Shaunarumbling

I didn't stick to my list for the Winter Reading Challenge. I got off to a good start, but after I read my second Jane Austen Mystery (I read the first book in Stephanie Barron's series previously), I just kept reading the whole series until I finished. I've read that the author is working on the next book, and I'm sure I'll read that one too. I've been on a Jane Austen kick, and Barron's slightly cerebral but still cozy mysteries were intriguing and fun despite the shocking ending to Ghosts of Netley that still makes me sigh.

I replaced Armadale with Cassandra's Sister, a biography-based young adult novel about the young Jane "Jenny" Austen, because I couldn't locate a copy of Armadale anywhere. It was interesting to compare the fictionalized accounts of Jane Austen's life in the Jane Austen mysteries, Cassandra's Sister (which I really enjoyed) and the movie Becoming Jane (which was disappointing). Little is known about Jane's actual personal life, as her sister Cassandra burned many of her letters for privacy after Jane died.

Here is the list of books I read during the challenge:

Peter and the Secret of Rundoon (Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson)
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (Sijie Dai)
Tears of the Giraffe (Alexander McCall Smith)
Winter Haven (Athol Dickson)
Jane and the Man of the Cloth (Stephanie Barron)
Jane and the Wandering Eye
Jane and the Genius of the Place
Jane and the Stillroom Maid
Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House
Jane and the Ghosts of Netley
Jane and His Lordship's Legacy
Jane and the Barque of Frailty
The Irresistible Revolution (Shane Claiborne)
Cassandra's Sister (Victoria Bennett)
Embrace Me (Lisa Samson)
Murder, Mayhem, and a Fine Man (Claudia Mair Burney)
Emma (Jane Austen)

Book I Liked Best: I liked all of the books I read for the challenge, so I don't think I can pick a clear favorite, although Embrace Me and Emma are at the top of the list. I liked Tears of the Giraffe even more than The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and want to finish that series. Peter and the Secret of Rundoon was a satisfying ending to the Starcatchers trilogy, although the first book in the series is still the best one. Irresistible Revolution really lit a fire on the nonfiction side, and I plan to read Shane Claiborne's new release, Jesus for President.

Book I Liked Least: Although it's a well written and intriguing story, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress had such a distressing ending that I wondered whether I had completely misunderstood the author's point in telling the story. I still liked the book, but I hate the ending.

New Authors Tried: I read an advance reading copy of Athol Dickson's Winter Haven, a Christian suspense novel that I'll be reviewing soon. I will definitely look for more of his work. I also really enjoyed Claudia Mair Burney's Murder, Mayhem, and a Fine Man and am happy that Mair has more books coming out in the coming months.