Saturday, April 21, 2018

Bookish fun...

Title & Author:  The Grave's A Fine And Private Place by Alan Bradley

First lines:  I am on my deathbed. Again. Although I have done everything in my power to survive it, it has not been enough. A human being can only bear so much.

Plot:  Still reeling from a recent family tragedy, Flavia and her older sisters are sent on holiday together with Dogger, their loyal family servant. They're boating when Flavia unexpectedly fishes a dead body from the river. Now she and Dogger are determined to investigate this suspicious death, whether the local police want their help or not. Because nothing cheers twelve-year-old Flavia up quite like murder...and the chemistry of poisons.

My thoughts:  I spent last weekend happily ensconced in Alan Bradley's latest Flavia de Luce mystery. It's the ninth book in this series and I thought it was a lot of fun. While still irrepressible and full of spunk, Flavia seemed a little less impetuous, a little wiser, and a little more grown up this time around. And I really liked that Dogger played a bigger role in this story; he's always been a favorite character of mine. I also liked that Flavia and her sister, Daffy, actually got along better in this one; it was fun seeing them work together for a change. All in all, The Grave's A Fine and Private Place is another well-written and entertaining mystery from Alan Bradley. (But if you've never read a Flavia mystery before, start with the first one! Because this series is best read in order.)

Happy Reading!


Other Flavia reviews:

16 comments:

  1. I read the first two books, but need to catch up! Can't believe there are already 9 books! I love the title--from Marvell's poem "To His Coy Mistress." :)

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    1. Isn't it great? And at least you have lots of good books to look forward to reading. :)

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  2. Yay! Glad to hear this one is good! I am a little mad at how the last book ended. Was that really necessary Mr. Bradley? But still, I am looking forward to getting to this one soon.

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    1. Yeah, the ending of the last book was kind of a shock for me, too. And I thought it was kind of mean to do that to Flavia and her sisters. This book takes up pretty much where the last one left off.

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  3. I'm looking forward to reading this one but I still need to read Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d first! I'm glad you enjoyed it - and it's good to hear that Flavia and Daffy are getting along better at last.

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    1. It makes them more interesting people when they're aren't just bickering and carping at each other. :)

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  4. I’ve only read the first one in this series. I liked it but never continued for some reason. Maybe one day.

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    1. I have series where I've never gotten past the first book either. It happens. :)

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  5. I haven't yet read any book in this series. I am glad you enjoyed this installment. It sounds like a great series.

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    1. It's a fun series. I've stuck with it because it's different than a lot of other mysteries I've read, and also because Flavia is so uniquely Flavia.

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  6. I haven't read any book of this series either. It sounds like a good one considering you've enjoyed them. :)

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    1. Yeah, you should give the first one a try and see what you think of it. :)

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  7. I tried to read the first book in this series and it was a case of right book, wrong time. I need to go back to it because this series just looks like a lot of fun!

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    1. I think it's a lot of fun, but you do have to be in the right mood for it.

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  8. Flavia is such a delight. It’s great to hear that the series is staying strong even 9 books in.

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    1. Not every book in the series is equal to the first, but this is one of the better ones. :)

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