Where Is Your Bookmark? (5 Fave Nonfiction Books / What I Am Reading Now & Five Years Ago / BBHOP: E-Readers)

I am so very close to finishing my current read but work and life keep getting in the way. I. Must. Finish. I am really enjoying Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T.A. Willberg, and thought I would tease you with a couple of excerpts.

The letter was short. A name, a time, a place. Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder plunges readers into the heart of London, to the secret tunnels that exist far beneath the city streets. There, a mysterious group of detectives recruited for Miss Brickett’s Investigations & Inquiries use their cunning and gadgets to solve crimes that have stumped Scotland Yard.  

Late one night in April 1958, a filing assistant for Miss Brickett’s named Michelle White receives a letter warning her that a heinous act is about to occur. She goes to investigate but finds the room empty. At the stroke of midnight, she is murdered by a killer she can’t see—her death the only sign she wasn’t alone. It becomes chillingly clear that the person responsible must also work for Miss Brickett’s, making everyone a suspect. 

Almost unwillingly, Marion Lane, a first-year Inquirer-in-training, finds herself being drawn ever deeper into the investigation. When her friend and mentor is framed for the crime, to clear his name she must sort through the hidden alliances at Miss Brickett’s and secrets dating back to WWII. Masterful, clever and deliciously suspenseful, Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder is a fresh take on the Agatha Christie—style locked-room mystery with an exciting new heroine detective at the helm. [Goodreads Summary]

A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. Hosted by the amazing Gillion Dumas of Rose City Reader.

Threads of steam rose from the warm tarmac. The alleyway was quiet tonight, the perfect setting for the conveyance of secrets. The woman in the red headscarf checked over her shoulder. No one would have followed her, but she had to be sure. 

My initial thoughts: An ominous beginning . . . I was immediately hooked, wanting to know what she was up to, why she was worried about being followed, and what secrets she was holding and who was she going to share them with.

A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Hosted by the wonderful Freda of Freda's Voice.

Bill stared at her with a look of bewilderment, 'Blimey.'

'What?' Marion shifted in her seat.

'You're just, I've never seen this side of you. I'd almost encourage it if it wasn't about to get us fired, or worse.'

My thoughts: Something is about to happen. Or rather Marion is about to do something that could put her placement as an apprentice at risk. 

Does Marion Lane and the Midnight Hour sound like something you would enjoy reading? What are you reading right now?

Originally a feature called Last Year I Was Reading created by Maria from ReadingMaria. 

I liked it enough to continue on my own, but have tweaked it

 to feature Five Years Ago I Was Reading. 

(I would have gone back ten, but I read so little in 2011)

Five years ago at this time, I had just finished reading Moonlight Over Paris by Jennifer Robson. Lady Helena Montagu-Douglas-Parr is recovering from a near fatal illness. She has a new appreciation for life and wants to live as fully as she can. Despite her family's reservations, she travels to Paris to stay with her widowed aunt where Helena is to study art. Her parents give her a year, and she plans to make the most of it. There she meets Sam Howard, a Chicago-Tribune journalist, who couldn't be more wrong for her, and yet she is drawn to this scarred war veteran. I enjoyed Moonlight Over Paris most for its atmosphere, the setting, including the time period (1920's), and the interesting cast of characters. I would not have minded a bit more tension and conflict, but, overall, I do not think the story suffered for it.

It is definitely a different flavor than my current book, which is more of a historical mystery. I do a historical setting! 

What were you reading five years ago? Have you read Moonlight Over Paris?

Connect Five Friday is a weekly meme where readers share a list of five books, 

read or unread, or bookish things, that share a common theme. 

Hosted by the  Kathryn of of Book Date.

I almost always gravitate more towards fiction than I do towards nonfiction. However, I enjoy nonfiction from time to time and thought I would share some of my favorite nonfiction reads with you today. 

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and Untold Story of Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly ~ Hidden Figures tells the stories of some of the most underrated influential black women in the history of the American space program. Among them being Mary Jackson, Dorothy Vaughan, Katherine Jackson, Christine Darden, and Gloria Champine.  I really enjoy reading stories about lesser known and recognized individuals throughout history. More often women, and even more especially women of color. Too often their contributions are undervalued. The movie with the same title was good, but the real stories are even better.

Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson ~ Lawson's conversational narrative made it feel like I was sitting right there with her. I found Lawson extremely easy to relate to: at times laughing out loud and other times crying right alongside her as she talks about her life and struggles with mental illness. 

Stiff:  The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach ~ I was first introduced to Mary Roach through Reader's Digest. I would always read the cartoons and her articles first. Stiff is a funny and informative books about what happens to the body after a person dies, historically and up through modern times. It may sound like a morbid topic to some, but it's really quite fascinating. And hilarious.

Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak by Jean Hatzfeld, translated by Linda Coverdale ~ Whenever the question comes up of what is the scariest book I have read, I often cite this one. Usually the asker means something in the horror genre, but what is more horrific than real events? Where neighbors turn on neighbors so easily? Slaughtering even children. Years after having read it, I am still haunted by it. While this book specifically deals with the genocide in Rwanda, its truths and lessons about prejudice, hate and greed for power are ones that can impact and apply to all of us in varying ways. 

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, translated by Mattias Ripa ~ My favorite kind of graphic novels are graphic memoirs, and both volumes 1 and 2 of Persepolis makes the top if the list. These two volumes describe what it was like for the author growing up in Iran during the Islamic and Cultural Revolutions. They touch on the toll war takes on ordinary people, oppression of women, and about the difficulties of being an immigrant and having to start over. Satrapi's story is also one of hope. 

What are some of your favorite nonfiction books? 

Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

Do you own more than one e-reader? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

I have two (three if you count my mobile phone). I have an older Kindle Fire which I sometimes break out if I am reading a PDF file that I just cannot manage to read on my preferred e-reader. I do most of my e-reading on my Oasis. It is easier on my eyes for reading than the Fire ever is.

This isn't to say I do not like to read physical books! I enjoy reading those too, and the occasional audio book.

What about you?

 I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!

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