I’ve been meaning to tell you about two good mysteries I’ve read lately so if you enjoy a good mystery, grab a cup of something delicious and read all about them.

I know I’ve mentioned that I’m a fan of the Brother Cadfael series that was adapted for television and starred Sir Derek Jacobi, but I always wanted to read one of the books and so I began at the beginning with A Morbid Taste For Bones.

The first book involves a quest to retrieve the relics of Saint Winifred from a small Welsh village to take them to Shrewsbury Abbey, where Brother Cadfael is the herbalist. Of course things don’t go as planned and someone is murdered.

I absolutely loved this one. I admit I don’t know if it’s partly because I enjoy the television series so much, and of course in my mind Derek Jacobi is Brother Cadfael, but I found it very well written with great character development, and a good bit of intro into society of the time and place. Here’s my full review.

Next is Homicide In Hardcover by Kate Carlisle which is the first in a promising new series about a bookbinder. Brooklyn Wainwright’s mentor Abraham Karastovsky is murdered on the night he showed his work on a famous, and supposedly, cursed copy of Goethe’s Faust.

There are lots of potential suspects, a handsome British security officer and of course an interesting look at the world of book restoration. I had a couple of quibbles with this book, the main one being that the book in question I would think should have been turned over for evidence after it was found with blood after Abraham died. Some of the characters seemed a bit too over the top for my taste as well but I guess what won me over was the bookbinding and restoring part.

Given that I do bookbinding and would one day like to try my hand at restoration, I couldn’t help be drawn into the story. I’ll be looking for the second book in the series but for now here’s my full review.

And, now what mystery am I reading? Behold, Here’s Poison by Georgette Heyer. I love the atmosphere but I have to say I felt like I was dropped in the middle of an act in progress. Lots of characters and their intentions are introduced right off the bat as well as the murder so I actually had to start taking note of who was who.

Now that I’m a bit further along I don’t feel so lost anymore and am trying to figure out who poisoned the master.

Tell me if you’ve read a good mystery I should add to my list because you know I’m always looking for more.

Sometimes I feel like it’s months between BookMooches because all the books I want, well, seem to be on everyone’s list too but I’ve been doing a bit of mooching lately and I’ve been pretty lucky and have found some books that were on my list. Here are my latest acquisitions:

• The Lighthouse by P.D. James. My mystery book group will be reading this book sometime this summer. I’ve been reading some of the Inspector Dalgliesh books but I’m still pretty much at the beginning of the series and this one is book number 13.
• Leonardo’s Swan by Karen Essex. From the jacket: A haunting novel of rivalry, love, and betrayal that transports readers back to Renaissance Italy, Leonardo’s Swans will have you dashing to the works of the great painter—not for clues to a mystery but to contemplate the secrets of the human heart.
• Train to Trieste by Dominica Radulescu. I can’t remember when or why I added this book to my list but after receiving it, it’s not at all what I thought it’d be about. So, in a way it’s kind of a nice treat to have something completely different to look forward to.
• This Time of Dying by Reina James. I remember when this book was getting a lot of buzz in the book blog world. I love the time period and will definitely be reading it although given that it’s about an epidemic and what with all the swine flu stuff on the news I think I may put this one aside for a while.
• There Is Room for You by Charlotte Bacon. From Publisher’s Weekly: A trip to India reveals long-hidden secrets and helps a daughter reconcile with her difficult mother in this intelligent, richly atmospheric second novel by Charlotte Bacon.

I’m waiting for two more mooches and as I still have some points I may just find a few other books for the shelves. How fun.

So what about you? Done any mooching lately and have you found some good books?