The Strangler Vine | 
pickIf you like historical mysteries, don‘t miss this one. William Avery, a young British soldier and Jeremiah Blake, who works for but does not trust the East India Company are sent on a quest to find Xavier Mountstuart. We are given wonderful depictions of 19th century colonial India. We meet bandits, princes, and holy men. The Thuggee cult looms large and we meet those that work to suppress them, or do they? Not sold yet? There are Tigers!
pickAbsolutely Fascinating book! I enjoyed the dynamic between Blake and Avery and their views on India‘s people and culture and The East India Companies rule. It was important to see both sides and it allowed growth for both characters in journey. I‘ve visited India twice and I always enjoy reading books set there. I‘m definitely going to read the next book in the series.
My audio book for this week. I‘m absolutely loving these audio book deals on Chirp 😊
pick🎧 This is a historical novel with elements of mystery and adventure: A young officer of the British East India Company is assigned to accompany (and spy on) an older company man as they both set out on a mission of political intrigue, spy craft, a tiger hunt and, exotic landscapes...
Audiobook narrator, Alex Wyndham does credibly well (I‘d be willing to listen to the next book in this series)
📷:Coat of Arms: British East India Company
🎧 Set in 1830s India during the time of England‘s Colonial power as manifested through the British East India Company, this mystery starts off with a disillusioned young officer sent to deliver a message from the Government House to another British man “gone native.”
Alex Wyndham is a new-to-me narrator that I wasn‘t sure of at the start; but when he slid effortlessly into the lines of the British soldier and made him come “alive,” I was sold!
pickGood distracting sickroom reading!
Day 3 #strangler #coolbooks
pick#strangler #CoolBooks
Stories set in colonial India, especially in the past centuries are always fascinating for me. This is especially thrilling with jungle escapades.
I just picked this book up at the thrift store. Anyone read it?
Hoping this strangler vine business is not just a metaphor. #currentlyreading #mounttbr #coverlove
I‘m enjoying this one so far even though one of the main characters is immature and unlikeable. I‘m looking forward to the serious attitude adjustment I‘m certain is coming his way🤓
The last of my personal #bookmail for the year. Aren‘t they beautiful? All used from 3rd party sellers on Amazon, but in great shape. The tagged book is even signed! 😍
pickAbsolutely loved this book. The narrator is fantastic. The story was well-written, with great characters, plenty of mystery, tension, and plot twists. I enjoyed the historical setting, as well, and look forward to more books with Blake and Avery. Thanks to @TobeyTheScavengerMonk for recommending this!
#TBRtemptation post 1! #AllHallowsReadBookExchange edition! This is the 1st installment in the Avery & Blake series. Calcutta, 1837. East India Company favorite, Xavier Monstuart, and the unlikely duo of William Avery and Jeremiah Blake are sent out to find him. The questions mount, which come to involve a murderous Kali-worshipping cult! #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎
pick#ThisIsNotAmerica This is India, 1837, in the callous grip of the East India Company. A Watson/Holmes-esque duo (who start out at odds) are tasked with finding the awesomely-named poet Xavier Mountstuart, who disappeared while researching the cult of Thugee.
Lush descriptions, a flawless narrator, some twists I saw coming and some I did NOT which had me pounding my steering wheel and shouting expletives. Highly recommended on audio. #SeptemBowie
This mystery had been pretty laid back, with lush descriptions of the Indian countryside, food, and culture, then...
TIGER ATTACK!!! So mega-intense it had me sweating.
This is my current listen from a recommendation by @Seshat ages ago. The narrator sounds SO much like Fassbender with his Magneto accent that I headcast him in the role of William Avery, and I think Mark Strong would make a great Jeremiah Blake, the Holmes to Avery's Watson.
So far this murder mystery set in 1830s India is extremely enjoyable. #HeadCasting #CurrentListen
When I got the call the Thursday before summer ended that I would be at 3 schools a day instead of 2, I felt #UnderPressure but so far the #Changes have been okay, even though the nightmare road between schools 1 and 2 has its own creepy nickname, "the Ridges".
Between leaving home and getting back I'm driving almost an hour and a 1/2, so WAY more audiobook time, plus I get to see this view every day and I'm working with great kids.
#SeptemBowie
pickOkay it was the cover that attracted me. Set in India in 1830s. A famous poet goes missing. Blake and Avery are thrown together to find him. It's a case of opposites having to work together. Throw in class snobbery, thuggee gangs, assassination attempts, it's a boys adventure story. The whole time I was reading it I was was thinking BBC drama adaption and who would I cast in the roles 😀
I have pretty much no interest in reading this but the cover! 😍😍 It calls to me.
#showyourstack for the #springcleaningreadathon I just signed up, and I don't know how much I'll actually be able to read since I have an epic honey-do list to get through before our vacation, but I've got a print book for daytime, an audiobook for working around the house, and an ebook for nighttime reading.
pickWell I think that I have found how to appreciate mysteries- audio books, and this one was damned good. Set in India in the 1830's, a officer of the East India Company is sent with an agent of questionable background to investigate what happened to a famous poet who disappeared up country. A tale of thuggee, betrayals with a Watson and Holmes team, the Holmes character being a mixture with Kipling's Kim. Remarkably historically accurate.
A very good audiobook, tea, and almond cookies. #litsypartyofone
The horrifying suspense...
Respect the wild, always #marchintoreading #currentlyreading #currentread #nowreading
Can't decide which to take along for the short commute... So both go into the bag!
Since Sunday night, it's been mostly rest, remedies and reading.
Completing 2 books, The Hobbit & Partners in Crime, were the only comfort during the wheezy coughs and sleepless nights.
Recovering somewhat despite the fatigue. Will continue to read until I feel better
Began my work weekend with this... #weekendread #nowreading #marchintoreading
#FunFridayPhoto This is my book that starts with the first letter of my name that is on my enormous TBR pile. I was sucked in by that gorgeous cover and I still haven't read it 😬 @Liberty
pickI'm a sucker for books set in India and I like mysteries, so this was a very enjoyable read for me. It is set in India in the time of the Raj. The only weakness was the abrupt, unsatisfying ending.
pickReally enjoyed this - the level of research about India in the early 19thC was evident in the rich detail, and the precarious relationship between the main characters, although a little formulaic in the early sections of the book, developed nicely. The story itself is somewhere between Sherlock Holmes and Indiana Jones, with plenty of intrigue, jewels and flashing swords. Recommended.
I love any and all books about adventures in India. The next one is out where the characters return to London. Called The Infidel Stain.
pickThis ended up being a serendipitous companion read to Flashman. Very well-done with interesting historical details. It's the first in a series involving the characters Blake & Avery, who have a little Sherlock & Watson vibe. I'm looking forward to the next in the series.
pickAn excellent addition to the great tradition of detective partnerships filled with intrigue and adventure I could not put it down even late into the night.
Bedtime reading 🌙✨ One of my favorite book covers from last year. Been itching to read it ever since I saw it. Not sure what to think about the story yet. I'm about a third of the way through and it's moving slowly. #ReadWomen
We did our celebratory stuff yesterday, which means I get to spend my Sunday with this first in a new series!
