Where Is Your Bookmark? (09/13/2016)

This week I am spending time with my September TBR List poll winner, The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman, which is the first in a series featuring a professional spy for the mysterious Library that collects fiction from different realities.

Every Tuesday Diane from Bibliophile By the Sea First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where participants share the first paragraph (or a few) of a book they are reading or thinking about reading soon. It is also where I share my first impressions about the book I am sharing.

Irene passed the mop across the stone floor in smooth, careful strokes, idly admiring the gleam of wet flagstones in the lantern light. Her back was complaining, but that was only normal after an evening's work cleaning. The cleaning was certainly necessary.

The pupils at Prince Mordred's Private Academy for Boys managed to get just as much mud and much on the floor as any other teenagers would. Clean indoor studies in the dark arts, military history, and alchemy didn't preclude messy outdoor classes in strategic combat, dueling, open-field assassination, and rugby. 

Every Tuesday, Jenn from Books And A Beat hosts Teaser Tuesdays at which time participants grab their current read, open to a random page, and share two or three "teaser" sentences from that page while avoiding any spoilers.

Teaser from page 2% of The Invisible Library:

Irene didn't bother pausing to curse fate. There would be people here within seconds. With a loud scream, she threw herself down on top of her mop and bucket, deliberately sprawling in the inevitable puddle of dirty water. 

and at 5%:

She just wanted--had always wanted--a good book to read. Being chased by hellhounds and blowing things up were comparatively unimportant parts of the job. Getting the books--now, that was what really mattered to her.  

What do you think? Would you keep reading?  

What are you reading at the moment?  Is it anything you would recommend?

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely ladies at Broke and Bookish.

This week's  Top Ten Tuesday is Top Ten Favorite Crime Fiction Novels that I Have Read in the Past Ten Years. I narrowed this list down by not duplicating authors, which was hard to do (a few would have made the list multiple times if I had). Of course, settling on the top ten was hard in and of itself. I have read so many great mysteries and thrillers over the past several years.

1.

Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton ~ An excerpt from my review:

Little Black Lies is everything I love in a crime fiction novel.  It is intense and thought provoking with fully fleshed out characters, a complex plot, and a setting that itself could be its own character. 

2.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot #4) by Agatha Christie ~ An excerpt from my review:

I found Ms. Christie’s novel to be delightful to read. I enjoyed getting to know here characters and spending time in the presence of M. Poirot. 

3.

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins ~ An excerpt from my review:

The Woman in White may be a quiet thriller at its start, but by the end events unravel so quickly that the reader's knuckles may turn white trying to keep up. It is obvious that Wilkie Collins planned out his novel with great care, each thread carefully sown into the greater story. It is a true gothic novel at its core: dark, gloomy, romantic and thrilling.

4.

Lincoln Lawyer (Mickey Haller #1) by Michael Connelly ~ An excerpt from my review:

Michael Connelly has written a funny, suspenseful thriller that was difficult to put down and kept me up until the wee hours of the morning to finish.

5. 

In the Woods by Tana French ~ An excerpt from my review:

Tana French’s gift lies not just in crafting an utterly intriguing story, but also in creating characters that are complicated and very much three dimensional, from the big players in the novel to the minutest of characters. 

6.

T is For Trespass (Kinsey Millhone #20) by Sue Grafton ~ An excerpt from my review:

I've been reading Sue Grafton's alphabet series for years and am quite invested in it. There is rarely anything flashy about Grafton's novels. She isn't one to take her stories over the top like so many crime fiction novels today. And the crime isn't always murder. They have a realistic vibe to them, something I especially love about these novels.

7.

The Devil of Nanking by Mo Hayder ~ An excerpt from my review:

The Devil of Nanking is not a novel for the faint of heart. Mo Hayder was not afraid to put down on paper the grim realities of the atrocities committed during wartime. She takes readers deep into China during a very dark moment in history as well as flirts with the deadliest of the Tokyo gangsters. The Devil of Nanking is definitely worth taking the time to read.

8.

Into The Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes ~An excerpt from my review:

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this book--and how much it disturbed me. I found myself double checking the locks on my own doors.

9.

The Cold Dish (Walt Longmire #1) by Craig Johnson ~ An excerpt from my review:

Craig Johnson paints a breathtaking picture of Wyoming with the harsh wintry weather, the beautiful mountains and lakes as well as the ranch and reservation lands that are stretched out over the county where the novel is set. He shows the diversity of the land as well as of the people. He also touches upon the past and current tensions between the Native Americans and the white folk, weaving it throughout the book. 

10.

Out by Natsuo Kirino ~ An excerpt of my review:

Out is not only a suspense ridden thriller but also a harsh study of human nature. The story is as complex as the characters. [. . . ] The characters got under my skin (most of them, anyway), and I carried them with me even when I was not reading.

Have you read any of these books? What is your favorite crime fiction novel?

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