More book stuff

Thought I'd post a bit more about some books I've read recently. Most were on my Kindle, but a friend gave me a REAL book to read, called "First Impressions" by Charlie Lovett. I must say I really enjoyed this one. It's a story that switches from Jane Austen's world to that of Sophie, a current-day bookaholic, and is a bit of a whodunnit. The premise is quite clever, whereby the authorship of "Pride and Prejudice" is questioned, and all the action flows from there. The ending is a bit too fairy tale, and the characters could use some development, but overall, it quite satisfactorily filled an afternoon.
I've said before that I love reading Donna Leon's books, and discovered one I hadn't read. This one was not an Inspector Brunetti one, but a separate novel. It is called "The Jewels of Paradise", and revolves around Catherine, a lecturer returning to her home town of Venice to solve a family dispute over an inheritance. Her research takes us into the world of baroque opera, castrati, and tales of old Venice, and leads her into unexpected dangers. Most enjoyable as always and very well researched.
The other one I thought I'd mention is "Singapore Black", the first part of a trilogy by William L. Gibson following the (mis-)adventures of his sleuth, Detective Hawksworth, Chief Detective Inspector of the Singapore police back in 1892. Gibson's portrayal of Singapore at this time (when it still was a British crown colony) is very detailed and shows a good understanding of the intricacies of race relations then. The story is also very entertaining, a history thriller at its best, what with warring Chinese gangs, sinister goddesses, and the long overdue monsoon all mixed in. Can't wait to read the second book, "Singapore Yellow", out soon I hope.