Melanie's Week in Review - April 13, 2014

This was a rather unproductive reading week for me and I am not sure why as it seemed I always had my nose in a book. Due to my bad planning I did have to spend 2 tube journeys and 1 lunch finishing a baby blanket I was knitting for a friend of mine. This left with me with just under 8 hours of reading time when I normally enjoy closer to 12. So enough of my whining, what did I read?

I started the week reading The Man from U.N.D.E.A.D -  The Curious Case of the Kidnapped Chemist by Darren Humphries. I can't remember where I got this book from but if it was a recommendation then I owe someone a big 'thank you'. If I found it myself then I need my arms stretched so that I can give myself a big pat on the back. I loved this book and thought it was hilarious. The book centred on Agent Ward from the United Nations Department for the Enforcement and Apprehension of Demons aka U.N.D.E.A.D. Agent Ward has been sent to investigate the disappearance of a young chemist with help from his incredibly lovely sister. A whole series of mishaps befall Agent Ward although with the company credit card with an unlimited limit the road to 'deadsville' might not be so bad. Humphries has excelled at mixing humour with a solid murder mystery. I think I was laughing from page 1 and that honour, so far, has only been bestowed on Ben Aaronovitch's Peter Grant / Rivers of London series. I thought I would give you a clue at how funny this book is by quoting a few lines. Feel free to clutch your stomach as the laughs abound.

"Discretion is my middle name" I assured him, "if it wasn't already Jason."

or

She was a portly woman, whose flowery dress reminded me of nothing so much as a summer's meadow not least because it possibly could have covered one.  The plunging neckline revealed a cleavage so deep that a whole team of potholders could have gotten themselves lost down there.  

Tee hee.  Writing these have me laughing again and going back to read more of my highlights. There are a few books in this series to enjoy so if you think this tickles your fancy then you can dig in to any number of the books of this series. I want to read more but need to get through some books on my TBR first.

I almost had a panic attack when I saw the Gemsigns (by Stephanie Saulter) giveaway post and realised I had the book but hadn't read it. It went immediately on my NBR (Next Book to Read) list. I have to admit that I was a bit worried at page 2 that I wasn't going to like it. It felt a bit like Saulter got hold of a thesaurus and went to town but by page 3 it had turned a corner and I was engrossed from that point forward. You can read my full review closer to the US release date in May!

I need to get organised so that I make some progress on getting my TBR to something that looks manageable. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I have no excuses and plan to have more than just 2 books to share with you next week but until then Happy Reading.