 p.) Another photography book, and a really good one. It explains very clearly, with some lovely photos as illustration, what exactly “exposure” is in a photograph and the whys and hows of taking advantage of it. I was really impressed with this one.

7. The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime by Jasper Fforde (382 p.)
8. The Fourth Bear: A Nursery Crime by Jasper Fforde (378 p.) Ah, Jasper Fforde, with his wacky and totally unique sense of humor. These are his two “Nursery Crime” books–in the first, Detective Jack Spratt (with his new assistant, Constable Mary Mary) investigates the mysterious death of Humpty Dumpty, and in the second, he looks into the disappearance of an investigative reporter known to her friends as Goldilocks… Silly, funny, totally creative. I admit that I like the Thursday Next books better, but, really, no complaints. These were both highly enjoyable.

9. The Game of Kings (Lymond Chronicles, 1) by Dorothy Dunnett (543 p.)
10. Queens’ Play (Lymond Chronicles, 2) by Dorothy Dunnett (432 p.) The first two of the Lymond Chronicle books–one of the best historical fiction series ever (in my own, personal opinion). These two are almost stand-alones, telling a more-or-less self-contained story in each, but laying a lot of the background needed to appreciate later books in the series. I like the second one a little better–the first one always takes me a while to “get into,” but really, they’re both so good, who cares? Elaborate, multi-layered, you can never be sure what’s going on or who (since the author is ruthless) is going to get killed next, they’re just fabulous books.

11. Mystic and Rider (The Twelve Houses, Book 1) by Sharon Shinn (440 p.)
12. The Thirteenth House (The Twelve Houses, Book 2) by Sharon Shinn (423 p.)
13. Dark Moon Defender (The Twelve Houses, Book 3) by Sharon Shinn (435 p.)
14. Reader and Raelynx (The Twelve Houses, Book 4) by Sharon Shinn (420 p.) The “Twelve Houses” series by Sharon Shinn. Now it’s no secret that I adore Sharon Shinn, though these may not be my favorite of her books–they are much more classic kind of fantasy than some of her others–quest, magic, swordplay–and yet they’re still well worth the read. Each book has a love story at its heart, without being at all a “romance” kind of book. The love stories aren’t the point, they just add extra zing to the story of a world where there are mystics who are gifted with magic by the gods, and those who are fantatically against them and rebelling against the king. Good books, definitely enjoyable.

15. The Peabody Sisters: Three Women Who Ignited American Romanticism by Megan Marshall (452 p.) A biography of a trio of sisters–Elizabeth, Mary, and Sophie–who were each instrumental in the Transcendetalism movement that swept through New England (and elsewhere) in the mid 1800’s. Fascinating women of whom I’d never heard before. Really good biography. Interesting.

16. The Disorderly Knights by Dorothy Dunnett (503 p.)
17. Pawn in Frankincense by Dorothy Dunnett (486 p.) The next two books in the Lymond Chronicles. These two rather work as a pair because they both center on Francis Crawford trying to outwit and defeat the same villain.

18. Knitalong: Celebrating the Tradition of Knitting Together by Larissa Brown & Martin John Brown (154 p.) A very nice book about the social aspects of knitting–whether from people sitting and knitting together, knitting for the same cause, or knitting the same pattern via an internet-base knitalong, it examines why there is such appeal for knitting WITH someone else. Interesting and enjoyable, with some patterns, too.

19. Nikon D40/D40x Digital Field Guide by David D Busch (230 p.) Exactly what it sounds like–a full-length guide to using all the features on my new camera.

20. The Ringed Castle by Dorothy Dunnett (521 p.) Fifth Lymond Chronicle book, with him now the head of the Russian army under Ivan the Terrible, and his on-paper-only bride settling in at the English court of Queen Mary and looking into Francis’ “irregular” background.

21. Aunt Maria by Diana Wynne Jones (214 p.) Mig, her brother and mother go to visit her father’s aunt–a sweetly manipulative woman who may actually be evil… and be able to turn people into animals!

22. Dealing with Dragons: The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Book One by Patricia Wrede (212 p.)
23. Searching for Dragons: The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Book Two by Patricia Wrede (242 p.) The first two books of this engaging little series (and my favorites). They’re kind of a spoof on a classic fairy tale where the princess gets captured by a dragon and rescued by a prince–because in this case, the princess is actually bored with embroidery lessons and volunteers to become a dragon’s princess, and happily settles down to organize her treasure and library and chase off any knights who come to “rescue” her. Funny and light, they are YA books and simply fun.

24. Little House in the Big Woods Book and Charm (Charming Classics) by Laura Ingalls Wilder (238 p.) Well, it’s a classic–the very first “Little House” book from when the Ingalls family still lived in Wisconsin and Laura was 4-5 years old. Sweet. Wholesome. Classic. And the Garth Williams’ illustrations? Perfection.

• Tags: Monthly Reading List, Reading • Permalink:Books from May //