I was looking over my list of books read this year and so far I’ve only read one mystery book. That just seems so unusual for me. I don’t think I’m in a slump when it comes to mystery books but I have managed to pick up a few that weren’t working for me at the time.

So last night, determined to find a good mystery/thriller I picked up The Night Season by Chelsea Cain. I know some of you have recommended her books to me but I just hadn’t had the chance to pick one up. Anyway, this is exactly the kind of thriller I was in the mood for. I even stayed up a bit late reading it last night.

This is the fourth book featuring Portland detective Archie Sheridan. I know you must be saying fourth novel? But don’t you like starting from the beginning? Yes, I do prefer to start at the beginning of a series but when I started reading this one at first I thought it was a standalone. Then I got totally sucked into the storyline so I had to keep on reading.

As I’m reading along in this book there are references to Archie’s previous cases and I’m tempted to read those to see exactly what happened but I admit I typically find it hard to go back to the beginning of a series once I start mid-way. Does that happen to you?

Alright I want to get back to my book. I want to know though if you’ve read some good thrillers lately. I think I need to add more to my list.

Well, I had to return A Bad Day for Sorry to the library as it was due and I just wasn’t really getting into the story. It’s not fair really as I only read a few pages of it but I know it was more of my mood. I know some of you have liked it so I will check it out another time. And, no, I didn’t go to book group after all. I hate being the one person who doesn’t read the book. I don’t want to make others feel like they can’t talk about the ending on my account.

So I’m back on a library ban as my bookshelves are overflowing, but I made an exception as I needed to pick up a book for my other mystery book group. The group meets next week and we are reading Cop Hater by Ed McBain. Haven’t read any McBain. Have you?

Over the weekend we also got to see Handmade Nation and if you are a crafter then this is a must for you. I loved the film. I loved seeing and listening to some artists and crafters whose work I’ve admired for ages (even before Etsy) and the film also featured a bookbinder. Love it!

What else? I did finish a couple of books, finally. Already March is looking like a better reading month than February.

Last but not least, we hung out at our new date night location, Barnes & Noble. I had a yummy vanilla latte and made notes of books I want to get (you can see that my husband also carries around a little journal). I was looking for the latest Mystery Scene magazine but they didn’t have it out yet.

Now I’m off to select a new book.