Author: Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader

30 Day Book Challenge: Day 5

~ Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader ~ 10 Comments

Day #5: A Nonfiction Book That You Actually Enjoyed

First, I have to say that I adore reading nonfiction. Question number 5 is put in such a way that makes that seem almost impossible. That isn’t the case for this nerdy girl. 

I recently finished the following book and enjoyed it immensely.

Midnight in Peking: 
How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China by Paul French
Publisher: Penguin Books
Publication Date: April 2012
Source: Library
Recommended By: Kim @ Sophisticated Dorkiness (Thanks Kim!)

In the last days of old Peking, where anything goes, can a murderer escape justice?

Peking in 1937 is a heady mix of privilege and scandal, opulence and opium dens, rumors and superstition. The Japanese are encircling the city, and the discovery of Pamela Werner’s body sends a shiver through already nervous Peking. Is it the work of a madman? One of the ruthless Japanese soldiers now surrounding the city? Or perhaps the dreaded fox spirits? With the suspect list growing and clues sparse, two detectives—one British and one Chinese—race against the clock to solve the crime before the Japanese invade and Peking as they know it is gone forever. Can they find the killer in time, before the Japanese invade?

Historian and China expert Paul French at last uncovers the truth behind this notorious murder, and offers a rare glimpse of the last days of colonial Peking.


30 Day Book Challenge: Day 4

~ Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader ~ 14 Comments

30 Day Book Challenge

Day #4: A Book That Reminds You of Home

I even wanted this hair! So flippy! 

Oh Nancy, how I loved you! You had gal pals named Bess and George. (A girl named George, how groovy!) You had Ned, the adoring boyfriend. (A college man) You were fussed over by Hannah, your loving but stern housekeeper. I thought you were terribly glamorous and smart. I wanted to be you. So. Bad.

The Nancy Drew books will always remind me of home. They (and the Trixie Belden books) were the first series I ever read and probably the first books I read that didn’t have little golden spines and 5 words per page.

When I think of these books I can almost smell the house I grew up in. Man, I miss that place.

Thanks to my mom and her sisters for passing down these gems to me!