Where Is Your Bookmark: My Bookish Mewsings on The Fatal Folio by Elizabeth Penney (& Other Friday Fun)

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.

November had arrived in Cambridge, bringing with it crisp, cool air, the emergence of mufflers and wool coats from closets, and--new to me, as an ex-pat American--Guy Fawkes Day. Almost six months earlier, my mother and I had made the move from Cambridge to Vermont, joining my great-Aunt Violet in running Thomas Marlowe--Manuscripts and Folios, one of the oldest bookshops in this historic city with its more than thirty colleges.  [opening of The Fatal Folio]

While the November weather where I live isn't quite as cool as it is in Cambridge this time of year, I do love the sense of the season this opening invokes. And what a dream! To work in a bookshop with deep roots in history. 

A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Our wonderful host Freda of Freda's Voice is on a break, but Anne of My Head is Full of Books has stepped in to host!

She led us along the path to the center, where a slender campanile stood. As we approached, the bell gonged, three sonorous tones that made goose bumps rise. Once the echoes died away, Amy said, "We are very lucky tonight to hear the monk's bell ring. Or are we? It is said  that the bell foretells death."

A shiver went down my spine. [excerpt from 56% of The Fatal Folio]

The Fatal Folio (The Cambridge Bookshop Series #3) by Elizabeth Penney

(St. Martin's Press, 2023; 320 pgs)  

Molly Kimball is an American ex-pat living in Cambridge with her mom and Great-Aunt. They run the family's ancestral bookshop called Thomas Marlowe-Manuscripts and Folios. Molly has been hired by her boyfriend Kiernan Scott's family to update their family's library catalog. In addition to that, she's taken on the task of uncovering the true identity of the author behind an original manuscript of a Gothic novel called A Fatal Folio. It is especially of interest to Kiernan's cousin, Oliver, a professor at one of the local colleges, who plans to write a book about the manuscript and its author.

While on their way to meet Oliver one night, Molly and her friends stumble upon a man who has been stabbed. It turns out he wasn't a very well liked person, and Oliver is among the top suspects. It isn't long before Molly finds herself in the middle of trying to figure out who committed the murder and if and how it might be tied to the old manuscript.

Although this is the third book in the Cambridge Bookshop mystery series, it was my first. I imagine there is some background information about the regular characters I may have been missing jumping into the series here, but I never felt lost and still felt like I got a good sense of who everyone was. I love the setting--Cambridge and the bookstore. I especially love the library at the  Scott's estate. So much history in the books on the shelves and tucked in the nooks and crannies there! 

Within the novel, is another story, written as if we are reading A Fatal Folio right alongside Molly. It's an intriguing Gothic tale, and I found myself just as interested in finding out what happened to the characters of that story as I did to the main mystery. It complemented the main storyline and in no way overshadowed it. 

Molly is smart and relatable. She has a good relationship with the local law enforcement officials, which I think worked to everyone's advantage. I would enjoy going back and reading the first two books in the series, perhaps seeing how Kiernan and Molly meet and reading about her first impressions of her new life in Cambridge. There are adorable bookstore cats who make multiple appearances.  The Fatal Folio is just the kind of cozy mystery I love to cuddle up with. 

Does this sound like something you would enjoy reading? Have you read The Fatal Folio? If so, what did you think?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. It is co-hosted by Linda Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell, Roberta from Offbeat YA, Jen from That’s What I’m Talking About, Berl's from Because Reading is Better than Real Life, and Karen from For What It’s Worth. Join in by answering this week's question in the comments or on your own blog.

Sci-Fi, Urban Fantasy, Epic Fantasy... do you read them? What do you prefer?

I do! Fantasy is one of my favorite genres: Epic, High and Low, Urban, Dark, and Steampunk. I like the supernatural and paranormal. I prefer fantasy with magical elements to fantasy without. Add in mystery, romance, and historical elements for an even better combination. Of all the fantasy genres, urban fantasy is probably the one I read most. 

Although I haven't explored the genre as much I would like, I enjoy Science Fiction as well. Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic are probably the most common I have read and favor, but I also enjoy space opera, alternate realities/universes, and time travel quite a bit. 

Do you read and enjoy Fantasy or Science Fiction? What are some of your favorite books or authors in those genres?

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 consider yourself a bookworm or a reader? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

While not a bookworm in the literal sense (I am not an insect who destroys books), I do sometimes refer to myself as a bookworm because reading is such an important part of my life, something I do a lot of as compared to the average person. I talk about books, I blog about books, I have quite the collection of books in addition to reading them. And I do define myself as a reader, in general. Reading is a passion of mine, and I cannot imagine life without it. So, the short answer is yes to both.

Do you consider yourself a reader or a bookworm? Or, like me, both?

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

---

© 2023 Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.