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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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I am in the middle of the first Thursday Next series called The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. It took me a few pages to warm up to it as it was more "fancyfull" than expected. You miss some of the fun if you aren't a little familiar with the books and characters involved in the story. I had to look up Martin Chuzzlewit to see if it really exists. It does. And so do a lot of other Charles Dickens writings about which I never knew. While the story line involves mystery and detective work, it could also be listed as fantasy. I believe the book cover intro uses the word surreal to describe the setting.
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Just checking into the new site.
Yeah, Martin Chuzzlewit isn't well known. It is one of the books where the
lead character is not all that engaging, and if I remember correctly it was not
at all an encouraging book. Dickens did emphasize the poverty and misery of his times and not all of his books had a lighter side or a happy outcome.
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Jasper Fforde failed to capture my imagination, though I tried two times. Sometimes my sense of whimsy is strained beyond repair when Life has once again dealt me a hand that is hard to play. But sometimes it just doesn't grab me (the plot, that is). It has been noted before that I have a weird sense of humor.
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marking
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My niece, who is studying for a Masters in Library and Information Science, has recommended Jasper Fforde to me. I just came across The Eyre Affair in a thrift store so will see if I have more luck with it than some of you have posted about here. I usually enjoy whimsy but I may not have the background related to all of his literary and historical references to "get" it.
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I saw somewhere that CD thoughtMartin Chuzzlewit was his best work.
from mrssherlock:
Sometimes my sense of whimsy is strained beyond repair...
Yes, Fforde is stretching it a bit too far. The IDEA of characters going missing and a detective out to solve the mystery is interesting. But Fforde overdid it, IMO, by making the "normal" living environment of the heroine rather bizarre. Nevertheless, I am having fun identifying the character names with their literary counterparts. It has also peeked my curiosity about Swindon, the Crimean War, and to take another look at Merthyr Tydfil. I still need to find out who this Felix(#) is. He sounds almost like one of those bad guy characters from a comic strip.
PS Marci: I can see why your niece recommended the book. Aside from the characters and books mentioned, it gets into copyright infringement, forgeries, and literary license.
My last read was Harlan Coben's Tell No One. It was hard to put down. My sister now has it with a MUST READ note on it.
I've been trying to find books that do not contain a lot of violence and swearing in them for my Mom to read. She was okay with the Louise Perrys I gave her but they really didn't catch her fancy much. She did like the Cat Who series and Agatha Christie's Miss Marple series.
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marking my place.
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:)
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Welcome to a new site. I hope everyone finds their way over here.
I'm going to have to try "The Eyre Affair". I don't usually read fantasy -- my sister PatH, who runs the Sci-Fi discussion, is always trying to lure me into it, usually without success. But this sounds too tempting.
I've never read Harlan Coban! I picked up one at the library, Monday. I'll read it when I finish my current book.
I'm reading "The Girl Who Played with Fire", the second Larsson book. You definately have to read it after "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo" or you won't understand it at all. Much of it is continueing threads from the earlier story.
Decades ago, I started out to be a mathematician, so I was delighted to see all the math references in the book (Don't be put off by that-- they don't interfere with the story). His math statements are a bit off-- you can see Larsson has read a math book, and is all excited about it, but doesn't really think like a mathematician. Probably just as well, we're all a little kooky.
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my son's girlfriend suggested a series by Keith Ablow. I think his books are rather gruesome, but since she was so enthusiastic and willing to share, that's my next read.
N
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JoanK,
More than the story itself (The Eyre Affair), I am having fun looking up names and places. This evening I have learned that there was a real Dic PENDERYN who was something of a hero involved in worker reform movement and the worker riots of 1831.
http://www.digitaldesk.org/external/penderyn/index.htm
I also found out that Abertawe is the Welsh name for Swansea.
I hope these little tidbits of research help you enjoy the book more too.
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And my daughter monitors the movies that come into the house, FRYBABE.
She tells me, 'You wouldn't like that one', and she knows me well enough
that I can take her word for it. It she says I wouldn't like it, she is
most likely correct.
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FForde is really fun, but I keep a notebook going when I read him. Some of his literary references require me to go and google stuff. Still I like him and have read several of his books. Just now we are in the rv on the road and I brought alone a book by a woman who belonged to one of the polygamous offshoots of the mormons. She has since left, so it is quite interesting in what they regard as normal. She is really not trashing them at this point in the book, but pointing out the many problems in polygamy for the women involved.
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David Liss' historical mysteries take place in 18th century London and feature Benjamin Weaver, a renowned pugilist who is for hire. Benjamin is also a Jew and has to fight prejudice to gain the respect he merits as he helps extricate his patrons from one dangerous venture after another. A Conspiracy of Paper and The Whiskey Rebels are the titles of the first in this series. The latest, The Devil's Company, finds Benjamin the unwitting agent for the destruction of his uncle's import business. Ben turns down a job; the prospective employer reacts by ensnaring Benjamin, his uncle, and others of Ben's circle by buying their loan notes and threatening prison if Ben doesn't comply with his demands. This is a convoluted conspiracy and it only gets worse as Ben struggles to save his uncle and himself from debtor's prison.
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Thanks for the hints on the FForde. PatH is sending me her copy of "the Eire Affair", so I'll be reading it soon. David Liss sounds interesting, too.
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checking in to new site.
JoanK - surprised you never visited tHe famous 'INNER Harbor' in Baltimore. when i lived inNJ we took day trips there. we all enjoyed it immensely. the first time, we took a local bus going around the area. i was enthralled with the houses. the were so narrow and found out that everything was on different floors. one way to get execise. lots to see and in my opinion, outshown the 'South St Seaport' in Manhattan.
i read 2 Harlan Coben's books and enjoyed them very much. picked up another yesterday from the library.
i find that libraries may have the same author but not the same books by that author. i use to get very frustrating trying to find mentioned books so now i just go looking . less on my nerves.
right now i am finishing a Red Hat Club - since i belong to a local chapter and also one on the PC - they are a welcome change.
JOhanz
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Funny. I grew up two hours from Baltimore, but the inner harbor was a mess in the 50's. I have never seen it now, but understand it is really a wonderful place to go.. Was going last fall, but ended up in Annapolis and loved the Academy and the waterfront and never got over to Baltimore at all.
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One of the first trips we made when we first moved to Maryland in 1978 was taking a walking tour at the Naval Academy. We enjoyed it so much. I loved the inner harbor and visited several times while we lived in Maryland. That's the only area of Baltimore I've visited. My son and family go to a wonderful seafood restaurant in the inner harbor for many of their special occasions.
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I have two books to discuss. The first is "Phantom Prey" by John Sandford. It is excellent and I highly recommend it. The hero is Lucas Davenport with a setting in Minneapolis/St Paul area. It is a little slow to start but quite exciting. It includes a lot about the Goth scene in that area. It is also about someone with a split personality which were popular themes a few years ago.
The other book isn't a mystery but an autobiography. It is "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls. I haven't finished it bit the cover reviewer compares it to Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes". It is about a family who is always one step ahead of the sheriff as they leave in the middle of the night from yet anothr trailer park in some small mining town in the Western US.
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Johanz: I have visited the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, and the wonderful aquarium that sits there. I've also visited other parts of Baltimore on a number of occasions, but don't feel that I know the town well. When I was a chld, we had to drive through Baltimore and always got lost. I remember row after row of red brick houses with white steps . If it was morning, women would be out, scrubbing the steps.
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Bookmarking my place.
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The way the economy is going now, POPPY, there may be more families on
the economic borderline that find themselves in that position. It's a shame,
really.
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I love Inner Harbor. The last time we were there, it was such a beautiful day that we spent time just sitting and watching the boats and people go by while soaking up the sun.
I am now into Jasper Fforde's second Thursday Next book, Lost in a Good Book. He is continuing his "fun with names". My favorite so far are partners Phodder and Kannon (cannon fodder). HaHaHa! ::).
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Connie, read both books. My husband and I are both Lucas fans and have been for years.. I loved the Glass Castle.. Talk about being raised by Wolves.. Hard to be the grownup when you are really a kid
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Amazing. Nancy Grace has written a novel – The Eleventh Victim. It has received mixed reviews, and I don’t know much about it, but it apparently follows parts of her own life. Her fiance was murdered several years ago, and that spurred her on to law school. I’ve never been one of her CNN fans, but this does sound interesting. Have any of you read it? Here’s the link for more --
Eleventh Victim by Nancy Grace (http://www.amazon.com/The-Eleventh-Victim-ebook/dp/B002JB3ECE/ref=pe_63720_12931420_as_txt_7/)
So many great mystery writers and books are brought up here. Some may not be “meaty” enough for a month’s discussion, but are still fun reads worthy of a short-term discussion. (And you wouldn’t have to worry about spoilers when you talk about the ending :)). Are there any that you have read or would like to read and discuss? If so, do mention them here and/or drop a message in the suggestion box.
What mystery would you like to read – either short-term or long-term?
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I read a biography of Nancy Grace, but after watching what she did to a poor confused girl locally who killed herself afterwards, I would not spend money that she might benefit by .. Same way with politicians, To this day I have never spent a nickel to benefit Richard Nixon and his band of thieves..
Oh me.. mysteries. I would wondor if we could take up an author who follows a family or person in a long term series.. Margaret Maron?? Laura Lippman, etc. The way they develop over years is quite interesting. Think about the Kinsey Milhone is A... and now in S.. Very different lady indeed.
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I would think the Anne Perry books are 'meaty' enough for a good discussion.
Besides the 'mystery' aspects, they have a very good period background
presented. And of course, excellent and believable characterization.
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Oh Margaret Maron, I love her and her Deborah Knott series. She's probably one of my most favorite mystery writers. And I think she has a new one out -- can't remember the name. A friend offered to lend it to me, but there were just too many other books going on then. One of the places I want to go before I die is Sea Grove, NC -- and that's all because of Maron's Uncommon Clay, read several years ago.
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I've just been reading the Inspector Alvarez mysteries set in Majorca (by Roderic Jeffries). Maybe I like them because I just spent some time in Majorca this summer. Anyway they're very light and good bedtime reading. No nastiness. I get sick of incest and other cruelties in my fiction. I often think there's enough horror in the real world, I don't need some author making up more..
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Dana, thanks for mentioning the Inspector Alvarez series. I've read several and enjoyed them thoroughly. I hadn't thought of that series in a while so will check and see if there are any new ones.
Watching Nancy Grace once or twice was enough for me.
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Finished David Liss' The Devil's Company which was up to his usual standards. My library has The whiskey Rebels which is about post-Revolutionary War America; I'll get that one next.
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I too would not ready Nancy Grace's book...watched her a few times and came away really angry at her...there's discussing and asking quesions but I would describe her as a bully...won't even take the book from the library! just finished a couple of books:
*Bad Things - Michael Marshall - eerie! - plodded along at first but stuck with it…dropped little hints of things to come all along the way…not Stephen King or Dean Koontz but, well, I liked it but still not sure just what happened!!
*The Last Secret - Mary McGarry Morris -not classified as a mystery but sounded kinda interesting... really didn’t like anyone in this book! - secrets pile up for one family and lead to it’s down fall in the end - author highly praised and awarded - wrote Songs in Ordinary Time and A Dangerous Woman - must just be me but I didn’t care much for the book or the writing - too much angst for me I guess! well on to the next one or two or three!..nite everyone and sleep well and peacefully, always with a book on your chest where you fell asleep
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Much to my surprise, I am reading Scarpetta and it is not bad. Her last books have been horrid, but this one has enought twists to make me like it.. Not done yet, but she is interesting again. Not quite so self centered.. Hooray
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Just saving my seat at the library table.
JOY
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JOY: there's always a seat for you.
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Mystery readers: I need your help. We need to find books for discussion in the coming months.
I've been thinking about what mysteries would stand up to a month-long discussion. Most wouldn't -- not enough to them. Remember, we did "The Ladies No. 1 detective Agency", a great book, but not enough to talk about for a month.
But there may be a few. Here's what I've come up with. Could you comment please.
The Moonstone> I'd love to discuss that, it's funny and fascinatying: but it might not appeal to readers who like modern books.
Anne Perry: again period (19th century), but modern writing. Perhaps "Face of a Stranger".
"The girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Steig Larson.
An Elizabeth George. But everyone has seen the TV presentation.
What do you think of those? Any more ideas? It has to have enough content to talk about for a month.
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Steph, I think that your suggestion that "we could take up an author who follows a family or person in a long term series" is a good one. It could flesh out the discussion if we talk about more than just one mystery book. We could focus on one book but also talk about a character who is in several books in a series or similar themes in other books by the same author.
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if we decide on a book for a month's discussion, please let us know far enough in advance so we can reserve the book if our library does have it. i'm beginning to take potluck and just check out all sections if they have the author - may not have the book. takes time to reserve and locate the book - hopefully not checked out.
finishing up Harlan Coben's Drop Shot. i like his Myron Bolitar series. understand he has others but so far located only thed Bolitar series.
JO
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JoanK - I just received a SeniorLearn Bytes e-mail.
all about Matthew Pearl and his Poe series and others. check out the e-mail and it turned up a Facebook page all about him. also checked his web site which was mentioned.
i don't know anything about him - would he be good for our month lo ng discusison?
did you receive this e-mail seniorlearn bytes?
JO
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Coben writes wonderful stand alones.. I like Myron, but the stand alones are much more intense.
We need an author who lets his or her people grow and mature..Also there are some mystery authors.. Lauri King.. She writes some stand alones.. Folly is a good example. It is partly a mystery, but quite a lot more complicated in the growth of a woman learning how to be alone.. Wonderful book.
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JoanK - I just received a SeniorLearn Bytes e-mail.
all about Matthew Pearl and his Poe series and others. check out the e-mail and it turned up a Facebook page all about him. also checked his web site which was mentioned.
i don't know anything about him - would he be good for our month lo ng discusison?
did you receive this e-mail seniorlearn bytes?
JO
Matthew Pearl and his book "the Last Dickens" (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=751.0) - http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=751.0 - is our Discussion for October.
The link here is to that pre-discussion where Matthew has posted several times.
We discussed before his "Dante Club", a very nice young author.
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As I mentioned earlier, I think any Anne Perry book would make a good
discussion. I don't think we would have any problem maintaining a month long discussion with her. I'd definitely join in. As for Stieg Larsson, I believe the RATW group is considering one of his books for discussion.
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Johanz4-
i don't know anything about him - would he be good for our month long discusison?
did you receive this e-mail seniorlearn bytes?
I am so happy that you asked about our October discussion with Matthew Pearl. He obliged us by joining in and and answering our many questions when we read The Dante Club.
He's wonderful, witty and charming. He loves our site and is anxious for all of our questions.
This book definetly is worthy of a month long discussion. Have you ever been in on one of our month-long discussions?
JoanP and I would love to have you visit us over here.
click here (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=751.0)
Navigate the site, post your interest and let us get to know you. WElcome!!
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Joan K said "Mystery readers: I need your help. We need to find books for discussion in the coming months."
I'd like to recommend David Liss's books. I loved his excellent historical mystery, WHISKEY REBELS. He is such a good writer, IMO. Great history and atmorphere. Many of the main characters in this book were real people, and I had fun looking them up in Wikipedia and reading more about them and seeing their pictures.
I also want to read his other books, including his latest, THE DEVIL'S COMPANY, mentioned by Jackie. The "company" is the British East India Company, which an Amazon reader was surprised to find was such a viper's nest of scheming.
Marj
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Is this where we were posting about Wallander? Can't remember but just saw that a number of early stories are coming out next month...."The Pyramid"
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Marj: I'm glad to hear that you like Whiskey Rebels. I'm looking forward to reading it. Have you read The Ethical Assassin?
The series character, Benjamin Weaver, is a complex man and we are learning more about him in each book.
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Johanz: he's so good for a discussion that we're having one starting on October 1(in one week) on his latest book "The last Dickens".
I was in the Poe discussion with Pearl, and it was great!! This one should be good too. Dickens' last book was a mystery story: he died in the middle of writing it, so we don't know how he would have ended it. We'll see what Pearl makes of it!!
Come on over and join the pre-discussion HERE
http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=751.0 (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=751.0)
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Not to change the subject, but I told my cookie-baking friend Anna (ANNAFAIR from poetry) about Joanne Fluke with her cookie baking detective and cookie recipes. The first thing she asked is "Are the recipes good"? I don't dare bake cookies: I'd gain 500 pounds, but I seem to remember that some of you have tried them. Are they good?
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No, Jackie, I haven't read Liss's The Ethical Assassin. Does that one feature Benjamin Weaver? I believe two others, besides The Devil's Company, feature him: A Spectacle of Corruption and A Conspiracy of Paper. They've gotten great reviews at Amazon.com.
Marj
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Assassin has a contemporary setting. The hero is a nice jewish boy who needs money for college; his stepfather, an alum of Florida State, will not help pay for him to go to Columbia. So our hero gets a job selling encyclopedias (the descriptions of their sales methods are devastating) and, while he's giving his pitch one night (takes 3 hours or so for the full treatment) a man opens the door and shoots the couple. This one is violent and very dark, almost nasty. I did finish it, only because it was Liss and there was a hint that this could become a series. I honrstly don't know if I'd read another assassin book; I probably would to see if the violence continues to crop up.
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Marjifay, we read David Liss' "The Coffee Trader" (not a mystery) on the old site. It read very well and made for a good discussion.
Johanz4, my library has 11 copies of "The Last Dickens" available, so you can probably find it at your library too.
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Dana, I like the idea of talking about some of the Wallander books. Maybe we could do that when PBS broadcasts their second series based on those stories next Spring.
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never attended a book discussion. but will try to attend matthew Pearl - my library is about a 1/2 hour drive and next week i have a few apptmts. so don't know if i can get to the library.
however will attend the discussion so i can get an idea of what a book discussion is like.
i am sure i will like it.
Johanz
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I think I'll read Liss's books with the Benjamin Weaver character first, Jackie.
Your mentioning the devastating methods of encyclopedia salesmen in the Assassin, reminded me that one of the first things I bought after I got my first job (after my pair of figure skates) was a 1951 set of Enclopedia Britannica. I still have them, but they're a bit dated now and it's so much easier to look something up in Wikipdia. (I bought the figure skates because I had to use cheap hockey skates when I was a kid. I also still have the figure skates.)
Marj
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Marking my place.
Sheila
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Yes, tried Flukes cookie recipes.. They are good, but again too much sugar as a general rule.. I cut way back on sugar in most cookie recipes anyway.
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just finished a good book by Claudia Bishop - it is 'the Casebook of Dr. McKenzie' who is a veterarian in north NY state who loves to get involved with the police insolving murders. the title of the book thru me off 'The case of the tough-talking tukey' - it turns out to be the nickname of the owner of a very large turkey farm. learned lots about turkey farms.
i plan on checking for other books by her - according to the back she wrote other mysteries including the above one which is the second in the series. it really held my interest.
JO
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A cute mystery starring a basset hound who is convinced he's really Elvis is Elvis and the Dearly Departed by Peggy Webb. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/peggy-webb/elvis-and-dearly-departed.ht.
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Hmm. I have never liked the Claudia Bishop series on a town in upstate NY, but the Vet sounds neat. Will have to look them up.
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One of the most intriguing books I have read recently is "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls. The cover says, "Walls had joined the company of writers such as Mary Karr and Frank McCourt who have been able to transfort their sad memories into fine art". Walls tells how her family lived in small mining towns where they were always leaving in the midddle of the night ahead of the sheriff. The mother would not leave the alcoholic father nor take care of her four children so they mainly took care of themselves and each other. In spite of their background and lack of formal education, they all became successful in what they chose to do. She doesn't feel sorry for herself nor hate her parents. In fact the name of the book, comes from one of her fathers dreams which he was not able to fulfill. He had a brilliant, scientific mind, but was unable to make use of it because of his alcoholism.
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I loved The Glass Wall, but found that the parents were incredibly emotionallyabusive.. The kids reaised themselves and since I have no idea how they made out as parents do wondor.
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Forensics as a subject appeals to me. Stories about forensic scientists are sure to get my attention. For several years I have been reading Beverly Connor's books about Forensic Anthropologist Diane Fallon who doubles as museum director and crime lab head in Georgia. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/beverly-connor/
Dust to Dust is the latest one and it is up to the standards set by the previous six books. This is one series that works better if it is read in order because there is choronlogical advancement from book to book but not so seriously that one can be enjoyed without all the background filled in. From the back cover"an author on the verge of superstardom" Midwest Book Review
. For fellow fans, #, The Night Killer, is due out in April.
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I've just started Anne Perry's "Execution Dock", one of her 'Monk' series. As
usual, it absorbed my attention immediately. Can't miss with one of Perry's
books.
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Beverly Connor.. Hmm. will write that down and look for her. I love that sort of mystery
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My library has never heard of Conner.
I try to read all of Perry's too, but she put out so many. I miss some.
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Just finished "Blood Detective" by Dan Waddell. It's a British police procedural. It was interesting as it has some unusual and interesting characters. Next I'm starting on a Detective Alvarez on the island of Majorca. It sounds ideal when you read about island living, but we lived on Guam for several years and I found it confining--especially when a typhoon is coming and there's no where to go.
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Our library has books by a Beverly Connor, but her protagonist's name is Lindsay Chamberlain? Is this the same one?
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Mart: Yes, its the same Beverly Connor: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/beverly-connor/
I haven't read any of those but i like the characters and she has intriguing plots.
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just completed a book tiled 'The Watchman' by Robert Crais - it features Joe Pike.
has anyone read his books? I enjoyed it immensely and it held my interest from start to finish.
plan on checking for more of his books. i recomend it .
johanz
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I have read Robert Crais but must admit I can't remember what ;D But I do know that I liked what I read
just finished Boneman's Daughters by Ted Dekker...have seen his books in our local Christian bookstore and have always wanted to read one...found the writing stilted and slightly over the top...good vs evil...Satan vs God...might try another one of his just to see if my opinion stays the same...took out a couple more from the library..a John Grisham and Jeffrey Deaver...stopped reading Grisham for a while..just was disappointed in his stuff even tho I always liked him..haven't read Deaver but am already into it and liking it.
nite all and sleep well
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Robert CRais.. I have read everything he ever wrote. Grieved over Lucy and laughed with Elvis. The Joe Pike is a really good read about a really odd man.. Excellent.
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Was it someone here who said they enjoyed the Inspector Alvarez series? I just finished An Enigmatic Disappearance (Roderic Jeffries). It was a quick read and had its humor. The heavy, constant drinking stood in the way, though. I guess I took that part of the story too seriously.
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I'm reading an Inspector Alvarez mystery "An Artful Death". It also has a lot of drinking and partying among the "ex-pats" (as they are called). I wonder if that part of the story is realistic? However, I enjoy this series.
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I also love Robert Crais's mysteries, especially his THE LAST DETECTIVE with Elvis Cole. The book has characters you really care about and was the only mystery novel to bring me to tears when Elvis's childhood was revealed.
Marj
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Count me in among the Robert Crais fans. I'll grab any book with his name, don't care what it is about.
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Stop You're Killing Me has some features I didn't know about. http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/
On the left of the home page there is a list where mysteries are grouped into categories. Occupation, location, genre, etc. Also "if you like this author ____________ you may like ____________. and if you like this book_______________ you may like these____________. Treasure!
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Lucky accident, I was reading the latest Stop You're Killing Me (SYKM) when I was interrupted. When I came back it had disappeared not onl from my screen but from my email list. So i went to the home page, looking for a link to the newsletter which I didn't find. What I did find is they have a list of various indeces to mysteries; location, genre, diversity, occupation, etc. Great fun scrolling through some favorites. Also "if you like to read books by _____________ you might like these authors" and the same thing for "if you like this bookyou may like these". Check it out.
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What a wealth of information at that site, mrssherlock. I've bookmarked it. Thank you!!
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happy to hear that there are fans of Robert Crais - it was the first i read and enjoyed it tremendously. plan on checking for more next week when i go to the library - i think all his books sound like they can be read alone and not in a series. hope i am right but will read whatever i can get.
JOhanz
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
hmm..Actually if you can, the Elvis need to be read in order in the Crais books.. You lose the love affair if you dont.
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OK you guys have to go over to Author, Author. The latest quiz is a mystery with a hero who is a spy works in Russia, but has been in Japan written by an author who has been a philologist and edior with an interest in Japanese.
Do you know who it is? Go here:
http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=467.msg40601;topicseen#new (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=467.msg40601;topicseen#new)
and scroll down to post 428 to get all the clues.
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Other than Carre, never read the spy stuff.
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I've only read (all) of the Ludlum books. His Bourne books got me hooked on him. I was fascinated by the Jason Bourne character who lost his memory but still had all of the fantastic skills he couldn't understand.
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Anne Perry's William Monk had a similar experience. He is a policeman
who lost his memory, but still remembered how to be a policeman. He
his his memory loss to keep his job. He discovered that his old self had
been a harsh, unlikable, unpopular man. The books trace his new growth into a different personality. Fascinating.
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You do wonder if people would change. I have or had a friend who had surgery emergency for an aneurysm.. They had to take some of the memory part of her brain to cure her. She lost short term.. Did not know her husband or children or current life and thought she was 18.. She struggled with it for years, finally divorced her husband moved back to her home town and ( to my amazement) married her childhood sweetheart. They have been happy for years now, but I am still waiting for the other shoe to fall.
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just completed a book tiled 'The Watchman' by Robert Crais - it features Joe Pike.
has anyone read his books? I enjoyed it immensely and it held my interest from start to finish.
plan on checking for more of his books. i recomend it .
johanz
I am a great fan of Robert Crais. I have read many of his books.
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Babi, your description of William Monk reminds me a bit of the Harrison Ford character in the movie "Regarding Henry."
There seems to be a lot of evidence that people who suffer trauma to specific parts of their brain, due to illness or accident, can develop completely different "personalities" (ways of perceiving, remembering and behaving). There are interesting stories and explanations about this in a book by Antonio Damasio, "Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain."
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Has anyone read The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas? It is the first of a series featuring Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg, a most singular cop in Paris. There is a charm about this author's style which I'm not sure I like but I keep reading. Not like an American Police Procedural (PP) his (French) detectives cannot quite adjust to his controversial methods. He is not the data collecting, pragmatist. Instead he seems to see things with a third eye, sensing the truths behind the carefully concocted stories of the suspects. Paris is all atwitter when morning light reveals a series of circles drawn in blue chalk, usually one at a time. Each circle encloses a single piece of litter and a cryptic verse is always inscribed around the edge. Then, one morning, the body of a woman is discovered within a blue chalk circle.
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I too love the Stop You're Killing Me site...I want to read everything they list...like we always say: so many books, so little time!
Just finished my Jeffery Deaver book, Roadside Crosses..a bit.long wnded in places but interesting..more than one story line which made it interesting..and the killer wasn't revealed until the very end after what seemed the wind up to the "case"... would read another of his..maybe I already have but can't remember ::) that happens a lot..I do keep a list of the books I've read but I know I miss some here and there..now you folks have me wanting to get a Robert Crais book out of the library..as I said before I do like him a lot
well, off to bed and my John Grisham book...so far it's just so-so..seems too predictible but I'll trudge on :-\
take care and sleep well
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Was somewhat disappointed in my latest gaslight book.. Murder on Bank Street.. Solves the murder of her husband, but did not like that she was totally inactive in this one.. Disappointed me. I like the ones where she is involved in helping to solve the crime.
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That's interesting, MARCIE. I wondered if there was any evidence that
such a change in character was possible. A pity one can't be precise about
such brain injuries. I can think of people who would benefit. ;D
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;) babi
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The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss is quite engrossing. Not being a history buff I'd paid little attention to the implications of the establishment by Hamilton of the US Bank or the Whiskey Rebellion. Now I'm living vicariously in the middle of the schemes and counter schemes, marveling at the depths of depravity which accompanied the Westward expansion. As always Liss' chast of characters includes a non-stereotypical Jew which is satisfying as an expression of the diversity of this nation from its beginnings. Another semi-leading character is a Negro whose sangfroid puts the "hero" to shame.
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I really must try Liss. I had steered away since the books seemed a bit masculine for me, but think I will give one a shot.
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well finished my Grisham...and it stayed so-so...could have been such an exciting story..but with Grisham, well one never knows..a few years ago I bought a wonderful book at a flea market, The Encyclopedia of Murder and Mystery by Bruce Murphy..copyright 1999 so many of our newer authors are not in here but it's such a fascinating book..not just authors but genres, books, "mystery=related" words, i.e. cop.."the single most common word for 'policeman', cop is a shortening of 'copper'and may come from Romanian cappi, meaning gain, booty. It is certain tht copper began to be applied to policeman in the mid-nineteenth century." and on and on...anyway, I digress..just wanted to print a bit of what the book says about Grisham. here goes...A Publshers Weeklu article estimated the worldwide gross of his novels and their spinoffs at $1 Billion...that's Billion, folks with a B!!! It further says that "Grisham's novels are more dependent onsuspense and melodrama than detection or mystery" "The characters and descriptions tend to be wooden". I would have to agree yet I still read his stuff...maybe because they are a fast read, not too bad a story and they're fun!! This book is so fascinating...has many items on characters from mystery books and even such items as hemlock. I'm wondering if it's been updated..will have to check it out. sorry to take so long here...nite all..off to find a new book in my "winter" pile of stuff...supposed to be in low 30's or even high 20's tonite and early morning here in SW Michigan..good nite to be under my new fleect blanket I bought yesterday..sleep well everyone and dream of a new book or two to buy or borrow
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That's an interesting explanation of "cop", PEACE. I knew it was a
shortened version of "copper", but I always thought that referred to the
copper badges they wore. The first police badges were made of copper.
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I thought it was an acronym for Constable on Patrol.
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Oh, I like that Constable on Patrol.. Interesting theory. I have several books on mystery authors.. One just for women writers..
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A Special Announcement -
We've just opened a poll to assess interest in a number of titles for upcoming Book Discussions.
IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION, the titles in the header of the Suggestion Box (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=309.msg41589#msg41589) are links to reviews.
PLEASE MARK AS MANY TITLES THAT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO DISCUSS in depth in the coming months. (We're looking for a number of titles)
WHEN YOU ARE READY, THE POLL IS HERE
(http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=GY5huAKPlhGJzIlGtuN3wQ_3d_3d)
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For an Anne Perry book, I would recommend starting with the first book of
either of her poplar 'Monk' or 'Pitt' series. For Thomas Pitt, that would be
"The Cater Street Hangman". For William Monk, "The Face of a Stranger".
The latter, "The Face of a Stranger", would be especially good for discussion.
Lots to talk about. Could it be added to the list?
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I keep chastising myself for belonging to three different mystery book groups on-line, i.e. I forget who suggested what, or what I might have suggested. LOL!
At any rate, I suppose you nice folks will forgive me if I suggest a mystery author, new to me, that someone suggested, somewhere!
Beverly Connor. She writes forensic investigation mysteries, and has two series: the Diane Fallon one, and the Lindsey Chamberlain. The Fallon series, Diane is the director of the Rivertrail Museum of Natural History in Georgia. I have read two of her books thus far, and really enjoy them.
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Beverly Connor was my suggestion. She is an interesting character, isn't she?
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Well, thank you twice Mrssherlock, once for your suggestion, and once for telling me you were the one who suggested! Have you read any of the Lindsay Chamberlain ones?
I love these Diane ones, have requested two more from my library. I think someone here in Dallas must read this board, because the available copies of the Fallon books are all out!
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Seems as if there are several of you in Texas: Babi and Barb. Let's take a poll and see whe3re we all live. I', in Salem Oregon (pronounced or-y gun).
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Tennessee.
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Pennsylvania
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Wisconsin
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California
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Florida
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Sounds like we are a nationwide group. If we all decided to give a weather report, we could have a little bit of everything!
We have had rain, rain here for several days, along with cool temperatures that we rarely see in October, 50's and 60's. Supposed to be back up to the 80's though.
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I live in the Bay Area..east bay
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I live in california too, but hundreds of miles South, in the Los Angeles area.
It is raining today, for the first time since last Winter. And I an celebrating -- I haven't heard rain in so long, I've forgotten what it sounds like. And I love the sound of rain. I stayed in bed an extra hour just to listen to it.
The downside is that there will be mud slides -- probably in the same areas that had fires a few months ago.
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I live in a small town in SW Michigan, not far from the Indiana border..my apartment is about 1 1/2 miles from Lake Michigan...cold today..been in the 30's at nite...bit too early for this stuff..leaves are changing very quickly and all are falling to the ground at a much too rapid pace..hope this is not a sign of what kind of winter we're going to have..but it will come and nothing I can do about it...except complain :P ;D
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Wisconsin
Sunny here today, but cold.
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has anyone read Elaine Viets books? i particularly like her 'dead-end job mysteries. when shegets involved in solving murders it definitely holds your interest. it is light reading but good.
i live in SE FL. and we are havin g very hot humid days for this time of the year. last year we were freezing - i even bought an electric blanket. doesn't look like i will be using it.
at least, we are having what the weather people call a dud hurricane season at least so far. we did have Wilma the end of Oct. so anything can happen.
JO
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North Central Florida. Moved here about 22 years ago and love it, especially in the winter.
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Normally I loved central Florida where I live, but this year, the heat is really bothering me. It is supposed to get cooler this weekend. I certainly hope so.
Elaine Viets.. Yes, I like the dead end job stuff, although the reason behind it escapes me. Surely by now she could prove she is not working and earns close to nothing.. But that would spoil the dead end job part. Oh well.
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Today the sky is clearing up after the first storm of the season here in northern California. Yesterday it poured all day and was VERY windy.
Doing a search for something else lead me in a round about way to some "Jane Austen" mysteries, among them a series by Stephanie Barron in which Jane Austen does sleuthing similar, I take it, to Miss Marple. Have any of you read any of these?
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Marcie -
Yes, I've read all of the Jane Austin books by Stephanie Barron and enjoyed them. The victorian age with the stereotyped society standards play a fun part in the books as well as two other series of the same type.
Anne Perry has written many books in the Thomas & Charlotte Pitt series. I liked these - but I could not get into her "Monk" series which has been enjoyed by others here.
And, in the series by Carrie BeBris, she takes the characters from the Jane Austin books - Mr. & Mrs. Darcy and creates mysteries around them. Her book titles parallel Jane Austen's - Pride & Prescience, Suspense & Sensibiltiy, and North by Northanger.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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Thanks, CubFan. I'll look to see if the Stephanie Barron and Carrie BeBris books are available from the library.
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Another Texan here. I live in the Hill Country (nw of Austin). It's fun to know where everyone lives.
Sally
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I love this group as well as the Seniors & Friends discussions..it never ceases to amaze me that I'm "talking" to people from all over the country...all over the world and all with a few touches of the keyboard and some clicks 8) 8) and it is equally exciting to share a love of books with like-minded folks....
soon time for bed..and reading my latest from the library first!
take care all and sleep well
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I like the Anne Perry about the couple, but not the detective who lose his memory.. Could not get into that.
I just read maybe 100 pages of a Michael Connelly ( who I normally adore) and decided this one was simply not my type of book. It is mostly about an attorney, who reacts like a slime ball to everything.. I like Harry..but not this one.
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CUBFAN, you did that deliberately! Pride and Prescience? North by Northanger? Get your tongue out of your cheek before it gets a knot in it.
::)
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I am reading a book by John Grisham that is quite different from his usual fare. It is about a true crime but written like a novel. "The Innocent Man" tells about some murders in Ada, Oklahoma in the 1980's. Three young women were murdered in a gruesome way. Actually two of the bodies were never found. The police and the OBI (Oaklahome Bureau of Investigation) were under pressure to solve the cases and managed to arrest some innocent men, who were browbeaten into confessing. In one case, the man told them of a dream he had which the law enforcement types made into a confession.
I am only one-half the way through the book so I don't yet know how it comes out but one defendent is obvious mentally ill, but untreated except for his attorney insisting he take Thorazine to shut him up.....critics called it a chemical lobotomy.
I usually like John Grisham books a great deal, but this book makes it difficult for me to find anyone to relate to.
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Poppy: I think you have hit on a major difference between novels and true crime. Real criminals are creeps and jerks. In the books we get behind the scenes, "hear" thoughts, follow clues, become more than observers. Yet when it is a real crime there is no mystery, no glamour. Sleaze, purely sleaze.
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MARCIE: I love the Stephanie Barron mysteries -- have read them all. This is one case where I really suggest reading them in order. They follow the sequence of Austen's real life, sandwiching fictional characters and plot in with real ones. There are a lot of actual quotes from Austen and much historical information.
You remind me that there are somme by Carrie DeBris that I haven't read. They have a magical or science fiction aspct that not all may like.
Getting Austen's tone is almost impossible: Barron comes close, except for JAs sense of humor. She is heavier than Austen, but her plots and the background are very good.
DeBris' strength IMO is in portraying the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy after they are married --it is delightful, but I find her plots a little strange.
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Reading books about the 20th century, we have no difficulty destinguishing between one set in 1930 and one set in 1990. But it's harder for us in the 19th century. Jane Austen lived and wrote in the beginning of the century. Anne Perry has placed her two series in different periods. The Monk series takes place in the 1860s. Only the Pitt series is Victorian -- at the end of the century.
Thus those three series span almost 100 years in England. Because it's a different society, (or lack of skill of the writers) we don't pick up the differences
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Yes, I find the same thing in America fiction as well. The most amazing part is that if you travel and visit historic areas in the US in real life, you discover the most amazing differences when you travel west. The settlement of the the west makes life there a lot different from life in the east. Things taken for granted in the east were unheard of until much later. After TV got universal, the land has become more uniform, but even in the late 50s, I remember going to a convention of teens in Oklahoma and discovering to my amusement that some teens from Wyoming and Colorado had telephones that cranked and had a live operator to connect them. By then we had dialed numbers in the east..
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A really good point, JACKIE. I think we sometimes forget that there is
no 'glamour' in real crime. And the weakest point in most crime series is
the totally unrealistic and improbable last scene where the criminal blurts
out a full confession, when anyone not totally stupid would have shut their
mouths.
STEPH, I remember going house-hunting when we first moved to California.
The realtor proudly showed us an attic fan, and obviously expected us to
be awed. We had an attic fan in our home in Texas when I was a girl and
I was not at all impressed. The poor man was quite crestfallen.
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Thanks, JoanK, for the information and recommendations about the Jane Austen mysteries. It looks like my public library has many of the titles. Those are great points about historical details in books.
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My F2F mystery group is reading a book by Burke called Rain Man. I started it, but it is so depressing, I think for the first time, I just won't read it. Everyone in it is either seriously depressed or gets mindlessly slaughtered. there's no mystery about who did it, just which higher-ups ordered it. Enough.
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I just got my hands on Cynthia Baxter's Putting on the Dog. Looking forward to reading it.
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I finally picked up Larsson's "The Girl With the Golden Tattoo". I read the first
page at the library and decided to read it. It's in a stack, tho', and at least one
other book must take precedence, but I'll get there. It's been getting good
recommendations over in RATW.
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I like Baxters other series. Murder Packs a Suitcase. Great Fun..
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Well, I returned the Burke to the library. They didn't have any Baxters. Boo hoo. But I got all funny ones, to counteract the Burke.
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just finished Company Man by Joseph Finder - corporate shenanigans - murder - widower w/2 kids - shady corporate security guy - black female detective partnered with tough prejudiced detective - schizo man with daughter..is she who we think she is? - wow, this stuff made for a really good book…just too bad this wasn’t it! Read the large print version which was just over 800 pages..very, very long - another formula book and quite predictable with a happy ever after ending...nite all, heading for bed with a mystery by Philip Margolin...have read him before so hopefully this will be a non-formula book! sleep well and have good dreams
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We do come to recognize those formulas, don't we? I picked out the
murderer in a recent show, just because he came into the police station
with some 'helpful' data and was reluctant to leave. No other reason for
that particular scene...it didn't contribute to the story line...so why was he
there? Aha...it was a subtle(?) hint! He's the villain.
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It was I who mentioned Inspector Alvarez a while ago because we'd just come back from Mallorca and I was enjoying him. But a little goes a long way I think. Having read a few they are getting a bit repetitive. And I agree if he really drank that much brandy every day he wouldn't be able to find his way home!
I also mentioned The Pyramid --the new Wallander book which I am now reading and enjoying--in fact I am rationing myself because I don't want it to end. There aren't going to be any more. One thing I thought was interesting is that the author says he devised the series to comment on the deterioration of the social mileau in Sweden. That's what Sjowall and Wahloo said about their series written in the 60s! I would say the social mileau in Sweden then and now is a lot less violent that here and many other places too.
I listened to An Innocent Man (Grisham) during a long drive recently. I wouldn't have been able to read it through I don't think--lots of rather boring detail. But what a story! I looked it up on google afterwards and read thru the web site of the DA who you come to hate for his corruption in the book. I guess maybe Grisham went a bit over the top but still its very scarey to think what can happen to you if you're arrested and have no money and no decent lawyer.
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Ginny mentioned tne annual Bouchercon, named for Anthony Boucher who edited and wrote both crime and science fiction. SYKM ha released the list of award winners: http://us.mg1.mail.yahoo.com/dc/launch?.gx=0&.rand=04aj5pkqormoh
Some familiar names. several of us have read or are reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson. Davidm Liss' the Whiskey Rebels was mentioned here, too. Other authors we have commented on are Louise Penny, Arnaldur Indridason, Michael Connelly, Lisas Lutz, Rhys Bowen. There are many new names to check out, too. When a single title pops up on more than one list I try to read that book. There can be treasures to be found there. Enjoy
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Jackie: your link sent me into the Yahoo mail sign-in page. I don't think you can link to your mail.
But that sounds interesting. A lot of old favorites, and some new ones too.
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Oh,, I do remember those Swedish writers and read every single book of theirs. I loved them and then they simply stopped writing. Very annoying indeed.
There is a convention called Boucheron.. He was really a fine fine editor and a lot of sci fi writers regarded him as key to their success.
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They stopped writing because he (Wahloo) died. Such a shame. They are my all time favorite mysteries. Back in the late 80s you couldn't find them anyplace and that was when I was collecting them. Finally I acquired all 10. Now they are readily available again. I have read and re-read them and I guess that's the biggest compliment I can pay the series. How many mysteries does one reread several times? (And I am saving them up to read again!!)
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I finally couldn't finish Grisham's "The innocent man". I gave up after reading about one-half of it. It was depressing. It has pictures of everyone involved in the center of the book.
I am now reading "The Simple Truth" by David Baldacci. It is much more satisfying to read.
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Here is the site for Stop You're Killing Me Awards List: http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/
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I had no idea there were so many awards. I'd only heard about half of them.
I checked out the Agatha, Anthony, and Edgare awards. Glad Penny won one. And Larrson. Box won the Edgar this year, and I'm ashamed to say I've never read him. Have any of you? What are the books like?
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I ordered his first book from Amazom.
In looking for him, I discovered that Gore Vidal wrote 3 mysteries under the name of Edgar Box. Did you all know that?
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Box is one author I always read. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/c-j-box/ He writes a series and also stand alones.
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Has anyone heard of or read any books by Mike Silverstri? A friend who happens to have known him way back when found out he was writing novels and picked up his Bark of the Dog from his Lazy Dog series (four books so far). She hasn't read it yet. He is a computer programmer or analyst and so is his protagonist. The dog is based somewhat on his own. He is local to the Harrisburg area. The name is familiar but I can't place from where. It looks like he has written some SciFi too.
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Is that C.J. Box?? I have seen books from that author. Never read any..
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With a strong recommendation like that, DANA, I'll have to add Wahloo to
my book list.
I see the Bouchercon hosted the Anthony Awards...and the Larsson book
was on both the Best Mystery and Best First Mystery lists; in first place
on the latter. By happy chance "The Girl With the Golden Tattoo" is in my
book stack now, waiting to be read.
Haven't heard of a Mike Silverstri, Frybabe. Can't find him in Fantastic Fiction
either.
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Neither have I, but he sounds interesting. Let us know what you think.
I'm behind as always with new books. Just found out that Susan Conant, who writes books about the dog show world, is collaborating with her daughter on a new series(to me -- not so new, there are four books out already). I got the forst one from the library --"Steamed" by Conant and Page. Nothing to do with animals. The detective is a young single woman who is a foodie, and it has more about food and her love life than the mystery. Mediocre so far -- I'll let you know when I finish it.
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Re Mike Silvestri: I rather suspected no one has heard of him. I am not planning to read his books, but if my friend gets around to reading her copy she will give me her opinion. Like the author (and protagonist, also named Mike) she is a computer person. Amazon has a few customer reviews up but all except one are from this area (and therefore suspect IMO). The one not from this area found Bark of the Dog boring.
If I were brave enough to go into downtown Harrisburg at night I would consider checking him out at his upcoming lecture at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore on Nov. 21st where he will be doing a lecture on Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, a book that made quite an impression on me years ago. I rather suspect the lecture will be more a self promotion piece than a strict lecture about Bradbury's book. He has titled his lecture I Blame Ray Bradbury.
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Steph:
Michael Connolly is also one of my favorite mystery writers . Did you read his recent one the Brass Verdict ? In this mystery Harry Boush the Homocide detective meets The Lincoln lawyer and together try to solve a Homocide . It certainly held my attention .
His earlier mystery The Lincoln Lawyer I slso enjoyed .
The reader is left with the impression of how Homocide detectives view lawyers .
Particularly, defense lawyers .
Other favorites of mine are Medical thrillers /mysteries . Among my favorite authors here are Michael Palmer and Robin Cook .
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Hi, retired. I'll have to check out Sylvestri. What (who) is The Lincoln Lawyer"?
I can see why homocide detectives wouldn't like defense lawyers. They must see them as the people get the perps off free after all the work of capturing them.
My daughter-the-doctor loves medical mysteries, as long as they are accurate. I admit, I could have never have been a doctor: the vivid description of body parts makes me feel sick.
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I've always found the medical aspects of a story interesting, but then I studied
anatomy and physiology as part of my medical records degree. I even watched
2 or 3 surgeries with fascination. I am repelled, however, by the excessively
horrid things the CSI series insist on displaying. I look away during those scenes. Apparently that sort of thing appeals to many viewers, since it seems
to be getting worse. Nothing new, really. Think of the public fascination for
grisly, violent events in ancient Rome. Ugh.
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As much as I love Michael
Connelly, I really did not like the two featuring the lawyer. Just could not get interested in him.
A good friend of mine wrote a series of funny essays some years ago.
She nagged all of her friends to write in and put a review on Amazon. We all did and she sold a respectable amount of books.. But truly they were funny and quite true if you knew Dee.
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I can't remember who recommended Rose Conner, but thanks. Just finished "Moment of Sanity, and enjoyed it thoroughly, in spite of a wildly improbable solution. A Cape Cod version of Lisa Scottelene, with her woman lawyuer and amusing and interesting courtroom scenes, mixed with a truly tragic story.
The inventiveness of that book makes me realize the lack of inventiveness in Conant and Park's book, steamed. (sorry: I called Conant's daughter Page not Park in the last post). Although there is a very clever clue at the end, most of the book is a recital of the protagonist's dating life, (complete with wardrobe, makeup, hairstyles etc.) and gourmet restaurant dishes.
But "write what you know", and this is what the author knows. In spite of this, to my surprise I found that by the end I'd been drawn into the writer's world and ready to read another book. So the jury's still out.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Joan: Found your author; she is Rose Connors. Here is her site on FF: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/rose-connors/
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Among FFs new authors I found this gem of a mystery: ://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/emily-arsenault/broken-teaglass.htm
I checked my library last week but no luck. Today, Eureka, there it was and now it's on my reserve list.
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picked up two books from the library yesterday...started one last nite and...gosh, I had just read it not too long ago!! :-[ ::) shows you how much I remember what I read...and I keep a list in the computer of all the books I read...just stopping in to tell a little tale on myself..now off to read the other library book...and no, I haven't read this one :D
nite everyone...sleep well and dream of all the books yet to be read
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peace, LOL. I've done that before also. I've even finished a book I'd already read and wasn't sure that I had read it until after I finished!
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Peace and Marcie-been there, done (and doing) that. What is really aggravating is to only remember a couple of chapters ahead so you have to keep on reading until close to the end when the whole thing comes back to you. What a spoiler!! I miss the days when you signed your name on the library card. You could look and see if you had checked the book out before.
Sally
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I loved Conants dog series, but read just one of the ones with her daughter. I think it was Steamed. I just remember I really thought it was a nothing.. So I check.. Dog ones fine.. anything else.. NO>
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I like her dog stories, too and ditto thumbs down for the daughter's stories. They're written for a different audience than we old codgerettes. Author's children do seem to lack that special something. Anne Mccaffrey's son comes to mind; his Pern stories are seo violent!
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It is comforting to find that others cannot remember what they have read. I keep a list by my computer on a spreadsheet. It is not complete, however, because when someone mentioned C.J.Box, I remembered the name and that I had read some of his books, but he was not on my list.
I am just finising David Baldacci's "The Simple Truth". It is sooooo good and I had forgotten what a good author he is. It is about the Supreme Court and how it works. A clerk takes a prison letter without properly logging it in. This is against the law and he is killed for it by some characters who had tried to cover up a case against Rufus Harms who has spent 25 years in prison for it. They had later become prominent and didn't want it to come out. This book is well researched on a number of topics.
http://www.davidbaldacci.com/
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it's nice to know that others have "book amnesia" ;D ...will definitely have to read the new Baldacci...I too miss the days when I could check the library book to see if I had read it...oh well, progress, I guess ???
nite all and sleep well
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I do agree on McCaffreys son. I dislike the new Pern stories. All battles, etc and that was never her point. Such a shame. Maybe if she had a daughter writing??
Just finished the latest John Sandford.. Not Lucas, although he was there in a minor sort of way, but Virgil,, who I like more and more.. He has a different sort of take on things. This one was about Vietnamese and revenge.. Interesting idea.
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Good point, STEPH. For the most part, women seem to do better with
character insights, relationships...the 'heart-warming' bits. I thought McCaffrey's son improved and the partnership books became more like her originals, but they are more centered on action. The keynote that made her books so special...the relationship with the dragons...isn't coming through in his books, IMO.
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Is anyone reading or planning to read THE LOST SYMBOL by Dan Brown?
I'm reading it and it's pretty interesting -- a fast read that keeps you wondering what on earth will happen next. Wish I'd read it before I visited Washington, D. C. He talks about the painting inside the dome of the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Building, "The Apotheosis of Washington" where Washington is depicted becoming a god. You can see the painting at Wikipedia under the painting's title.
Poppy, I love David Baldacci's books, especially those about the Camel Club. I'll read THE SIMPLE TRUTH on your good recommendation. Sounds interesting.
Marj
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Sounds interesting, indeed. I love books that tell how things work in some area where I'll probably never get to see for myself. I often say that everything I know, I know from reading detective stories.
The C.J. Box I bought just came. that "Stop, You're killing Me" site is dangerous. If you click on a book, it takes you to Amazon, and it's too easy to just order it.
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I just finished "Friends, Lovers and Chocolate", the second in Alexander McCall Smith's Sunday Philosophy Club series. I like it, but I think very few people would. The main character can't do anything without having a long philosophical discussion about it. Her friends all get impatient, and so do I.
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Hmm,..I think I'll skip that one, JOAN. It's becoming downright frustrating! All those books I'd like to read, I'd have to do nothing else.
And it's not like I have forever, as I thought I did when I was young and thought nothing of tackling a huge book.
It's becoming more important, not to waste time on a book that I'm
really not enjoying.
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I want to thank whoever recommended Beverly Connor. I have one of her books about the Forensic specialist. Excellent. Just found another on a used book site that I ordered as well.
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I just heard on another forum that PBS will be televising Val McDermid's A PLACE OF EXECUTION, in two parts, beginning November 1. Normally I don't like to watch mysteries, but I might look for this one, as the book got very good reviews. Has anyone read it?
Marj
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If you are a fan of the Gabriel Allon books by Daniel Silva, as I am, then you will be pleased that he has a new book, The Defector . Gabriel Allon is a world-class art restorer, on personal contract with the Vatican. He is also arguably the Number One assassin for Israeli intelligence, know as "The Office".When Black September occurred at the Berlin Olympics he was in charge of the team that searched for and executed those responsible for the kidnap and murder of the eleven Israeli athletes. Maybe executioner is a more accurate job description. He personally has paid a high price for his actions in the name of Israel. Compelling is a mild term for this character.
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I've heard several people that have read McCall's Philosophy Club series about Isabel Dalhousie say they didn't care for them, but I really enjoy them. One of my grandson's sent me a gift card for the local bookseller and I bought "The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday" 2008. However, I do get frustrated with her niece "Cat".
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Yes, I do like Alexander McCall Smith--in small doses. I know what you mean about the endless philosophising in the Dalhousie series! I prefer his Botswana stories with Mma Ramotswe et al, and I recently read 44 Scotland Street which I really enjoyed--but then I was born and brought up in Scotland . Anyway, its not a detective story.
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Isn't there always some small mystery? there is in the Dalhousie story.
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44 Scotland Street is not a mystery story but more an account of people living in a flat in Edinburgh and their personalities are really the fun thing about the book. It was written as a serial for a Scottish newspaper and sometimes I wondered if he was making it up as he went along, it was stiil fun though. I see he has written more in that series.
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I didn't read "44 Scotland Street" but read a later one in the series, and thought it did have an (almost incidental) mystery in it.
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Did you like it? I think I read another one in the series where the little boy's mother takes him to a psychoanalyst and he gets lost , and she makes him wear strawberry colored pants to school..... sounds quite nuts!
Have you read the ones about the Ladies Detective Agency? I quite enjoyed them. I always think its interesting to read about another country, although they get a bit repetitive--but so do a lot of series!
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I liked 44 Scotland street, but dislike the African ones.. Just cannot bear Precious.. Oh well, different strokes.
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Thank goodness for that little history thing in IE that reminds you of places you've been and can't remember. I knew I'd read some article by Alexander McCall Smith -- just yesterday, and couldn't remember where or what it was about. He plays bridge and this was a Wall Street Journal article about his thoughts and feelings about playing bridge.
His imaginary ideal bridge foursome would include W.H. Auden, Woody Allen, Barack Obama and himself. And his least ideal bridge four? Saddam Hussein (an unforgiving partner), Marilyn Monroe (bad memory for cards), and Gandhi (not competitive enough) and himself.
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pedln, the reasons for identifying those three as the worst bridge partners made me laugh!
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That's hilarious!
Finished the Box book ("Open Season") and liked it a lot. Much about the wild country of the West. I'll definately read more.
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That's funny. why WH Auden I wonder. I guess perhaps he likes his poetry.
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Do any of you remember The Prisoner series from 1967? I just came across information that AMC is going to show a remake miniseries (including the big white ball!) in mid November. See http://www.amctv.com/originals/the-prisoner/where-to-watch/
The original episodes are available online at http://www.amctv.com/videos/. I also see them ON DEMAND on cable TV.
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*Wrongful Death - Robert Dugoni - another lawyer turned writer but this guy is pretty good - better than Grisham - Iraq war widow wants to sue government over her husband’s death..not an easy feat considering all the laws in her way..but attorney David Sloane takes the case..of course he has a P.I. Friend who just happens to be ex-CIA..does everyone have a friend who used to work for the CIA or the FBI or some other such organization?!! I got confused at times but really did like it..some implausible stuff, of course, but still would read another of his..I think he has at least 2 more out.
I did see something about The Prisoner on AMC...will check it out..always liked the old one when it was on...I agree about the SYKM site...I want to read every book on their lists..like a sign said: So many books, so little time...how true... I have been getting all my books lately from the new book section at the front of the library...try to find stuff by authors who are new to me...I've given up taking a llist in to the library...would be too long to wade thru!
nite all...happy reading
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We have the dvd's of the Prisoner.. actually at this point, one of our sons have borrowed it, but we loved the show.. Not sure anyone could measure up to Patrick.
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:D PEDLN, I love Smith's group of the worst bridge foursome. Perfect choices!
I'm trying to remember "The Prisoner". It sounds vaguely familiar
but I just can't recall the story line at all.
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I can't complain about the two lead characters in the new Prisoner series. I wonder whether or not there will be much similarity between the old and new though. They say it isn't a remake, but a reinvention.
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I agree, Frybabe, about the two leads in AMC's "The Prisoner."
Steph, lucky you to have the DVDs of the original series!
There is an article about the new Prisoner miniseries at http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/09/amc-reinterprets-sci-fi-series-the-prisoner.html
It says: "But, as fans of the original series will see, the biggest differences between the original and modern series will lie within the story itself. "McGoohan's was about the assertation of the individual. Mine was more about, 'What if the arrogance of the individual becomes our undoing?'" producer Bill Gallagher told Entertainment Weekly, as he aimed to introduce modern ideas of security and surveillance.
McKellen hoped that McGoohan would approve of the AMC version, even though the creator refused to take part in any sort of remake. "I hope he takes this new version of The Prisoner as a compliment rather than a challenge to his great achievement," he told AMC."
Hmm, I guess I'll have to judge it on its own merits and not how the story compares with the original.
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I was just up on Wikipedia to check when Patrick McGoohan passed away - January 13, 2009. I got to reading the bio and according to Wikipedia, one of my all time favorite movies, Ice Station Zebra, was a Howard Hughs favorite (they say "the favorite").
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I read the bok, but never saw the movie. Foe ignorant me, was McGoohan a director?
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Not for Ice Station Zebra, but he has done some producing and directing (including the original Prisoner series). I believe it was he who came up with the idea for The Prisoner, or at least that is the impression Wikipedia left me.
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Yes, from all I have read McGooan was the guiding light of the Prisoner. He had been in another series.. Hmm. Secret Agent?? Excellent and sort of tied into the Prisoner in a way. Good actor.
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Secret Agent is correct, Steph. It is known as Danger Man in the UK. Remember Johnny River's hit Secret Agent Man? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iaR3WO71j4
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Oh heavens yes, both of my sons adored the song and the show and would sing it at the drop of a pin once upon a time.. Ranked right up there with the Kung Fu, David Carridine thing.
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;D
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:o Smileys are fun.. Found an old Peter Lovesy.. This one about marathon walking?? in England of course.
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Would anyone like to discuss a true mystery by Douglas Preston (of Preston-Childs fame)?s
I got the book from the Library (see the Nonfiction folder) and, although I haven't read it yet, it looks very interesting and we can delve into Florence, Italy and all its wonders while we are it?
Let me know. You can read the Introduction to the book here:
http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/LITTLems/monster_of_florence_chap_1.pdf
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Ella: What a find! I'll be there.
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I've ordered the book from Amazon.
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True crime. I like some of it, but I am not fond of Preston. Hmm..
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Definitely liked the introduction, ELLA. I'll look into it some more.
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Stuart Woods "Cold Paradise":
"Stone Barrington hunts his most clever nemesis yet—a master of disguise and deceit—in this latest thriller in the New York Times--bestselling series.
Cop-turned-lawyer Stone Barrington has the street smarts, dry wit, and debonair charm his fans love, and Palm Beach, the setting of his new adventure, is his most glamorous scene-of-the-crime yet. In Cold Paradise, he becomes reacquainted with a case he thought was buried years ago, and must settle romantic entanglements that haunt him still."
I am enjoying this book with the outrageous Stone Barrington. He is egotistical and attractive to many women. He is handsome and smart.
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William Tappley wrote many books about Brady Coyne, dentist, fisherman, amateur detective. He appeared in one of Phillip Craig's Martha's Vineyard series. Now he's embarked on a new path. Bitch Creek is the name of the little stream outside Stonewall (Stoney) Jackson Calhoun's rural bit of paradise in rural Maine. Stoney is living his days one at a time; he has recovered from a lightening strike but his memory consists of only incoherent momentary flashes, like stills taken from the recording of his life. You'll like Stoney, he's quite appealing. When his life turns upside down he finds hidden resources from his past which aid him in getting through some extremely harrowing events. First of a new series; I'll be watching for the next installment.
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CONNIE & JACKIE, both those book sound good, tho' I generally find
egotistism turns me off. I suppose I can always enjoy the story while gently scoffing at Mr. Barrington's egoism. After all, he is a lawyer; egoism is almost required for success. ;)
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Babi: Stoney Calhoun is anything but an egotist. He is a modest, gentle man and one I would enjoy knowing. Reading about his life which is devoted to fly fishing provides me with a small measure of the raison d'etre for his fellow hobbiests if one can call an obsession a hobby.
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It was Connie's hero, Stone Barrington, who was the egotist, JACKIE.
Interesting that both of you introduced protagonists called Stone or
Stoney within minutes of each other. I've got both authors noted down
for the book list I keep in my purse for reference. Very convenient.
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I dont like Stone Barrington, but will look for the other Stoney..
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The Story of Civilization has been active as a discussion group for eight years. We are now talking and reading about Italy during the Renaissance years.
Things happen in this period of history that change the way of the world forever. They are happening again in our discussion.
Come share with us this discussion of one of the most significant periods in the history of the world. You'll be glad you came and you will gain in understanding why we are where we are today.
On Sunday, we will have a celebration of eight years of discussion, and of making our way in only eight years from living in caves to the glories of the Renaissance.
For Seniorlearn members, go to http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=64.360
If you’re not a member, go to http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?action=help
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I would also like to read the William Tappley book, but I don't find it in
the catalogs for my local library or the county library,,,which is a surprise.
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Just finished a seriously light cozy.. Lori Avocato.. OK,, way too much drooling over males..
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I have been watching and enjoying the new TV series "Castle". It is based on Richard Castle and Nicky Heat. I haven't read any of Castle's books, but I like the characters on this series. Have any of you watched this or read Castle's books. If so, what do you think?
Sally
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My face is red, SALLY. :-[ I hadn't even realized the series was based
on an actual author and character. Obviously, I haven't read any Richard Castle books.
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New Idea.. Did not know that Castle was a book series. Who wrote it??
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Castle is NOT an actual author. There has been one book out, which is kind of a cross-promotion for the TV series. Go to Amazon.com and type in Richard Castle, and read on. The character, Richard Castle, is supposed to have written 26 best sellers, etc.
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Carolyn Hart is now writing a series where the detective is a ghost. I picked up the second one (Merry Merry Ghost -- the first it Ghost at Work) yesterday. So far it's light, but fun. I guess we're not the only ones tired of her "Death on Demand" series. Although this one could get stale with time, too.
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Tomereader: I saw what you did on Amazon. the book was apparently written after the series, like the Monk books (I confess to reading those). Is Castle a good series?
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My mistake, TOMEREADER. I misunderstood Sally's post.
A ghost detective? How does that work? Even if he/she solves the
crime, who does he/she tell?
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May look for the ghost series. Thing is the author tends to like to be cute.
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"Who does she tell?"
Good question. I don't know -- haven't gotten to that yet. I'll let you know.
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David Liss is classified as a mystery writer,but not sure why..But I am in love with the Coffee Trader..
Also scored a Beverly Connor yesterday in a used book store. She is hard to find in the older books. I like her very much and to my surprise so does my husband.. He loves Bones on TV and after all that is what her heroine is?? A forensic Anthropologist.
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Glad you and your husband are enjoying Beverly Connor.
I have two that I requested from the library, on hold for me, but they don't open the brand new branch till Saturday, so I'm waiting impatiently.
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I felt like finding a pot of gold when I discovered a Connor which I had missed. Be sure to read Scattered Graves after Dead Hunt. Don't start it at bedtime or you won't get a wink of sleep it is so fast paced.
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I just finished this book and found it quite good and very different.
"Mistress of the Art of Death" by Ariana Franklin. In searching for more books like this and found that is listed as the 1st book of a 3 pt. series. It is listed as historical and suspense filled fiction.
"In medieval Cambridge four children are murdered. The Catholics blame the Jews who are placed under the protection of the King Henry VIII. They are living in the castle of a local king. The king sends for someone to do a scientific investigation into the deaths. The person sent is an Italian woman doctor/pathologist, who was trained by her father. But in medieval Cambridge she must conceal her true identity to keep herself safe." CMH
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Oh, that sounds good. It's on my library list now. On a lighter note is the series by Patrick F McManus about the sheriff of mythical Blight County in Idaho. Bo Tully has followed his father and grandfather into the office of sheriff even though he studied art in college and sells his oils and watercolors through a dealer in LA. If you remember the old Maverick TV series you have an idea of this author's deft touch with dialog. I'm laughing, not on every page, but a good number of them. Since there are several books in this series I'm looking forward to more hours of glee. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/patrick-f-mcmanus/
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Thanks for the McManus mention - I've ordered the first in that series from the library.
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Made a note of Ariana Franklin since it sounds great.
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My daughter gave me this one to read. It's light but has an interesting concept.Abby Cooper: Psychic Eye by Victoria Laurie It's a fun read. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/victoria-laurie/
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For some reason, I couldn't post here but now see that I can. I definitely want to get one of the books by Patrick McManus.
I am currently reading "Wrongful Death" by Robert Dugoni. It is excellent IMO.
http://www.robertdugoni.com/I have read all of his books and find him an excellent writer. His stories take place in the Seattle area and I learn much about that area in the process including the rain. Usually I just see on the evening weather report that the jet stream had gone North of us in the Bay Area and dont think about what that means to everyone north of us. We have a drizzle today but could use some of that rain.
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More interesting sounding authors and books. Too bad I can't read as fast as I can make lists. :)
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Babi, I am with you.. I make lists and even check them out on my swap club and order many of them.. But when I will get around to reading them all.
Talk about annoying.. My little rescue, Gracie is a very good dog most of the time. However last night before I went to sleep, I was reading as always. I was really weary and closed the book, laid it on the floor and went to sleep. Woke this morning to a gnawing noise.. Reached down and met a small nose and lots of licking. She had taken the cover off the book and ripped it to pieces.. Hmm. no more books on the floor.
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One of my two cats (or maybe the other), has an appetite for library books; two books so far have bitten the dust, so to speak . Some books, as I'm reading, are so enticing that the prime suspect won't leave then alone, sniffing and nosing, trying to climb into the space between the cover and the binding.
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Well, call me slow. FF has, under each author's name, the country of that author. Click on the country and you get a list of authors from that country. I was looking up Fred Vargas who writes the charming, quinticenstially French, stories about Inspector Adamsberg I first read in The Chalk Circle Man, the Inspector solves crimes not through logic but using his right brain, i.e., daydreams and musings. So if you are seeking authors by nationality, FF is once again the first place to look. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/
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JACKIE: I had no idea!
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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It works. I looked up Batya Gur, a very good Israeli mystery story writer to see if there were any more Israeli writers listed. I found out that Yael Dayan, the daughter of Moishe Dayan the prominant Israeli soldier and politician, writes mystery stories. Who knew?
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Neither did I! I found FF so useful just going by authors and titles,
it never occurred to me to look for other approaches. See, JACKIE,
you're not slow. You're way ahead of the rest of us. :)
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A different approach for sure.. I have several mystery encyclopedias.. Including an old one called " A womans Hand.. Good for female authors, although not a new book for sure.
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I've finished "Merry Merry Ghost" and you were right: communicating what she knows is a problem for the ghost detective. Caroline Hart continues her interest in the old "Thin Man" series-- she has the ghost materialize sometimes under the name M. Loy.
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Somewhere I read/heard about Libby Fischer Hellmann's An Eye for Murder where we meet Ellie Foreman, a Chicago divorcee documentary filmaker. I really like Ellie. She's making her own way but worrying about her 12-yr-old daughter; Her ex just informed her that his online trading has put him in the hole so he can't pay the child support. Sounds banal, we've heard it a million times, but something about Ellie keeps me reading. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/libby-fischer-hellmann/eye-for-murder.htm
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Jackie,, another new author for me. Will check her out.
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Someone here mentioned Rose Connors. Thank you. I have fallen in love with Marty Nickerson, the narrator of Absolute Certainty, a riveting courtroom mystery. Connors has written four books about Nickersona nd so i have book #2 on its way. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/rose-connors/absolute-certainty.htm
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/foodsbooks/christmasdivider9.jpg)
You are invited to a
HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=978.0) for Book and Food Lovers
December 1 - 20
Guests will be YOU and authors of your favorite books that combine a good story with good tips on food. Do drop in and tell us about your favorite foodies, real and otherwise, be it Rachel Ray or Kate Jacobs or Tyler Florence or Joanne Harris. Who's your favorite cook?
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I wonder why there are so many mysteries with a food connection? Think you know them all? So did I, but was I wrong! Come December 1st and talk about it in our open house (link above).
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I wonder why there are so many mysteries with a food connection?
You know the answer to that one, JOAN. Somebody tried it, a lot of people saluted, and loads of people jumped on the bandwagon. (How's
that for a solid sentence of cliches? ;)
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Brillant!
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How about "Loads of people wanted a piece of the pie".
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That's a good one, JoanK :)
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Avalanche is the second Sheriff Bo Tully book. Bo and Pap, and their "Indian" tracker Dave, are stranded at the luxury lodge when an avalanche almost traps Bo and Pap on their way up to meet Dave as they investigate the mysterious disappearance of the lodge's owner. The fun continues though this one did not produce as many laughs as the first one, The Blight Way; Blight County is in the far north of Idaho, not far from the Washington border.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/patrick-f-mcmanus/avalanche.htm
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We've just finished The Blight Way, and yesterday, got Avalanche from the library. Haven't had a chance to start it yet. Those are the only two Sheriff Tully books that our library has - although lots of others by the same author.
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I have "The Blight Way" in the other room now, waiting for me to finish
my current book. Your posts have me looking forward to it with glee,
JACKIE.
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Hoorah: my local branch has "Blight Way".
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I looked around enough, and McManus does have a third Sheriff Tully mystery out now. The Double-Jack Murders came out in October, as best as I can tell. Our library doesn't have it yet.
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been a while so not sure what I've posted and what I haven't!! a senior moment? nah...someone referred to them as "intellectual interludes" 8) I like that much better. So bear with me if you've read this stuff before from me. Someone mentioned Robert Dugoni...as I say below, I will read more of his.
*Wrongful Death - Robert Dugoni - another lawyer turned writer but this guy is pretty good - better than Grisham - Iraq war widow wants to sue government over her husband’s death..not an easy feat considering all the laws in her way..but attorney David Sloane takes the case..of course he has a P.I. Friend who just happens to be ex-CIA..does everyone have a friend who used to work for the CIA or the FBI or some other such organization?!! I got confused at times but really did like it..some implausible stuff, of course, but still would read another of his..I
*Intervention - Robin Cook - really strange book - different from many of his others - found the dialogue stilted and the whole concept of the book confusing at best - 3 former college classmates find their lives crossing paths later in life - one is a head medical examiner in NYC, on a renowned archeologist and one the archbishop of NYC - the end part of the book was just too strange to fathom and so implausible and just happened so fast - Cook is a prolific writer tho not the greatest but this is even a low point for him
*Lost Lake - Phillip Margolin - I love jacket blurbs…”powerhouse thriller” - “11th may be his best” - I’ve read some of his before and liked them - but this, well, just didn’t care for it all that much, but read it all the way thru! The ending was just to neat and pat and well, weird! Ex general running for President has daughter he once locked up in mental hospital so she wouldn’t talk about his past, which of course he denied cuz she was nuts…her ex boyfriend is on the scene, a killing machine made by the general during Vietnam..twists and turns that just didn’t cut it for me..but will give the guy another chance!
*Escape - Robert K. Tanenbaum - a good read just for the “information” contained in the nearly 700 pages (paperback) - radical Islamic plot to disrupt the American Economy all in the name of Allah - secondary story of woman who killed her 3 children in the name of God - fascinating details about our economy, about radical Muslims - some stuff a bit implausible, of course, but a really good read…
a friend just loaned me a Michael Connelly so will start that...about ready to start on my "winter pile"...I have a huge basket of books purchased at yard sales that I save for the winter months when I don't get to the library as often, even tho it is just at the end of my block...what it really means is I'm too lazy to go out in the winter months but I just don't like driving in the snow and ice
off to bed with Michael Connelly! gee, that didn't come out right did it? ...or did it ::) ;)
nite all...sleep well and dream of all the books you'll get for Christmas
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Peace--"Intellectual interlude". I love it and plan to use it from now on!
Can somebody out there help me? I am in a very strange reading mood--maybe it's the time of the year, or this particular time in my life; but I am in a "dry spell". After thumbing through my hundreds of unread books, and returning library books unread; I realize that right now I need a bit of "fluff"--a good old comfort book that makes me laugh and gives me a warm fuzzy feeling when I finish. Anyone have any suggestions? It doesn't necessarily have to be a mystery.
Thanks,
Sally
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I just finished Casting Off by Nicole R Dickson. I picked it up because it sounded like a knitting mystery but it's neither. Knitting enters into the story as it chronicles the summer our heroine spends on an island off the western coast of Ireland, researching the stories and oatterns of the ganseys, or, as we know them, Irish Fisherman's Sweaters. She is a PhD in Archelolgy specializing in fibers and fiiber arts. She brings her 6-yr-old daughter, a daughter she can't let out of her sight literally. There is mystery, the mystery of her obsession with her daughter's safety. This is a warm, cozy almost, book about a woman who is seeking something and how she fits in with the small, close community on the island with its rich history and complex relationships. Vewry rich in Irishness. I'll read this author again.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/nicole-r-dickson/casting-off.htm
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PEACE: also love your "intellectual interludes". I must be an intellectual-- I have so many of them.
JACKIE: sounds great.
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SALAN: you've come to the right place.
Fluff, fluff! What to recommend? For funny, if you haven't read Janet Evanovitch, do (although her first, "One for the Money" is also gory). I like Donna Andrews ("Murder with Peacocks").
For the small town you're ready to pack up and move to: Louise Perry ("Still Life").
For how to raise kids and solve murders at the same time: Jill Churchill "Grime and Punishment" (stay away from her latest books).
Then there's the "food" mysteries: Joanna Fluke (owns a cookie store, recipies included -- don't remember which is the first)
There's the Rabbi's wife in a small texas town, Sharon Kahn ("Fax Me a Bagel - Ruby the Rabbi's Wife Book 1").
And the food critic in Washington Phyllis Richmond "The Butter Did It"
For a woman legal detective Lisa Scottalene (sp) "Everywhere that Mary Went"
For fluff that isn't a mystery Connie Kinsella "Confessions of a Shopaholic". Warning: the series is addictive.
In each case, I've given you the first book in a series, so if you like it, there's more to read.
OK, guys. What do the rest of you recommend?
Ok, others:
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Have you heard about Lisa Scottoline's new book, Why My Third Husband Will Be A Dog? Not a mystery but a collection of her Philadelphia Inquirer columns called "Chick Wit". It's on my list. http://scottoline.com/Site/Books/husband.html
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The Nicole Dickson book went on my list. I remember I read one of
the cookie lady stories and liked it.
"You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again" was fun, and different. Can't think of the author just now, but the title is distinctive enough. I
think you might like that one, SALLY.
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just stopping in to wish everyone a wonderfully and blessed Thanksgiving...maybe relax with a book after that wonderful dinner...sleep well and peacefully
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Those of you who, like me, watch "Bones" and "CSI" may be interested in a new series by Wendy Roberts. The first book is Remains of the Dead and that title is apt as the story is about a woman who does crime scene cleanup. When her brother commits suicide, Sadie Novak takes on the task of the clean up to spare her mother that pain. She realizes that she can do this for others as well so she trains, gets her certification and opens a buisiness in Seattle. She has the talent, or "gift", of being able to see and talk to the dead who have not been able to cross over. Her warmth and empathy allows them to come to terms with their state, though some are in denial, and finish their journey. Suicides never appear; maybe because they are actively seeking the final destination so have no need to be helped along their way. Not your average female who stumbles over a dead body and has to extricate herself from suspicion, is it? Sadie and her family, her employee, her clients and her dead are captivating and the polts are lively with twists and turns. Starting one of these books has been detrimental to my sleep because I can't put it down so must spend the entire night reading until "The End". http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/wendy-roberts/remains-of-dead.htm
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I'll have to add Wendy Roberts to my checklist; sounds like an interesting new approach to the mystery heroine.
I picked up two 'easy readers', both mysteries related to Christmas. Actually, I found the only relationship to Christmas was that they occurred shortly beore that holiday. Still, they are enjoyable reading.
One is from Charlaine Harris' 'Shakespeare series', predictably titled
"Shakespeare's Christmas". The other is a 'Mrs. Jeffries' book, titled
"Mrs. Jeffries and the Yuletide Weddings". Emily Brightwell writes that
series. They make light reading for the evenings when TV has nothing
but re-runs, old movies and football.
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Thank all of you for your "light-hearted" suggestions. I immediately went to the library and returned all my unread books and checked out 6 books. I have already read 2 of them. I have a feeling that's all I will be reading until after the holidays.
Thank you, again.
Sally
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FYI:
There is no easy way to do this... Tim and I were in a traffic accident on he 11th of November. He died on the 20th.. I was injured and am now home with home nursing etc. I am sure I will eventually be ready to deal with things, but just now the world is a bit more than I can deal with.. So. I love you all and will certainly come back, but not yet. Steph
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My condolences to you Steph. I am so sorry for your loss.
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ms sherlock. I'm speechless. less is more isn't it and steph's message is so full of pain I can hardly stand it. give her my best love, claire
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Oh, Stephanie, all our love and prayers go out to you.
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Oh, Dear Steph! I'm so sorry to hear of your tragedy. Much love to you and your family. Thanks Jackie, for bringing us this sad news.
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| We're looking forward to seeing you at the
Holiday Open House (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=76.0)
December 1 - 20
|
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my book doesn't seem so important right now...my prayers and thoughts are with you Steph...peace to you and your family
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mrssherlock, I would like to add my thoughts and prayers to all the others expressed here. Please come back when you are able. Jean (FlaJean)
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Salen: I forgot to say: if you try any of my suggestions, let me know what you think. We all have very different tastes in books.
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I just finished THE JANISSARY TREE by Jason Goodwin. Great book that takes you inside the opulent sultan's palace as well as the sordid back alleys of Istanbul during the waning days of the Ottoman Empire in 1836. The sultan has called on Yashim Togalu, a very smart eunoch, to find out who killed one of the sultan's harem girls as well as four officers of his New Guard army who were dispatched in very unusual and rather gruesome ways. It kept me turning pages.
Marj
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I didn't realize "The Janissary Tree" was a mystery. I remember hearing
about it years ago, but never got around to reading it.....that I recall. ???
(sigh)
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I concur; The Janissary Tree led me in an exploration of a way of life beyond my imagining. Good characterization and sense of place.
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Joan, thank you for all your suggestions and thank you for putting them in order. I do like to start at the beginning when I am reading a series. I have read a lot of Janet Evanovich. I really liked her, but think I kind of burned myself out by reading her too much. Maybe it's time to start again. I checked out and read Donna Andrews, Murder with Peacocks. I enjoyed it and will probably check out some more of hers. I also checked out one by Sharon Kahn and two by Joanne Fluke. Will let you know about those later.
Sally
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Great!
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just finished Michael Connelly's The Closers...and really liked it...Harry Bosch comes out of retirement returning to the force and in the cold case unit..not what they call it but you get the idea...builds slowly to an ending I didn't see...but then I never do guess who done it ::)
just picked up two new ones at the library this afternoon so am off to bed to start one
take care all and sleep well
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OK, it's not a mystery, but you might enjoy this:
| (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/kim/kimcvrsm.jpg) |
Coming Soon...KIM by Kipling ~ our January Book Club Online.
Let us know you'll be joining us in our discussion (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=997.msg49658#msg49658). |
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Maybe not strictly a mystery, but as I recall there is a lot of adventure,
spying, undercover work and general daring-do.
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On my library's "Christmas shelf" i saw " Ben Franklin and a Case of Christmas Murder," by Robert Lee Hall. Of course, i couldn't pass that up. Apparently there was a BF book previously to this one, i'll have to look for that. I don't know if there have been more, haven't checked that out yet. Just got started - set in London in 1740's when BF was negotiating w/ the Penns to lower the taxes of the people of Pennsylvania. Has anyone read any of this series? ......................
I just checked the library catalogue, they have four of a series, they are all set in London.
This is from Fantastic Fiction:
Benjamin Franklin
1. Benjamin Franklin Takes the Case (1988)
2. Benjamin Franklin and a Case of Christmas Murder (1990)
3. Murder at Drury Lane (1992)
4. Benjamin Franklin and the Case of Artful Murder (1994)
5. Murder by the Waters (1995)
6. London Blood (1997)
Novels
Exit Sherlock Holmes (1977)
The King Edward Plot (1980)
Murder at San Simeon (1988)
jean
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Have to try those. Benjamin franklin was quite a character (when in France, he used to go around in a coonskin cap, and sunbathe nude on his balcony on a busy street. But he invented or discovered just about anything you can think of, including thr Gulf Stream).
If the author caught his flavor, the books should be great! My main library has numbers3 through 6.
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Jean, those Benjamin Franklin titles sound good. I'll check my public library too! Thank you.
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Ben F is one of my favorite historical characters and living near PHila just keeps him alive.
In Phila he started the library, the fire company, a fire insurance co, the Junta, which was a study group - think "think tank" - which then began to share books, thus the beginning of the library system, the first hospital, the gas light system for the city, etc. etc. etc., not to mention the electricity experiments, the Franklin stove, bifocals, the armonica, etc. etc. etc. That's why Philly's natural history museum is called The Franklin Institute.
If you get to Phila, go to the Franklin Museum at 3rd and Market, it's very interesting. You might even see Ben walking around and if you come into the city from the Ben Franklin Bridge, right in front of you is a sculpture of Ben and his kite and the lightning.
When we play the game "who would you invite to a dinner party?" Ben is always on my list......................jean
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Loving numbers as I do, though I didn't have the brainpower to be a mathematician, I enjoy vicariously particiating in mathematical endeavors. A new book, Pythagoras' Revenge caught my interest and it is as exotic as it can be, starting off with a brief precis on Pythagoras who I only knew from his theorem about the hypotenuse of a right triangle, recalling the 15 Puzzle and who knows what will come next? http://kasmana.people.cofc.edu/MATHFICT/mfview.php?callnumber=mf713
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I have just accidentally stumbled into an author that I like very much...Robert W. Walker. He was an English teacher before he was an author. I am reading "Double Edge" by him. He apparently wroter in many genres and he wrote four with Edge in the title about Lucas Stonecoat, an American Indian, who become a successful detective in the Houston Police Force. He is solving two cases at once..one about a fellow Native American woman who was hacked to death and the second about a serial killer who is killing black boys. I haven't finished yet so don't know how it turns out.
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I'm always interested in reading local authors and Oregon produces more than its share; New to me is L J sellers who writes about a police detective in Eugene, home of University of Oregon. The Sex Club is the first and I almost didn't pick it up, being turned off, so to speak, by the title, imagining it to be another smutty married swinger sort of tale. It turned out to be much much more than I expected since the sex is between 13-year-old white Christian girls and their partners. One the one hand we have an RN who works at the local Planned Parenthood who is seeing these girls exhibiting genital warts and assuring her diplomatic questions that they are not victims of abuse but the sex is consensual. On the other is the police detective who has a 13-year-old daughter, former best friends with the first of the girls to be murdered. The characters are sympathetic and the menace is diffuse enough that the suspense is satisfactorily maintained.
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Jackie: as a former Math major, I love books like that. Pythagoras was a character too, with his religious fanaticism. I remember reading a book about the number zero. I don't remember the details, but at the time, the number system did not contain the number zero. This severely limited math and arithmatic. When introducing zero was propopsed, it was opposed as blasphemy, (the gods would not create NOTHING!) And people were killed over it. I forget which side P was on.
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I hope no one was insulted by my description of Ben Franklin. I'm just amused by the fact that geniuses (which F. certainly was) are often a little eccentric (makes me feel better that I'm a little eccentric). I think we appreciate the truly great more, not less, if we see them as human beings, not as statues on a monument.
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wow, more authors/titles to add to my "to read" list..the Robert Walker books sound fascinating as do the Ben Franklin ones...gee, they never taught all that stuff about him when I was in school!
just finished Capitol Offense by William Bernhardt...lawyer/cop book and of course with the ever popular PI associate! not bad but I did skim some of the legalese/trial stuff...ending wrapped up a little too quickly but also a twist that I sure didn't see coming...so, would I read another of his? yes :) weather supposed to be gettting nasty in a day or two here in SW Michigan so I'm ready with my newest library book and my big basket of "winter books" that I keep when I can't make it to the library
take care everyone and sleep well...dreaming of all the books you'll hopefully get for Christmas..and of course give one or two as gifts
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Joan: Pythagoras is definitely worthy of more of my attention. I'm off to explore my library's resources.
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My, JACKIE, you are brave. Pythagoras, no less! I'm sure I studied
triangles and hypotenuse and all that at one time, but by avoiding all
such subjects ever since, I've managed to forget pretty much all of it.
As a native Houstonian, I would be gratified to find some good books
set locally. Thanks for mentioning him, POPPY.
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Joan - i think by now everyone knows Ben was a charmer and maybe a philanderer so i'm sure no one was offended. ....i guess no one knows for sure how sexual any of those liasons were, except we do know his son was not his wife's child, altho she took him in and apparently treated him like a son....William is an interesting psychological study - he lived in NJ, not far from where i am and was the gov of the colony, appt'd by the king, and he stayed loyal to the king during the Revolution - huuuuummmmm - what kind of pay back was that? .......... I think the guy from Newsweek - Issacson?......has recently written a new BF bio, maybe he nails down the real story, haven't read it yet.............jean
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The real Ben Franklin is a lot more interesting (and a lot more human) than the stuffy pompous person portrayed in "Poor Richards Almanac". I was just hoping that that's the franklin portrayed in the detective series. I see I'll have to get it and find out.
I wonder if the people in that financial firm that uses his picture as their logo have read his biography.
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Probably not the 'true story' version, JOAN. ;D
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After all that, I had to order the first book from Amazon.
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The Mistress of the Art of Death, as a title, is almost repellant. I picked this book up several times, then read the first few pages, still didn't connect. Finally, i dived in and it was a most amaazing story, is the first of a series.
Taking place during the reighn of Henry II it concerns the death of a child, Henry's argument with the Church, the plight of Jews, Crusaders, and the place of women in society. All told in a tale with notable characters, a plot with myriad twists and turns, it kept me up alll night.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/ariana-franklin/mistress-of-art-of-death.htm
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I forgot to mention this: Having finished Pythagorus' Revenge I find in this, my next book, mention of a Pythagorean Academy in 12th century Cambridge. Cambridge Univerity began when a schism split the Oxford community and some dissedants established their own school.
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Isn't it fascinating the interesting little bits you can pick up just reading
for the pure enjoyment of it? I'd heard of the Ariana Franklin book
before, but my library doesn't have it. Since I need to read about four
books in the next two weeks, I'll postpone doing anything about that.
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warning for those living aonedo not read Wendy Roberts series on Saide Novak who cleans up the elcerly unattended death scenes.
she is amusing similar to janet evanovitch and writes a good mstery but left me with to many unwelcome thoughts about my on demise.
claire
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thanks ms. sherlock. I just ordered the sample of the mistress of the art of death. problably not a good idea right now after the wendy roberts series. . . but. . .soon. like you wondering if I should read about all that right now. even with the light roberts touch it leaves a serious downer. at least for me.
claire
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Sorry the Wendy Roberts' series was so disturbing. I did try to warn that it could be a bit strong; that's why I mentioneed Bones and CSI. The Vixtoria Lowry series about the Psychic Eye is very good and not as grim, it's almost a cosy. Just finished the latest in Charlaine Harris' series about the lightening strike survivor who can find dead bodies and can sense how they died. The mystery of her sister's disappearance eight years ago is a prominent sub-plot as Harper and Tolliver spend time with their intersecting families. These two are step-siblings as her mother with two daughters narried his father with two sons and them produced two more daughters.
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PS: First in the Psychic Eye series by Victoria Laurie is here: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/victoria-laurie/abby-cooper-psychic-eye.htm
Wendy Roberts' Ghost Dusters series: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/wendy-roberts/remains-of-dead.htm
In defense of Wendy Roberts' series, Sadie began this work when her brother commited suicide and she undertook the chore of the clean-up to spare her mother. She then completed the training, got her certification, and has been the only provider of this service for Seattle to help those families who needed her. She found that the dead, those who couldn't continue to their final destination, could communicate with her and she has helped solve some crimes as a result. It is a bit graphic but she is a consumate professional in her craft. The character's compassion and dedication are deep and she is an appealling protagonist IMHO.
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The Ben Franklin mystery is o.k. A lot of "English" terms i'm not familiar w/, or maybe they are 18th century words, it's written in what is supposedly that eras language, i guess. It's not a mystery i can't put down, but it's o.k. I'm only about 1/3 of the way thru - i've got other books, i HAVE to read - and no one has died yet. I have discovered that the narrator is supposed to be another of BF's "illegitimate" sons by an English woman. William is there also. ................. who knows? .........jean
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sure never read about this Ben Franklin in my History books in high school in the 50's ::) :o might have liked History class a bit better ;D
just finished Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan...picked it up because the author lives in Michigan (Ann Arbor)..as do I, tho not in Ann Arbor...mystery involving publisher of a magazine that publishes mystery short stories...sometimes confusing..so many characters who could have "done it"..plus the female detective who is kinda liking the mystery man who seems involved in everything and no one really knows much about him except that he always is "there"...high praise on the jacket, of course...this is his debut novel so I'm guessing we'll see more...the story read like a plot from one of the published mysteries..strange little book but when/if he writes another I'll give it a whirl..nite all and sleep well
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Peace - that's exactly what my college history students would say to me. I talked a lot of personalities of historical characters and what led them to make the decisions they made and therefore about their personal lives and the students would say "how come they didn't teach us this in high schl? It's a lot more interesting than dates and battles!" I even had some students say they would like to pursue a career as a history teacher...........wooohoooo! .................I like history because of the "story" part, so i figured they would too.......................jean
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woohoo is right. Wish I'd had you as a teacher. I went through High School thinking its purpose was to make you read boring things so you wouldn't have time to read interesting things. Didn't discover that you could actually learn in school til I got to Graduate school.
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I love history, JEAN, and for a time I considered being a history teacher.
But I recognized that I am a person who does not like to go over the
same thing again and again, so I suspected I would not do well as a teacher. But I still love delving into the human aspect of history, the
'story' behind it all.
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Babi - if you're teaching history and you are a GOOD teacher you are never teaching the same things over and over. Each class takes the discussion in a different direction, if the teacher lets them. I kept reading new articles and books, giving me new information, both because there was new research and because it was just something i hadn't read about before.
Now, if you're teaching math, maybe 2+2 is always 4, but just think of all the new biographies that have come out over the last 50 yrs. Just watching Ken Burns tv programs on the Civ War, or the Brooklyn Bridge, etc. or the John Adams' series, including Abigail, and all those other Founding Fathers and Mothers, or books on WWII, or the Viet Nam War, or the Civil Rts Movement, or ALL the books on Lincoln, including Mary, and ALL the books on women's history over the last 50 yrs., etc. etc. Each gave me new info to relay or to bring to an event or person. Actually, that's a big part of what i liked about teaching history..............jean
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Too late now, JEAN, but I know you're right. My 'teaching' has been
confined to instructing new people at work, or Sunday School classes.
I found what I'm sure you know even better than I.... that it is a pleasure to teach those who are eager to learn, and horrible trying to teach those who are only there because they have to be! ::)
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My goodness it has been quiet in here.
George and I stopped at an Ollie's on the way to visit an old friend on the 24th. They had tons of book in boxes and piles. I wasn't seeing much of interest at first until I ran across Douglas Prestion's Blasphemy. I almost picked it up, but decided against it (wasn't really interested in the subject/plot). I said to myself "too bad Tyrannosaur Canyon isn't here". Well, to my surprise I found it. I am not sure if it is going to be a straight up murder mystery or a horror style like Relic. Great buy at $3 for a hardcover, which is better than the $6 (at least) I would have paid at my local used bookstore. Another book I ran across but didn't buy (kicking myself) was The Greatest Game Ever Played. I vaguely remember seeing at least a little of the movie. I am not a golfer, but it was interesting, based on a true story.
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Greetings and Happy Holidays -
This evening just finished U is for Undertow the new Sue Grafton. I liked it and it held my interest. Was a nice read after all the preparations and cleaning etc the last few weeks. My girls and their families will be here Sunday and then it's back to routine. At least the roads - at this time - appear to be better travel for them than I had. Enough of this freezing rain, sleet & snow. I think I can stay in and read for the rest of the winter - occasional outings for food.
Mary
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I have mixed feelings about finding 'tons of books', FRYBABE. on the
one hand the possibilities are exciting. On the other, there is no way
I'd be able to sort through more than a fraction of them, and I'd be
convinced I'd missed something I would have loved. Sort of like a kid
in a candy store.
Only five more letters in the alphabet for Grafton. I wonder what she
will do after 'Z'? ;)
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
There's always numbers! ;D
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I'm behind with Grafton -- have to get "U". I'm always grateful to her for making it so easy to figure out which is the latest.
I've almost finished "Benjamin Franklin Takes the Case". It's a little stodgy, to tell the truth. Not the fun I had hoped for: I think the author isaiming to sound like Dickens without Dickens' sense of humor.
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The world of antiques is fascinating, especially as practiced in Virginia and its environs. Emyl Jenkins is a professional appraiser and it shows as she writes about an appraiser in Leemont, Virginia, who is drawn unwittingly into suspicious circumstances when she is asked to value a silver coffee pot in Stealing with Style. Turns out the "pot" is extremely rare, worth maybe $65,000. The trustee, a local bank,. is horrified and Sterling Glass,. our protagonist, is mystified - how did this treasure turn up in the effects of a little old lady? Jenkins' style is quiet and gentle, no murders, but sprinkled with smippets of poems and other quotations she remembers in her mother's voice. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/j/emyl-jenkins/
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Sounds like something my Mom would like, MrsSherlock. She doesn't like a lot of violence and definitely not a lot of swearing.
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Joan - i was also disappointed in the Ben Franklin mystery, in fact i didn't finish it. It was boring. ..........................am reading a Luanne Rice now Summer's Child, just started, but seems promising, much better written than B Franklin..........jean
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Kerry Greenwood's series about Corinna Chapman"s bakery in Melbourne has a new two. I'm reading Trick or Treat and Forbidden Fruit comews next. There's lolts to like in this series. Corinna and her fellow residents of Insula, a Roman-themed apartment building, are a mixed group, old, young, polyglot, but they form the kind of comunity that is like a family. Next, there are the mentions of food, lots of food, and recipes at the back. The puzzles are challenging and the solutions are satisfying. Local color as well. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/kerry-greenwood/earthly-delights.htm
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mrssherlock, that book by Emyl Jenkins definitely sounds like my type of mystery. I believe I've read Trick or Treat but not sure. Will check out those two authors. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!
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I haven't been her for a while. Too busy reading, I guess. I am now reading "Skull Session" by Daniel Hecht. On the cover is a quote by one of my favorites, Steven White. "The most phycologically sophisticated thriller I've read since 'the Alienist'. It about someone with Tourette's Syndrome and the problems with it and how he deals with it. NYT describes it as a neurological thriller. I am only about one-half the way through it and find it most interesting and educational.
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That sounds interesting, Poppy. I knew someone with Tourette's. It's now on my list.
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I read a book like that years ago: I wonder if it's the same one. Being me, I can't remember the name or the author: just that it was very good.
Now people are saying that Mozart had Tourette's Syndrom.
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I read a book about a young woman who can sense people that have been buried and then solves the mystery. It was interesting and somehow I have misplaced the author's name. Can someone help me--please?
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It is Charlaine Harris' series about Harper Conelly: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/charlaine-harris/
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Thank you, mrssherlock!
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wow, been a while for me again...spent 2 1/2 days in the hospital last week, coming home on the evening of the23rd..had a bad (well I guess they're all bad) case of cellulitis in my left hand/arm...when the doc said I had to go to the ER I said no way, I had to finish my Christmas shopping! needless to say i went to the ER. at age 67 it was my first time in the hospital as a patient! I have been blessed with pretty good health and have never broken a bone and have all my parts I came with..it definitely is true: you leave your dignity at the door and you do not get much sleep..but the hand/arm are doing well tho I'm still on anti-biotics...had continuous anti-biotics running thru me 24/7...hard to even read there as my left hand was in a half cast thingey and then suspended in the air from my IV pole! I could do my Queen Elizabeth wave quite well ;D
Have read the following:
The Spire by Richard North Patterson...always like his stufff...I kinda guessed who dun it about half way thru but there was always that little doubt..but, I was right...was ok but not spectacular
Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo - her first and jacket says she is writing a follow up...female sheriff in Amish country (she is a former Amish resident who was shunned and returns to become sheriff)...not bad in the first half but then formula stuff takes over...good guy rescues fair damsel, blah, blah...but, I will say that I would read a follow up one, if only to see what happens to her and her relationships!!
am reading a Patricia Cornwell that's from my "winter pile"..and the winter pile is needed tonite here in SW Michigan...tons of that lake effect snow coming down...it's great to look at which is the way I like to spend winter! did receive a book for Christmas...Open by Andre Agassi...I love to watch tennis (can't play but I watch really well :D) so will be anxious to start it
hope your Christmas was wonderful and that you all have a safe,peaceful, healthy and blessed New Year...always with a book or two or ten at your side, on the floor, near the tub ;)
sleep well
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Not to mention doing penitence with the hospital food, PEACE. I'm sure
they try, but feeding large numbers of people diets guaranteed not to
cause problems just automatically means very little taste. And may I
congratulate you on your general good health. It is a boon we don't
appreciate sufficiently when we are younger, isn't it?
I'm almost finished reading Donna Andrews' "Swan For The Money".
As usual her humorous viewpoint makes her perfect for a light holiday
read. A rose show is the background, and I was astonished to learn the
hard work and detail that goes into 'grooming' a rose!
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I just finished reading "The Big Steal" by Emyl Jenkins. Someone here recommended "Stealing with Style" also by Emyl Jenkins, but our library only had her latest book.
I agree that the story was very light, but was filled with information about antiques. And in the back of the book she has a primer on different styles of antique furniture with drawings. So it was very educational.
Thank you to whoever recommended this author.
Evelyn
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Evelyn: So pleased that you like The Big Steal. Sterling Glass is an interesting chracter, isn't she? Another series with an antiques theme is written by a husband-and-wife team under the name of Barbara Allan. Called the Trash 'n Treasures series, each title has the word "Antiques" in it. A bipolr mother and her adult, divorced daughter pair up to annoy the local law enforcement professionals with their wacky antics. This is reading for fun, though there is enolugh meat to the polots to keep your mind entertained as well as your funny bone. Here's #1: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/barbara-allan/antiques-roadkill.htm
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PEACE: being so healthy must make hospitals doubly hard to take -- I always wonder about the professional dietitians who have these long conversations with you: whatever they say, you wind up with food that has had all the nutrients cooked out of it. Do they believe in their job?
I'm a very good watcher of tennis, too, and looking forward to reading Agassi's book. Did you see the interview he did with Tavis Smiley? It sounds as if he has gone through quite a bit of personal growth.
In fact, I am a professional watcher of almost all sports. Everything from ice skating to rodeo.
Just started a different mystery "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" by Alan Bradley. The detective/narrator is a precocious eleven year old girl who lives in a British mansion right after WWII. The mansion contains a chemistry lab and books, so she has taught herself to be a chemist.
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Sweetness is a fun book. A new book is coming out in March: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/alan-bradley/
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Laura Childs has a new series: The Caterberry Cafe series. I don't remember if you've discussed it already, but i just picked up one at the library - Eggs Benedict Arnold. I think there are just two so far, both have the word Egg in the title. Three women who are recently single - 2 widows, one whose husband "ran away," have opened a cafe/knitting nook/reading nook! What could be batter than that! I've just started it, but it seems to be a typical Laura Child book, w/ humor and murder. ...........jean
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Sounds great. Thanks, I didn't know.
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Sounds good, Jean. I'll want to check that out.
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Sounds good to me too, Jean. The title is making me hungry. I haven't had breakfast yet. ;D
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I've finished "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie". It has some plot faults -- clearly the author is not a detective story reader. But I enjoyed it a lot and would recommend it.
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Since I was badly in need of a laugh. I got and just read Plum Spooky.. I like her numbered series more, but still this one did make me laugh. An accomplishment that helped me through the last day or so.
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STEPH: I agree I like her numbered ones better. But the "plum" ones, with their spooky character are worth reading too.
Another good laugh, although lacking a mystery, is "Confessions of a Shopaholic". If you're like me, and painfully frugal to a fault (I'm not as bad as my friend who's still wearing the clothes he wore in High School, but only because I can't fit into them anymore) you get to laugh and feel superior at the same time.
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I wear my clothes until they get to the shabby stage. Did I mention my
middle name is Frugal? Really, I hate shopping. I plan shopping days to get several things in one trip, buy only what I set out to get, and
return home asap.
I picked up Laurie King's "The Game" as a side-note to "Kim". Of course, "The Game" takes place 25 years later. There are a number of
references, tho', to the original story, and Kim is regarded with appropriate respect. ;) Should make a good fit.
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http://www.danielhecht.com/
This is the web site for Daniel Hecht. The book, Skull Session, is a haunting book and one of the best I have ever read. I am eager to read more my him. I will order them from the second-hand books at Amazon.com. I often get them for .01 cents and though I have to pay for shipping, they are still a bargain.
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I'm not thrilled by Laura Childs "Caterberry Cafe series," I'm reading Eggs Benedict ARnold It's just too slow getting into the solving of the mystery. She describes in detail every single scene and person in the book. I feel as tho she doesn't have much of a story to tell, so she's filling in...............but maybe it's just this book. I don't feel that way about her "tea shop" stories - altho they are definitely "cozy" easy reading mysteries.......................jean
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I am not that crazy even about the tea shop ones. Though I do like the setting in Charleston.
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I must "crow" a bit here. Last night the UPS man came banging on the door and my somewhat belated Christmas and Birthday present arrived. I got a Kindle! Spent a couple of hours while it charged figuring out how it worked. It's gonna be fun, nd since I have no more room for bookshelves or books, this may be the saving grace for me. I do love the feel of a book in my hand, seeing the cover work, and cover notes, but I will adjust!
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Tome: Happy Kindling!
There is a fun read in a series I recently discovered. Susan Kandel writes a series about a biography writer. While she is researching Erle Stanley Gardner in I dreamed I Married Perry Mason[/] she discovers a real mystery. Per Fantastic Fiction: Think Sex and the City collides with Murder, She Wrote.
CeCe Caruso is dicorced, has a grown daughter, and lives in a 1932 house in West Hollywood. Kandel tells a good story and the narrative is filled with snippets to enhance the sense of place, the sense of the woman CeCe is, and fascinating bits of the histories of Gardner, LA, and Ventura, Gardner's old legal stamping grounds. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/susan-kandel/i-dreamed-i-married-perry-mason.htm
Next up is Nancy Drew in Not a Girl Detective
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TOME: how exciting! You must let us know how you find it. I know Winsommm loves hers.
I read "I dreamed I married Perry Mason" years ago. read one other of hers too, but can't remember which. Then I forgot to look for more. Have to check her out.
Well, I spent my Christmas gift certificate to Borders today. Of course, I went over the amount. In addition to other things, got McCall Smith's latest Philosophy club book (something about Muddy Shoes). And replaced a ten-year-old lap desk that was literally falling apart. They're perfect for my crossword puzzles.
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In fiction, PatH was remembering Cornell Woolrich, many of whose stories appeared in the old Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. Best known perhaps for "Rear Window" on which Hitchcock's movie was based. Pat claims that the story was better than the movie. Do any of the rest of you remember him?
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Cornel Woolrich was head and shoulders above many of his contemporaries. See this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornell_Woolrich When EQMM had his name in the TOC I turbned there first.
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Do you remember the "Minute Mysteries" in Ellery Queens Mystery Magazine? One paragraph long, and there was always a clue that you had to find. As a kid, I loved them.
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JoanK, Are you talking about "The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday" about Isabel Dalhousie, the philosopher? I enjoyed that. The latest McCall Smith Isabel Dalhousie (The Philosophy Club) series is named "The Lost Art of Gratitude". I just finished it and it continues on with Jamie, and little Charlie (now 18 months old). I think it is one of the best in the series with several interesting twists and turns.
I finally broke down and ordered the "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" dvds from Amazon. Have looked at three so far (stretching it out at one a night). My husband and I are both enjoying them.
Also just completed "The Tale of Applebeck Orchard", Susan Wittig Albert's latest (I think) of the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter. At long last, the romance of Beatrix and the lawyer is gaining a tiny bit of ground (and about time).
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Oh, there's one more!! I can't keep up with McCall Smith. I loved the "No1 Ladies" DVDs For once, I think they did a perfect job of transcribing the books. Can't say that too often!
I did it again!! Went to the library, and forgot to bring the names of books you all recommended. But I did get a Laura Childs teashop mystery -- I can't believe I've never read them.
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A new Beatrix Potter story?! I love that series, JEAN. Thank you for
mentioning it. Didn't know the Ladies Detective Agency was on DVD, either.
Your comments on "The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday" look interesting, too. My, you've been very helpful to me this morning. :)
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Thank you :)
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I just finished one of the latest of Dana Stabenow. I do like Kate.. although I wish she would soften a bit with Jim.. He sounds smitten to put it mildly. I think she is too.
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I lost this one earlier and it was a masterpiece. This is a pale imitation.
Betty Webb takes us to Scottsdale in her series about Lena Jones, PI, former detective with the Scottsdale PD. Her Scottsdale is vividly drawn with its colorful art scene, wealrthy Hollywoodites, Pima Indians. One element which one doesn't associate with Scottsdale is polygamy. Webb is a former reporter and has a keen eye for her former beat. She is on a crusade, exposing the abuses of the polygamists society. While I personally find this lifestyle to be morally repugnant, I had not idea of its cost to the rest of us. Seems that the many "wives" are not legally married; therefore they are single mothers with dependent children who are entitled to welfare. Imagine the cost: mated at 16, producing one child per year, member of a household with two, three, four, fime other women producing children. The head of the household collects thousands every mobnth, from the public coffers. worse, due to invbreeding, some of the children are born with physical defects and eligible for social security. I could go on but Webb does it better as she tells the story of a dead woman who is identified as a "sister-wife". I couldn't put this one down, it is a good read. If you are going to read Webb, please read the stories, all titled with the word "Desert", in order.
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Jackie, The books sounds wonderful.. I had read one just recently that was a true story about a young girl forced into marriage with someone she did not even like.. She eventually left with her children, but this had been her life and she had troubles with how to go and keep her children.
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That's another new author for me, JACKIE. And I thought all the
polygamist families were keping a low profile in Utah. Sounds like a
very interesting book.
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Found the first two in the Betty Webb series in paperback swap and sent off for them.
I am reading Candy Apple Red just now. I had read the second in the series which was Electric Blue.. Not a bad author.. A bit on the I must make the girl interesting school of thought. All, no shoes, no food,just her fascinating self and a very broadly drawn interest in one of the male characters. Hmm.. But its not bad..
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Now there's ambiguous praise if ever I read it, STEPH. ;D
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I just finished a book by John Lescroart, "Dead Irish". It is set in San Francisco and to me the setting is about as important as the characters. I enjoy reading about places I know and those I don't. I have learned about many places because of a good writer. Although I live in the Bay Area, I never get into San Francisco any more so I like reading about it.
This book is one of the series about Dismas Hardy who is a former SF Police Dept officer who has left due to personal crises in his life to become a bartender. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about the city by the bay; in fact I just gave the book to a native San Franciscan who likes to read mysteries set in SF.
http://www.johnlescroart.com/
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I've just finished the first book in a new series by an author named
Barbara Hamilton. It's "Ninth Daughter", set in Boston in the time period
of the famous 'tea party'. The heroine is our beloved Abigail Adams and
the historical background is excellent. I recommend it. Barbara Hamilton is new to me, and I'm glad to have found her.
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Babi,, I know. I simply am not quite sure how I feel about this author. The actual plot is good, but the dithering of the lead character bothers me. Too much of " I dont care about groceries with a recitation of the nothing refrig.. Not from poor, just from dont care.. Stupid.. Also the reliance on clothing that is beyond inappropriate.. Hmm.
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There's so many good books out there to read, STEPH. Hardly worth
while to spend time on the 'sorta good' variety. Now if we only knew
when we picked up a new book which category it belonged to, we'd
save so much time. :(
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I devoured a Charlaine Harris that somehow I had missed. Grave Surprise.. The two leads in this small series are so interesting.. I would guess that she has suddenly realized that she and the man she calls her stepbrother are not really blood relatives. Not sure he has, but he seems posessive of her. I like Charlaine a lot. Not too crazy about the Auroro Teagarden series, but love the others.
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I just finished " Monster in a Box" by Ruth Rendell. I have read all of her books . This was an Inspector Wexford mystery and that series has always been a favorite of mine. However Rendell says this will be the last of that series because Wexford is old now. So I guess that I will have to just read her other series. I do not like her writing as Barbarba Vine as much as I like the Wexford series where she writes as Ruth Rendell. Maybe she will come out with another series writing as Rendell but just using another Policeman as the main character.
Joan Grimes
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I am the opposite. I like Barbara Vines books much more than Ruth Rendell.. But generally read both of them..I am behind on the latest however.
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I have just discovered an author that is new to me...Daniel Silva. "The English Assassin" if the first in a series with Gabrien Allon. He is an art restorer and sometime Israli spy. I alternated between liking the author and finding it difficult to follow the plot. He has an affair with Anna Rolfe, an acclaimed violinist when he discovers her father, a Swiss banker, dead. The author is very critical of the Swiss and their banking secrecy.
http://danielsilvabooks.com/content/index.asp
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That sounds interesting. I'll add him to my growing list.
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Daniel Silva is on my to buy list, but I am waiting to catch up with the other serials that I am reading. In fact, I just finished Henning Mankell's The Dogs of Riga. I may jump right in and read the next which is The White Lioness or go for something else. I am waiting to see which book squeals the loudest to be read next.
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Daniel Silva is one of those whose books I always read.
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Just finished a Beverly Conner.. I do like her. She holds you to the last page always.
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I am waiting to see which book squeals the loudest to be read next.
That's pretty much how I pick my next book, FRYBABE. That, or the
the book closest to due date at the library.
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I'm in the middle of another Eve Dallas book by "J.D. Robb." I'm surprised that no one has filmed a tv series or a movie based on these characters, they seem perfect for that. I've read about 10 of them and especially enjoy the banter between Peabody and Dallas, and of course, Roarke would be a perfect "sexiest man alive" character in either media. Eve and Roarke are also complex, therefore, interesting. As we have said on here before, i often skim the sex scenes, they become repetitive and boring and there can be more gore than i appreciate, but over all i keep enjoying them......................jean
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Frybabe, the second PBS series based on Mankell's Wallander books is supposed to be shown in the US this year. It will be based on Faceless Killers, The Man Who Smiled and The Fifth Woman.
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I also like the J.D. Robb and skip the sexy stuff... But love the plots and the chit chat.
Finished another Marcia Talley. I do like her. This is the one where someone stole her one year old grandson and was not as much fun as most of hers are.
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Robert Parker died - he wrote the Spenser books. The article in the New York Times today was interesting. He was one author who appealed to both my husband and me.
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I loved Robert Parker and read all three of his series.. He also wrote a few other, but did not like them as much. He patterned or said he did most of the women after his wife.
I am so sorry he died. I will miss his books.
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Marcie, that's great news about another PBS Wallendar series. My library has all three of them, so I'll try to read at least one before the show.
Someone here recommended Louise Penny's Brutal Telling, and after being on hold for a month I finally got it, and am hooked. I can't put it down, this book about Chief Inspector Gamache, his Surete team, and the villagers of Three Pines, Quebec. At first I was afraid it was going to be strictly a procedural, but that is not the case, so far. And too, I thought I might be coming late to the party because this is the latest in a series and everyone knows everyone else, but that just makes me want to read more of the earlier books, too. These are characters you care about.
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Looks good to me Pedlin and two of them are on Kindle. So I will give those two a try.
Thanks,
Joan Grimes
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Caveat emptor: A\ new author had me laughing and reading all night. Annelise Ryan writes about Mattie Winston, a former nurse now a coroner's assistant, who is dealing with her husband's infidelity while she tries to put her life back together. Heard that one before? Well, Ryan has a way of spicing her narrative, literally, that tickled my funy bone. If you aren't comfortable with slang euphemisms for the sex act and anatomical parts you probably should give this one a pass. There isnt anything here I haven't heard, sometimes said, in my 75 years but it takes an open mind. Mattie is a sympathetic heroine and the others in her ensemble are colorful and diverting. The hospital OR milieu is familiar to Ryan who is herself an RN. Here is th first of her Stiff series, Working Stiff http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/annelise-ryan/working-stiff.htm
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A friend of ours has steered my husband to James Burke. I think i remember some of you talking about his books a while ago.........jean
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Jacki, Thanks for the Working Stiff recommendation - set in Wisconsin, I see. I'll have to find that.
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My local library has "Working Stiff". See if I can get it.
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PEDLIN: don't you just want to pack your bags and move to Three Pines. Apparently, it's based on a real town. the only thing that stops me is the weather.
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I am a huge fan of James Lee Burke, but oh me, they are violent..So if you dont like hearing a spade called a spade and a lot of corruptioin,, you will like him. His daughter Alafair also writes books. Hers are much easier to read..
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That's not cheating, JACKIE! That's being 'up-to-date' and 'in tune with
the times'. I'm constantly checking my library catalog on-line when I
hear about a good prospect here. I usually don't bother reserving a book
on-line, tho', since I go by, or to, the library at least 3x a week.
That does sound neat, SALLY. I have to look up by library ID whenever I
do want to reserve on-line. It would be so nice if they recognized me
whenever I came in. My library does keep a listing of every book I've
checked out. If I'm not sure whether I've already read a particular book
I can at least check to see if it's on that list. That, by the way, is
an optional feature; they only do that if you request it.
I find myself less and less inclined to books about violence and
corruption. The 'dark' books no longer thrill me; they just depress me.
I fear Mr. Burke won't find himself on my tbr list.
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You might make an exception to that statement, Babi. REad his "White Doves at Morning". It is not one of his crime-type books, time-frame Civil War. I found it to be wonderful, and it made me want to read more about that time. Sometimes his writing is very poetic, not so much when he's in the N. O. frame of mind.
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Someone recommended Lionel Davidson's The Menorah Men and I want to thank you whoever you are. The sense of Israel's geography and geology is a strong feature in this story of a multi-tongued philologist who is enlisted in the search for The True Menorah, based on a scrap of an ancient scroll, trying to prevent the Jordanians from grabbing it first. Living among the Israelis though he is not Jewish, Caspar Laing experiences much of the day-to-day lives of a variety of citizens. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/lionel-davidson/long-way-to-shiloh.htm
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Sounds great Jackie.
Joan Grimes
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Babi, I'll have to ask my library if they have that feature. It's very frustrating to check out a book only to discover that it's one you've already read--especially if it takes several chapters before you remember. I do miss the days when you had to sign your name on the card. It was a neat way to discover others who had your same tastes in reading!
Sally
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My library doesn't have Menorah Men, but they do have Kolymsky Heights
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Somehow I remember reading Lionel Daviidson, but it was a while ago. Have to look it up again.
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I'll look into that, TOMEREADER. I always enjoy good writing; it's just
certain genres that no longer appeal to me.
I brought home a Louise Penny book recommended here, I think.
"Still Life". So far, my favorite characters are Inspector Gamache and
the deceased! And yes, JOAN, I would love to visit Three Pines, or
rather, the town it's based on.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Yes, JoanK, I'd surely like to visit the town of Three Pines. Several years ago I attended an Elderhostel in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. It was really neat. We'd hear lectures about the history of the area and then in the afternoon visited craftsmen in the surrounding towns. I've been Googling now, to see if I can remember the town where we stayed, but unfortunately not, although I do remember the Auberge du Joli Vent which was our host, and it is apparently still hosting many programs there.
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Sounds like a lovely and interesting trip Pedlin..I sure do want to read about the place.
Joan Grimes
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Did I mention the Marcia Talley book, I just finished. Through the
Darkness. Its a Hannah Ives book, but somewhat different from the others. Still quite good, although child abduction is not a favorite subject of mine.
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Yesterday,at the library,I found one last Diane Mott Davidson book i hadn't read - The Cereal Murders........i'm about 100 pages in and she's spending a lot of time describing people's clothes??? and of course much about food. In fact, it seems to be more than is usual in her books. I like her characters and have enjoyed her books, but i'm skimming thru this one..................jean
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Is that a new Diane... or an older one. The title seems familiar.
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When I see a title/author which appeals to me it goes on my library reserve list. The order in which I receive the books is somewhat random. By chance I have three books by men on my bedside table right now and I flip back and forth between them. Also I just finished a mystery about two military policemen in Korea during the 1970s. Maybe any one of them would be OK but with three I feel like I'm drowning in testosterone. These are all books I found on lists of award nominees and most such decisions are probably made by men, so why am I surprised? Because most of the books I read these days are written by women as I found when I scanned my library history.
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Yes, I have a few male authors.. but many many more female now. Still I just picked up the new Michael Connelly in paperback yesterday. I do like him.
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Again, been a while since posting. My Computer has been giving me fits, disconnecting me from the Internet all the time> will have it checked it out soon. Have spent the last 2 weeks watching the Australian Open Tennis Tournament and it’s down to one last match, the men’s final. Just finished watching the Women’s final…sure wish Australia was on the same time as Michigan! Haven’t done a lot of reading I’m afraid. Did finish the Agassi book; have always been a fan of his but there were some things in the book that bothered me. He did admit to using crystal meth, openly and willingly. When he failed a drug test for the ATP, he had to write a letter to them which he did; however, he lied in the letter about taking the meth, saying his soda was spiked by a “friend” whom he named. He was believed, there was no suspension, no consequences. He never apologized for the letter, which did bother me a lot. But, he also has done so much good with his money, he has a wonderful marriage with Stefi Graf and 2 beautiful children. He’s done well for an 8th grade dropout, which is why education is so important to him. Interesting book and I would recommend it. …in other reading
*The Last Precinct - Patricia Cornwell - been a while since I’ve read any of hers..now I know why..wasn’t bad but, well, wordy wordy..angst filled tome - liked her books when she first came on the scene but, well, just got tired of her stuff
*The Closers - Michael Connelly - good as always - Harry Bosch returns to the force working cold cases -
*Mistaken Identity - Josh McDowell & Ed Stewart - Christian mystery/romance - pretty good - little hokey and schmaltzy but that’s ok..sometimes hokey and schmaltzy is needed
*Hope To Die - Lawrence Block - a Matthew Scudder book - do like Block and his Scudder series - this one kind of plods along but it also builds and builds to a strange and unexpected ending…always will read another of his
Was so sorry to read of Robert B. Parker’s death - Spenser was a favorite; now we’ll never know his first name!
As always thanks for providing new and fascinating authors to select from.
Sleep well and read a ton of books in this new year
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Am reading a new mystery writer to me. She writes in the style of various mystery writers. I read the Nancy Drew one and now am on the Dash Hammett one. Interesting.. She is a tad too too on her clothes ( only classic old stuff), but they are not bad.
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STEPH, you forget to identify the author. You may have mentioned her
before, but I missed it. ???
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I am almost finished w/ my first Deborah KNott mystery by Margaret Maron. I have enjoyed it. This one is titled Slow Dollar w/ a story about 2 murders at a traveling carnival. Reminded me of the fun of going to the local carnivals when i was growing up...........french fries w/ vinegar, hot dogs off the rolling grill - some how they always tasted better than any hot dogs i can grill at home, carnie games, etc.
I think i'm fortunate to have read this one first because she is just started her relationship w/ the deputy sheriff as more than a best friend............interesting concept, marry your best friend w/out regard to being in love, just because you both are at the point in your life when you want to be married - tired of dating - want to settle down. Knot asked "are we settling? What happens if someone comes along that we think we can be 'in love' with?" Would make a great book grp discussion........... ;D ;D ;D ............looking forward to reading more of the series and to seeing what happens w/ the relationship.............jean
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PEACE: I'm with you. I've been staying up at night watching the Australian Open, then sleep late, and the day is disrupted. I know it will be rebroadcast today, but do it anyway.
I didn't want either player to lose last night. (Won't say who won, in case someone doesn't know) but was glad it went three sets.
"The Cereal Murders" is an old one. Easy to miss one going by.
I know what you mean about "drowning in testosterone". My f2f group is reading one now: "The Janissary Tree" by Jason Goodwin. It should be good: it's by a historian who has lived in Istanbul, about that city in the 1830s. But the detective is a eunuch. and practically every sentence is a reference to that fact. Someone calls him a "freelance detective", and he thinks it's a reference to his lack of you-know-what. The book also has enough writing flaws to make it almost unreadable. I'm trying to support the group by finishing it, but it's a struggle.
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Aha.. Babi you are right.. Susan Kandel is the author and the book is Shamus in the Green Room. She is an interesting writer in many ways, but too involved in this antique classic clothes and must tell you exactly what she is wearing and why. I am not interested in clothing to that extent.
Margaret Maron.. Oh I do love Judge Knott. Many happy books to read for you. She is so good. She comes from the area and she makes it so real for you.
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STEPH, I suspect too many authors have latched onto the idea that
you can expand your novel considerably by including lots of irrelevant
details. It seems to be more and more prevalent, and I'm unwilling
to spend my precious reading time on it. I think I will pass on Ms. Kandel.
Thanks for the post.
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We happened to be listening to public radio on the way home from lunch. Whatever program was on, the host was interviewing a biographer of Patricia Highsmith, the author of The Talented Mr. Ripley and many other books. It was a fascinating look at that author - the name of the biograph is The Talented Miss Highsmith.
Although I know I've read some of her books, I haven't been able to enjoy them recently and I'm not sure I even want to.
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Yes, Ms. Highsmith was a truly odd human. She did write good books however.
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Jean, go back and start with the first Deborah Knott -- The Bootlegger's Daughter. One of the fun parts of reading Maron's Judge Knott series is getting acquainted with her family. And they just keep growing on you. She's just absolutely one of my favorites. And what's also neat is the way each book (or most of them, anyway) seem to focus on a particular job area -- like the carnival in Slow Dollar. ONe of my favorites is (yes, I've said it gazillion times) is Uncommon Clay, and now I want to go to Sea Grove and see all the pottery. Another really nifty one is the one set in High Point, about the furniture industry. Jean, you'll have a ball.
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Pedlin.. Go to North Carolina mountains and see the pottery places. There are literally dozens in various areas. All different. The clay there is conducive to pottery and I have taken some classes at John Campbell in pottery. Alas.. being a clay artist is not in my future, but I did love the classes.
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And wasn't it fun - just being at John C. Campbell?!?!
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Me, too, STEPH. I definitely have an eye for beauty....but not the hands!
:-\ :'(
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Starting my first J.A Jance mystery...........jean
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Oh, jean! You're in for such a treat! Which series did you start with? ;)
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Huckleberry Finished is the title of a new book in the series of literary tours books by Livia J Washburn. Delilah Dickinson owns a tour agency in Atlanta and her newest tour, which she is leading herself, is a cruise on a paddle wheeler north from St Louis to Hannibal, MO, Mark Twain/Samuel Clemmon's home town. When one of her tour members is busted for attempting to bust the roulette wheel operator for cheating, he is forbidden to continue the cruise and ordered to disembark at Hannibal. Delilah, fearing the backlash his scuffle will cause her agency, she vows to personally see that he leaves the boat as ordered. When they pull up to the Hannibal dock, he is nowhere to be seen. Soon Deliliah learns why: he has been murdered and his body stuffed into a tool locker in the engine room.
This is the second of the literary tour books and it's fun. The story is enriched with references to Mark Twain's life, his writings and travelogue-type descriptions of the Mississippi and the town of Hannibal. Characters are well drawn, the clues are complex and the denouement is satisfying with no loose ends.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/livia-j-washburn/
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That sounds really good.
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My mother who is almost 103 years old and who has just been put on Hospice care was reading that book, Huckleberry Finished when I visited with her tonight. She does not use anything as sophicticated as a Kindle even though her vision is impaired she uses a simple magnifying glass to read her books and work her cryptograms. She is an amazing woman.
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I love John Campbell and try to go each year. What I will do this summer is hard to predict. No roommate and am not sure how I feel about rooming with a total stranger for a week. But I recommend it for everyone. It is like being back in the old farm days with communal meals, lots of activities, no tv, no phone.. Lovely lovely place
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What would you take, Steph? You could get a single room.
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103 and still reading, JOAN. That's our kind of lady!
Then, too, STEPH, whatever roomie you had would be the kind that wants to spend her time at John Campbell. You're bound to have things in common. If you can find the energy, I'd vote for 'Go!'.
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My former next door neighbors retired and moved to Brasstown not quite two years ago. They had been involved with the school for years, Jack teaching dulcimer making, and Sally other arts and crafts -- she does so many things. Just found a link to one of them -- Folk art (https://www.folkschool.org/index.php?section=instructor_detail&instructor_id=68)
Steph, you won't have a problem rooming with someone you don't know. Seniors do it all the time. Babi and I didn't know each other and we roomed at the SeniorNet Books get together in DC 7 or 8 years ago. We're still speaking, aren't we, Babi :D
I roomed with a complete stranger at an Elderhostel once and it worked out fine. Babi makes a good point, you'll have things in common. And you stayed at the guest house in Isle of Palms without having laid eyes on any one there.
Joan, that's great, your mother is still able to read and wants to. Wonderful.
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Mary - my Jance book is the Johanna Brady series "Outlaw Mountain." Is that the way she spells her name? The book is upstairs. When i read I only pay enough attention to names to know who is doing what in the story. After i finish a book i often don't even remember the names of the characters. ........... are any of you familiar w/ Myers/Briggs profiles? - i guess that's a true difference between J types (detail people) and P types (concept people)........ ;D ;D ;D.............i am way up on the P type scale..............jean
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jean, I'm an artist - so I don't know what that makes me. ??? But anyhow, I love the Joanna Brady (I think there's no 'h', but I'm not sure) stories. Another thing we like about Jance is that she is very true to the geography. You can follow her characters with a road map. We're "map-o-philes". ::)
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JoanG, that is wonderful that your mother is still reading. She seems like a remarkable person.
nlhome, thanks for the information about the Patricia Highsmith biography. I'm now on the hold list for the book at my local library.
How wonderful that some of you have taken classes in folk art.
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I would guess I am wary about roommates because at John Campbell at least twice, I have had a class with someone who had a roommate they did not know and it was not working well. Mostly the who likes to get up in the morning and who likes to go to bed early or late. Then last year on a ship, there was a group and they had paired the women off and it was not working well at all. I think some of them actually changed roommates. So I would guess I am wary.
The only singles at John Campbell are generally claimed by the instructors. I did call about that. What I want to take is the beginners weaving class. I learned years ago and have forgotten and remembered recently that I loved it.
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JoanG, that is wonderful that your mother is still reading. She seems like a remarkable person.
Thank you Marcie and all the others who replied to my post about my mother. She really is a remarkable woman.
I have done several Elderhostels alone and have let them match me with a roommate. It has worked for me. I am willing to adapt to the make an effort to adapt to some of the things that others want if necessary.
Today I have an eye dr appointment. That will mean all afternoon with my eyes dilated. My brother will go with me to drive me home. Oh well this too is necessary.
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JEAN: "After i finish a book i often don't even remember the names of the characters. ......" That's me. I may not even remember them while I'm reading -- just enough of the configuration of letters to recognize it. I can read "War and Peace", never know anyone's name, and still keep everyone straight.
I guess I'm a P person.
(But in watching birds, I can tell you wqhat color bill each type of sparrow has. So maybe it's more complex).
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I am reading a super mystery/thriller/spy novel (take your pick). Set in England, and very English in its language and progression. For me, it started out r e a l l y slow, but once it picked up, well, I was reading until past 2:00 AM and my eyes could no longer stay open! Title is: The Bell Ringers by Henry Porter. He is not a first time novelist, but this is the first time I have heard of him. The plot is a bit convoluted in its way, but things begin to make sense, and wild ride begins. I am about halfway thru its 396 pages, and hope I can finish tonight. (I try not to read during the daytime hours when I should be doing chores. Today I'm making an exception to that rule). If you like a good English-type mystery, not at all "cozy", get this one. Mr. Porter's writing reminds me of another Brit author, whose name, of course, escapes me at this moment. I will look it up and let you know as a point of reference.
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TOMEREADER: I'm reminded of the Dorothy Sayers mystery about bellringers, The Nine Tailors. I always liked it, but could never quite follow the bellringing details. I hope this one is clearer (I love to learn about new things through mysteries. I say that everything I know, I learned from reading mysteries).
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It is not about bell-ringers per se, but a group whose secretive name is "The Bell Ringers" - - my idea is that it is a take-off on the American term "whistle blowers". Can't think of the Brit author's name who kind of writes like Porter. Can't get enough of a handle on the first letters of his name. Maybe it will come to me in my sleep! LOL
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Oh, of course! The Brits would have bells instead of whistles.
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Sounds like a book I would like. I will look for it on Kindle.
Joan Grimes
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I like certain English authors, but there are others than throw me.. I loved Sayers, but the Nine Tailers and the bell ringers was one of those books that I really could not quite get the changes, etc. Love to actually be there when the bell ringers are playing.. Fun to see what it really looks and sounds like
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I like most English authors and Dorothy Sayers is still one of my favorites.
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haven't been here for a while, have been with mystery readers on SparkPeople but think i will come back here again.
just finished 2 books of Stuart Woods - Ed Eagle series. very good and kept me reading until 1 AM to finish. also 'Beverly Hills Dead' by him. what i liked about the 3 was the characters were all part of each book. i always like his books and hope to get more tomorrow when i return all these and look for others.
Steph - i am with you. after 2 disasters i prefer paying the extra for a single. one was a friend who asked to accompany me to a spa - she took over the room and also expected me to be with her constantly. the other was a gal who lived in my condo complex. k new of her only. we went for Mardi Graw in Key West, Fla. she was a roommate from H...
JO
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Yes, I have had a lovely roommate, just once.. Joan Grimes at the beach, but then I really feel that I know all of you, even though I have only met a few .. So I considered that different. It is the total stranger I do not think I would like.
Talked to a lady at a library group yesterday and she was telling me that at 65 she went on a singles cruise and then put her with a 40 year old who was out for ( shall we say) adventure. Kept trying to make her set up a signal for not coming back to the room. I could not deal with that.
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JOANK:
Oh, of course! The Brits would have bells instead of whistles
. ;)
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well since I love a mystery I decided I would come here ..it has been some time since I read one but I recall I loved Sue Grafton and a Virginia writer who isnt bad is Ann Mullen who is a good friend and a neighbor of my daughter in Stanardsville she has several and I have read them all ..they may not be spectacular but I enjoy them .. any suggestions ? anna
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HI. JOHANZ and ANNA. Always great to see you.
I don't know Stuart Woods. It's more fun reading LA mysteries now that I live ib the area. There are so many ofthem that our face-to-face group did months or reading just LA authors. they tend to be dark. Is that true of Woods?
I don't know Ann Mullen, either. Are those cozies?
I read a second book by Carol Higgens Clark, the daughter of Mary Higgens Clark -- Snagged. Much better than the first one. Definitaly a woman's book, it's about a pantyhose convention.
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Read Louise Penny. Canadian author, wonderful books.!!!
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As i mentioned i'm reading J.A. Jance's Joanna Brady mystery, Outlaw Mountain. In this one she has just said "yes" to Butch's proposal. I find it interesting that Jance has essentially given Sheriff Brady a "wife" to help out w/ her dgt and her life. Butch has sold his bar, is supposedly writing - altho having writer's block - his first novel, so he has plenty of time to take care of Brady's dgt when BRady is up to her neck in work. And in this one he's also "sitting" w/ a developmentally disabled mid'l aged man who Brady doesn't seem to know what to do w/.
That contrasts w/ "Goldie" in Davidson's stories where she is, for a while, a battered wife, then a single mother w/ one son and a foster son, before she hooks up w/ her husband. And then there's Eve Dallas who has no children and a man who owns the world..............mades me wonder - - - - how would i write a protagonist who has a busy career life? ................. i am in awe of novelists...................jean
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Just finished An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris. I liked the earlier books with the same characters but somehow didn't care for this one--some of the descriptions of what the "bad guys" did to those young men just grossed me out.
I haven't read a Joanna Brady book in a while. I remember liking Butch and thought he was good for her. I'll have to check out Outlaw Mountain.
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I like both of J.A. Jances series.. I favor the Seattle detective a bit, but like Joanna as well.
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Lost this message the first time I tried; my laptop is sick, it quits with no warning after only a few minutes so I'll be using the MAC desktop when I can squeeze into the queue. I like Jance's new series about Allie Reynolds, former TV news anchor in LA. When she was canned for being older and she found that her TV executive husband of ten years was a cheater, she returned to her hometown of Sedona. I have liked all Jance's series in turn but get bored with them after a while. First in the new series: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/j/j-a-jance/edge-of-evil.htm
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English mystery writers are my favorites. I do not read many American mystery writers.
I loved the older English mystery writers like John Dickson Carr( Carter Dickson) He used John Dickson Carr when writing about certain detectives and Carter Dickson when writing about others. I like Josephine Tey and Edmund Crispin. There are many other English mystery writers that I like also. The modern ones that I like are PD James and Ruth Rendell.
Joan Grimes
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Those are among my favorites too.
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You all have mentioned so many books and authors I've liked or want to read. My f2f group read Stuart Woods' Chiefs some time ago and we all thought it was terrific. I think it was the first in a series. It gave you a lot to think about.
Thank you whoever introduced me to Louise Penny -- her Broken Telling was excellent, and the author just assumed her readers were intelligent. Lots to think about there, too.
I used to like Diane Mott Davidson, but lately have been getting a little tired of her, and the jerk, and arch.
i am in awe of novelists...................jean
Yes, absolutely.
Have you tried Linda Fairstein -- she's the prosecuting attorney in New York who focuses mainly on sexual abuse cases. Fairstein herself used to be a prosecuting attorney, and I think her husband was either a lawyer or a judge. She actually named him in some of her novels. Now I think he died a year or so ago. As well as being a good mystery, her novels always teach you something about New York.
JOanK -- who are some of the good writers of mysteries set in LA? I've come across some for Northern Californai, but not in LA. We lived there a couple years when two of the children were very small, first in Brentwood, then in Canoga Park. It would be fun to read some mysteries set there.
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L.A... How about Michael Connelly and who is it, whose hero is Elvis something. Funny and wry at the same time. His helper is Joe Pike..
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robert crais.
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Thanks Jackie.. Robert Crais it is and boy does he cover LA.. I like him so much, although he is unlucky in love.
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Stop You're Killing Me is a great site for mysteries and has many useful links such as indices by job. location, etc. Here is the site for California locations: http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/LocationCats/USA/California.html
Jan Burke's series about a newspaper woman is LA is very good, IMHO. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/jan-burke/
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I love house plans. I pore over Dover Victorian Architecture books, studying how the rooms are fitted together, watch "House Hunters" on HGTV, and love the slick magazines like "American Bungalow. That said, there is a sick fascination with the story of a wealthy family's hunting lodge's desecretation in Skull Session by Daniel Hecht. The owner of the lodge left it one day and it has been sitting empty for several years, though empty is a misnomer since the lodge has been so thoroughly vandalized that the floors are knee deep in litter. Enter Paul slogland, a failed contractor, who is hured by the owner, his wealthy aunt, to restore the lodge aand salvage her personal property.
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Part 2 of Skull Session (My 'puter is acting up and I don't want to lose this.) Paul has Tourette's Syndrome, a neurological affliction which leaves its victims helpless to stop the tics, animal noises, and inappropriate verbalizationsm which make these folks so easy for comics to ridicule. While Paul gets started on the lodge, the local police are investigating the disappearance ov several local teens. This is a complex story and it is quite a good read. Hecht has qwritten other books and I will happily seek them out. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/daniel-hecht/skull-session.htm
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I remember reading a detective story years ago about a detective with Tourettes syndrome: it was quite good, but I don't remember details.
Now, they are saying that maybe Mozart had Tourettes, and that was why he acted so strangely.
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I must hunt. I know that in my to be read case, I have a book that is about someone with Tourettes..
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Steph: If the book you are searching for is Skull Session it is quite a read.
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Picking books off an awards list can be risky but it can also yield true gems. Such a diamond-in-the-rough is Walking the Perfect Square by Reed Farrel Coleman (also writes as Tony Spinoza). Moses Prager is an ex-cop who works in New York, far from the wealthy enclaves so often featured in mysteries. He is prickly but very caring and loves his family of two brothers and a sister who lead conventional lives. Moe appeals to me and I will follow him through all the books he lives in. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/reed-farrel-coleman/
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I just finished a Elaine Viets.. Sort of a cozy.. This one is about the mystery shopper. I much prefer the dead end jobs series..Silly premise but it works.
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Just finished The Drowning River by Kim Byrne. This is her first book. It was well written and kept me interested to the last page--a really good start for a new author. I've "tried" to read several other books since last posting but I didn't even finish them. I find that more and more I gravitate to the same authors so it was refreshing to find a new author that I liked.
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Flajean: You've piqued my curiosity. Please tell us more about The Drowning River. Finding a new asuthor is like gold at the end of the rainbow, isn't it?
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It's about an adopted girl attending a small college in the northeast for her Master's degree. She can't understand why several people act so strangely when they see her. It tells on the cover that she is a twin (but doesn't know it) and and her twin was drowned the year before at this same college. There are a lot of twists and turns and I don't want to spoil it incase someone here reads it. In fact, I wish I hadn't read the cover before reading it, but there were still a lot of surprises in it.
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christopher reich is good but not la. RULES OF DECEPTION .
Jackie long ago I did arhcitectural renderings in an attempt to make art pay and had to learn drafting and space design. I loved it. if I hadn't been half a century old and a woman I'd have started over as just that a space designer. Architects at that level don't often get to do the entire design. they do staircases etc. But contractors and buildings do whole houses and have inhouse drafts men to do the design.
I've thought women should design houses since that is where they spend so much of their time and men make lousy kitchen. I designed our home, the last one before I knew how to draft at the behest of our friend the builder, five times until he said to stop with the last version. Using just graph paper, I had a ball.
. I could walk through the rooms as I created them and making the drawings so clean and precise was fun although my fine art is loose. I haven't thought to collect the work of others but it could be interesting since I know how it is done.
claire
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I loved drafting and took CAD as well. An interesting thing. If I had been younger, I would have looked for a drafting job in my early 60's. Was really fun.
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Were we young women of 50 today we could be following our dreams. A fascinating career i would have loved, if I had the manual dexterity and art sense, is miniaturization.
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miniaturization ??? in what way??
as for being young at fifty. . .not so out there in the wild wild world. that's when I began my rendering and I did have art etvc. No one believed me, that I did the drawings from plans. they did like my trees, but too many architects are arrogant jerks. "I could do it myself only I haven't time" is what I kept hearing.
At that time they were looking to hire young asian men in their mid twenties. I didn't fit into the office picture. in one case I was offered a drafting table between two such workers in a dimly lit upstairs location just to show me that I wouldn't fit in. The boss was a nice designer woman who understood what was happening and was very sympathetic. I was not only the wrong age and gender, I was "grossly over qualified".
Some places the work was done on a factory like basis at about six dollars an hour.
In the end it was a case of knowing architects socially who would use you. I did know one such but couldn't charge what I should have since I knew him well enough to know he couldn't afford it. life might be more even handed now but only in more well defined professions IMHO the arts are always under valued.
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Just read on the Internet that Dick Francis died at his home today in the Cayman Islands. He was age 89. I read so many of his books with enjoyment and I believe many of you here did also.
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Spamming...to reach the masses...
As promised, the poll to determine our Spring Book Club Online in-depth discussions is now open - We will stay open until Feb. 26.
You may vote once.
Notice the titles in the Suggestion Box heading are linked to reviews.
Note the two different categories:
1. Your first choice
2. All the titles that interest you for future discussion
VOTE HERE - (click this link) (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/X9T285W)
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Voted!
Mom is done with her Rumpole Omnibus book so now she wants to read more Agatha Christie. I went into the used book store to get her one and came out with four: two short story books, one with four novels (including Death on the Nile), and And Then There Were None (which I want to read myself). Nothing like a little overkill there. Actually there was a book with Death on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express plus three more, but it seemed a bit heavy to hold. Mom doesn't like books that are heavy to hold.
I also came out with the latest Dan Brown book, The Lost Symbol and the second StarDoc scifi.
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I voted.
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Voted.
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Voted
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Dick Francis.. Oh me, another favorite author gone forever. Although I did not like the ones he wrote with his son as much as his early stuff where his wife helped. Still first Robert Parker and Now him.. Darn.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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I'm really sorry abou Dick Francis. Had no idea he was 89. I haven't read the ones he did with his son,as I suspected that I wouldn't like them, but I've read all the earlier ones, some several times.
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Never cared much for Dick Francis but I am really sorry he has died..
Joan Grimes
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Dick Francis: read them all except for the sons ones. did not know about them. I liked them then, not so sure about it now. tastes change don't they. Jim Butcher series about a wizard in Chicago is interesting because lately we've learned so much about the politics there.
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This book is about the most adorable Indian detective and about India. It's the first and only so far, but I suspect there will be more:
The case of the missing servant : from the files of Vish Puri, India's "most private investigator" / Tarquin Hall.
New York : Simon & Schuster, 2009.
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I was a fan of Dick Francis from day one. They always said his wife did the research, but whoever did it, they were very good. I love horse books and racing books.. so he was always a favorite.. Sid Halley was always good for a laugh.
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Just completed Pharmaology Is Murder by Dirk Wyle. This is the first in a five series so far. A blurb on the author's website -
"Wyle creates Ben as the playful idealized man: Mensa member; looks like Frankie Avalon; can fight like a pit bull; has a steady relationship with the beautiful Rebecca while tossing off adversaries with stumbling panache and outwitting the evil . . ."
It is an interesting and well written book. I'm glad that I happened on the first in the series (by luck). I intend to look for the others.
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HORSELOVER: that sounds like a great find! Since I just finished reading Kim, I'm just in the mood to read about India. (I promised I wouldn't order any more books, but ONE more wouldn't hurt!)
I'm completely bogged down in one of Laura Childs tearoom mysteries. There's nothing wrong with it -- I just can't get interested.
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And no one (as far as I know) has done mysteries with a pharmicist as detective. Is that what Wylie has done, FLAJEAN?
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I certainly going to try to get
Pharmaology Is Murder by Dirk Wyle. It appeals to me because of the Mensa connection . My husband, Theron, belonged to Mensa.
Joan Grimes
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I am reading an odd sort of mystery. Dog Gone It.. Written from the dogs point of view. Chet and Bernie.. Fun in its own way. I gather he has written a second one of these. Not sure I would want to read more than one. We will see.
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I think I need to improve my typing :D
The title is "Pharmacology Is Murder". After working in the ME's office as a technician he becomes a pharmacology graduate student in the local University. The author has a nice web page and tells you a little about each of his books. http://www.dirk-wyle.com/ (http://www.dirk-wyle.com/)
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Finished Dog Gone It.. It has every peril known to dog and man in it.. I was reading it for a book club, but dont think I will read his second one. I love some dog stories and some cat ones.. Loved Susan Conants dog mysteries.. Love Rita Mae Brown..
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Just picked up my first Donald Westlake mystery. Someone had mentioned Baby Would i Lie here sometime ago. I know this is a recent one, is it part of a series and should i read the series from the beginning, or doesn't it matter?...............jean
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Westlake is like funny sometimes, but not always. He and Elmore Leonard. There are certain books they write that I love and the others, I cannot read at all. Strange.
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I like Donald Westlake and he is a favorite with my son. While there is
some continuity in the stories, I think you could enjoy them as singles.
As STEPH says, the funny ones are the best.
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I loved Dog Gone It. Maybe having cats my 'take' was more generous to the dog personna.
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I wanted to like Dog Gone It. but didnt.. I am still trying to read the Robert Parker. I still cannot stay still for long periods.. Not even for a favorite author like him.
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Finished Skull Session by Daniel Hecht. It has a totally shockeroo ending, way, way, way out in left field, but not deus ex machina. Paul, he of the Tourette's. Lia, his GF, and Mark, his damaged 11-yr-old son, are never going to be the same again but I cared about their resiliance and love for each other. Powerfully engaging despite the vivid portrayals of violence.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/daniel-hecht/skull-session.htm
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STEPH: I know. It takes awhile. Parker will be waiting for you.
I've been so glued to the Olympics, I haven't read much. I enjoy them, but they're a bit much -- I wish they would spread them throughout the year.
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Finished the Parker and he is putting together two of his characters, which is interesting. Both Sunny and the policechief as wounded solitaries.. They make perfect sense together.
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This might better belong in the "Mystery" group, but since it now has a movie made from it, I guess it can go here too. They have taken Dennis Lehane's "Shutter Island" and made it into a movie. From the clips I have seen, they have used a "horror-type" theme, rather than the wonderful psychological thriller the book is. I think I will wait till it appears on DVD to see it. The book was good, but you had to pay attention, especially near the ending. ( orig. posted this is Books Into Movies)
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I loved the Book.. Shutter Island, but I agree that the previews look like horror to me and that is not a good category for me just yet. So I too will wait until DVD time. Plus I am not a Leonard fan.
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Susan Wittig Albert has a new China Bayles mystery "Holly Blues" coming out in April. Our library has it on order and there are already 14 of us on the list. And wouldn't you know it, I'm #14. :'(
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Will keep my eyes open for the Albert. Is it a Herb one?? I do like those very much.
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Yes, China is the one who has a flower/herb shop and the interesting redheaded friend who runs the adjoining (New Age) shop.
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I like those by Susan.. just dontlike the Robin Paige she does with her husband.
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The writing in the Robin Paige is stodgy, but the plots are interesting. I have one now I stuck half-way through, but mean to finish.
Thanks for recommending Tarquin Hall. I'm reading "The Case of the Missing Servant", and really enjoying it. He's trying to do for India what McCall Smith did for Zimbabwe in "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency".
I'm not sure I would enjoy it if I were Indian. The author is patronizing toward India, and doesn't redeem it, (as McCall Smith does) by obvious love for the country.
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Only books I ever enjoyed about India.. The Godden sisters and a three or four book series about the beginnings of the independence period..
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Tomereader1 recommended The Bell Ringers (also known as The Dying Light) and I was paying attention. This is a really good book about today's issues: government, finance, spies, mysterious deaths. Thanks, Tome, for the book and the new-to-me author. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/p/henry-porter/dying-light.htm
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I might out to warn you, mrssherlock, that you probably won't enjoy "The Brandenburg Gate" as much as Bell Ringers. I didn't, but I perservered and finished it anyway. It was too convoluted for my rapidly aging mind. In other words, I had trouble following it.
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Just finished The Poisoning in the Pub (A Feathering Mystery) by Simon Brett. Didn't enjoy it as much as the previous books in this series. The way Brett quickly summed up on the last page sounds like he is getting tired of the series and this might be the last in the series.
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Immersed in the Olympics to my eyebrows but did start a book by Mary Higgins Clark who I was enthralled with years ago It is called Just take my heart >>has anyone read it > I am having a hard time getting into it...in fact a lot of mysteries are so gruesome i wont read them..think I will go to the library and find some Mary Roberts Rinehart or other past authors.. I know some I read more than once and it has been so long I am sure I would love them again..
Dick Francis I LOVED HIS BOOKS --and read at least one , perhaps the first one ,he wrote with his son. But the books just didnt have whatever Francis had when he wrote alone... I have a couple of new mysteries but havent had time to even take a peek Patterson's latest was not really a mystery ,,it was a crime story and a horrid one to boot... so if anyone likes him I will mail the book to you...I WONT FINISH IT>> wont even peek at the last page to see if it was ok..
the real mystery to me is "WHERE IS SPRING?" in the 38 years I have lived here I cant recall one winter that lasted past mid Feb and many times my plum tree was dressed in a debutants dress mid February ..ah well so much for global warming...
My best to all and hope wherever you live the best weather will arrive for you to enjoy GOD BLESS ...anna
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I think I have mentioned before that I find Mary Higgins Clark creepy and I cannot read her books. She gives me a creepy feeling all over and I cannot stand her.
Hi Fair Anna. I am searching for Spring too. I think it is lost.
Joan Grimes
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"WHERE IS SPRING?" HAH! I just saw the first sign of Spring. Not birds singing, or flowers blooming. GIRL SCOUT COOKIES. If thin mints come, can Spring be far behind?
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;D
My daffodils and crocus are just peeking out of the ground, that is where the snow has melted off. Thank goodness the last snow storm stayed east of here.
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Living in Florida, this constant cold is just too much. The dogs are close to hibernating. Their dog beds are in constant use.. I planted some herbs in my teeny little back area , thank heaven in pots.. So I can cover them, but my crotons in the front are quite dead. Darn. They are too large for me to get out. Will have to wait until one of mysons is up to pull them for me.
I dont like Mary Higgins Clark, but she does write to formula for sure.. All heroines in danger.
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ANNA, Dick Francis didn't write alone. Before his wife's death, she was
his researcher, critic, and perhaps contributor. His books were never
quite the same after she died, but still enjoyable.
JOANK ;D
I'm reading Fairstein's "Lethal Legacy", recommended here. I have a
Jan Burke waiting in the wings. After that, I'll probably want a good
sci-fi again. Hopefully, Shinn's "Archangel", if my elder daughter brings it.
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Babi I am not surprised that Francis's wife HELPED she probably PUSHED HIM TO WRITE ....Behind every successful man is a woman pushing ...sorry I needed a good laugh this am..and my daffies are about 4 inches above ground but the flowers show no sign of life ..which upsets me since I did plant many new ones in the fall...take care ...I know one thing Clarks book is just not pushing me to read ...perhaps her formula becomes OLD after awhile and one just feels indifferent to her "charm"....have a great day and hope spring is NEAR Now there is a mystery for you WHY IS SPRING SO LATE THIS YEAR >>? Once when I was six it did snow on May 1 st but was gone by noon...anna
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Somewhere the author, Ann Bridge, came up and my library had her in the catalog. Well, if you are looking for old fashioned mystery with good characterization and great sense of place, this is the author to search for. in The Portuguese Escape Hungary is still occupied by the Russians. Can the escape of an eminent theologian be successful? His former 22-yr-old cook, now reunited with her Countess mother in Portugal, is recruited by the Brit spy network to identify Father Antal when he arrives from Mardrid on his way ultimately to the US. Read this one like you would read Jane Austen; it is another age with different social mores and technology is a word never uttered outside the lecture halls of MIT. So, for a romantic mystery with little overt violence, charming characters, and a fantastic desire to move to Portugal, this is well worth the few hours it takes to read. Bridge wrote other books, and a lead character in this one appeared in an earlier novel; which I've got on reserve; you may want to start with Lighthearted Quest which introduces Julia Probyn, journalist with ties to MI whatever in the British spy hierarchy. The pace is slow but it is well worth the trip. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/ann-bridge/
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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AAACK: I forgot my f2f mystery group is tomorrow, and I haven't read the book. Reread, actually. It's a Laura Lippman that I've read before -- the one with the orthodox Jewish family. Didn't care much for it the first time, and put off reading it again.
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Living in Florida, this constant cold is just too much.
Steph, I agree wholeheartedly!!
Someone here suggested Kerry Greenwood. I'm reading Devil's Food and enjoying it. So thanks to the person who suggested her. Lost interest in Mary Higgins Clark after reading a couple of them.
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Flajean: Kerry Greenwood's other series is pretty good, too. It is about the 20's with lots of ambiance. Her "bio" on Fantastic Fiction is a hoot: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/kerry-greenwood/
I'd love to read her SF but, alas, my library doesn't list it.
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Oh me,, yes Ann Bridge brings back old memories when I loved to read spy stories and she was good at them.
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Amazing, isn't it, ANNA. This long, harsh winter coming in a time when
we are supposed to be threatened with global warming? This is warming??
Ah, JACKIE, you've intrigued me again. I'll check out Ann Bridge; I
hope my library has her. I am currently reading Fairstein's "Lethal
Legacy" and find the murder is taking a back seat. So far, most of the
book has explored the history of various places of interest in New York
or discussed valuable maps.
LOL!! I loved the Greenwood bio! I'm still grinning. Definitely have
to check her out. I do hope my library has her SF.
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Stop You're Killing Me's newsletter website has a book giveaway (see here:) http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/Giveaway.html
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PS: SYKM (see above) has a list of newly added authors; looks like enough reading for me for several lifetimes! Too much of a good thing ;D
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I am reading a new Harlan Coben.. Long Lost or some such.. Its new in paper anyway. I read all of him, but this one is veering in a very very odd direction. Good, but different.
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I love Moe (Moses) Prager. He's Reed Farrell Coleman's lead character in his series. Redemption Street is Moe's second appearance as this ex-cop is once again called on to solve a disappearance though this one was due to a tragic fire in a Catskills resort 16 years ago. Seems Moe knew two of the victims, they were high school classmates. His compulsion to solve this problem during the high-volume Thanksgiving weekend at the profitable wine shop in downtown Manhattan he owns with his brother Aaron stresses his and his wife's family. Moe has a smart mouth; this is his version of quip trading:
John Lennon, for instance, bought a case of Perrier-Jouet for a friend's birthday gift. He was kind enough to take a picture with me. Emboldened by his generosity I asked him if Paul McCartney was really the selfish self-centered prick the press made him out to be.
"Nah", he said, "The real Paul's dead, you know, He was a great mate, a generous sort, but the sod actor we got to replace him is a genuine shite. We'd have gotten rid of him, too, but he was a better bass player than the real Paul. Not as good a songwriter though. Do you suppose the Paul who wrote 'Yesterday' would write rubbish like 'Silly Love Songs'?" John winked at me, stuck out his tongue and left.
Moe's investigation takes him to the faded Borscht Belt where his host at the decrepit hotel is a former entertainer who was a staff member of the burned resort so the jokes fly thick and fast.
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That sounds great!
In my f2f book group last night was a new person who asked what mysteries we would recommend for someonewho was starting to read mysteries. What would you-all have said?
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joank; i would like to know what type of fiction this person reads. Danielle Steel and Barbara Delinsky fans would like Elizabeth Adler's There's Something About San Tropez. I liked it a lot. If she likes quilting, Earlene Fowler; knitting, etc., Monica Ferris. If shes like historical novels I'd recommend my all-time favorite, Laurie R King's The Beekeeper's Apprentice.. Wait, wait, I forgot Julia Spencer-Fleming. Margaret Maron. Those are all novels with strong female characters. Giles Blunt. Agatha Christie. C J Box. Reed Farrel Coleman. John MacDnald. B&N's website has several categories in the mystery genre to suit special interests. This is barely scratching the surface.
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I know: I tried to find out what she liked and finally suggested Evanovitch (sp), McCall Smith, Hillerman, and others suggested others.
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Jackie, wow. we must be soul mates. You listed a lot of my favorites..
Finished the Coben.. Long Lost. What an odd book.. Myron was out of character.. Anyone else read it?? Not sure , guess it is his answer to 9/11
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I'm about half way thru WINE OF VIOLENCE, a debut historical mystery by Priscilla Royal and finding it very interesting. Set in medieval England in an unusual religious community that houses both nuns and monks (separately, of course!) Very good atmosphere, and the characters are ones you really get to know. I love the gutsy intelligent young nun whose just been appointed prioress, in charge of the place. The mystery is keeping me turning pages.
I haven't read Coben's Long Lost, Steph, and probably won't after your review LOL. I've read about five of Coben's and got kind of tired of him.
Marj
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Now that one, MARJ, hits several strings on my violin. Mystery, medieval England, strong and
likable characters. I definitely want to read that one.
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It sounded so good to me, too, Marjifay, so I just put a request for it into my library. Since no one else is waiting for it I should get it within a couple of days or so. I'm looking forward to it. Thanks for mentioning it.
I'm half-way through an Earlene Fowler. TUMBLING BLOCKS. It's been awhile since I've read her so I'm enjoying it.
Also, thanks Jackie for linking to the Stop You're Killing Me. I've had fun checking through their site and I've subscribed to their newsletter.
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Marj: You've hooked me; it's on my reserve list. Phyll: SYKM is the first one I open when it appears in my email.
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It's been awhile since I read Fowler too, and can't remember whether I've read that one (Often come happily home from the library with a "new" mystery, and find I've read it!). I assume "Tumbling Blocks" is one of her quilting patterns. Fowler almost makes me wish I liked to quilt.
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I am checking our the paperback swap for the Royal book. Sounds good.
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I see that Priscilla Royal has written quite a few books. "Wine of Violence" was the first of
a series, apparently. My elder daughter's library has it and I'm going to ask her to check a
copy out for me.
Meanwhile, I've started my first Jan Burke, and I think I'm going to like it. Finished "Lethal
Legacy" and found the bits about odd corners of New York as interesting as the story line, if
not more so.
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Finished Devil's Food, A Corinna Chapman Mystery by Kerry Greenwood. Enjoyed it and it had a satisfying (to me) conclusion. Left me feeling good. Now I'm starting one of her Phryne Fisher mysteries Blood and Circuses and interested to see what differences are in her characters.
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Babi - i liked Lethal Legacy also and the "bits" of knowledge were interesting............jean
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Babi, thank you for mentioning Jan Burke. I used to read/enjoy her books, but had forgotten all about her. I'll have to check her out again. Sometimes when I take a break from an author; I get caught up in other books and forget to return.
Sally
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I think i'm giving up on Westlake, I'm 80pgs in and it just hasn't grabbed me..........jean
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I loved the library informaton on Lethal Legacy.. So neat and supposed to be true. Can you imagine the storage area? Whew. Picked up a J.D. Robb the other day and I will be darned. She had already published it as a double with one of her Norah stories and she simply changed the title and a few minor details and republished. What greed from a very popular author.
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So easy to do, SALLY. I've noticed that some of our readers seem to
take up an author, and read all their books before going elsewhere. That
sounds like an excellent way to get to know an author well, but I prefer
a change of pace in my reading. Which sometimes results in my not getting
back to someone I really intended to.
Changing a title on re-issue isn't uncommon. Think of all the Agatha
Christie books that have two different titles. More than once I couldn't
find a book because the library had it under a different title.
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Babi - I also need variety. I presently/usually have 4 books on my nightstand and i pick up the one i "feel" like reading at the moment and then if i wake up during the night, i probably will not continue reading the one i started when i came to bed, unless it is soooo good i want to get back to it. ............... that doesn't happen a lot. Right now there are 2 fiction books, a mystery and a non-fiction............ i have very little compulsion about reading a book from start to finish w/ out switching to another. I know some people feel that way. But i'm that way w/ almost everything in my life - VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE ....... i need a variety of music, tv shows, friends ( i can't type frineds correctly anymore - that's the way my fingers type it.. ??? ) active and quiet time, etc. .....................jean
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Jean: I, too, read more than one book at a time these days unless the book is so riveting I can't put it down. Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't.
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I like to vary authors, too. If I find a new author I'm excited about, I'll usually try to get a second book. But if I go further than that without a change of pace, I begin to tire of whoever it is (after all, even a chocoholic like me can't eat chocolate from morning to night).
As usual, found myself in a bookstore without my list of your suggestions. Settled for a Box and a Reich. Haven't read them yewt, because I'm caught up in "The Book Theif" for the discussion.
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Have any of you read the "Aunt Dimity" series by Nancy Atherton? The first in this series is "Aunt Dimity's Death". They are light gentle mysteries that I find enjoyable.
Sally
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My husband used to laugh because I always have three or four books going at once. He read just one at a time and said he couldnt figure out why I felt the need for more.. I admit that the older I get, the more I am to confuse two of the characters, but I still need the variety.
Just now I have a mystery..,, a new Maeve Binchy and the Guinivere going. My bed book , I finished last night, so will put a new one on my night stand for tonight.. I think maybe one of the fantasy ones of Sharon Shinn.. I loved the first one..
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The 'Aunt Dimity' books have been mentioned here before and I meant to try them. Must
have gotten distracted (not hard to do). Thanks for the reminder.
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Aunt Dimity is a fine example of the cosy: small English village, eccentric elderly lady in her cottage, a handful of characters to befriend the puzzle-solving narraqtor but with a charming twist. Great fun.
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is Aunt Dimity set in contemporary times?
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Sounds like just my cup of tea. ;D
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It is set in semi-modern times. This is one series that I feel is very important to start with the first. It sets the whole tone for the rest of the series. I suppose you could skip around after that, but I was like (if possible) to read in order. They are fun reads!
Sally
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I've read most of the Aunt Dimity books and liked them, however, they are pretty much the same to me and got a little boring after a while.
I just finished both of books in the Sterling Glass, antique appraiser, series. They are written by a well known antiques appraiser and author Emyl Jenkins. I like the way she gives a little information about antiques at the beginning of each chapter. They are cozies but very well written. I hope she continues with this series. There's a little love interest here that has me curious. :D
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I have been trying to get the antique books, but no luck just yet..
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FlaJean, Yes, they do get rather boring after a while. However, the first few are really enjoyable. I find that most series (if they continue for too long) do seem to repeat themselves. I had to take a long break from Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich. Thanks for the info on Jenkins, I'll have to check her out.
Sally
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| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Steph, I notice that you and I are frequently reading/posting at the same time. You are an early bird, too. I can't seem to sleep more than 4 or 5 hrs at night---Most aggravating!
Sally
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I've found that once I get bored with a series and break it off, I never seem to go back.
I've no doubt missed a lot of good books that way, but shucks, there are a lot of other good
books out there, too.
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Sterling Glass has become one of my favorite characters; she has class in the old fashioned sense of the word.
Elizabeth George finally has a new Inspector Lynley coming out in May. My name is #20 on the waiting list. Check this out: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/elizabeth-george/this-body-of-death.htm
If you haven't fallen under George's spell beware; it is a wicked addiction. George's Lynley and Laurie R King's Mary Russell will always be at the top of my stack of books.
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Mrssherlock, I love Elizabeth George and will certainly put my name on the reserve list. It's been a while since I have read any of her books.
I don't know who recommended Charlaine Harris, but thank you. I just finished Grave Sight. It was a fast easy read that held my interest. Just what I needed while I am "slogging" my way thru Edgar Sawtelle for my ftf book club and concentrating on The Book Thief.
Sally
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Maybe it's time for me to get back to Elizabeth George. I haven't read any of hers since she killed off one of my favorite characters. I guess she's written about two or three since then.
My f2f group read Tess Gerritson's Bone Garden this week. This was her first for me, and I really liked it. It was both historical (1830) and contemporary. Oliver Wendell Holmes even played a part in this novel about grave robbers, early medical schools, child birth fever and life in early 19th century Boston.
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I discovered a Lauri King I had not read. Resurrection Hall. Oh the joy, I do love her Holmes books, but then I love everything she writes. The stand alones are fascinating.
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Speaking of Laurie King she has a new Mary Russell coming in April: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/laurie-r-king/god-of-hive.htm
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Elizabeth George has a new book (with Thomas Lynley) coming out April 20 -- THIS BODY OF DEATH (but 700 pages!) I liked her last one, CARELESS IN RED, but it sure needed whittling down.
Jackie, I love Edna St. Vincent Millay's poetry!
Marj
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My sister introduced me to the novels of Ann Bridge who was married to a diplomat. They are outdated in terms of technology and communism is still mrampant in the period her books cover. She writes semi-romantic mysteries nof the amateur spy girl reporter type and I'm loving them. I've read the first three of the Julia Probyn books (there are six) and accordingly "toured" Morroco, Portugal and Switzerland. I'll finish the Julia's first then read whatever else i can find. http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=bridan
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I just finished two of Kerry Greenwood's Phyrne Fisher series. I liked them. Thanks to whomever suggested them. mrssherlock, the novels you mentioned by Ann Bridge sound interesting. I'll have to check on them. I lived several years in Morocco. Would like to find that one.
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I was just given James Patterson's Cross Country. I've never read any of his books and this one will have to wait a while. My reading time is already "booked" for the next few months.
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Ann Bridge. Oh me, I remember reading her spy stories way back. Good writer, but I sort of burned out on any spy stories.
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I'm about a third of the way in to Wine of Violence by Priscilla Royal. I'm liking it very much though I'm finding that the characters seem a little slow to develop for a not very big book. However, the central figure, the young Prioress is a very strong and interesting figure. Very good book and thanks for recommending it.
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I just finished my first Sara Paretsky (V.I. Warshawski) mystery. Thanks to you all who have talked about them. I really enjoyed it, read it in 3 or 4 days. I will get others. This one was Deadlock and told me way more than i wanted to know about freight shipping on the Great Lakes, but the tidbits of info were - in the end - interesting. I'm always interested in learning about something i've never tho't about before..........jean
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I liked "Deadlock the best of the Paretskys. I like to learn about new things.
JACKIE, FLAJEAN: do you like the Mrs. Polifax spy stories by Dorothy Gilman? She has at least one et in Morocco.
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Joank: Who wouldn't love Mrs. Polifax? I devour those stories and can pleasurably reread them. Mabe I can be her when I grow up.
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JoanK, I've read all of the Mrs. Pollifax books. I own a couple of them and reread them occasionally. I've also read a couple of her other novels. I don't think she has published anything lately.
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JACKIE: "Mabe I can be her when I grow up." That's MY line,!
(If we're going to grow up, maybe we'd better start. It's getting kinda late.)
FLAJEAN: is her description of Morocco accurate? Was it Morocco? I just remember her learning to whirl like the whirling dervishes. The whirling dervishes performed in my town, and I really wanted to see them, but couldn't.
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Its funny. I also read a lot of the Mrs. Pollifax novels. Great fun
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As I recall I read Mrs. Pollifax almost exclusively back in my 'Readers'
Digest Condensed Books' stage. You know, when the three kids keep you
so busy you can't find time for the regular books. I should probably
go find Mrs. Pollifax again and see what I missed.
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They repay rereading.
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JoanK, It's been so many years since I read the Pollifax book when she went to Morocco I don't remember much of it. However, when we visited Epcot Center at Disney World and visited the Morocco area my husband and I were impressed. We lived in Kenitra (formerly known as Port Lyauty) in a small French villa. We did visit our Fatima's sister in the medina who cooked us a delicious meal similar to stew on a hibachi. We did sit on the floor on large pillows but because we were American she provided forks and the visit was over after the 3rd cup of mint tea, as we were told was their custom. As the young people say, it was awesome.
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Finished Justice Hall by Lauri King. Absolutely wonderful as always. Somehow I had missed that one.. It was fun seeing a new side of Ali and Muhammad.. What a surprise.
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Jean, you'll have a good time with so many Sara Paretsky's to read. I still have one of her V.I's on the shelf -- Blacklist -- that hasn't been read yet. My f2f group just read one of her new ones that's not a V.I. -- Bleeding Kansas, a stand alone, not a detective story, about three Kansas farm families in the Lawrence area. Paretsky grew up in that area. I give the book 5 stars for plot, character development, setting, etc. etc. etc.
It's interesting to follow an author's books, especially those of a mystery writer, and watch how they develop or change or what have you, especially when they leave the mystery vein. Nancy Pickard (Jenny Crain and Eugeinia Potter series) also recently wrote a stand alone, also set in Kansas -- Virgin of Small Plains -- was a state-wide read selection two years ago. (And Pickard visited every library in the state of Kansas!)
Even Margaret Maron (my favorite) has slightly changed her style in her Deborah Knott series -- less Deborah Knott involvement and not always first person viewpoint. I'm not sure how I feel about that latter.
Loved Ann Bridge years back and would like to reread. Not a one in my library.
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The "Kansas" books sound interesting. I think i had heard of Peretsky's book, probably read a review at some point. I am looking forward to more V.I. stories. I read Maron's Slow Dollar, can't remember at the moment what it was about. .................. jean
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My goodness! I didn't know that Sara Paretsky grew up in Lawrence, Pedlin. I grew up just 21 miles south of Lawrence in Ottawa KS. I am going to have to get that book and read it! Thanks for mentioning the book.
I did read Virgin of Small Plains and enjoyed that. Also, Margaret Maron lives in the next county here in North Carolina, where I live now, and I have read quite a few of her books but had begun to not enjoy them so much. The last one I read....Hard Row...I really didn't care very much for at all. She seemed to be on a personal crusade.
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Some of Paretsky's novels have been made into good, tight, well-made
movies. V. I. Warshawski is a tough gal, but she has her soft spots.
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Is "Bleeding Kansas" set in the time of the slavery debate? I've read enough about that to know why Kansas was called "Bleeding Kansas".
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I believe that is true, Joan, about "Bleeding Kansas". It was a very good book, so totally different from what Paretsky usually writes. I do love her V.I. books though.
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I have read all of Paretsky, The Kansas is an odd book. I enjoyed it, but would have hated to live there.
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Some one here mentioned "The Domestic Diva" series by Krista Davis; I'm sure glad I paid attention, this is a funny woman. In The Diva Runs out of Thyme Sophie Winston finds herself in an absurd imbroglio - at a contest for turkey stuffing she is competing in (against her divorced husband's sweetie, a Martha Stewart clone), the gazillionaire chief sponsor and judge embraces her and tells her she is going to the ballet with him Friday night. When Sophie finds him to refuse his "order" he is dead and Natasha, the clone, discovers her leaning over the body; Nat screams, "You've killed him." and the merry-go-round ride begins. Formulaic but fun, Sophie is one fine female.
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I'll check out Krista Davis, JACKIE. I do enjoy some laughs with my reading. :D
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I've started a new system for recording your suggestions. Hopefully, it will work better than the other one. Krista Davis starts it off.
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Joank: Tell us more.
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Yes JoanK,
Please tell us more. Joan Grimes
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My library has no Krista Davis books, i'll have to clue them in........ :o
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Davis is an unknown author to me as well. Will have to check her out.
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It's so simpleminded, I'm embarrassed. I now keep a tiny pad of paper next to the computer, small enough that when I go to the library, I can just slip it in my purse. Of course, I have to remember to put it in my purse and take it out again. Given my bad memory, that's not a given.
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I generally write down the names of the authors and then go to Amazon to read about what they have written. Then I can go to my paperbackswap and see what they have.
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To Frybabe, regarding reading material for your mom: I'm also a fan of Cat Who literature, and I've found the Rita Mae Brown series very good reading also. Harry Harristeen (female) is the protagonist in these. Those books have two cats and a dog that talk amongst themselves and can understand the humans, but the humans have a hard time getting what the animals mean, much to their consternation. Brown has another mystery series also about foxhunting which is written in such a way that one learns so much about the sport that one wishes one could just go right out and take riding lessons ('one' meaning me). The animals, dogs and foxes, also talk to each other in this series. Sister Jane is the protagonist in that one, a hunt club Master (which, incidentally, so is RMB in real life). I also like the Agatha Raisin series by MC Beaton (she is so hilariously co-dependent) and Hannah Swenson mysteries by Joann Fluke. Those have cookie recipes at the end of most chapters as Hannah has a bakery in Minnesota. For a little grittier fare, Marcia Muller is tops.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Reply to #590, Mrs Sherlock: Thanks for giving a synopsis of the book by Kristin Davis...I will have to check that out. I can usually find something to read at the library, but occasionally I get stuck when I've read all the latest from all my favorite authors so I'm always looking for someone new in that vein...it's actually how I've found most of my current favorites. I forgot to mention in my other post, Maude Silver the sleuth invented by Patricia Wentworth, who wrote at least 40 books in the earlier part of the 20th Century, say from 1926 on. Those have evil deeds but they aren't grossly described, and the mystery usually is fairly hard to figure out until the end when it's revealed. Ellery Queen, actually, is like that, too. An interesting series, written in the early days also.
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Thanks for the suggestions, Singagain. Mom has read all of my Cat Who books as have my sisters. The Mrs. Murphy series books have been going to my sister in New York. I don't think Mom has read any of them yet. I haven't read any of Brown's Foxhunting series yet. The last two you mentioned are new to me. I will check them out.
Mom is into her fourth Agatha Christie book, which has four novels in it. Mom is also spending more time with her crossword puzzles. Since the birds are back, and her window is looking out into a courtyard with a bunch of birdfeeders, she has requested I bring over her bird identification book.
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Lisa Scottoline has a new book out - Think Twice. She was on a local Philly tv station this morning and will be at local book stores signing books. She said the ending has a twist that she didn't see coming. She doesn't do outlines for her books, she just writes and what happens happens - it fascinates me when i hear authors saying that the characters did something they didn't see coming............or when songwriters say the music just came to them. ................ Lisa's dgt also is writing fiction, she didn't say what her name was or what kind of books she is writing, i'll have to do some research to find out.............
I just saw this on a bio page about LS:
All nine Rosato and Associates books have been purchased by Fox TV Studio for development into a TV series.
. I'll look forward to those.
She's also an animal lover. A collection of her column in the Phila paper, Chick Wit, is titled "My Third Husband Will Be a Dog." This is a link to her bio ............. http://scottoline.com/Site/About/
jean
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I loved My Third Husband Will be a Dog. One essay told of her discomfort when she had a medical emergency and didn't realize until she was in the waiting room that she was braless! As one who wears DD and goes around the house sans bra I roared with laughter.
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SINGAGAIN: WELCOME WELCOME!
I like those mysteries, too. There's another series with cats that talk and solve mysteries, but don't let humans know they are doing it (they give anonimous phone tips). I can't remember the author. Who knows?
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FRY: is your mom a birdlover? I fed birds in my house, but don't have a place to do it here in my apartment. I really miss it.
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Joank: The talking cats are author Shirley Rousseau Murphy's creation. They live in a California town, Carmel, called Molina Point, which has a smallish population. Joe Grey lives with Clyde; Dulcie and Kit are also cats with the talking/reading gene and reside with human "keepers". The cats are useful in crime solving since what they see and hear (who pays attention to a cat dozing on the limb of a tree?) is related to their humans; they also use the telephone to contact the MPPD when necessary, puzzling the police chief as to the identity of his informant though he comes to trust the tips. It is better to read these in order since there are various threads appearing. Great fun if you can "believe" that talking cats exist. http://www.sylviaengdahl.com/joegrey/mystery.htm
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JoanK, Mom (also a Joan) is a casual birdwatcher.
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Watch out for that "casual". It tends to turn into "fanatic".
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;D
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Rita Mae Brown writes in all sorts of genre. She is a talented woman who is happy with herself and her life after sort of a rough beginning.
I love Marcia Muller..not as much as V.I., but still her books have a little grit that is good..I am reading a mystery about a White House Chef.. Sort of more drawn out than it should be.. Not sure why everyone should be against her, but that seems to be the message. This one is about Eggs,, There are two previous ones that I have not read..
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Oops, I just lost another post. I wish I could figure out which key I accidently keep hitting!! A number of years ago I got "hooked" on hummingbirds. We lived in a very small rural community and I put up a hummingbird feeder. Well, I was swarmed. So, I bought another larger feeder. Before long, I had 3 large feeders and 3 smaller ones. I have never seen so many hummingbirds at one time! I almost went broke buying sugar. I worked at the time and would fill all the feeders before I went to work, and had to make more food and fill them again when I came home. I spent almost all my free time fixing food, filling feeders and watching the hummers. I got a small pair of binoculars so that I could study them better. I figured that I must have been on a migratory path and that food was scarce. It was especially exciting in the spring and fall when unusual hummers were migrating. They got very bold and would fly up to our screen door or screened windows and "buzz" me when their feeders were empty.
I now live in town and have one small feeder. I have never seen more than 6 hummers here.
About 6 years ago a pair of bald eagles built a nest right off the highway about 7 miles away. They have been returning every year, laying eggs and raising their young. The highway dept put up a sign and built a turn off so that people could watch. So, I am guessing that this qualifies me as a bird watcher.
Sally
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this morning as i heard the Canada Geese overhead (my son calls ir Rush Hour as they fly to and from the ponds they ged down in each night) I pondered the volume of their noise, the constant honking. Do flocks of other birds call to each other as they fly as the geese do? I've never heard them but they are small and usually quite high. Crows call as they fly singly from tree to tree.
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Did you know that when geese are migrating, if one of them is injured or becomes sick, two
others will follow it down, protecting it as best they can, and stay with it until it recovers or
dies? And they change leaders as they fly, as the leader becomes tired and rotates back.
It's always fascinating to watch a flock of birds lifting up from a rest stop, as they swoop around until everyone is oriented and in place, then take off.
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Dont think we get geese this far south, but I grew up in Delaware and that area gets the geese going south.. They are fun to watch.. Faithful until death, I heard somewhere.
Went to a panel on mystery writers.. Tom Howe and a woman.. Both published, but not popular. They were interesting however. I was surprised how many people in the audience raised their hands when asked who was writing a book.
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Elmore Leonard fans, a new series on FXTV, called "Justified" started the week.
http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/justified/
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Finished Eggsecutive Orders by Julie HyZy yesterday.. This was third in a series and I must look up the earlier ones. This is the kind of book, that you need to read in order and I did not realize it.
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Odd that I never heard of Elmore Leonard. Don't recognize any of his book titles, but do remember some of the films. Didn't realize Russel Crowe did a remake of 3:10 to Yuma.
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I erased "Justified" from my DVR. By actual count there were a gazillion gunshots and the camera focused excessively on the death throes of bad-guy victims who were shot in the chest. Definitely a testosterone special.
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Just finished Elliot Roosevelt's Murder in the Rose Garden. I've read about a dozen of his and they're just fun; it's most fun to speculate about how "true" the "known" characters are. The first one i read had a lot of interaction betwn FDR and Churchill......He gives Eleanor a marvelous sense of humor and less of the "lady-like" stereotype that we get of her in newsreel footage..jean
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Mabel: I've read a lot of his, but not that one. I like the ones about Eleanor too. He wrote other mysteries, too and they are unreadable.
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I suspect Eleanor may have had a sense of humor. What I read about the family makes me believe she had to.. She needed to survive a toxic mother in law,, children who could not come to grips with life and an unfaithful husband.
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Thanks for the Elmore Leonard link, Jackie. I'm not really a fan of his, and the only bookof his that I've read and enjoyed is Killshot. And that's because the film company shot part of the film here in Cape Girardeau, and part of the book is set here. Actually, my f2f group and I were surprised that Leonard was so knowledgeable about Mississippi River lore and the barge companies that featured in the story.
Several years ago when I would frequent the public library I would often run into an elderly gentleman from my church. He was a mystery fan and we could often compare writers. He was especially an Elmore Leonard fan, but, he said, "I'd never want Dorothy (his wife) to read any of his books."
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...He gives Eleanor a marvelous sense of humor and less of the "lady-like" stereotype that we get of her in newsreel footage..jean
jean, when we lived in upstate New York we lived only a few miles from the FDR home and library. We had taken guests there one weekend and a little sports car came buzzing up the driveway and stopped at the side of the house. Eleanor unfolded from it...gave everyone that big toothy grin and a wave....and walked on into the house. One of those unexpected moments to remember.
I picked up Carol Goodman's, Arcadia Falls, at the library yesterday and started it last night. I like the way she writes. I haven't gotten into the story enough to know if I am going to like the plot or not.
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I just read the first in a "cozy" series, The Cold Light of Mourning by Elizabeth Duncan. I may have heard about it here. It's set in Wales, and I enjoyed the different setting and the characters. The author introduced too many things, I think, in this first book and too many coincidences, but I have found that with the first book in other series as well. A second book will come out this summer, and I'll be interested in reading that to see if it's got more depth to it.
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I think that I enjoy Margaret Trumans government series more than Elliotts.. She seems to have had a gift for a thumbnail sketch that nails what was happening.
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Just finished "Fleece Navidad" by Magggie Sefton..........it was fun and had a unique story, and i was not sure til almost the end who the culprit was.....................jean
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I have just finished "The Broken Window" by Jeffery Deaver. It was one in the series about Lincoln Rhyme. It was about identity theft and it surprised me that there are companies which do data mining. This means that they gather detailed data about groups of people. Public agencies such as police departments and the Federal Bureau of Investigation buy their data from. It was enlightening and frightening to think of those who get caught up in something by them. I certainly can recommend this to those who like lots of action and detailed computer explanations.
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Deaver is just one of the authors that I have problems reading. No idea why, but he has never held my interest enough to finish the book.. May try again with this one though. Identity theft is an interesting topic. I once worked for a financial analyst who bought these lists of identities to market to them. Interesting. you could order by income, zip code,employment, house ownerships, etc. etc. etc.
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PHYLL, in the genre of 'unexpected moments', I had a most memorable one.
During my one visit to London, we attended a Gilbert and Sullivan 'opera'
at a historical theater whose name I forget. As it turned out, Queen
Elizabeth and Prince Phillip were attending that evening. Coming out,
everyone in the lobby was asked to stand to the side as the royal couple
exited. The queen passed close by where I was standing and I remember
her smile and beautiful complexion clearly even now. The highlight of
my stay, naturally.
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Oh Babi, I am so envious. We saw her once in her range rover leaving for the weekend. Driving herself. corgis bouncing in the back and a glorious ( Looked like a golden) lounging all the way in the back.Security had to ride in their own cars..
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The PBS Masterpiece Mystery schedule upcoming looks great, except no more Wallendar. But three new "Foyles War."
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/mystery/index.html (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/mystery/index.html)
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Thanks JoanK. That looks very good.
Joan Grimes
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I picked up the Tamar Myers.. The Witch Doctors wife.. Looks like a neat book.. Her cozies are really really light, but this seems a bit more realistic..
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Thanks for the link to the PBS Mystery schedule. I printed it out and I'm really looking forward to the new season. All of my favorites this year. I liked Wallendar pretty well but found it a little depressing. He was always way too "broody" for me.
I finished "Arcadia Falls" and though I think Carol Goodman's style of writing is very good I didn't particularly care for this book. To be frank, it all seemed a bit silly to me and had been done so many times before and so much better. I will have to read something else by her before I make a final judgement of whether I like her books or not.
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Thanks, JoanK, for the news on the Masterpiece Mystery schedule. I was so happy to hear that there will be 3 more Foyle's War. I've got all the past DVDs except the last series which I still need to purchase. My husband and I have watched them more than once over a period of time. The same way with certain books. I have some books I have read 3 or more times over the years and always find something new in them.
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I am still working on several works at once.. The Witch Doctors wife is sort of neat..I have not done more than start on Scarpetta.. and the Ordinary Wife has all of my attention. I cannot seem where she is going..
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WOMEN SLEUTHS COLLECTION here
http://www.amazon.com/tag/women%20sleuths/ref=tag_psr_ct_itdp
and mostly on my kindle
ah heaven sigh
claire
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I charge my kindle books to my amazon account. last month there were eight, abot normal for me now with all my time is MY TIME. and golden.
claire
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I am still so undecided about the Kindle.. Does the Barnes and Nobel thing look like a Kindle.. I want to see one before I buy.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Steph, I was like you about wanting to see the Kindle before I bought. Fortunately, a friend let me borrow her Kindle over a weekend, and I was sold. I've not seen one of the B&N e-readers, though. Several friends and family have bought after seeing and handling mine. Kate (our daughter who bought one) and I share an Amazon account. We each order and pay for our own books, but we can read each others books - even both read the same one at the same time - at different paces. Maybe one of your friends has one you could handle - ask around.
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I just picked up a couple of the Patricia Sprinkle mysteries that someone recommended here.
I decided I wanted something like that as a rest from the heavier "Troublesome Young Men",
even though the latter is engrossing reading. They are billed as 'thoroughly Southern' mysteries, but wouldn't you know...the first one I opened is set in Scotland!
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I have just finished "Dead Eyes" by Stuart Woods. http://stuartwoods.com/
It is a fascinating book about an entertainer who is being stalked. It is something that people in the public eye have to contend with. Someone who becomes obsessed can prey on them. This young woman does all of the right things...1..ignores it, 2..Notifies the police and works with them to finally find out who it was. Very good read IMO.
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In Krista Davis' Diva series, each chapter is introduced with a "Dear Heloise" type question which is answered by either Natasha, Diva's arch rival, or the Diva herself. Here is my favorite (so far)
Dear Natasha,
My in-laws are arriving in droves and they expect to stay with us. I have to work and don't have time for all the extra meals and laundry. What to do? - Crowded in Cranston
Dear Crowded,
Everyone deserves fresh 1,000-count Egyptian cotton sheets and fluffy down pillows. A gracious hostess pampers her guests. Get up a few hours early to make breakfast and clean. The extra effort will be worth it. If you have to be gone during the day, hire a limousine to show them around in style. - Natasha
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For once I went tro the library armed with a list of all the authors you all have recommended. They didn't have many of them, but got a few. I'll report as I read them.
That "Women Sleuths" is really something! But what is that "Boob Sisters" they are pushing so?
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barns andnoble a much smaller selection and confusing. In the year I have had kindle Ihave read over a hundred books at a rate off about eight a month with severa samples to explore and several books of different types in preading. I seem to have a catholic taste which changes frequently as to catagory. Now in the light mystery stuff, previously current financial and political books which is much slower. i.e. one down and one still going in the financial area. another about the evolution of robots WIRED FOR WAR which is what they were in the beginning designed to be weapons . . .almost through with that one. there are newspapers and magazines as well but I use my computer for all of that it is free.,
I spend a lot of money on it but am being financed by the gift giver for that. go for it.claire
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and I loved Krista Davis diva series which led me to other woman athors doing he cooking thing as well in that kind of format. lots of chuckles there but I skipped some becuase they interferred with the stoory line and went back alter.
claire
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I am also interested in the Kindle, but??? How much does it cost to download books (on the average)? I can see that it would be good for travel and for getting books that are hard to find. Thankfully I don't have any physical problems, so larger print and easier handling is not particularly an advantage for me (yet!). It seems like it would be more expensive to get books this way than to check them out at the library or order them used, or with free shipping. Those of you that have a Kindle, I would appreciate your input on this.
Sally
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Salan, in general, the most expensive books are $9.99, even ones that sometimes can be ordered pre-publication (to be delivered on publication date). Some classics are even less, some free. John wanted to reread Huckleberry Finn, and it was $0.25 (no shipping, of course). And you can get samples of books for free - usually the first chapter - at least enough to let you know whether or not you want to buy it.
The flip side of that is that you might be buying a book that you wanted to read only once, that you could get for free from the library. And, unless you share an account with someone, you can't pass the book on to someone else to read. And not all older books are on Kindle, i.e., Michener, Robert Caro, and a couple of others that I wanted to reread. I do share the Kindle with John sometimes (when I'm feeling very generous ::) ).
I share an account with our daughter. Both of us still read some books from the library - just ones that we don't want to own.
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I have yet to find a friend who has a kindle.. Darn..I will keep looking however.
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Okay, I don't want any advice from Natasha!
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Ummm, Natasha sounds very "Martha Stewart" to me--totally unrealistic about relating money and time to the average person!
Sally
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I just finished my first (that I can recall) J.D. Robb-Naked in Death. I enjoyed it and it held my interest to the end. I plan on reading more.
Steph, congrats on purchasing your first car alone. I am 67 yrs old and have never purchased one all by myself. I have a Honda Civic and love it, but will probably be purchasing a new car in the next year. My Civic doesn't have that many miles on it, but it sits so low that it is hard for me to get in and out of it. I will be looking at small suvs-probably a Honda.
Sally
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Sally, I am 72 and never ever had bought a car alone, so I know you can do it.. I love the CRV. I have two small dogs and want to take them along.. We had an RV which I could not drive, I sold it, but still would like to do some traveling, so hopefully the CRV will help.
I also got the Elderhostel catalogue. Lots of wonderful things to do.. Now to figure out which one I want to try. No flying this summer, so must be a drivable or trainable one.
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babi: advice from natasha agreed but how about SOPHI, the competision. these are amusing both of them :-\
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I'm attending an excellent Elderhostel/Exploritas program near me, but they have it all over the country - Women and Political Leadership. The nice thing about it is that it's Thursday afternoons at 3:00 for 6 sessions. It's being given at a senior community near me. Two of the presenters, so far, have been long-term, high-level State Dept people. The woman last week knew and talked about Madeline Albright, Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell and HIllary Clinton.............Steph, if this would interest you, maybe you can find one of those near you. ......... jean
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Sounds great, Jean. I haven't heard about one with this format before. We have been to a one-day progam, though. Is this a women-only program? or just about women and politics?
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I have been to the three day elderhostels, but never a single day one or one a week. Interesting if I can find one close enough.
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CLAIRE, all I know about either of them is what I gleaned from your post, so I know nothing about SOPHI.
I watched Martha Stewart a time or two, and wondered where she found the time to do all that. Since I am no 'Wonder Woman', I made no attempt at any of her suggestions and
ignored her thereafter.
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Babi: Sophie is The Diva of the title and she has her own column answering readers questions:
Dear Sophie:
I can't believe the cost of flowers. Everyone says not to do them yourself but I can't see any way around that. Is it tacky to use flowers from my mother's garden?
--Tossing the Bouquet in Basye
Dear Tossing:
It's never tacky to use flowers from your garden! They don't have to come from a florist to be beautiful. Time your wedding to coincide with flowers you love. On the day before the wedding invite friends to an informal flower arranging party. Use seashells. marbles, or glass vase gems to weigh the vases down so they won't tip over. For a country wedding, choose canning jars and wildflowers. There's no end to the possibilities--wicker baskets, terra cotta bowls, tiny galvanized buckets. or wrap empty tin cans with anything from satin ribbons to bundled twigs.
--Sophie
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I'll remember that the next time I give a flower aranging party. Should I have my sheets of gold handy?
A friend of mine (gay) said he loved Martha Stewart until she explained how to make an Easter basket. You start months before by growing the grass in the basket ....
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It's so obvious, why didn't I think of that.
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I am a confirmed Martha hater.. Way too fussy a lady to suit me. MDH gave me a placque several years ago.. SAys.. Martha Stewart doesnt live here..
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Ah, there now...Sophie is a gal after my own heart. I could never really
sympathize with the types who felt they absolutely had to have a hundred white doves for their wedding...to be held, of course, at the Taj Mahal.
I would proudly display that plaque, STEPH. :)
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Started reading the latest Minette Walters.. At least I think it is the latest. She pulls you in from the first page. I do like her very much.
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Minette Walters is good. It's been a while since I read one of her books, tho'. What's the
title on this one, STEPH?
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Finished my second V.I. Warshawski mystery, Indeminity Only. It was a little less "technical" than Deadlock, which was about shipping on the Great Lakes. This one was about insurance fraud. I had to suspend reality every once in a while - she took a 15 yr old from her home w/ no resistence from her family, and she took on 3 thugs and won, but that's o.k., it's fiction! I like Vic and the story is just long enough to be a satisfying nighttime read...................jean
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Just finished an interesting story "Woman with Birthmark An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery" by Swedish author Hakan Nesser. Well written and kept my interest. A little blurb -- "Inspector Van Veeterren and his associates are left bewildered by the curious murder of a man shot twice in the heart and twice below the belt..."
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The Minette Walters book is The Something Feather. Very up to date.. About someone being kidnapped in the middle east.. I really love the book,although in some ways I could shake the lead. She seems to have made herself from a brave independent woman who covered wars to a shivering piece of humanity hiding in the English countryside. I really dont quite understand her, but as always Minette turns you around and around over and over. I do like her books.
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I'll see if my library has it, STEPH. They may not, if it is new. We're
feeling the budget pinch all over in my small town.
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Even when I don't quite like one of her books I'm still glad for the experience. My library does have The Devil's Feather!
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I am almost at the end of the Devils Feather and simply hate for it to end. She twists you around about six different ways and comes at you with true things that hurt when you think of them. I really like her.
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Steph: What a vivid description. Yes, I do feel twisted when I read one of her books; she is a manipulator of my emotions and my intellect.
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Just finished The Devil's Feather... This quote hits home with me .. " If you stare too long in the abyss, the abyss stares back at you. The past five months have been my abyss and I am trying hard to step back.
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David Fulmer "The Blue Door". One of the tender "tough guys" if you know what I mean. Not my usual genre, but I would read another, I guess. It cautiously introduces a romance between a white man and an African-American woman. From the writing, I thought it was written in the 70s, but I see it's coyright 2008.
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I discovered Fulmer about a year ago. He is a wonderful writer. It always sounds as if they are older books, but he a current writer. His New Orleans series is a wonderful and shocking book.. I have two of us at the house on my sooner or later list. They have the reverse type of love.. Female is a quadroon and the male is a mix as well.. But they seem to mostly take place in the black section and the early jazz era.
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I am currently reading "The Messenger" by Daniel Silva. The main character is an art restorer who works for Israeli intelligence. A group of terrorists decides to kill the pope. They detonate four bombs during the Easter mass. I like Gabrien, the main character. His child was killed and his wife put in an insane assylum in a previous case. I find it interesting but not compelling, however I am only half way through it.
Recently I read a more compelling one by Stuart Woods called "Dead Eyes". It involved a movie star and a stalker. I reported on it before.
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David Fulmer is now on my list. Daniel Silva is another author that I will read as soon as a new book appears.
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I was in a down down mood so I picked up a Fannie Flagg that I had around.. Not heavy, but somehow comforting.. I also have Scarpatta,, which I was amazed to discover that is so like her last book, that I keep thinking i have read it. But the plot tells me no.. But its almost like she plugged in a new plot and simply kept everything else the same.
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It happens, STEPH, especially when the author is expected to churn out a yearly (at least) book
and is drawing a blank. Preachers have been know to do it, too. No time to write a fresh sermon? Haul out one of the old ones and dust it off.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I started a Harlen Coben mystery, but gave it up after about 50 pages, too gory and violent, not my cup of tea at the moment............jean
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I agree on books.. Actually so many sermons sound so much alike, I assumed they all recycled. The Flagg is fun.. very very hometown to a hometown that never existed, but still nice.
I am reading the first chocoholic book.. a new author and I suspect a first time one.
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A chocoholic book? That one should find many kindred souls. :)
I know how you feel, JEAN. Maybe I'm just grumpy lately, but none of the books coming up
for discussion soon appeal to me at all. Nothing too long appeals to me, either. All I seem too
want right now is entertainment.
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Reading Corpse on the Cob by Sue Ann Jaffarian, an Odelia Grey mystery. I've been reading more non-fiction and this is a light and quick read for a change to the longer and intense books.
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Light mysteries have been my main stay for the past five months.. I have some serious books here to read, but my concentration is still not I want it to be.
I am reading a Sharon Shinn.. She is a fantasy writer and quite good.
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I like light mystery books as "snacks" between the "meals of more serious books.
I've been eating a lot of snacks lately (both books and literally) and am beginning to feel a little bloated (again both literally and figur-atively). I may have gone too far in the other direction -- I picked up a new Ian Pears at the library.
I could never get through the "Instance of the Fingerpost" and don't like his light art theft mysteries, but was really impressed by another book he wrote "The Dream of Scipio". It details the lives of three men, each trying to lead a moral life in an immoral time: the end of the Roman Empire, the period of the split papacy and the Black plague, and the German occupation of France.
This new one, "Stone's Fall" is so heavy, I can barely lift it. So if I disappear for awhile, you'll know why.
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I tried the Fingerpost book and simply could not get the point.. Happens every once in a while.
My bed book is always light. That is why I am reading the chocolate one there.. I am on a science fantasy kick and my day book is by Sharon Shinn.. The back story is quite fascinating in this small series.. Definitely a computer behind it, but they have no idea. Interesting concept.
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I'm reading that series too, STEPH, when I can get the books. I've read the first two, but
I must wait for the next until my older daughter's library has it back in hand.
From all that's been said, I would really like to try the 'Lumby' series. So far I haven't been
able to find one.
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I'm reading Linda Fairstein's Cold Hit about art gallery owners in NYC. I like the story, but it feels like it's been written by an ADHD person, or a writer in her manic period. Every page talks about a new character - even if she never mentions them again and they seem to have nothing to add to the story. There are small descriptions of every possible movement or environment. She may be wanting to give the feeling of how frenetic Alexander's job is, but it's confusing to read, i have trouble staying w/ the story.....................jean
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BABI: I ordered "The Lumly Line" through Amazon, quite reasonably. I'm enjoying it, although I'm reading about 5 books at once now, so progress is slow.
The library just down the street is closed for alterations, and it's harder to get to another one. I was afraid I'd run out of books, and overreacted by flooding myself with new book orders.
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Oh I know that feeling. Just now I have two full baskets of not read books.. Some are ones I really want to start. I get panicky occasionally and go out and trade or buy lots of books..
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Now, calm down, girls. You aren't going to starve for a book to read; no need to panic. In a pinch, there's always a classic favorite to hold you until the stores open...assuming you ever
get to the bottom of those to-be-reads. ::)
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I know that I have enough books, but I suspect this is the sign of a bookaholic.. Never enough books around to make sure you can read anything you might fancy at any time.
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Linwood Barclay - anyone read him? I'm reading "Never Look Away".
Be forewarned, do not start this book if the expectations of sleep are on your agenda! It is "figure-outable" early on, but what a trip.
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Steph: you're right! Do you think we should join "books anonymous"?
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You may be addicted but I can quit anytime I want to.
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Yeah, right!
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Not read.. I went through that for about a month after the accident. It was horrible.. I need to read.. fact to live with.
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I am currently reading my first Christopher Fowler book, "The Water Room". I have a mixed
reaction to it. Somtimes I am amused by his writing and sometimes I'm bored. The plot tends
to drag while he tells me far more than I ever wanted to know about the underground rivers and sewers.
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I'm several chapters into Skeleton Justice by Dr. Michael Baden (host of HBO/s Autopsy) and Linda Kenney Baden. So far I am finding it interesting and enjoying the characters.
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I was surprised , but the latest J.D. Robb ( Nora Roberts) crime series is mostly about crime. She has tamed herself down on the sex scenes.. Hooray..
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Good to hear, STEPH. I may go back to reading her books again if this change holds. I'll check
into Fantastic Fiction and see what the latest is. Robb is so popular my library usually gets her
books.
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I discovered reading this one that I had missed one, so checked with my swap club and they had it, so I ordered it..
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The library catalog lists three Robb books issued in 2009. She is
really turning them out. I couldn't tell which was the most recent, or
the one you were referring, STEPH. Mind posting the title for me?
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I'm slow in my mystery reading lately, with all the fuss around buying a condo. I am enjoying a Penny "Three Pines" mystery, though.
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good for you, JoanK. Don't you just love Three Pines and Inspector Gamache?
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Yes, I do. For another town you want to pack up and move to (but no mystery), I just finished "The Lumbly Lines".
I'm also reading a Mary Daheim: "Vi Agra Falls". But somehow, I can't get up much interest. Vi Agra, you may or may not know, is a character in several books. I'm wondering if she'll finally turn out to be a murderess (but not enough to really care).
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Here's something for really hard core Agatha Christie fans: "Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks. Fifty Years of Mysteries in the Making" by John Curran. (I haven't read it, just the review in the Washington Post.)
Apparently Christie used to jot down ideas for stories, plot strategies, etc. in a series of notebooks, interspersed with shopping lists, hairdresser appointments, and such stuff. Curran has sifted through this material and come up with a lot of good stuff about her thoughts about murder mechanisms and plot devices. From the review, it looks like the book will give away vital information about the plots of most of her books, but if you've already read them (I'm sure JoanK and I have read every mystery she's written) it would be great.
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JoanK, I just put in a request for Lumby Lines at my library. They only have two copies. It may be a few days! You have made it sound so good I can hardly wait.
Joanne
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It's not THAT good, but it is a nice, funny, comfy read.
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On the Robb books.. It is Kindred that I just finished and Promises that I missed.
My magazine stack is sky high, so I am working on that instead of starting a new book. The Nevada Barr just came out in paperback so I picked that up..
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Thanks, STEPH. I'm not sure my library has either of those two, but I definitely didn't want
to get started on another one of her old line. I'll look for 'Promise' and "Kindred'.
My elder daughter's library has Lumby Lines; she'll get it for me. Sounds like a pleasant
change from the heavier stuff I'm reading.
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Two of my current mystery series lite are being read back-to-back and one is not holding up well. Krista Davis' The Diva Paints the Town wins hands down over Betty Allan's latest in the Trash to Treasures, can't remember the title. The interaction between "mother" and daughter in Allan's hands is more annoying than amusing this time around while the end of the Diva book is disappointing because there will be a long wait for the next one. I'm talking about the characters here, not the whodunnit. Next time I will be sure to leave some space between them.
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I read one of the "Trash to Treasure" books, and didn't quite like it, not sure why. Still looking for Krista Davis.
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I would guess that the name Diva puts me off a bit.. I may look for one though just to see. I hated the shopoholic series.. The girl just made me grit my teeth.
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I guess you and I just aren't shopaholics, STEPH. I loathe shopping. I need a list, as few stores
as possible to fill it, ...in, out, and home!
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Diva is a tongue-in-cheek pejorative for our gal Sophie's life-long rival Natasha who has a TV program (think Martha Stewart) and Sophie's ex-husband. She lives down the street from Sophie and is so egocentric she puts her name on all her things which she colors robin's-egg blue. This is a cozy series , amusing, quirky characters, a fun change-of-pace between the more more grim mysteries and the stark angst is so many serious novels we read these days.
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Stuart woods is uneven. I gobbled up his Orchid beach series but found Stone Barrington and the super rich trying. I did finish the two books I started but skipped a lot of the description about clothes and food etc. The mistery worked well. I didn't guess the perp.
cliare
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STEPH: and I love the Shopoholic series: it lets me feel superior. I hate shopping so much, I will go without things forever rather than shop for them. (bookstores are the exception, of course).
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We loved the first Stuart Woods books - with the sheriff in the small county in GA. We quit reading when he started the Stone Barrington stuff - nothing but a listing of clothes and restaurants and sex - don't care about the sex stuff, but hate all the hoity-toity, snobbish clothes stuff. Oh, well.....
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
=================================================================
mary likewise re stuart woods I like Holly a lot but stone is a wobbly mess.
he needs some new characters. In his seventies now mayb a granpa would work. not a grandma. it's been done often enough especially by the english. but all those sexual musings could be funny in a frustrated old guy.
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Glad to hear that others feel like Stuart as I do. I liked his first ones, but now dont even bother to look at them.
There was another author ( Male ) who did that. His first books are wonderful.. But then he started writing about a man in Palm Beach who works for his Daddys law firm, dates anything breathing and solves crimes . I keep thinking his name is Archie, but just not sure.
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Mark April 27 on your calendar for that's the date of the 20th Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes book. The God of the Hive!
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PS: I stumbled on this site and thought it was worth sharing: http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/
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Interesting link mrssherlock. I don't recall reading mysteries or other books that include recipes or craft instructions. I do have several cookbooks that include some narrative though. Years ago, someone wrote a cookbook based on Sherlock Holmes dinners. Then there is my "Cat Who Cookbook" which I have had for three years and have yet to try any of the recipes.
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Lifetime movie channel has had 2 Patricia Cornwell movies the past 2 weeks. I DVR'd them and then watched at my leisure (skimming thru commercials). I was very disappointed in them. The main character (ambitious DA) was played by Andie McDowell. Her acting was very poor in these films. Now I may have to reassess what I think about her acting skills. Did any of you watch and what did you think?
Sally
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salan, I didn't see the movies, but others have commented either here or on Seniors & Friends - and have unanimously panned both of them.
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never ever run out of something new to read. You can choose from thousands at Amazon through your Kindle. They arrive in about a minute. I have 123 in my archives for any time re-reading and seven in the current index after pruning the samples. it is worth it I think. every cent I spend on them. The samples are oten enough to keep me up to three ree chapters at a trow.
go for it girls.
claire
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a series about the white house chef has recipes. one is called STATE OF THE ONION another is HAIL TO THE CHEF. etc. you get the picture all these lady writes have puns for titles. it does attract one. these are good reads. I forget the author but amazon and google would know.
claire
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There is a whole subseries on food.. Diane Mott Davidson is the most famous.. Then there is Joanne Fluke,, the white house series,a candy series... cupcakes.. etc. They all share in common too big a passionf or butter and sugar..
The craft books?? quilts, antiques,etc.. Most if not all are cozies..
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JoanK, I haven’t read any Mary Daheim in a long time, but for years I really like her Alpine series, with what’s-her-name – the newspaper editor. I think I got as far as the M’s or O’s – Alpine Obit. But Vi Agra is a new one to me. And isn’t there also a bed and breakfast series?
STEPH: and I love the Shopoholic series: it lets me feel superior. I hate shopping so much, I will go without things forever rather than shop for them. (bookstores are the exception, of course).
JoanK, there’s always computer shopping, of course. (Another version of let your fingers do the walking.) Don’t let anyone tell you it’s faster. I spent the whole darn weekend looking for white pants and finally ordered from a place never heard of. We’ll see if they can be worn to a wedding. Next – shoes than can be worn all day and walked in and still go to the wedding.
Where does The Promise of Lumby fit in the series. That’s the one copy my library has. Is that the first one?
I love Louise Penny, but again, my library has but one title – her latest, The Brutal Telling -- sooo good.
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Someone in Latin class just posted this link. Really unbelievable, and of course, brought to mind that Icelandic mystery writer whose name I can't remember. Indriassohn Arnaldur? Something like that.
Volcano Photos (http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/more_from_eyjafjallajokull.html)
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Astounding. Looking at these pix while local PBS talk show was discussing the Big One, a quake on the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which would be 8 or higher and would be felt from BC to Northern California. It is coming, may be overdue, but who knows when.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascadia_subduction_zone
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Pedlin, I also thought of the author from Iceland, Arnaldur Indridason. I've read several of his books and just finished his newest book Hypothermia, A Reykjvik Murder Mystery. I like his books although I find his characters to be somewhat depressing in their outlook on life.
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I read somewhere that Iceland has a very very high rate of depression and suicide.. The climate seems to affect them. The pictures are spectacular. I have had three different email correspondents send me pictures.
Just finished another Jonathon Kellerman.. Evidence.. I really liked it. Nice plot with just enough twisting and turning. As always Milo and Alex followed through
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PEDLIN, those pictures are awesome.
I suppose all the far northern countries have less sunshine, and I believe that is one reason for
the high depression rates and suicides. We are a species that seems to need a certain amount
of 'cheerful' sunshine.
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pedin I check he mary daheim books which have a free one at amazzon on kidle but it is reviewed as dated and wordy . another food oriented one something to do with suzette. have you read may of them?
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The suzette book isn't particularly about food. It and the Vi Agra book are part of Daheim's bed and breakfast series. I put them in a class of "books I read when I don't have anything better".
I never got into her Alpine series, because I could never get the books near the beginning of the series, and the later book I tried, was all tied up refering to things that happened in earlier books. Thats the problem with writers who accumulate "continueing characters". Hard for anyone who comes in in the middle of the series.
I just finished "The Brutal Telling". I thought it had great strengths and great weaknesses. Can't be more specific without giving away plot. But one thing: as a fanatic birder (bird watcher) I hate it when people get things wrong about birds, and there's a real "howler" of a mistake in the book.
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Another new author of whom I have become a fan is Anna Dean. In Bellfield Hall she deftly blends all the Regency English Country Home Murder cliches in a fresh and witty way. As I turned each page I was eager to see which stereotype she would skewer next. All very straight-faced, of course. No hint of a wink at the clever reader for spotting the chestnut. Wonder how long I'll have to wait for the next example of Dido Kent's mystery-solving skills. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/anna-dean/moment-of-silence.htm
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birder books: BORDER SONG was discussed a while back. loaded with birds by James Lynch. I loved it. via kindle of course.
claire
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Catching up on the J.D. Robb that I had missed. This one involves another policewomans death. Interesting thus far.
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Anna Dean does sound entertaining, JACKIE. I do hope my library has
something of hers. I'll check on it while I'm there this morning.
I'm reading a Preston Childs story, "The Wheel of Darkness". I'm afraid
agent Pendergast is beginning to put me off. Nobody, I mean nobody,
could possibly know everything on every subject, including the esoteric
subjects that would take years of study all by themselves. Maybe, if he was
three thousand years old, with several lifetimes to explore them all. :P
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LOL, Babi. I LOVE Pendergast. It's when he starts making mistakes that I am put off. :-)
"The Wheel of Darkness" is my least favorite Pendergast book, but, of course, I read every word! I can't wait for the latest story, FEVER DREAM, to be released May 11!
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steph. I read and read until I had read most of j.d. robb and suddenly Eve annoyed me, such a bad tempered b--ch. If there is a new protagonist I'd be interested . she was plugging in too much sex too, pages and pages of it just to sell more books.
so what is this new one again. will ask google and will NOT pay ten bucks for it either. grrr.
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Eve is the protagonist in this one as well. I agree about the sex, but that is how Nora Roberts makes her living and a good one it is. She is incredibly popular. I dont like her regular books, but like Eve and skip the sex.. I like the side character.. Peabody, etc very much.
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I like peabody too. she is the foil for eve and has my over eating problem too. I can identify.
yesterday I tried a romance novel again driven by relationships and sex but well done. I thought it was an evanovich pseudonym because of a list of them but it wasn't. I did finish it in one day and that is enough for me. I like to learn something fresh in the setting of any book as well as identifying with the characters and caring about what happens to them.
I was just on the cell phone with joanK trying to keep my earplugs in which got old fairly fast so had to quit
my plan lets me rollover minutes so I have thousands of free ones for the usa. Anyhow the problem I just realized was the battery so It is charging as I speak. anyone who would like to try telephone with me email and I'll give you a call to see if it works for us.
Claire
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babi I like CHILDS buit not PRESTON and disliked Pendergast from day one. However when they or/ he are/is good, they/he is/are very very good.loved the first ones about a museum and its underworld.
so it is hard to use pronouns when I separate them ::)
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Had a great time talking to Clare. I'm up for it, anytime (well, not at 4AM).
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Had to have a stress test this week so wanted to take something really entertaining to read over the 5 hrs, so i went to the library and got - again - Finger Licking Fifteen - STephenie Plum. Between my knitting and the reading, it did the trick - my blood pressure was low and i made it thru the treadmill test, hitting my required heart rate. Then i had the rest of the book to enjoy for a couple of days...............laughing out-loud, of course. I wish they'd hurry up and make a movie or a tv series out of these books. Of course, we love the characters so much that we've "seen" in our minds, we probaby will not be satisfied w/ the casting or the script. But i wish they'd try, i think they are so ripe for viewing. Lulu is prominent in this book - she saw the chef being beheaded, so now the crazy killers are after her - and i have a very definite picture of her and know exactly how her voice will sound, so i'm sure i will be disappointed w/ the recreation. Same w/ Grandma Mazur - she's just "Maa" from Golden Girls for me. I like this story, it's added a new dimention to Stephenie w/ Ranger talking about her insight and observation skills and obviously respecting her for something other than her body as he has called her in to help solve the break-ins at his security clients. ............
I also skip the sex pages in J.D. Robb - they're all the same - been there, done that - so to speak......... ;D ;D ....................jean
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Reading Sheer Folly A Daisy Dalrymple Mystery by Carola Dunn. It's a pleasurable read after the last two books which were about the underbelly of the crime world. Couldn't finish the second book--just too depressing. Now, Daisy is definitely not depressing.
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Oh good. I had tried a Dunn book and found it was just too too depressing.
They are making a Plum movie, but Katherine Heigl.. Boo.. a no talent blonde.. Cant say I see her as a "Joisy" girl..
I agree that Estelle Getty from Golden Girls is Grandma Mazur, but she died.. But the physical type is just right..Small ,skinny and feisty.
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I think I followed that, CLARE. ;) And I agree, I did enjoy the museum
stories. MARCIE says she least liked 'Wheel of Darkness', so maybe it was
one he just carried too far.
Keep your ears open, JEAN. If you hear about any studio buying an option
on the Evanovich series, you can immediately let them know who should be playing those roles.
OOPS, too late. STEPH says someone is already making a Plum movie and she definitely doesn't like the choice of star. I don't know Heigl; I'll
have to check that out.
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The Parisian Prodigal, by Alan Gordon, takes place in 1205 in Toulouse. The local Count is astounded when a man arrive and announces he is the Count's full brother. Theo, Chief Fool, is the Count's ally and confident and promises to check with the Fool's Guild in Paris for info about the man and his claim. This is an exciting find, a unique milieu, hints that the Fool's Guild is more than simply a trade organization, charming characters in Theo and his family, confusing political alliances, and best of all Gordon has written eight books! Better yet, my library has all of them!!
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/alan-gordon/
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Sounds interesting jackie. I will be looking for that one. JoanGrimes
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Joan: Seems I've started with book #8 and there are references to other exploits which I assume are recounted in an earlier book. Next I'll read #1, Thirteenth Night. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/alan-gordon/thirteenth-night.htm
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Well, I did check it out and it looks like something I would like but it is not on kindle nor is there a big print version. So I guess I will not be able to read that series...although I would enjoy it I am sure.Joan Grimes
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Katherine is the whiny resident on Grays Anatomy on tv.. She is very blonde, very pretty and much much the blonde of the year.. But not particularly talented in anything I have seen her in. She does chic flicks as well.
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"The Parisian Prodigal" does sound interesting. I hope my library has
Alan Gordon. He's a new name to me.
I've never seen anything with Katherine Heigl in it, as far as I know. My daughter Val
watches Grey's Anatomy, tho'. I'll have to ask her what she thinks of Heigl. Val is also
a Stephanie Plum fan, so I'll also ask what she thinks of that role-casting.
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Did anyone see the Sara Paretsky column in the Sunday Parade Magazine? She talked about "How Sports Can Chnge a Girl's Life." She is a voluteer in a program called Girls in the Game. She said "Two yrs ago, i went to a GIG day camp to find out more. I jumped rope, played softball and sat in on grps working on skits that tackled that day's issue: how to stand up to your peers whn they want you to do something you know is wrong. I loved being there. Growing up, i enjoyed sports, even tho cpatains always ;icked me last. As an adult, i love voluteering w/ GIG and the fact that i can be 60-plus and play w/ the girls and none of us worry abt how we look or how well we do. ............Recently, 10 yr old Imani showed me how to throw a football. Catching it, she took the time to shout, 'Good job!' before throwing it back.
Apparently the girls learn sports along w/ values, assertiveness and leadership. Sounds like V.I. Warshawski.......... :P..........jean
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Wonderful story! I knew I liked Paretsky. In the books, VI always plays on a team (volleyball?)
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
=================================================================
Ditto that. Yes, I think it's volleyball. And V.I. also has a little sister from the Little Sister program. Likes working with kids just like Paretsky.
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I had wondered about Paretsky. A very very favorite author of mine. She has a great love affair with Chicago when you read the books.. I did laugh. I played field hockey in high school and adored it.. But softball.. Little Miss four eyes ducked if the ball came her way.. Still do.. as a matter of fact.
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I was thinking V.I. played basketball, but I could surely be wrong on that one.
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Can'tremember if it's volleyball or basketball. Shame on me -- big basketball fan that I am. Hmm -- I wonder if there's ever been a mystery involving a basketball team?
Since I've moved to Southern California, I've become a big beach vollyball fan, too. But only watching, not playing. I close my eyes when the ball comes, too. Didn't work too well when my husband tried to teach me tennis.
Well, off to the exercise I DO do -- chair yoga!! Different strokes.
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JoanK, I had never seen beach volleyball until the last summer olympics. I'm now hooked. It's fascinating, I love it.
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Beach volley is fun to watch.. not something I would do however.
Tennis was a bust for me.. I liked the thought, but in execution,, not so great.
I do faithfully go to the gym, do cardio and weight training.. I love that.. well mostly.
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I don't know what it is, but I've always seemed to have weak ankles and wrists. Which of
course translated into 'forget tennis' and 'forget ice skating'.
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I am a fan of "Grey's Anatomy" so am aware of who Katherine Heigl is. I think she will do OK in Stephanie Plum movie...Certainly better than the ones they made of Cornwell's books. Andie MacDowell was terrible. Heigl is a very pretty blond and in the Gray's Anatomy story she is someone who earned her way through medical school by modeling and posing nude. She had to take a lot of ribbing because of that. The pictures came out when she was interning. I think she could do OK with a jersey accent. The only thing is this would be a problem is that she is taller than I envision Stephanie Plum who I picture as small, cute and feisty...more like Anne Heche.
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I agree with Golden State Poppy about Katherine Heigl. I happen to think she is a very good actress.. I am not familar with the character that she is going to play but I have enough confidence in her acting ability to believe that she can take on most any part that she is likely to be cast in and do it justice. I thought as I used to watch her on Grey's Anatomy that she was a better than average actress. I am just wondering what her being a blonde has to do with her acting ability. Can someone explain that to me please?
Just expressing my opinion .Joan Grimes
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JoanG: good point!!
Pedlin: the beach volleyball teams you saw winniong at the Olympics are the same teams I get to watch every week on TV -- several of them live near me, and eat at the same restaurants.
One of the beaches I go to regularly (Manhattan Beach) is the home of beach volleyball, and site of it's most important tournament. There was a big fuss last year because the sponsers wanted to charge for more of the seats, and close the site off, but the town councel voted to keep all but the best seats free, and leave the site open so townspeople can overlook the games. When there isn't a tournament, the beach is lined with nets: people bring balls and play.
The sport is still in the process of changing from something people just did to big business. But it hasn't quite got there yet.
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Mostly the blonde on Heigl throws me.. Stephanie is definitely a brunette and from the description.. sort of Italian.. I have watched some of Grays Anatomy, but was not impressed with Heigl. Besidees the characters idea of doctoring is truly frightening.. But then the whole show has that sort of quality.
I just guess that I had a lot of other actresses in mind for the small round Plum.. Sort of a in your face New York actress
I dont think Andie McDowell has ever been a good actress, although she always works..
The thing that bothers me is that Heigls company bought the rights to the books and that generally means that the actor wants to create their own sort of person.. Remember the vampire with Tom Cruise.. Shudder.
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I reached for some light reading this morining. Pulled out "A Is For Alibi", by Sue Grafton. I have not read any of her novels. I think she has me hookied, from Chapter One.
For years I have read Mary Higgins Clarks books. About two years ago, it dawned on me that she seems to rewrite, similiar plots, with different names. I am bored with them.
So, I am looking forward to finding some new authors. I just finished "Troublesome Young Men", a non fiction book for discussion, here. It was wonderful. It also used up too many brain cells. So, back to some light reading.
Sheila
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I just finished Harlan Coben's "Just One Look" and I highly recommen it. It has a surprise ending. At first, I thought it was one I had read before but it definitely wasn't. I think it was "Gone for Good" that I read before. It started out the same way but it definitely didn't end that way.
I agree with Joan G about Heigl. I think she is an excellant actress. I also don't know what her being blond has to do with it.
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I read Harlan Coben's "Tell No One" some time ago. I couldn't put it down. My sister had the same experience. She also could not put it down.
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The Heigl blonde thing is the old joke. Every year in Hollywood there is a new blonde of the year.. They are interchangeable.. Think about the movies she has done.. Same part, different leading man..
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I started Fairsteins' "Lethal Legacy", recommended here, only to realize quickly that I had read
it before. I've been doing that too often lately. Tiresome and embarrassing. I'm going to have
to start checking the library's listing of my check-outs, I guess. (sigh)
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Babi: Join the club. The new Minette Walters' was a treat to read about here but when I got it home from the library, what a disappointment. So was I disappointed when Cornelia Read's A Field of Darkness. At least I am not buying duplicates as I used to do.
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I have been tasked to find a "book buddy" for a friend of mine who is going to Portland in August (I may go, too - not sure) on an Exploritas trip. She wants to know if any of you (my on line friends) live in Portland and would be interested in spending time at Powells Books with her. Let me know.
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If you've been interested in some of the previous PBS Mystery programs, you might want to tune in on this Sunday. For three weeks, many PBS stations will be showing new episodes of Foyle's War. Lots of other favorite sleuths will be on hand again this season. See the link to the Mystery schedule and join the discussion at http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=1300.0
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I just got a book from my swap club and realized when I saw the cover that I already had the book, just had not read it yet.. Darn..
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Well, STEPH, at least you now have a pb you can mark up if you like. Or swap back.
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If any of you haven't seen "Foyles War". I highly recommend it. Don't know what the new ones will be like of course, but the past ones are uniformly high quality. Just the right blend of mystery, history, thoughtfulness, and understated humor.
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I am reading away at Conspiracy of Paper by Liss.. Wow.. Thats how the stock market began?? Whew.. A bunch of crooks.. The Bank of England conspiring.. I love it..
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Some mystery buff I am. The 2010 Edgar Awards are out, and I haven't read any of the nomenees.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=pe_70070_15237990_pk_exp_1/?docId=151303 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=pe_70070_15237990_pk_exp_1/?docId=151303)
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I take it back. My favorite author, Dorothy Gilman, won a Grand Master award for the Mrs. Polifax novels.
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The Body Farm Mysteries, product of the collaboration between Dr Bill Blass, head of the UT research site known as the Body Farm, and Jon Jefferson, publishes under the pseudonym of Jefferson Blass. Their newest, The Bone Thief, interfered with my sleep last night, I couldn't put it down. Instead I fell asleep several times, dropping the book each time, but picking it up off the floor next time I woke up. Finally finished it just a few minutes ago and now I'm sorry it's over. Boo Hoo!
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If you like detective stories in other countries and cultures, you might enjoy Wife of the Gods, An Inspector Darko Dawson Mystery by Kwei Quartey. It is set in Ghana. I enjoyed it.
I also just finished Alexander McCall Smith's latest No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency book The Double Comfort Safari Club. No disappointment here--I especially liked the ending.
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I only like McCall Smiths Scottish ones. Just could not get into the No. 1 series at all.
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I finished Jill Churchill's The House of SEven Mabels and like it well enough. I started Grafton's "C is for Corpse" last night. I had read only 2 of hers before, sev'l yrs ago and knew there was something that put me off, but didn't remember what it was...............i knew immediately as i started this book................... she describes EVERYTHING! People, dress, bars, streets, cars - and often to no purpose to the story. Does that bother anyone else? I just want to say "get on w/ the story already!" So, i do a lot of skimming, hoping the mystery will be good.....jean
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Uh oh, another book to add to my to buy list. I looked up Kwei Quartey on Google. Here is his website with a most interesting promo for his new Darko Dawson mystery Children of the Street which will be out next year. At first I thought it was a promo for a movie. I take it that Wife of the Gods is the first Darko Dawson? Be sure to read his blogs, especially the Latest News . Lots of pix to go with his narrative. Very, very interesting.
http://www.kweiquartey.com/index2.html
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Africa.. Will put that on my look at list. Maybe I will like that. I tend to like stories about Africa from the turn of the century.. Beryl Markham is one of the most fascinating women I ever read about.. And she was quite real.
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Sounds good, FRYBABE. Interesting name, too; should be easy to remember.
So, STEPH, who was Beryl Markham, and where did you read about her?
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This seems to be my time for detective stories in foreign lands. :) This book was set in China. An interesting book named Paper Butterfly by Diane Wei Liang. The author now lives in Great Britain but was born in Beijing, spent part of her childhood with her parents in a labor camp and she also took part in the protest in Tiananmen Square.
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Beryl Markham.. Look up West Until Morning.. It is non fiction. Beryl was born and raised inAfrica.. She was an early pilot... rode horses and trained for the show ring.. Had many close friends,. and was an adventurer. She lived until just a few years ago and was on Tv one time for an interview. A feisty old broad as she called herself. I adored the stories about her. She wrote at least two books and several others wrote about her. I believe she grew up in Kenya, but am not positive.. West Until Morning is one of my favorite all time books.. She and Elspeth Huxley are wonderful about Africa.
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I checked, and my library does have one book by Markham, apparently a book of her 'African stories'. I'll take a look at it.
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I think that may be the short stories.. If I were more organized I could find her books in all of my varied ones. Did you hear the Today interview with Laura Bush.. She Dewey Decimals her books at home.. I did laugh..
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I once organized my pastor's library, at his request. He wanted things organized by topic, so
he could find all the books on whatever subject he was writing about. I had to do some cross-referencing as well, of course. It was a lot of work, as you can imagine, and I kept the system as simple as possible. I wondered if they kept up the system with new book additions...but
didn't really worry much about it.
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Jean, your reference to Jill Churchill brought back so many memories. Years ( and years) ago -- '93 or '94, I had my first non-apple computer -- can't remember if it had windows or not.
But I subscribed (and paid) to something called Delphi -- like a bulletin board or chat room. It wasn't the Internet as we know it today -- everything was text based. Anyway, Jill Churchill was on it, her real name was Brooks -- Janice Brooks, I think, and she lived in Kansas, maybe it was Kansas City. She was just part of the group, talking about her books, and I started reading some of them. Fun cozies, the titles always a play on words of something to do with housekeeping.
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Interesting Pedln - from the "i knew her when" category......... ;D
As i said i like her characters, they are women i know.......... jean
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Janice Brooks writes a variety of cozy book..
A contract author, I think.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
=================================================================
Just finished Fell Purpose, A Detective Inspector Slider Mystery by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. It is a typical British police procedural but I particularly like the main characters. Now I've started a non mystery Roses which is a humongous book. That should keep me busy for awhile.
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Each time i finish a Susan Kandel book I am impressed anew with her talent. She writes mysteries that satisfy on many levels. First she writes a nice cozy with a good-hearted female who detects only when necessary - when she is involved with the circumstances which lead to a murder. She has a tough-guy BF who is cop and provides love and conflict in almost equal measures. Susan's gal is Cece Caruso and she has an ex-husband, a grown daughter and son-in-law. here is where it gets more interesting - Cece's day job is writing; she writes biographies of the giants of crime fiction - authors who created Perry Mason, Nancy Drew, Nero Wolf, Agatha Christie. The biography becomes a character in the story as she recounts material she has researched; the Nancy Drew book, Not a Girl Detective, product of a book-writing factory, reveals much about the production of the books, very tasty inside stories about who and what. On another level each story is written in the style of the subject of the bio though this is less obvious to me since I get all caught up in the story as it unfolds. Lastly, and most satisfying, is Kandel's intelligence with this brief quote from the third in the series, Christietown. She has been interspersing the narrative with brief chapters describing Agatha's emotional stress around the famous eleven days of her disappearance and amnesia (which Kandel ascribes to intentional forgetting on Christie's part.)
Of course, all mysteries are about forgetting. Clues, suspects, opportunities: the author lays them out before you, then tricks you into forgetting what you know. By the end of the book, with the revelation of the guilty party, your memories suddenly come flooding back. How could I have missed that? How did I not notice her? The answer is simple: you knew there'd be no pleasure in remembering too soon.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/susan-kandel/
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That's quite an endorsement, JACKIE. I'll have to look up Ms. Kandel.
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Hope you like here, Babi.
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Read the Nancy Drew and one other by Kandel.. But the Christie sounds promising.
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Jackie: I've read the Kendall book aboout Earle Stanley Gardner, but not the Christietown. I have to get it. And the two African writers.
For Jill Churchill writers: her later books (like "House of the Seven Mabels") are not nearly as good as her early ones IMO: "grime and Punishment", "Silence of the Hams" etc. I think she starts to go downhill with "War and Peas".
I haven't been here for awhile: I'm buying a condo, and I spend everyday tied up in red tape. The last time I bought a house, 40 years ago, it was nothing like this!!
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Joan: How exciting! You must tell us all about it. I remember when Golden State Poppy bought hers she uploaded pictures so we could see how lovely it is. hint hint BTW did I mention that I'm an avid viewer of HGTVs House Hunter shows?
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I will, when I have pictures to upload.
One problem: now I'm looking at my old, comfortable furniture, and it's looking awfully shabby! But after paying for the condo, I'm awfully broke!
Do you think it's time to abandon the computer desk my 40-year-old daughter made in Junior High School? Or at least paint it?
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Of course not, JoanK. ::)
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Joank: Isn't that what they call eclectic? Some bright cushions displayed over a carefully draped throw and, voila! a new look.
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Hey, we are getting older, why not the furniture.. I sort of like the blended look myself.
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Joan K., By all means, paint the desk if it is looking too "weather-beaten", but definitely keep it as a family treasure! Maybe you can post your photos when you move in & ask for suggestions to spruce up economically. Sort of like HGTV's rate my space (Jackie, I also am a fan of House Hunters, Sell this House, & Rate My Space).
Sally
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I just finished the David Baldacci book last night. It is very good as always. He writes about the government agencies a great deal. He lives in his native Virginia. I lived there for two years when my husband worked for the CIA.
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Western Virginia is lovely.. But oh me, the taxes in that state.
Finished Fatally Flaky by Davidson.. ARch was almost non existant in the book.. Thank heaven.. But Goldie would be in jail in most places for all of the promises and then interfering with the police. Her poor husband.
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That's one thing I like about the Patricia Sprinkle books. The crime-solving heroine is at least a magistrate/judge with a right to be involved.
You know no police dept. is going to put up with some amateur mucking
about in their investigation.
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I have a new favorite author. my son read his most recent book but I wanted an older one since it is the beginning of a series. the BOB LEE SWAGGER series. the author is Stephen Hunter also a good non fiction pulitzer prize writer and the book I am finishing is POInT OF IMPACT. the writing is great the story moves right along and all the characters make sense to me and and and and and . having fun.
is foleys war on Kindle? will have to look
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Dont I remember that the earliest
Sprinkle books had a diplomats daughter or wife as the heroine?? or is that another Patricia?
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No idea, STEPH. The only one I know is the 'Southern style' series that I learned about here.
The 'Southern' is very true; Sprinkle didn't hit a wrong note once, there. Bless her heart! ;D
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When Did We Lose Harriet. I think that’s the only Patricia Sprinkle I’ve read, and it was years ago, and I still remember parts of it. And I want to read more, if I can find them. In Harriet, MacLaren travels to see her brother who is recuperating from a heart attack And she reflects how he and his wife were financially able to do anything, but elected to stay in their small house and continue their conservative lifestyle, thinking that only their mailman knew how many people and groups benefitted from Jake’s financial well-being. That has nothing to do with the mystery, but it’s something that always stuck.
And although I’ve been pitching magazines right and left, there is still one in the stack from Presbyterians Today, Oct. 2004, open to – What Did You Learn Today by Patricia Sprinkle. And in the first paragraph she tells of the 91-year-old farmer who learned to roll his hay instead of baling it. Subtitled -You're Never Too Old to Learn Something New.
and this from Sprinkle’s Website
ABOUT MACLAREN YARBROUGH --
Several years ago I was going to Waynesboro, Georgia, to give a seminar for the Chamber of Commerce Women in Business. My sister got wind of the trip and said, "You have to visit my college roommate’s mother while you’re there. She owns the hardware store."
Being southern, I was well aware of the importance of keeping in touch with one’s sister’s college roommate’s mother. When I dropped by the hardware store, I discovered a delightful energetic woman in the back office. As we chatted, a policeman came into the room.
"Excuse me a minute," she told me. "What do you have?" she asked him.
He mumbled something, she looked over a sheet of paper, and said, "Raise your right hand." She put him through what looked like some sort of initiation, then signed his paper and he left.
"What was that?" I asked.
"Oh, I’m a magistrate. He had a warrant for arrest I had to sign."
"Are you a lawyer?"
She laughed. "No, in Georgia you don’t have to be a lawyer to be a magistrate. The chief magistrate is elected, but the others are appointed. My husband used to be a magistrate, and when he died, they asked me to serve. I had to go for training, of course, but after all those years of going with him, I knew most of it anyway."
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I f ound the Sprinkle books or at least some of them on my swap club and have ordered one.. I read an earlier book of hers that was about the diplomats daughter or wife.
Am reading Wicked Prey and enjoying it.. Letty is turning out to be a female image of her adopted Dad.
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I love that quote, PEDLN, esp. about 'keeping in touch'. (I'm so bad about
that myself; it's a disgrace. But then, Texas isn't deep South.)
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Oh, I loved the Sprinkle series but had forgotten the details. Dang! Another author to put on my list. Just what I needed. ;D
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Oh Jackie, me too.. I am getting one of the Sprinkiles and the author who someone bought in a dollar store from the swap club.. Because I only have maybe 30-40 books in my
tbr file.
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Gee, STEPH, is that all? ::)
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The swap club brings out the worst in me.. I see new names to me or ones I have forgotten and immediately head to the swap club and boom.. another book.. No stopping me. I have maybe 15 books on the wish list in the swap club and pretty much everything hits the club eventually.
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Just finished Donna Leon's latest book A Question of Belief, A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery. Justice rarely prevails in Leon's books but I love them for the Brunetti character and that of his family.
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I've only read a few of Leon's -- but really enjoyed them. One about High Water and the other dealing with environmental issues -- can't remember the names. A Noble Radiance is on my shelf -- TBR sometime.
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A new-to-me author, Joan Smith, introduces a feisty feminist English professor (Loretta Lawson)in a London university who is attending the editorial board meeting of their feminist publication. A friend has given her to keys to an apartment he owns with some others for the occasional need to stay in Paris.Loretta's train is late, the address an obscure street only reached by stairs, so it is nearly midnight when she lets herself in. She is befuddled on sighting a sleeping man in the main bedroom - she had been promised exclusive occupancy. She oversleeps the next morning, the man is still present in bed asleep, and rushes off to her meetings. Upon her return she is appalled to discover the man is gone and in his place is a pile of extremely bloodied bed linens. what she does next and what follows is a decidedly novel treatment of the genre. PS: The title: A Masculine Ending is a wry pun.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/joan-smith-2/masculine-ending.htm
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I have read A Masculine Ending by Joan Smith...along time ago. I have read several books by Joan Smith and I enjoyed all fo them but I had forgotten about her when looking for books on Kindle. will have see if she has any that I have not read..Thanks for bringing her here and reminding me of her, Jackie..Joan Grimes
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I love Donna Leon's books. I started reading them after we were in Venice.for a couple of days. I started with the first one "a Death at the La Fenice" and have worked my way through all of them. Reading them is almost like being there.
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I've started reading Dan Brown's first novel, Digital Fortress. I am somewhat disappointed in it. It is not a can't put down page turner, but I have to keep in mind that it was his first novel.
After reading about him and his wife on Wikipedia, I think she deserves a lot of the credit for the books - maybe even her name on the cover. She seems to have been the chief researcher, idea person, promoter/agent (early one anyway), and general all round helper. If she had that much influence, I begin to wonder why she didn't write the books herself or at least insist on co-author credit.
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My lucky day today -- Concierge duty (volunteer) at the library. We Friends have a cart with gently used (translate, practically new) books for sale so cheap it's unbelievable. Today the cart was loaded, and I came home with Dead Wrong by J.A. Jance, Fire Sale by Sara Paretsky, and Murder Inside the Beltway by Margaret Truman. The publication date of the latter is 2008, and inside it says, "Dedicated, with love, to our mother. For more than thirty years she liked nothing better than to sit at home in New York, murdering people in Washington, D.C., one at a time."
Of course, I need three more "boughten" books like I need calories. I guess I'll read them and put them back on the cart.
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I thought my family was the only one that used "boughten" as in "these are just store-boughten cookies." Amazon is too easy: when I read about a good book here, it's just a few clicks away to get another "boughten" book.
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JoanK, how I wished for "boughten" cookies when I was a kid. But we never had them, only the homemade peanut butter, the oatmeal, the sugar cookies and the spritz at Christmastime. How I would beg, to no avail, for those rounded pillows of chocolate with the marshmallow filling. "Cardboard," my mother would say.
Re: Dan Brown. You know what say, Frybabe. Behind every great man . . . .
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Dick Francis wife Mary( I think was her name).. She did all of his research and they both admitted it.
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Speaking of "boughten", when I was little I longed for a real bakery birthday cake; but instead only had home-made. Then, one day, when my daughter was little, I was behind a woman in the grocery store who had a bakery cake in her cart. I heard her little girl say, "I'm going to tell my friends that you made it." When I questioned my daughter, she said, "Oh, mommy, everyone has those cakes. I want you to make me a special one." The times they are a changin', aren't they?
Sally
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Another version of 'the grass is greener...', Sally. Every kid wants what the other kids seem to
be enjoying most. Hmmm....maybe that doesn't stop with kids. :-\
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Dana Stabenow is on my list of favs. Her new one, A Night too Dark, while not disappointing, is not stay-up-all-night quality. The premise, greedy corporation raping the wilderness, is tired and she brings nothing new to the age-old struggle of man vs Nature. The usual supporting cast is present (Kate, Mutt, Jim Coffin, Johnny, the Aunties) going through their usual paces, but there's no spark here. Is Stabenow writing from a script these days?
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I want to thank those who said that books by Stuart Woods about Stone Barrington are not worth reading. It permitted me to stop reading "Hot Mahogony" half way through. It was dull and not worth the time spent reading it. I took it to our senior center library. It is a man's book, but I wonder if men will find it as dull as I did.
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GSP, John stopped reading them about one book before I did. :D
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Jackie, I thought it was just me having difficulty reading Dana Stabenow's A Night too Dark. I've been trying to get involved in it, just not holding my interest. I do like the author, so I'll pick the book back up some day.
N
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Stone Barrington is just flat out boring. I couldnt even get through the first one of his and neither did Tim
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See, sometimes we can take authors off our lists. :P
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Stabenow's A Night Too Dark had one surprise: near the end of the book Chopper Jim, the Alaska State Policeman/pilot BF, gets a full paragraph to describe his current book-of-choice, Codex Alera, Jim Butcher's thrilling fantasy series some of us are reading over in the SF discussion.
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I read Codex Alera, waiting impatiently for each new book in the series to come out. Enjoyed
every one of them.
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The (seemingly) endless process of buying a condo finally ended yesterday, when I got the key. I'll be so tied up with moving for the next days, don't know how often I'll be able to come in. And I may be without computer access for a few days.
I have managed to save out a few books from the packing boxes, for those "hurry up and wait" periods. I'm rereading old Rumpole of the Bailey books by John Mortimer. If you can stand the sexism (sometimes I can and sometimes I can't) they're a lot of fun.
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Sounds like you're approaching the move with the right idea, JOAN.
Prepared for the waiting times, at least. I hope all goes smoothly with
your movers; that can make a big difference. Enjoy your new home!
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Ah Joan, I envy that you have decided and know what you want. I have looked off and on down closer to my sons, but my townhouse is so pretty compared to most of what is available.. I live on a lovely lake.. and of course this is the last place MDH was.. Hard to force myself to move.. I will probably wait until this fall or winter.. Just too hard right now.
I love Stabenow and she has also written science fiction. I actually think she may have written that first.
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JoanK, moving into a new place sounds exciting in spite of being hard work. I've read several of the Rumpole books and loved watching that program when it was on A&E a some years ago. Leo McKern was made for that part, I think.
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I loved the PBS Rumpole series. You're right, FlaJean, that Leo McKern WAS Rumpole.
Julia McKenzie is currently playing Miss Marple in a new PBS series. We're discussing it at http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=1300.40
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Just finished "Left over Dead" by Jimmie Ruth Evans.. Actually when I check the copyright.. it is written by a man, but has a female protagonists. They call the series, The Trailer Park mysteries and they are sort of fun.. Light reading.
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I'm reading the Barbara Cleverley book, "The Palace Tiger". Another
light read. The most interesting thing about it is the background...1922 India in one of the Raj states. Nothing really new, tho'.
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I've just started The White Lioness[/], another of Henning Mankell's Wallander series. It looks like we will be treated to more Wallander on PBS sometime in the fall.
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Started a new book last night.. It is by Harley Jean Kozak.. I thought the name was familiar. She is an actress.. and the book thus far isnt bad.. Interesting combination.
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I'm not sure if it was here, or on seniors and friends, but somebody mentioned Margaret Maron's Judge Knott's series. I got Southern Discomfort a few days ago at the library. The first one Bootlegger's Dgt wasn't in. I like her style of writing very much. I can identify w/ her small town, all-the-relatives-around environment. She gets those feelings across very well. I tho't her story-telling was excellent, i enjoyed the book. Since i didn't read the first one, i'm wondering if she repeats all the family connections in every book, that could get frustrating, altho it seems she would have to somehow identify all those brothers, etc. But that's my only concern and i'm looking forward to reading all of the rest of the series. ............jean
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Oh Jean, yes she eventually includes a genealogical map of the brothers, etc. She tells you a lot about them and her eventually drawing it out very nicely. I do like her very much.. and wait for each new one.. but you really do need the Bootleggers Daughter to set the tone for the series.
I am reading one of Patricia Sprinklers Southern small town living and loving it. Went back to my swap club and ordered two more.. I had read her stories about the diplomats daughter, but not these. I like these much better.
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Jean, I think Margaret Maron is probably my favorite mystery writer, and now they seem to be more than mysteries. The family is one of the reasons I enjoy this series so much -- it's fun to see them grow. The other thing I like about this series is the way Maron frequently highlights a specific industry or business. Uncommon Clay is one I'm keeping. Maybe someday I'll get to vist Sea Grove and see all the pottery. And, can't remember the title, but the one set in High Point, NC, with a furniture industry background is another favorite. Recent ones focus on agriculture, immigration, and real estate development. Judge KNott gets around. You've got lots of entertainment ahead. And Maron doesn't mind letting her biases show through. They're fun reads.
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Steph and Pedln - thanks for the encouragement to read more Moran. I also like her feminist attitude that she speaks to so bluntly, along w/ the storytelling. I'll look forward to the evolution of the family and the focus on the various industries - that does sound interesting............. i think i've read a Sprinkles book, but i don't remember the title or the story and i don't have my archives :) in front of me..............I also picked up my first Sandra Dallas book on the same day as the MOran book. I just started The Diary of Mattie Spenser which sounds like it's going to be a very good read.....................jean
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Maron has a new Deborah Knott book Christmas Mourning coming out in November. That will be her 16th, I think. She has a nice web page and is also on Facebook. I've read all of them. She also has a couple of stand alone books that are good. Lessons Learned is one that I have enjoyed very much.
I also enjoyed her first series about a New York detective "Sigrid Herald". The complete opposite of Deborah. She stopped after 7 or 8 books and I wish she had completed the series a little differently. There have been requests for her to go back to that series. I sure wish she would.
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Okay, I've added Maron/Moran? to my authors list. Thanks so much,
ladies. :P (me, panting to keep up.)
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Babi.. Maron is the name.. Yes, I like the Sigrid ones but she sort of painted herself in a corner with her. The stand alones are good also.
Finished and love the Sprinkle book.. If you like southern women of a certain age, you will like them.
I honestly thought that Sandra Dallas wrote romance??? no more?? I am not fond of romance and everyone is just too too beautiful for words..
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I did like the two Sprinkle books I've read so far, and will probably read more. Sandra Dallas
is a name I also associated only with romance novels. What else does she write?
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I've read three Sandra Dallas books -- Tall Grass was great, set in rural Colorado? near a Japanese-American internment camp during WWII, told from the point of view of a 13-year-old.
I also read and liked her Persian Pickle Club, but did not care much for Buster Midnight's Cafe.
I don't remember much about the latter, except not liking it, but would not call either of the other two "romance." I'm all for romance, but not much for romance novels per se.
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From today’s NY Times, some lines we can all relate to, about the Greenwich Village independent book store Partners&Crime.
For readers of mysteries and crime fiction, a visit is a must. I first ventured down that little staircase eight years ago, and I’ve lost a lot of shelf space, sleep and dollars to the store ever since.
Inside, Rivers of Blood (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/nyregion/30joint.html?hp)
I made a special trip to that store during the SeniorNet New York get-together two years ago, and hope to go again when SeniorLearn has another “rendevous” in September. This time I’ll not be shy and as the article suggests, will ask the staff for suggestions.
Love the last line --
Try having that conversation with a Kindle.
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Babi: Must be the other Sandra Dallas who write "romance" Novels. This one has an overall theme of women of the west in lives which reflect their times so she has stories set in Kansas. Arizona, Texas. Colorado, etc. Dallas is a former editor for Business Week. I always grab her books because it doesn't matter what they are about, I know that I will read about a woman and how she lives her life. Arizona border in the late 1880s was very different with a woman as the lead character;people creating ranches out of nothing. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/sandra-dallas/
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Seems like maybe Sandra Brown is the "romance novel" writer. She is from Dallas. (TX)
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Persian Pickle Club was a good book. I haven't read any of her other books.
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Sandra Dallas writes historical fiction with strong women characters. The books are light reads and I always look forward to her new ones; as I have read all her others. Steph, I think you have her mixed up with another author.
Sally
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I agree. I think it was Sandra Brown.. I will check in my swap club to try one..
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I thik TOME is right. Sandra Brown writes romance novels, but has also
written under other names as well, incl. 'Rachel Ryan' and "Erin Claire".
Sandra Dallas writes the books JACKIE is talking about, the ones I think I'd
be interested in.
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I'm back, finally moved into my new condo and got my internet connection up. The only problem is that my computer is in the room where we put all the boxes that need unpacking, so I feel guilty when I sit down at it. I want to take some action (like going out and closing the door ;)).
I read one of the Deborah Knott books, but it was late in the series, and I just got confused by all the continuing characters. I'll have to start again, near the beginning.
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joank; congratulations!! may you have many, many happy times in your new place.
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Put tablecloths or sheets over the boxes.. Pretend they are decorations.. Sit down... take a deep breath... and talk to us over the computer.. Boxes will last.. Once you have the bed made and at least the coffee pot unpacked, the rest can wait..
Have a lovely time in your new home.
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Wait, wait! You'll need a change of clothes and a towel and washcloth, too. Hmm.. Oh, and
then you'll need your books! Other than than, tho', one day at a time. Order in. :)
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What a horrible thought, to be surrounded by boxes of wonderful books and not have anything to read.
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Oh, I just assumed she had two or three books in her car, handbag, etc etc. I have books in every nook and cranny. Fear of running out of reading material makes me hoard them.
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Steph, this is one reason why I love my Kindle. I know I can never run out of something to read - at least as long as Amazon is still available. And I don't have to carry a load of books around. This is not to say that we don't have real books stacked in every nook and cranny in our house. ::)
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Who mentioned Barbara Cleverly? The Last Kashmiri Rose was a delight to read and I'm ready for the next one.
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I have two books I have been reading: One I can recommend and the other I cannot.
Linwood Barklay, "Too Close to Home" is excellent. http://www.linwoodbarclay.com/about.html
It is about a flawed family who have a triple murder take place next door. They become involved when their son is arrested for the murders.
The one I don't recommend is "Irrestible Impulse" by Robert K. Tanenbaum. It involves Butch Karp, chief of Mahattan's Homicide Bureau. I just couldn't get into it.
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Somehow I missed Margaret Maron's 2009 Deborah Knott "Sand Sharks" so am reading that now. Glad I checked out her web site.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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Thanks, guys. I've got all that and the toilet paper, too. I kept out some books to read while we moved. But this new place has a tiny library in their center building, and I visited it yesterday (while compaining about some plumbing problems-- sigh). Lo and behold -- a Sprinkle mystery ("What do you wear to Die"). I like it -- now a whole new series to read through.
Also got Margeret Truman's "Murder at the Kennedy Center", which I've never read for some reason.
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Tanenbaum is an acquired taste. Way way back I read the beginning of the long series.. But it got vastly violent.. included a child who was totally insane as far as I could see. A vengeful wife.. Whew.. you name it, he has it somewhere and all violent.
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I mentioned Cleverly's "The Palace Tiger", JACKIE, but someone else
mentioned her earlier. Which, of course, is how I came to read her in
the first place.
Okay, I think I can skip Tannenbaum. Nice to have an occasional author
not to read. ;)
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I've read only one of Margaret Truman's mysteries, MURDER AT THE NATIONAL CATHEDRAL. It was so boring I never tried to read any others by her.
As I recall, I liked Elliot Roosevelt's MURDER IN THE LINCOLN BEDROOM.
Marj
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I got a Kindle as a gift for Mothers day. I love it. I find that I'm reading more now then before. It seems I usually only read at night in bed for an hour or so, now I find myself reading during the day rather than going on the Computer. I just finished a "free" book Called "Home to Italy" I enjoyed it and enjoyed it even more because it was free. ;D I'm starting a new series by Donna Ball. It's about a search and rescue dog. They were anly $1.99 each.
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Jeri, John just ordered (for MY Kindle) a free history book that he wanted to browse through. We do love it. Glad you're enjoying yours.
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Although the IPAD is more than the kindle. I am intrigued with it.. Email, web search, pictures, games and the book ability.. Hmm..
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Babi--it seems you and I like a lot of the same books (maybe our Texas roots??). I haven't read any of Cleverly's books. How was "the Palace Tiger"? Have you read any Jane Roberts Woods? (Train to Estellene, A Place Called Sweet Shrub, etc.) If not, I think you would enjoy them. However, they are not mysteries; so maybe I should have posted this on the Fiction site.
Marjifay, I tried one of Margaret Truman's books---Boring, didn't finish, don't remember what it was, and haven't tried her again.
Sally
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SALLY, "The Palace Tiger" was a light read, entertaining but not especially
memorable. I hadn't heard of Jane Roberts Woods before. I'll have to see
if my library has her....when they are back up again. Computers crashed,
so they can't check books in or out, or respond to on-line inquiries. I do
hope they get those computers back soon; they crashed last Friday.
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Just finished Margaret Maron's latest in the Deborah Knott series "Sand Sharks". It was good, but I'm wondering if she is starting to wind down this series. She had a couple of chapters that were written from the point of view of a new character, Detective Edwards. I don't remember her doing this in previous books.
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Finished the Margaret Truman. Yes, her writing is pedestrian: when I read them it's to learn some "insider" stuff about the setting. Since my sister goes to concerts at the Kennedy Center regularly, I thought some backstage stuff might be fun. A waste this time. Other than brief descriptions of the concert hall and a meeting room, the Kennedy center disappears rather quickly from the book.
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Most of the time I've enjoyed Margaret Truman's Capitol Crime mysteries, especially the ones that include the Mackenzie Smith character. I recently picked up Murder Inside the Beltway which may have been published posthumously (spelling?). It's dedicated to her by her sons.
Flajean, thanks for the heads-up about Maron's Sand Sharks. My library has it and it's in. You mention a new point of view. I've noticed that in her more recent books she does show points of view other than Knotts. At first that bothered me. It didn't seem quite cricket, but I guess it all depends on the story and narration.
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I suspect that Maron is tiring of the character.. She married her off, built her a house, introduced the whole family.. All in all she may be tired of her. Authors seem to do that .
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Sounds reasonable to me. If I were an author, I wouldn't want to write
about the same character all the time. More authentic, too. How many
people do you know who can get into one scrape/situation/relationship after another with hardly a break, for years? A nervous breakdown would
be a most welcome rest. ;)
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I am reading a book now that is a mixture of sci fi, romance and mystery. It is "Dark Matter" by Cameron Cruise. It contains a great deal about the research into the paranormal. I think I will read an earlier book of hers "The Collector".
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/cameron-cruise/
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I was thinking.. Has anyone seen anything recently from Sharon McCrumb.. Another southern writer that I love.. Must check Amazon and see if she has published anything. Elizabeth Peters is also on my what is going on list..
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I've come across some Cameron Cruise books while checking them in at the library, CONNIE,
but so far I haven't read one.
Now that you mention it, STEPH, I haven't seen anything from Sharon McCrumb lately either.
Let us know what you find out.
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I "think" I read somewhere that McCrumb will have a new book out this year, don't know when, and don't know if I was dreaming this!
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http://www.sharynmccrumb.com/
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Thank you, Mssherlock. And for once, the old brain was working!
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Reading a Perri O'Shaunessy book "Acts of Menace". Good. But unfortunately, I read the one after it first, and it gives away some of the plot.
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Am so riveted by South of Broad.. Not a mystery, but I adore Charleston and the book is truly evocative of a certain type of southerner.
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Steph, I, too, was enthralled by South of Broad. Pat Conroy really has a way with words, doesn't he? The characters were alive and so was Charleston. Best book I've read in a while. My ftf book clubs discusses it later this month. I can't wait to hear what others think.
Sally
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I just finished my first Margaret Maron book, "Southern Discomfort", and was quite pleased
with it. Interesting characters, good puzzle, and plenty of Southern family interaction. An
amusingly frank acknowledgment of the demands of 'politicking', too.
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South of Broad sounds interesting. Am definitely putting that on my library list. Sometimes a change from mystery is needed. :)
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Maron brings her part of the south into sharp focus in fiction.. She loves the hills of North Carolina and makes you want to see them. MDH and I loved them after we first drove on the Blue Ridge and returned each and every year to that area of the south. Beautiful beyond belief.. and has a grace with the natives that is impressive.
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We didn't get there every year, but we did take that route when we drove North to visit my
in-laws. Beautiful country, indeed.
Take a look at this. It will give you a lovely short tour of the North Carolina Blue Ridge.
http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/
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And I am in those wonderful Southern Mountains this morning...I have been here since Thursday afternoon. One of my grandsons and I drove up on Thursday to be here to see, my very talented granddaughter play Glenda the Good witch of the North in the Wizard of OZ . The Wizard of Oz is performed each year by the 3r grade of Cullowhee VAlley Middle School which is the school that my granddaughter attends here in the middle ofthe beautiful mountains of North Carolina. Joan Grimes
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Joan: How exciting! You have a lovely family.
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Somebody mentioned The Spellman Files and i'm now about half-way thru it. I like it's uniqueness, it's not the typical mystery i was expecting. Great characters and querky family. I'll be looking forward to the rest of the series................jean
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Ahh, the Blue Ridge Parkway. You make me so homesick. My family would take a day or weekend off every fall and drive as far South on it (from Virginia) as we could go.
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Jean: The Spellmann's are something else, aren't they? Glad you like it.
Sam Eastland's Eye of the Red Tsar takes us back to that nightmare time when Russia was losing one Tsar, Nicholas, and eventually gaining a Red Tsar, Josef Stalin. Bridging these two eras,is Nicky's greatest inspector, Pekkala, a Finn the Tsar meets when Pekkala is a cadet for the Finnish Legion. P becomes one of the Tsar's closest comrades 9pardon the pun) and is sent to Siberia after the Bolshevik take-over. He is brought back to the world when Stalin sends for him to solve the mystery of the fate of the Royal Family, to lay to rest finally all the rumors of sightings of the children, even the Tsarina. II was immediately caught up in Pekkala's character's wrestlings with his consciounce as he accepts this assignment from the man who stands for the wreck of the Russia he knew and served. His duty to the Tsar overcomes his qualms and the story is at times quiet compilation of clues and other tomes rip-roaring semi-farce. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/e/sam-eastland/eye-of-red-tsar.htm
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JoanG, I knew that name Cullowwee sounded famiar. Back in the 1980's my middle daughter attended a National Science Foundation summer program at Western Carolina U. in Cullowwee. After we dropped her off my younger daughter and I drove the Blue Ridge Parkway from Ashville up to DC. Such fog I have never seen. But we stuck with the road thinking the fog would soon lift. It never did.
I hope the sun is shining where you are and that you're having a wonderful time with your family.
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Oh wonderful. I loved the link to the Blue Ridge. We have driven it spring,summer,fall and winter.. Winter was a special delight, since with the leaves down you can see so far and all of the turkeys, deer, etc come out on the side of the road and the geese are in the fields.. Ah the sheer loveliness.
Cullohwee... Beautiful area.. Neat idea for the school.. Makes me homesick for a place I never lived, just visited. One of the special treasures is just getting on west of Charlottesville, there is a wonderful Christmas tree farm that you can see from the parkway. They are hundreds of dear little fat trees,, all trimmed and ready for people.. Wonderful picture.
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pdln, one of our daughters went to a NSF program at Sewanee (The University of the South) in TN in the mid1970s. She loved it, went back a second summer as a counsellor, and the entered the Univ. there.
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MaryZ, the NSF offered some excellent summer programs back then for a very reasonable price, with lots of choices. My son also went to one at Rose-Hulman U, on engineering. But after my daughter went to WCS there was a change in administration, NSF funds were drastically cut, and when it was time for my youngest child two years later, there was very little available. So she went to one provided by Northwestern U on engineerig. Came home and said, "I don't want to be an engineer."
It's too bad programs such as these are not available to more students. Sure, there are many provided by the individual colleges and universities, but without the govt. funding they are out of range for many bright students. And yet we complain about the low number of students going into science and math, and also about our standing among other students of the world.
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I am reading a book, "The Blue Door" by David fulmer, and author I had never read before. I like it a lot. It is about a fighter who accidentally becomes a private investigator. It won the shamus aware for best first PI novel. Check him out on Facebook.
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My f2f mystery group read "The Blue Door" and we all liked it. I could have sworn it was written in the 60s-70s until I looked at the copyright date: he reproduces that feeling so well. It's a gentle "hardboiled" PI.
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I love Fulmer and have read several of his books. Some of them are gentle, others are not.. He writes about New Orleans with great power.. A good author..
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I remember some books set in New Orleans that I liked, but durned if I
can remember the name of the author. Too bad I don't have a mental
'notepad' for notes and reference.
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Amazing how many people write about New Orleans.. Nora Roberts wrote at least two that I can think of.. Julie Smith writes about it..David Fulmer...Barbara Hambly has a small series about a man of color ( free) that is interesting.
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My late husband used to read books by James Lee Burke set in New Orleans with Dave Robicheaux (sp). Is that the series you are looking for?
Sally
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That's it, SALLY! James Lee Burke..
I can understand why so many books are set in New Orleans. It is one of our
more exotic cities, with a long and fascinating history. San Francisco is another, also popular
with authors.
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I love James Lee Burke, although he is really violent.. But his books are about Louisiana much more than New Orleans.. Excellent writer.. So is his Daughter incidently. I have read all of hers as well.
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What's the name of James Burke's daughter? What does she write?
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Alafair Burke, and she writes "mysteries".
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It appears that my last post didn't get here. I wrote about David Fulmer. "Blue Door" was set in philadelphia and "Rampart Street" is set in New Orleans. I have never been to either city so don't know how accurate the descriptions are. They are both set in a specific time (but different) period and certainly are accurate about the time.
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I've just finished Henning Mankell's The White Lioness. Half or more than half of this novel is set in South Africa while Wallander remains in Sweden. The novel is about an attempt to assassinate Nelson Mandela. Wallander comes into the picture when he and his colleagues try to solve the murder of a woman who took a wrong turn and accidentally came upon the assassin's training ground.
The text seems a little less "choppy" than usual. Better translation maybe? However, there are still plenty of "and then things happened very fast" type phrases in the book. I found it hard to put down.
Mankell spends a lot of time in Maputo,Mozambique where he is director of Teatro Avenida. http://www.henningmankell.com/Theatre/Teatro_Avenida
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I have been hearing more and more about Mankell.. Think I will try one.. Any suggestions on where to start.
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Steph, Faceless Killers was his first Wallander. There is a little bit of a progression in the series, but I didn't find that a problem when I started somewhere in the middle. His second, The Dogs of Riga, is where he meets a woman he obsesses over in subsequent books finally becomes involved with later. The White Lioness, his third, is excellent IMO.
PBS ran Sidetracked, One Step Behind, and Firewall last year. These are his fourth, fifth and seventh in the series. They are the ones which acquainted most of us with the series. It looks like they are going to schedule more in the fall or winter.
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Alafair, huh? Interesting name. Thanks, TOMEREADER.
I wonder if I've read 'Rampart Street', CONNIE. The name sounds familiar, but of course it would. That's a well known street. I like good historical fiction. Are the Fulmer books mysteries or novels?
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The God of the Hive, Laurie R King's latest in the Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell saga, kept me awake most of the night. It continues the story of Damien Adler and his daughter, Estelle, object of the evil Reverend Brothers, the girl's mother's ex-husband. Once again King's prose is concise and enlightening, maintaining the suspense though it dealls with weighty issues like the empire, loyalty, WWI. Initiallym I was reluctant to read these books since the premise seemed silly but King carries it off with panache and I am an avid convert. I find that re-reading these stories only enhances my enjoyment of them. My sister is collecting the audio versions as she likes to play them over and over.
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If Laurie King's books were mentioned here before I've forgotten. Thanks very much for bringing attention to her latest book, mrssherlock. Quite apt for your name :-)
It looks like THE GOD OF THE HIVE is her 10th book in the Mary Russell series! http://www.laurierking.com/
It sound intriguing. It looks like my public library has at least some of them. I think it would be probably best to read them in order. Do you think so?
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Marcie: it is essential since each book has connections to preceding one(s). I hope you find them as delightful as I have. Her non-series novels are also worth reading and re-reading, esp. Folly which is about a 60+ woman and her ever-changing life.
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thanks, mrssherlock. I'll put The Beekeeper's Apprentice, the first Mary Russell book, on my to read list.
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I second on Laurie King. I do love her books, both the series and the stand alone. I reread
Folly every once in a while. She gives such courage to an older woman with a crippling panic problem. Amazing..
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I tried to postpone the ending but had to see howThe God of the Hive turned out. Then, what to read after that? Picked up Beryl Markham's bio West With the Night and was immediately transported to the East Africa farm where she grew up. Sleep followed.
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The only James Lee Burke I've read was CRUSADER'S CROSS which was very good. Only problem, as I recall, was I needed a dictionary of southern slang. A lot of the slang went right over my head.
My favorite author who writes mysteries set in New Orleans is James Salis. His Lew Griffin series (LONG LEGGED FLY , MOTH, et al.) are interesting, intelligent, literate books. Griffin is an ex-PI in New Orleans, who is now a novelist and literature professor, and gets involved in solving some mysteries. Best to read the series in order or you might have trouble understanding the later ones. I have been to New Orleans and loved it, and I loved Sallis' dark, atmospheric New Orleans.
Marj
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New Orleans is and always has been a favorite city of mine. The lovely hotels in the quarter, the food(ahh, the food), street cars,, walking, the cemetaries.. Oh a jewel of a city.. Many authors write on it and they are all different.
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My Salem newspaper is touting a new book by a local author which has a first run by the publisher of 100.000 copies which sounds like a lot to me. Story sounds good with lots of local-Salem -color. http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20106130312
And here is what is supposed to be a satire about widows: http://www.amazon.com/Bag-Lady-War-Carol-SeCoy/dp/0595449867
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Bag Lady war???? Hmm. I am reading the Spellman and Bookmarks at the same time.. The Spellman is as always funny and strange at the same time. Bookmarks has a note from Ginny in it about the move from seniornet to seniorlearn..
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I slogged my way thru my second Margaret Maron book Shooting at Loons. I didn't enjoy it as much as the first one - i'm not keen on fisher's rights/stories, plus it seemed a little slow, the story never grabbed me. But, i will read another one just because i like the character Deborah Knott and it sounded like there may be a relationship in the works........i've started a Joanna Fluke/Hannah Swenson mystery, The Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery. It's another woman-owns-cute-little shop (this time it's a bakery)-in-a-small-town story. Just started it, but it's o.k. so far. ................... jean
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I just picked up another interesting book at the Dollar Store. It is Victory Square by Olen Steinhauer. Unfortunately, appears to be the last of a five book series. Now I will have to get the other four. ;D
The setting is Eastern Europe. The series follows the police career of Emil Brod from rookie to police chief before the communist block collapsed. It is written in the first person. If the rest of the book is as good as the first paragraph, it should be a page turner.
Steinhauer: http://www.olensteinhauer.com/bio.html
Upcoming movie info on his book The Tourist which is part of another series: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1243957/
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I can only read
the cookie lady books once a year or so.. Just a bit too too sweet. I think she may have started as a romance writer.
The Spellman book is still hard to categorize.. Not really a mystery, but all of the characters are private investigators.. Fun.. Makes me laugh.. Although Rae needs someone to lock her in a room for a year or so.
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I have to agree that "Shooting at Loons" had a lot more information about the fishing industry that I really wanted to know. I did appreciate gaining a better understanding of the issues involved between local fishermen, tourist, and environmentalists/conservationists, but it went a tad too far. I still liked the characters and the story.
Let me know if the 'page-turner' holds up, FRYBABE. Steinhauer is a new name for me...and I have a hard time finding all the books in a series.
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Maron teaches you something about North Carolina in each book. One of the things I enjoy the most ..
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Just finished the first Margaret Maron book with Deborah Knott. Not being a Southerner, I had to get used to the slow pace, and hearing the history of every person (and building) that entered the story even in the most minor way. That is part of the atmosphere, though. I'll definately read more.
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Hi, everyone, I'm back! Just found out from Bookmarks magazine where Mystery Corner moved to. It was obvious that SeniorNet had gone defunct, but I never received any message telling me where the book discussions had gone. Mrssherlock and all the rest of you, good to see you again! I agree with all of you who enjoyed The Language of Bees and The God of the Hive. I loved Robert Goodman! Currently reading Thrillers: 100 Must Reads, in which writers such as Jeffery Deaver, Katherine Neville, James Rollins, M.J. Rose, David Baldacci, Lee Child, and many more tell us what their favorite thrillers are.
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The reviews for The Poacher's Son were good and it's true, this is a very good book Set in the Maine woods, a young Game Warden learns that his father (the poacher of the title) is nowhere to be found and is suspected of committing a double homicide. Though the have bee mostly estranged, the son knows hid father as a bar brawler, drunk, poacher, ladies' man but not a cold-blooded killer. As the hunt for his father heats up he becomes obsessed with saving his father; his job, his marriage, everything he's made of his life is in jeopardy. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/paul-doiron/poacher-s-son.htm
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Just starting another mystery by Shirley Tallman.She writes of a female attorney back in the victorian era in San Francisco.. I do like them, but she seems to not have much national coverage. I found her on my bookswap club.. She signs each book when she sends it out, which is nice.
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Glad you found us, GKC. The old SeniorNet book discussions didn't go
anywhere for a good while, until Ginny re-surrected them for us. She had kept up her Latin classes, and decided to open her site for all of us
mourning bookies who were abandoned by SeniorNet. Welcome!
Was there ever such a thing as a female attorney in the Victorian era?
If there was, she must have had a very hard time obtaining clients. How is that working out, STEPH, and is it at all plausible?
I'm reading Jeffrey Cohen's "Some Like It Hot Buttered", which someone
here recommended a while back. Finally got my hands on it, and it actually
had me laughing out loud. I'm enjoying it so much.
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Yesterday I posted as "gkcfan," then realized that was a name I used in a different discussion group I was in. The name I used before on SeniorNet was "joegreyfan," so I've re-registered using that name. (Joe Grey is the crime-solving cat in Shirley Rousseau Murphy's series, which I adore.)
The July/August issue of Bookmarks magazine (where I found Mystery Corner's new location), which I received yesterday, has a feature article titled "Great Mystery and Crime Writing, Vol. 3," covering neo-noir, historical mysteries, and writers under 40.
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Welcome, Joegreyfan! I'm one too, a fan, that is, of Joe and all his clan. Glad you found us. Maybe more of our "lost sheep" will find their way here. I, too, stumbled upon this site when I tried to start a group of former SN Bookies at Literary Thing and someone told me about Seniors & Friends where I learned that this is the site is for book discussions.
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WELCOME BACK JOEGREYFAN! How sad that some people lost Seniornet. But you found us, again. What are you reading?
I'm reading a Donna Leon that I bought some time ago and lost track of before I read it -- "Blood from a Stone". Good, as usual. But I'm constantly annoyed by the character of Paola, who is suppsed to be a University professor, but has time to make three course gourmet meals twice a day (for lunch AND dinner) every day. In this book, Brunelli has to eat one lunch at a restaurant, because she's busy, and feels abused and neglected.
But I have just met the perfect clone of Brunelli's boss, Patta -- the big frog in the little pond, who looks down on everyone, bosses everyone around, insists that it be done his/her way (in my case her) and is completely ignorant and stupid. I'm taking lessons from Brunelli in how to handle her.
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STEPH, thanks for your teccomendation of Shirley Tallman. I checked her out in the Kindle Book Store. They only have four available. So, I ordered "The Russian Hill Murders", published inj 2005. The other three that they carry have more recent publication dates.
Do you remember when this series began? I would really like to begin a series with the first book published. Thanks!
Sheila
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joegrayfan...Am I correct that you no longer want the gkcfan username? Is it ok to delete that then from our username listing?
We're delighted you've found us!
jane
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Hi, joegreyfan, and welcome back. If I remember correctly, you used to go slumming in the sci-fi disscussion occasionally. If so, we're still here,
http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=81.720 (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=81.720)
and you can come in and tell us what you're reading.
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Yes, I believe the Russian Hill Murders was the first book. I am reading the third one now.. Cliff House.. Starting out with a bang. A seance, which I always think is fun.
This is a woman with a steel determination and it is fascinating. I have no idea when women lawyers started, but this one actually worked for a law firm originally. I think it was family money that helped. But I know that the first book told you how it all started.
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So now you've got me curious about women lawyers and the Victorian era. So, naturally, I'll
have to go do some research. I do enjoy digging out information.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Aha.. Russian is the second book of the Tallman series.. Just found a note to myself. I read it first, but it was the second. Then I read the first one..Sigh..Sorry for the confusion.
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Jane, yes, go ahead and delete the gkcfan user name. I won't be using it.
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PatH, I'm reading a mystery right now, but I will be seeing you soon at SF & Fantasy too.
JoanK, I've just started Angel's Tip by Alafair Burke. I enjoyed the first book, Dead Connection, in her Ellie Hatcher series, and so far I like this one too.
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Great! Two new authors to try. I'm not familiar with either Alafair Burke or Shirley Tallman.
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Another historical mystery series set in San Francisco about about a feisty female is the Fremont Jones tales by Dianne Day. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/dianne-day/ Fremont comes from wealth back east but she wants to be a typewritist(?). The sense of place is very strong and Fremont is a genuine character. Too bad she wrote so few.
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Yes, I loved Fremont and the series is small but choice. A nice feel for San Francisco and she also journeys back to Boston where she came from and that is good for the feel there.
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Got me again. But this one was only $1.90.
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Welcome back joegreyfan, glad you found us.
Lots of new authors mentioned here. Terrific. I’ve not yet met Alifair Burke or Shirley Tallman or Dianne Day. I do enjoy the Donna Leon series– my DIL could be Paola, JoanK. They must be blessed with an extra cooking gene that lets them tackle any kind of food preparation, no matter how tedious.
I just finished reading my first Harlan Coben – Hold Tight. Lots of characters, a novel of connections with lots to think about. Hard to put down. The focus was on teenagers, which I found very timely, as I was attending my grandson’s hs graduation. You look at all these young people and think, “would they do that?” Coben has just come out with a new title – Caught.
Is it just a rumor, or did I read somewhere that there may be an unfinished Stieg Larsson? Did anyone else see that?
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oben writes wonderful books.
Both his Myron Bolitar series and the stand alones. I have read every single one of his. MDH turned me on to him.. He said that even though it wasnt a female author, I would probably like the books and he was right.
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Pedln:
The newspapers have been reporting the fourth novel as 3/4 finished. The fight over the computer and manuscript is a bit involved. The first article is rather extensive, but it gives a lot of background on Larsson and his live-in's involvement with the novels as well as why she does not want to give it up to his family. Very interesting reading. The second is a short article about some early unpublished writings that were found.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/magazine/23Larsson-t.html?pagewanted=1
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/08/unpublished-manuscripts-by-stieg-larsson-are-found/
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Frybabe, I've scanned that article a couple of times now, but have not found something that I read earlier about Larsson and Gabrielsson. Some article, I don't remember where, told how the two had plans to marry, but because of Larsson's writings about financial situations, they were advised, for safety reasons, to keep a low profile. So they put off their wedding plans.
Very intriguing -- her comments about "yes, he wrote the book, but it's not that simple." Did she have input? I wouldn't be surprised if she has a book in her, sometime down the road, about her life with Larsson.
I've seen the film, have not yet read the book.
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I recently read an article that said Stieg Larsson and his fiancee had definite plans to get married, but decided not to because of death threats he'd received because of his anti-fascist writing. In Sweden, married couples are required to make their addresses public, so being married to Larsson would have been dangerous for her.
Pedln, I read Harlan Coben's Caught recently. Loved it!
I also loved all three of Larsson's books. I hear the movie of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is excellent.
Did you know that the Swedish title of Dragon Tattoo is Men Who Hate Women? Somehow I doubt that title would have gone over very well here in the U.S. (or in the U.K.).
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I finished a very light mystery..Death in Show by Judi McCoy.. Not bad, a bit drawn out though. About a dogwalker, who participated in a big time dog show.. Not likely actually, but fun in parts.
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I'm reading a good Jack Reacher mystery/thriller by Lee Child-- 61 HOURS. If any of you are bothered by hot June weather, read this. It's set in the middle of winter in South Dakota during several snow storms, and I guarantee it will give you chills!
Marj
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Just finished Mary Jane Clark's Do You Promise Not to Tell, the second Farrell Slater, tv producer, book. The story was about fake Faberge works. It was good.
I've started Jane Isenberg's Hot Wired, one of the series of 50-something Bel BArrett who is an English prof at a community college in Hoboken, NJ. This is my second book in the series. One of the reviews said Bel Barrett is Evanovich's Stephanie Plum 25 yrs later - sassy and brassy." I don't know if she's as sassy and brassy as SP, but i enjoy her. Isenberg throws in a lot of the issues of a 50/60-something: looking out for her Mother, new second marriage to a man who is retired, grown children, besides her job and the students she teaches. Plus, knowing the north Jersey area, i enjoy her touches of the environment, as i enjoy Evanovich's touches of mid and southern Jersey.
I've also started a Donald Westlake book, my first of his. I've got to get used to the criminals being the lead characters. I enjoy the humor.
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I have read at least two of the Bel books.. by Isenberg.. Fun, but not Stephanie Plum.. For older women,, I love the series about the cancer survivor in Annapolis.. Now if I could just dig the name out of this stupid brain.. Oh well. good series.
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Donald Westlake is fun. He is one my son and I both enjoy.
I've always been too susceptible to books about severe cold, MARJ.
Won't read one in winter. Now that my ac can't keep out all the heat,
it might be the ideal time to read something like 61 Hours.
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Funny you should mention Jane Isenberg just now. I was looking through my bookshelf a few days ago, and found a book I had no memory of at all: Jane Isenberg's "Death in a Hot Flash". I read and enjoyed it, but when I came to the end I saw a stamp "Please return to the Upper Montgomery County Senior Center". Upper Montgomery County is where I moved from 3 and a half years ago -- it is now almost 3000 miles away. My librarian mother is tuning over in her grave.
This is the second in the series-- I'm glad to here there are 50, I liked it. I like her commitment to Community Colleges. They are considered the basement of college teaching by university professors, but as she says, that is where you can really make a difference.
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I do agree that it was great to hear about the community colleges. Generally its always colleges and mostly ivy.. I just finished The Scarecrow by Michael Conelly. I do like him. One of the few hard core types I read. This one was not Harry, but Jack, the reporter and Rachel.. The FBI woman.. Good book.. Scarybecause the computer stuff is quite accurate.
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The more I hear about the harm and damage a hacker could do, the
worse it sounds. It's really alarming. Sounds like the best defense is
to find the best hackers and put them to work protecting the system.
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In the Scarecrow, it is interesting but horrible what kind of information th e man got.. Hackers are not prone to law and order.. Then again why should they. Just now I am getting at least three fake messages a week from someone saying they are Bank of America.. I got in touch with them through their website( the real Bank of America) and they are hackers. I tried to track their address, but could not get past the first guard.
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Let's hope Bank of America has better luck. My bank once responded to this problem by e-mailing all it's clients a warning about the hacker. Valerie and I are
both very careful about not responding to any request for personal information.
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The subject of my sense of humor has come up here in the past so this is a caveat. Sophie Littlefield has a new one; she wrote A Bad Day for Sorry where we met Stella Hardesty who is a one woman vigilante gang attempting to wrest abused wives from their tormentors. It started when she, defending herself, cured her husband of abusing her permanently by bashing him over the head with a wrench. He's taking a dirt nap now and she realized that to successfully demonstrate to bully husband who abuse that their day had passes, she used her trusty baseball bat to make her point. Sounds grim but to me its funny. Stella's new adventures are related in A Bad Day for Pretty. an example of why I like Sophie Littlefie;d's way with words is this brief snippet. Goat, the sheriff, is speaking about his soon-to-be e-wife, regarding her drunken state. Stella says:
"Guess she can hold her liquor" . . ."She always could put it away but I wouldn't say she holds it all that well."
I like Liittlefield's style and so might you if you find that bit of dialog humorous. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/sophie-littlefield/
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Hmmmm! I just got fininshed with Henning Mankell's The Fifth Woman which finds Wallander and team hunting for an "avenging angel" for women who had been murdered or abused by men.
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Jackie, I have A bad day for sorry in my book basket. It looks good, I have just been trying to catch up on stuff..
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JACKIE, have you read any of Jeffrey Cohen? I recently read his "Some Life It Hot Buttered" and I can attest he is a funny man.
Mystery, yes, but the laughs are what I enjoyed most.
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Thanks, Babi. Cohen has written two series so I'm starting with the first, For Whom the Minivan Rolls.
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Decided to start the Bad Day for Sorry book. Not quite sure I will like it. She seems to posture a good deal.
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Mrssherlock, I have a copy of A Bad Day for Sorry, which I'm looking forward to. I remember from the old SeniorNet days that my sense of humor seemed a lot like yours, so I won't be surprised if I like it!
Babi and Mrssherlock, Jeff Cohen has started a brand-new series under the name E.J. Copperman. The first book is Night of the Living Deed (A Haunted Guesthouse Mystery), available in mass-market paperback. Several friends have said it's just as much fun as his other books, so I've ordered myself a copy.
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I ordered one of the Cohen books through our swap club.. Still struggling with A Bad Day for Sorry.. Scattered plot thus far. I think she is setting the scene for a series, but it is all over the place at this point.
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Thanks for the tip, Joegreyfan. I'll make a note of the name Copperman. I missed the 'Minivan', but did read "As Dog Is My Witness".
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JoanK asked me to tell you that she's having computer problems, and is offline for a while.
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Just read afun book. The Bride Will Keep Her Name by Jan Goldstein. The book was in the fiction section of the library, but i would call it a mystery. The author is male, but the protagonist is female. He does a good job writing from a female perspective.
Random House says: JAN GOLDSTEIN, the author of All That Matters, is an award-winning poet, playwright, and screenwriter. He lives with his wife, Bonnie, and their family in Los Angeles.
His site is here: http://www.jangoldstein.com/goldstein-bio.htm
It was an often humorous story about a woman who gets an e-mail msg a week before her wedding saying her groom is not who he appears to be. The best parts of the book are the interaction between the bride-to-be and her 2 best friends who have known each other since childhood and will do anything for each other. The parents and in-laws to be are well drawn characters - in both senses of the word - also. I like it. I'll look for the other 2 books, this was the first one of his i've read....................jean
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Jean that sounds like a good book. Will check the library.
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Reading about Goldstein's other two books on his site - they sound very interesting also, especially All That Matters, where the protagonist is also a woman, altho in the other one about Nantucket the protagonist is male. "Matters" has good reviews, and my library has it, so that's next on my TBR list...............see, that's how our - or at least MY - lists get so long, instead of reading the next one down the list, i keep adding to the TOP, there's something wrong about that....... ;D.........jean
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Made a note of the name. I am with you Jean, I keep adding to the absolutly must read list all the time.. Am still struggling with A Bad Day for Sorry.. Not sure how I feel about this author.
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Jean...my library doesn't have anything by Goldstein, so I may need to fill out a request.
Steph...if you're struggling with a book, you're a better woman than I am. I don't do that anymore. There are too many good authors out there that I don't waste my time with someone who doesn't grab me. Since I'm not in school, an author has to live up to my "gold standard"....interest me from the get-go or be dropped [in my case right back into the return book drop at the library]. ;D
jane
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I think you've put your finger right on the main issue, JANE. We're old enough now that we
no longer are willing to waste time. There's plenth of good books out there waiting.
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Right on target, Jane. Especially since we're not in school.
Was it here where someone was talking about The Postmistress? I'm on hold at the library and picking it up this week.
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I finished A Bad Day forSorry yesterday. A new author.. She shows some promise, but the violence thrown in with what started out to be a cozy is weird. She is all over the place with her heroine.. I might.. try one more when or if she writes it, but she needs to decide what she wants to do with her heroine.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Steph: The second book, A Bad Day for Pretty, has much less violence. Perhaps the intent in book 1 was to establish Stella and violent encounters won't be necessary.
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Finally back online: it feels like forever. I finished "The Secret Files of Fremont Jones" and liked it a lot Now I'm reading Alafair Burke. I usually don't care for serial killer books, but this one is very good.
A lot more good suggestioons. I have to write them down on my library list.
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JoanK, I really enjoyed Alafair Burke's Dead Connection and Angel's Tip.
I've just started Sacrifice by S.J. Bolton, which quite a number of people have been raving about. After I started it, I remembered that I'd intended to read A Bad Day for Sorry next. I do plan to get to it very soon, though, so I can see what I think of it.
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Just read afun book. The Bride Will Keep Her Name by Jan Goldstein. The book was in the fiction section of the library, but i would call it a mystery. The author is male, but the protagonist is female. He does a good job writing from a female perspective.
Random House says: JAN GOLDSTEIN, the author of All That Matters, is an award-winning poet, playwright, and screenwriter. He lives with his wife, Bonnie, and their family in Los Angeles.
His site is here: http://www.jangoldstein.com/goldstein-bio.htm
It was an often humorous story about a woman who gets an e-mail msg a week before her wedding saying her groom is not who he appears to be. The best parts of the book are the interaction between the bride-to-be and her 2 best friends who have known each other since childhood and will do anything for each other. The parents and in-laws to be are well drawn characters - in both senses of the word - also. I like it. I'll look for the other 2 books, this was the first one of his i've read....................jean
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I copied the above post from the "mystery" site because i got both of Goldstein's other books at the library last night and i tho't you might want to know about them here in "fiction." I started All That Matters and read almost the whole 200 pages last night. It's a very different book, from The Bride......., not a "mystery." It was his first book and got great reviews. I don't want to give any of the story away, so i'll just say it's a wonderful story about a grandmother who survived the holocaust and a 20-something granddgt who thru interesting circumstances have to live together after having been out of touch for a couple yrs.
Again JG does an amazing job of writing women's tho'ts and voices. I highly recommend it. There is a lot of discussion about death and dying - but not in the least depressing. (Steph, i tho't about you while reading the hospital scene, you may not want to go at it yet, altho as i said it's not depressing and has many light moments.) The grandmother has a wonderful philosophy of life that she learned from the woman who hide her as a thirteen yr old from the Nazis
The third book looks like it will be entirely different again. The title is something about Nantucket, it's upstairs and i have forgotten exactly what it is..............I will, of course, let you know what i think of it...........jean
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Will try A Bad Day for Pretty. The violence in the first one turned me off.. But I think that the writer is a good one and will improve the series. You cant keep putting your heroine in the hospital over and over.. My holiday treat. I have the paperback.. Fingerlicking Fifteen. Ah.. Stephanie Plum,, the one sure laugh for me.. She always makes me laugh without fail.
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Sorry, i meant to post those two previous msgs in "fiction," don't know what happened................
I LOVED "All That Matters." Finished it last night. Some may consider the ending schmaltzy - I might have been one of those, except JG does a great job of including humor at just the right moments. For any of us who have experienced depression and/or lose, or longed for a great realtionship w/ a grandparent/parent, this provides a lot of food for thought. .....................it is interesting to me that the reader reviews are all over the place. Some think the writing is great - i'm one of those - others think it's terrible...............uuuummm wonder why that is. ................anyway, i tho't it was a great story told in just 200 pages..........jean
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Spencer Quinn's Dog On It was a hoot, Iaughed out loud. The dog is the narrator and we get to follow the dog's thinking (?) process, very funny. Quinn's second in the series, Thereby Hangs a Tail, is out now and #3, To Fetch a Thief, will be out in September. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/q/spencer-quinn/
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I did not like Dog Gone it and I am a dog lover. Just too weird for me to like.
Gobbled up FingerLicking Fifteen. I love Stephanie, but am not a Lula fan and this one is way too much Lula for me.. This is mostly a Ranger type book.. Stephanie seems to be more and more relying on Ranger for help.. and working for him part time.. Not enough Grandma.. Nothing about the sister or husband.. No Mooner.. No Sally.. Darn. Still like the series.
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I am having a similar reaction to my first 'Joel Grey' book by Shirley Murphy. I'm enjoying it, sort of, but it does carry the idea of animal/human communication a bit too far. I know from
my own experience that there is a level of communication, but outright human speech is a
bit too much. One simply has to suspend belief and take it for what it is.
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Finished Sacrifice by S.J. Bolton yesterday. It's a totally enthralling gothic suspense tale involving Scottish/Norse legends and bloody ancient pagan rituals in the present-day Shetland Islands, with one shocking twist after another. A real page-turner!
Started A Bad Day for Sorry last night. Loving it so far!
Just got my first iPod, so I've started rereading (yet again) the Harry Potter series, this time via Jim Dale's brilliant audio books. (I guess this really belongs in the SF/Fantasy discussion, but I think H.P. also qualifies for the Mystery/Thriller category.)
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Harry Potter will qualify for anything, as far as I'm concerned.
Browsing in Borders, I found a mystery series based on yoga. Had to try it, yoga enthusiast as I am. The first book "Corpse Pose" was disappointing -- slow to start, undervalueing yoga (the main character, who hasn't done yoga since a child, assumes she will be qualified to teach with a few weeks preparation, and there are very BAD yoga instructions and recipes in the back -- organic foods using canned vegtables. Who's she kidding?) I'll still try a later one to see if they get better.
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Good luck with that, JOAN. You're more optimistic than I am, and that's saying a lot.
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Publishers trying to cash in on the popularity of The Girl Who series are scouring the international mystery novel market according to this Wall Street Journal article: http://tinyurl.com/27jfg5c
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Sorry, I meant to say frozen vegetables above. Maybe freezing them kills any chemicals on them? Anyway, I'll let you know.
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Please forgive me for running this PBS promotion again, but the programming is scheduled to begin in a little over a week, and I have many FREE copies of Agatha Christie's book to give away. Can't figure out what to do with the extras. Can you think of anyone who might like to receive a copy?
Come July, PBS is celebrating A Christie's 120 birthday - with PRESENTS for all -
We know you have seen film productions of "Murder on the Orient Express" - but how many have actually read the book? If you are interested in receiving a free copy of the book (except for some postage), please email me your full name and mailing address and I'll get it off to you as long as the supply lasts. My email address is jonkie@verizon.net.
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Your local nursing homes and senior center would probably appreciate a copy,
JOAN. You wouldn't even have to mail them. Just a thought.
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I'm not as fond of Alafair Burke as I was at first. Read another book by her (don't have the title here) set in Portland. It seems she is a conservative, who occasionally makes side comments, irrelevant to the plot, on anything she considers "liberal". I don't like political opinions in mystery stories (of course I mind more when I don't agree with it).
She presents Portland as having a liberal enclave in a conservative background. My two neices live there-- one is liberal, the other conservative. I'll ask them.
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I'm reading another Jeffrey Cohen book and again, finding things that have me lol...and giggling for a long time afterward. This one is "A Night at the Operation", a take-off on "A Night at the
Opera", obviously. Cohen's hero in this series operates "Comedy Theater" and the Marx Bros. are favorites. As indicated, it shows only comedies but Elliot keeps getting involved in murders anyway.
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Oregon is a state where the Dems have a majority in both houses, the Gov and both senators are Dems, and the only Representative who is Rep represents the vast, empty eastern 2/3 of the state's area.
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PS: Portland's mayor is openly gay and has survived efforts for his recall when the petitioners failed to gather enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.
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Sounds interesting, politically. No wonder my liberal niece, a graduate of the liberal Reed college. likes it (according to Alafair Burke, all Reed college students smell bad. Poo on her.) We'll see how my conservative niece, who just moved there, likes it. By the way, in spite of their political differances, my nieces are close, and don't insult each other's beliefs. The people in this country could learn from them.
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I don't like political opinions in mystery stories
Ha ha JoanK, that's just an additional reason why I enjoy Margaret Maron so much. Her opinions just sort of slide in without you realizing it. I'm thinking that she does NOT stand along side Alafair Burke.
My Seattle granddaughter has started looking at colleges. She's an excellent student, but has been scared off from Reed. Supposedly all they do there is study and work. :P
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Hmm, Alafair was in fact raised in Louisiana.. So the conservative is probably natural to her, but her later books move from Portland to the east coast. I am a liberal to the core, but I like her books, not as much as her Dads,, but I still like them.
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I just finished a great book -- KILLER by Dave Zeltserman, recommended by a book discussion group that reads noir. (214 pp, 2010) Very well written.
Per an Amazon reader of the book:
"KILLER is the final instalment of Zeltserman's "man-out-of-prison" series. SMALL CRIMES and PARIAH take some beating, but KILLER is superb. When once-upon-a-time hit-man, Leonard March, is freed from prison, he's like an old, de-fanged wolf, battle scarred and shunned by the pack. Zeltserman, in this meditation on the mind of a killer, expertly weaves together two time frames: Leonard now, and Leonard in his bloody heyday. KILLER is a measured, compelling, character study that manages to be at once terrifying and strangely moving, as Leonard struggles with alienation, loneliness, and old ghosts. But don't be lulled into expecting a Hollywood ending to this story: this is vintage Zeltserman, and that means there's always a tail. With a sting. Be warned."
Marj
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I am reading a new book by Ann Purser.. Not her cleaning lady, but another small town in England. Ivy is the heroine in this book, although Ivy is as prickly as ever.
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I found another book in my collection that I had never read. This one is "Killer Whale" by Elizabeth Quinn. The "detective is a scientist trying to prevent the capture of killer whales in Alaska. The background on whales, native American culture, diving, carries a slight (so far) plot. I'll certainly read more.
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Whales?? Aleut culture. Marked the name down and will look at the stuff.
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Not real deep stuff, but carries you along. The author is not an expert (and it shows), but she gives her bibliography at the end.
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My local PBS station is running a special with David Suchet talking about the Orient Express tonight. And Christies "Murder on the Orient Express" Sunday.
As I said on PBSMasterpiece Mystery: I rode the Orient Express in 1964(?) from Geneva to outside Athens. You had to be sure to get on the right car, or you would wind up in Belgrade, or Rome or somewhere else. Unfortunately, all the glamour is in first class and we rode tourist, with the women with the chickens, and the toilets that didn't flush for two days.
They had little compartments that hold about six or eight people, like you see in British mysteries. We were the only Americans, but the others managed to communicate with us. I'll never forget when we went through then Yugoslavia, how nice and friendly the Yugoslovians were. I couldn't believe what happened there later.
It was January, and there was snow outside. When we got to the border, everyone had to get off the train while they searched it. Everyone but us! At the time, I think Tito wanted good relationswith the US. So my husband and I sat on the train warm and toasty, while everyone else stood on the freezing platform for hours and glared at us. When our compartmentmates got back on board, we apologized, and I gave my coat to cover a woman who was shaking from the cold. Peace was restored.
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How interesting. I did not know Tito ever cared for anyone but himself..Certainly not Americans. I have ridden the current Orient Express, but only from London to Bath and back as a day excursion.. Beautfiful train.. All the porters in costume,, and a very nice brunch on the way to Bath.. It was part of Great Trains of Europe, which we did maybe 10 years ago. Really a wonderful tour.. Every kind of train.. Chunnel, high speed, kog, Orient Express, Glaciar Express. We both loved it. Thats where we discovered Zermatt.. The magical town in the sky by the Matterhorn. I hate cold, but I would love to live there in the peace of no cars.
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Okay, I have to know. What is a chunnel train and a kog train? I'm
guessing chunnel may have something to do with tunnels, bur 'kog' leaves me clueless. Bog? Clog? ???
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rack_railway
Pictures are worth a thousand words so they say. Cog is another word for rack and pinion. They are used on very steep grades. Mt. Washington in New Hampshire has one; so does Pike's Peak in Colorado. I expect there are a lot in the Alps regions besides the ones at Interlaken and Luzerne.
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The Chunnel is the train that goes from England to France under the English Channel.
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Mary, is it the name of the train or the name they gave they channel tunnel?
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I've never taken it - I'd guess it's sort of a nickname. You'd have to check google or wikipedia.
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According to Alafair Burke's Facebook page, she graduated from Reed College in 1991. There's no indication on her page of what her political views might be. I didn't notice any political bias in the two Ellie Hatcher books I've read; I haven't read her other series yet.
I think I don't notice the more subtle political biases in books as much as some people do. If I do notice them, they don't bother me much (in either direction), unless the writer is so preachy that the message overwhelms the story. I pass some mysteries and thrillers I've read on to my brother, and he complained that one, by Meg Gardiner, had "liberal stuff" in it. If it did, I either missed it or had forgotten it.
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Babi, I see where others explained. I was having a bad spelling day on the cog.. It just looked wrong to me. The chunnel is in fact the train that goes under the channel. Fun.. and the cog one we took went to Zermatt.. Small, vertical.. trains are so lovely and different. MDH and I loved trains and took them all over the world. I still love them and will probably take the train from Florida to Delaware this fall for my high school reunion. I get a little compartment ( said for two, but oh you woul dhave to squeeze) but for one it is perfect.
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Thank you all for the answers to my question. I get the impression that traveling up a mountain that steep would have me as tense as though I were the 'cog' holding it all in place. :o :)
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Isn't there one of those "cog-type" trains near Pittsburg? Seems as tho i remember reading about it a long time ago..........jean
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Ahh, I love trains too. I'm sure I've seen cog trains on the PBS series on great train journeys.
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I don't know, Jean. I thought there was, but I can't locate any information. We do have the furnicular at Johnstown. Furniculars are different from cogs in that they used cables rather than rack and pinion.
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When I visited my son, and his family in Germany for 2 months, we rented a car, and took the chunnal from Calais, to London. We had to drive onto a train, which was then loaded onto the ferry. We had to remain in our car for the entire trip. It was frightening for me. I am claustrophobic, and the idea that I was contained in a train car, many feet below the channal, was a real challenge. I am glad to have had the experience, now that I am safely home! Doubt that I will ever do it, again.
Sheila
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If you are up for adventure, there is one in Chattanooga.. Whew.. It is vertical and the down is truly scary.. But I am glad I did it.
The one to get to Zermat is not quite that vertical and chugs along. There is also one in Mt. Washington, NH.. Again not particularly scary and fun
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I am amazed, SHEILA. Congratulations on that achievement. I've never been to New Hampshire, but if I do I'll try the Mt. Washington cog. Nothing like new experiences to make
living fun. Well, I suppose that depends on the experience, but you know what I mean. :-\
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The new Elizabeth George, about Inspector Lynley, is a tough read. In his return to the Met pursuing a case we have a woman trying out for his boss' position, open these past eleven months. As with every character in George's magnum opus, she is flawed. Lynley is teaching her the ropes, she is intensely driven by ambition, stress enough to go around twice. Interspersed between segments on the progress of the search for a murder are segments from an official seeming report on three 10-12 yr-olds who pick up a two-yr-old at a shopping mall and take him away. We are all familiar with the real life case in which these events occur. Even so it makes tough reading. There are oblique references to the injuries done to the baby but the emphasis is on the characters of the boys, shown in vivid detail more by what their lives lacked than what their acts left for the autopsy. As has been the case with her other books, George picks me up and carries me along as I vicariously experience the
pain of every day life for the principles. Four point five stars.
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Whoops! it is called This Body of Death http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/elizabeth-george/
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George is an excellant writer. Sometimes too good -- after I finish one of her books, I'm worn out with emotion.
At the opposite end of the scale, I just got the new Stephanie Plum book by Evanovitch. I expect to be worn out with laughing by the time I finish it.
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Lucky you Joan, i should get my call from the library any day now for Evanovich's 16.......such mixed feelings, can't wait for the next one, but know it will be over quickly..............maybe i should try to slow down my reading of Evanovich..........restrict myself to 20 pages a day???? Is that possible?................it's an ADDICTION! ..........LOL..........jean
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I love Elizabeth George, but must be in the perfect mood for her. Her characters are so different in so many ways. Not sure I could handle the two year old subtheme just now.
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Same here. Harm to a child is just too painful. Even in retrospect, the death of a child is
haunting. I just finished re-reading 'Murder on the Orient Express', where the tragedy of a child
murdered is the key to all that happens.
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Thanks for mentioning our Incline Railway in Chattanooga, Steph. John takes visitors on it - I rode up it once, but (along with others in our group) had to have somebody ride down and drive up in a car to get us. ::)
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MaryZ,, I rode up and down on it, but oh me, going down was a really really hard one. Whew.. But the view on top is glorious.
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STEPH, you remind me of the first time we drove up a mountainside.
Going up I was on the outside, with a sheer drop just a couple of feet
from the car. Scary! And my husband thought it was funny edging us a bit closer. Coming down was fine; we were on the inside lane with the solid mountain a comforting bulk beside me.
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Just finished "Holly Blues" by Susan Wittig Albert. It's a China Bayles mystery--very good. I feel like I almost know those characters.
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Babi, I agree going down the mountain is always neat, but going up has always driven me nuts.. We did the California (101?) from San Francisco down to Los Angeles some years ago,, whew.. the view of the Pacific is so spectacular, but the drop off the cliffs and they were working on the road as well. Oh.. even my husband said, he wouldnt want to drive the road at night.
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I don't remember making that drive, though we did live two years in L.A. and two years just
above San Fran. I do remember an airplane flight from SF to LA; one of the roughest plane flights I've ever been on. Gripping my armrests tightly, I remarked to my neighbors on the
flight that, "You know, what's funny is you couldn't pay me to get on a roller coaster."
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Jan Goldstein's The Bride Will Keep Her Name is a roller coaster ride detailing how the bride, seven days before the wedding, is taunted by anonymous emails and texts that her groom is not what heseems to be. Throw in buddies, Jewish Mother, NYC's wealthy sub-culture, art gallery and artists, reporter/groom on the way up, lots of suspense and fun/menace. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/jan-goldstein/
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We have driven North from LA along the coast road many times. The views are indeed spectacular. The train rails are often closer to the edge than the road is.
The scaries mountain road I ever road was in the Sandia mountains in New Mexico. Somehow, we found ourselves on a dirt road going down the mountain after a rainfall. The road was completely mud, and Dick lost steering completely as we went into a skid. There was no guardrail: if we'd skidded toward the edge, I wouldn't be here. Luckily, the skid went the other way, into the side of the mountain.
Something looks after angels and fools (don't ask which I am).
Come to think of it, that was the second scariest. The worst was the Amalfi Drive in Italy. It would have been beautiful if I could have just opened my eyes.
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Did you like "Bride......" Jackie? His other two books All that Matters and Prince of Nantucket are completely different from "Bride....." but i enjoyed them.............jean
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The Jan Goldstein books do sound interesting. Unfortunately, my local library
doesn't have a one. I'll have to check out other nearby libraries. With all these suburban communities cheek by jowl, there are others reasonably close.
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I agree, Steph, that Hiway One along California's coast is beautiful, but I wouldn't ever drive it at night. And one should never try it without a full gas tank, as there is quite a stretch north of San Francisco where none of the little towns have gas stations. We're going to drive it next week to get out of the heat here in the Los Angeles area where it's been 90 degrees and above. (I hate summer)
Marge
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Jackie, my library just informed that The Bride Will Keep . . . is ready for pickup. I'm looking forward to it.
When it comes to narrow mountain roads and/or railroads, I think I'd rather be on the train than to be driving.
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Mabel: I did enjoy Bride! It was exciting, compressing so much action into seven short days. Adding the natural stresses of all the family concerned, well, reminds me of "they put the fun into disfunctional."
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Margifay: I'd forgotten, if I knew, that you're in the LA area. I thought I was the only Seniorlearner there. Luckily, I'm close enough to the ocean in Torrance to escape most of the hot weather.
Reading an Alexander McCall Smith Philosophy Club mystery ("The Lost Art of Gratitude"). I wouldn't recommend them: they're not at all like "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" -- very wordy fussing over (often silly-seeming) philospphical problems. You can barely find the mystery.
I don't know why I like them, but I do.
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My used bookstore didn't have any "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" books available, but they did have several of the Philosophy Club books. After much deliberation, I decided not to get them just yet. Thanks for the input, JoanK. Maybe I'll continue to give them a pass in the future.
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JoanK, my sister-in-law and spouse live in Torrance on the Palos Verdes peninsula - they usually have good (not hot) weather.
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Yes, the weather here is really great (except for the earthquakes and fires, of course).
Pales Verdes is really beautiful: we go to Point Vincente there to watch the migrating whales.
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I love the Philosophy Club books by McCall Smith. I've read them all. Isabel does get a little annoying at times worrying over every little thing, but I do really enjoy the continuing saga.
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I have just read the first five chapters of "Potter's Field". Patricia Cornwell is the author. I like the books she has written, which I have read. Now, I would like to spend the rest of today, finishing it.
BTW, I live in a suburb of Sacramento, CA. However I was born and lived in Long Beach, CA., for the first 14 years of my life. I still miss being near the ocean. I often go to the coast. The water is so much colder up North, that I would never try to swim in it.
Sheila
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Got Sizzling Sixteen - Evanvich's new one - last night, read the first 100 pages, laughed out loud, Lulu cracks me up, i see her as a cross between Whoopie Goldberg and Flip Wilson's "Geraldine." I am getting a little tired of Stephanie wallowing in the Ranger v. Joe Morelli saga, but i can under stand why Evanovich doesn't want to resolve it, both characters add to the stories. ............... started to read another JIll Churchill and realized i'd read it and had not jotted it down in my little book...................jean
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Marjifay and JoanK, I live in the Los Angeles area too, South Pasadena to be specific. The weather has cooled off a little, though I wouldn't say it's actually cool.
I've been enjoying a series of police procedural thrillers by a local author, Dianne Emley, who sets her stories in Pasadena (my hometown and just north of where I live now). I met her at a local mystery bookstore recently and got signed copies of three of her books. The first book in the series is The First Cut. These books are well-written, suspenseful, and very nearly unputdownable. And they have a great sense of place, with wonderful descriptions of the area. They also have well-drawn characters and a little romance. Be warned, though, they do have serial killers in them, which I know some of you don't want to read about.
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Always nice to find a new good author, Joegreyfan. Do all her books feature serial killers? I'd rather an author have a more variety in their plots.
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Argh... the Amalfi road in Italy. I was on a tour bus and it was foggy. I just shut my eyes and muttered.. Then the bus needed to turn around because they had closed the road for some reason. Horrid night, but then the fog cleared the next day and the coast is truly awesome.
Still struggling with three different books. Lost and Found has a widow as the main character and a dog as support.. I can only read a bit at the time. She does react to grief different than I do, but it is still hard to read.
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Thanks to these boards I have two books to put on my TBR -
"Doomsday Book" - Connie Willis (although I think I may have read it, but maybe getting it mixed up with Timeline)
and;
"The First Cut" by Dianne Emley.
Thanks for those.
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"The First Cut" sounds good. Pasadena is an interesting town -- I'd like to learn more about it. I've spent many happy hours in the Huntington Gardens.
And I keep meaning to read "Doomsday Book". A funny book about the Bubonic Plague!?! I loved her "Bellwether".
I never thought I'd say this, but I'm reading a Dracula book: "The Historian". It's about historians doing research on the real Dracula who keep being foiled by people with bites on their necks. I usually avoid that kind of book like the plague: but I got drawn into this one.
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For all you mystery fans:
We're looking forward to three new Wallander (http://www.branaghcompendium.com/wallander.html) episodes with Kenneth Branagh in October on PBS. If you'd like a set of Mankell books (Faceless Killers, The Man Who Smiled, and The Fifth Woman) for only the cost of postage, please post in our PBS discussion (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=1300.160). Limited quantities. First come, first served.
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Did I mention that I read Too Big to Miss by Sue Ann Jaffarian.. Fun mystery.. with some interesting observations on being heavy and men in wheel chairs.
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JoanK, how do you like The Historian? I bought this book for my sister about three years ago. She likes horror stories and was into Ann Rice at the time. She still hasn't read it. The excuse is she doesn't have time to read much.
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JOANK, though Willis does write some funny books, I can't say there's
much humor in "Doomsday Book". It is far too realistic for that. As an historical
novel, though, it really tells it like it was.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
DOOMSDAY BOOK is not what you'd call a funny book. It is, as Babi, says very realistic But I loved the wry, subtle humor of those at the university who sent the girl back to the Middle Ages, especially the thoughts of her professor, Mr. Dunworthy, and the goings on of the American bell ringers there on vacation with their awful music, the poor professor's assistant who has to deal with the Americans who insist on more lavatory paper in spite of the shortage, and much more.
It makes the sadness of the part set in the Middle Ages bearable. I loved the book.
Marj
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Marj: I'd forgotten about the bellringers! Willis can find a way to make life humorous in spite of the rigors of medieval life.
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I haven't been here for a while and I have missed you all. I have a fascinating book to report on. Julie Garwood's "Shadow Dance".
"With her beauty, Smarts and success as a high tech entrepreneur, Jordan Buchanan should be enjoying life to the hilt. Instead she's watching her best friend get hitched, her family make headlines and her brother blazes through his BFI career with partner who scores with every woman he meets. But for Jordan, everything changes when she is told a fantastic story sbout her family's ancient feud, dating back to midieval Scotland. Suddenly, a woman who has spent more quality time with her laptop than any man is caught up in a lethal mystery...."
This a delightful book which is somewhere between a romance and a mystery.
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POPPY: welcome back!! That sounds like a good book --on to Amazon!
I have trouble putting down the historian. But it's not the Dracula info; she really reproduces the feeling of doing historical research, and it takes me ack to my University days in musty libraries. And she manages to make her characters visit all the major cities in Europe, and make you feel that you've been there too.
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"Americans who insist on more lavatory paper in spite of the shortage".
I admit I'm sensative to jokes about Americans and toilet paper. I admit we Yanks have pampered rear ends, but I lived for two years abroad with toilet paper like sandpaper. It's no fun.
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I read Shadow Dance about a decade ago and can't remember the particulars of the story, but do remember that i liked it. I like some of Garwood's books and others not so much.
Sizzling Sixteen has slowed down considerably for me. Altho i still laugh at the characters, the behaviors are getting a little old. I don't know how Evanovich can freshen them up. I think maybe their stories are all told. Guess i'll have to look forward to the movies, altho i'm usually disappointed w/ movies made from books i've read and liked bcs i have a picture in my mind of how the characters look and act and that's not usually the way it happens on the screen.....................jean
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Almost through the new Avery Andrews series book.. Southern lit as it is called. Still a bit staggering around,,but the author is settling into the series in this one. Also have a Kathy Reichs.. a number Bones.. and it seems interesting as well. I like her books, hate the tv show.
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Just finished Reich's "206 Bones" (I think that was the number. I like the books and the TV series (although the gruesome pictures always seem to come on when I'm eating).
I was a little disappointed in "Sizzling Sixteen" too. There didn't seem to be much to it.
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Aha, I am sure you are right about the number..Hush my Mouth is a southern detective series. Avery Andrews is an attorney who has come home to a small town and is practicing law and sort of falling into mysteries. I have read two so far of hers. Interesting and slow paced. Sorry.. Cathy Pickens is the author.
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Susan Wittig Albert has a new series starting: Darling, Alabama, during the depression had a ladies gardening club, The Darling Dahlias, who find a treasure of silver buried under the town's cucumber tree. More later.
Add my name to those on the list of Alafair Burke fans. I've tried both her series, ADA in Portland, OR and a detective in NY City. Loved them both.
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I love Alafairs book and marvel that her Dad named a character (continuing) after her.. She writes quite differently than her Dad.
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I read on Margaret Maron's web site that her new book coming out in 2011 is going to have Judge Deborah Knott meet Sigrid Harald (who was the New York detective in Maron's first series). So many people have asked about Sigrid, I guess she finally decided to bring her back in some way. I really liked that series.
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Steph:"She (Alafair Burke) writes quite differently than her Dad".
I know. I can't read her dad. He just leaves me sad.
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I love James Lee.. He is the only violent author I read, but I have always loved all of his Louisiana books.. But you are right. They make me sad as well.. But they are so true underneath the violence.
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I noticed a poster in the local Borders window the other day that says James Patterson has a new book being released in mid August called The Postcard Killers. The title is intriguing. I've never read Patterson.
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Susan Wittig Albert's newest series is situated in Darling, Alabama, 80 miles north of my hometown, Mobile. The ladies garden club calls itself Dahlias after its founding member Dahlia Blackstrone, who left her home to the group in her will. Everyone who is anyone in this 1930 small town is a member and they share observations from their positions as: librarian, diner owners and telephone operators, beautician, Mayor's wife, wife of the owner of the town bank. etc. Miss Marple would be right at home here. Life is slow-paced this May as the club takes possession of its new clubhouse and neglected showplace garden. A telephone call reporting a prison break, heard by all the party-line subscribers, sets into motion a series of events whic must rely on the Dahlias for solution. Fun, gentle, change of pace. great sense of place (dirt roads).The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree
PS: The cucumber tree is a magnolia (m. acuminata) whose fruit looks like a red cucumber. http://tinyurl.com/cucumbertree
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Mrssherlock, "The Darling Dahlias" sounds really good. Hope my library has a copy.
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The library does have a copy, but I'll have to wait a while. I'm #8 on the reserve list. Albert is a popular author at our library. I've read her latest books in the China Bayles and Beatrix Potter series. Enjoy them both.
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I love the China Bayles series, so will try the Dahlias.. James Patterson seems to have some sort of writing corporation. All of these co authors and putting out book after book in rapid succession. Gave up reading him.. Too much like a pattern.
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My favorite Wittig series, at present, is the Beatrix Potter books. They
seem so true to their setting. Except, of course, animals don't truly talk. The new series sounds good; I'll mention it at my library.
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Lisa Gardner has, up-to-now, flown below my radar and when I started The Third Victim and leasrned that the main focus was a school shooting i was not encouraged to continue to read. That I did complete the book has given me another author to follow (my TBR list is too long to count, no matter how fast i read there's always another book or two to add each time I login to SL). That the locale of the story is my beloved oregon seaside is a definite plus. this is book 2 in a series so I'm ordering book 1 ASAP. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/lisa-gardner/
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I finally gave up on "Potter's Field", by Patricia Cromwell. It was grizily from the beginning. About half way through, it became too technologically for me! So, it is now in my trash.
Think I will check out the "Dalia Darlings". I am looking for an enjoyable mystery series. Not too much gore, and definitely not techno logically challenging. I love my computer, but do not want to know more than how to do a search, and email.
Any suggestions?
Sheila
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This latest Kathy Reichs about 206 bones is a bit on the "Poor Me" theme. The world seems to be against her.. Makes you wonder if she has run out of things to say in bookis and likes her TV series more. It is so different from the books.
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I'm back home, after leaving while my home was tented for termites. Of course, I came home with a mystery: a Victoria Thompson (Murder on Bank Street) that I thought I hadn't read. But I notice the copyright is 2008. I hope I haven't read it. I hate it when I buy a book I've read.
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I'm glad I'm not alone in buying books I already have--or starting to read a book that sounds very familiar--but not knowing for sure if I've read it until I'm far into it!
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Funny you should mention buying books you already have. I am afraid I going to do the same eventually. In fact, I suspect I bought a second copy of The Martian Chronicles. I say I think because I couldn't find the first. I finally found that one, but now my 2nd copy is AWOL.
My sister and I were discussing the problem earlier today. She intends on making an inventory of her books so she can check it before buying. I thought it rather amusing only because she has far fewer books than I. It's sounds like a good idea though.
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I do have lists for certain authors. A whole inventory is something I've thought about but haven't dedicated the time. I too have lots of books. It sure would come in handy. For anyone who does have an inventory, do you have it on a blackberry or similar technology or do you have paper lists?
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I've often thought of cataloging my library but it is simply too daunting a task. I mentioned the idea to my son who thought it would be great and suggested that I catalogued his books too and that if I did that I should include my other son's library as well. Then he added the rider that cross referencing the three collections would be handy as we'd then have a comprehensive data base. H'mmm
I think I'd rather spend the time reading a few good books instead!
I did catalogue our music collection CDs DVDs and the old black vinyls and have found that to be invaluable. While I was doing that I found duplicate copies of quite a few items - same music, same performers which was somewhat annoying. I undertook to list the music after my son was burgled and lost all his CDs - I saw then how long he spent trying to recall exactly what had been stolen for the insurance claim. It does take time but once it's done ....
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There are certain authors that I have troubles deciding if I have read or missed any of the books in a series. Others are so distinctive, that I know. My problem is my TBR pile is huge.. and I have bought a second one of those at some garage sale or used book sale. I simply cannot resist that sort of stuff. May I can catalog my TBR pile on the new IPAD. Will have to investigate
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The TBR pile will at least be much easier than trying to inventory all your hundreds of books, STEPH. I wouldn't even attempt it. I do have one advantage, tho'. My library will, on request, keep a listing of all books checked out by their patrons. If I'm not sure whether I've read
a book or not, they can at least check my list. If I've checked it out
of that library before it will be on that list, at least.
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RE James Patterson
This is what I read he said when asked that question...He writes the "outline" for the book and then passes it on to another author to write the whole book. He does have a group of authors he works with.
Personally I always felt that he wasn't really writing all these books that keep comng out one after the other. I stopped spending money on those books awhile ago. I just felt he really wasn't doing the writing and it looks like that's true. They're selling because his name is on top and I bet he's getting the lions share of the proceeds.
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When my dgt got a new Blackberry at work, i inherited her Palm Pilot. The only thing I have on it after about 5 yrs is "books read" by author and "books to read" by category. (the best thing is i can download a list of a series of the authors and than read the books in sequence.) I don't buy many fiction books, i rely on my library for those and i had had the experience of starting a book and thinking "uummm, this sounds familiar." So, i take the Palm to the library and check each book of an author i know i've read to see if i've read that book...................now, the curious think is I recently stopped at the library and didn't have the PP w/ me. I picked up Almost Paradise by Susan Issacs and started reading it that evening, nothing sounded familiar..................i later checked my "books read" and discovered i had it on my "read" list! I read the whole book - maybe, again :P - and didn't remember one bit of the story.................. ;D ;D ;D ...........what a switch of an idea!.......................
Sheila - I don't know what you may have already read, but the Eliot Roosevelt mysteries are not gory, also Susan Albert, Diane Davidson, Jill Churchill, Carolyn Hart, Ann Ross's "Miss Julia" series and some of Linda Howard's books are mysteries and not gory. I guess all of these authors would be considered "cozy mysteries." I'm not sure what the exact definition of cm's is..........................jean
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Thanks for the comment about Patterson, Jeriron. To his credit, though, he shares his by line with his collaborators. There seem to be a lot of authors that do this kind of thing now. Even Arthur C. Clarke started sharing his writings in his later years. When I first saw someone else's name included on an ACC book, I thought "What the heck is THIS nonsense". Well, I guess that is better than finding out that there never was a Caroline Keene. The Nancy Drew Mysteries that I loved as a child were all written by syndicate writers, Mildred Wirt being the first.
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"I mentioned the idea to my son who thought it would be great and suggested that I catalogued his books too and that if I did that I should include my other son's library as well. Then he added the rider that cross referencing the three collections would be handy as we'd then have a comprehensive data base."
That sounds like the sort of thing my daughter would suggest that I do. Yeah, right!
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The exact definition of a "cozy mystery"? A great question! I googled it, and here is the definition I found:
2) The Cozy. "A cozy mystery is a genre of story that supposes a benign universe. The murders are unsettling for the reader and characters, but as soon as the killer is found, everyone can get back to a decent and pleasant life. Politics and social change are not part of the plot. The story is a good, cozy dream, with just enough bad thrown in to make it interesting. Cozies usually involve a domestic crime, such as killing a relative for his or her money rather than shooting strangers. Often the mystery is solved by a gifted amateur who calls the suspects into the room and after a clever explanation, points to the guilty person. There is no graphic violence nor four-letter words. Death of the victim is usually instantaneous and the murder weapon is often a blunt instrument such as a candlestick or fireplace poker. Poison is sometimes used, but the victim never endures prolonged suffering. Cozies often take place in country houses or small towns and the characters just want to return to the simplicity, sanity and serenity of their former lives." ("Death on the Web: Articles Page: the Cozy Mystery" at http://personal.www.umich.edu/~kschwart/death/articles/cozy.html on June 16, 2003)
Do you all agree with this definition?
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Pretty much nails that one! However, mostly the "body" is found by someone, after the fact and we are not subjected to the actual "murther".
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Aha! Colonel Mustard in the library with a candlestick!
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Gee, I loved playing that game - - Clue. Used to play with my nieces and nephew on "game night". I was eldest by a couple of years, but basically they were of an age with me, and we had more fun! Almost every weekend would be a game night, where we would stay up all hours and play: Clue, Monopoly, Rook, Old Maid, etc. We'd always start Monopoly last because then we could stay up till the "wee hours" until that game was finished!
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I've never played Clue, but I sure do like the movie.
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Thanks for checking on the definition, Joan........they nailed it, altho in the recent ones the suspects don't get "called into the room" so much.........jean
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I loved the old Nero Wolfe series since the suspects were always gathered in his office.. Great fun and Archie always made me laugh.
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And Nero Wolfe is another one that I don't remember ever actually
'seeing' a murder take place. I could be wrong about that, but it seems
to me the crime is always brought to our attention by a visitor to Nero
Wolfe's office. Or perhaps, a letter. Like the old Greek tragedies, all
the rough stuff takes place off-stage and a messenger comes to announce it.
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I liked the Nero Wolfe series too. I like Timothy Hutton in the Wolfe series, but not the current Leverage series. I also liked his Dad, Jim Hutton, in Ellery Queen. I sure can see the resemblance.
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That definition of 'cozy mysteries' seems to fit Agatha Christie to a 'T'
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The only thing missing from the definition IMO is the role of continuing characters in "cozies". (Almost) always, in addition to the detective, there are other characters that continue through the books of the series. The reader gets to know and care about them, and reading a cozy can be like dropping in on a group of old friends to find out how they are doing. This keeps us reading the new cozies even if the book decrease in quality. I'll bet you can all think of examples.
In a few cases, the author amasses too many continuing characters, and has to spend half of the book catching up with how they are doing. I've picked up such a book in the middle of the series, and found it almost unreadable.
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I'm back after a week without my computer, while it was in the Apple repair shop. Seemed like a very long week!
Mrssherlock, you mentioned Lisa Gardner. I recently read my first book by her, The Neighbor (saw it at the supermarket), and now I'm a fan.
Just finished Forbidden Fruit by Kerry Greenwood, fifth in her series starring Melbourne baker Corinna Chapman. It's set during Christmastime, which of course is a summer holiday in Australia. I think this is the best in the series so far. I really enjoy her Phryne Fisher series, but I think I like Corinna even better! Lots of delicious food references in this series, sure to stimulate your appetite!
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I've often wondered how Christmas feels as a summer holiday. I understand a dip in the pool is considered part of the celebration.
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Joegrey: I like the bakery stories better, too.
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I've never read a book by Dean Koontz but I see that he has a series based on Frankenstein (the doctor lives!). Does anyone have an opinion of his books or that series? Since we've just read Frankenstein together here on SeniorLearn, I've become addicted and am watching films and looking for books adapted from Mary Shelley's stories.
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Dean Koontz has a series about old codgers who right wrongs. They call themselves The Camel Club; I greatly enjoy these. His Odd Thomas series is off-beat and interesting, also, but I haven't read his Frankenstein series. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/dean-r-koontz/
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Thanks very much, Jackie, for the recommendation and link.
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Careful with Koontz. He also writes horror.
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Yes, indeed. I was surprised...and pleased...to discover his Odd Thomas series. Those I do
read.
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Sorry to correct...The Camel Club is by David Baldacci.
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I've often wondered how Christmas feels as a summer holiday. I understand a dip in the pool is considered part of the celebration.
JoanK -It's almost obligatory on my side of the country. Not so sure about Melbourne where they can have 4 seasons in 24 hours and often do.
Joegreyfan - Haven't read Kerry Greenwood - will look for Forbidden Fruit - you make it sound delicious. Greenwood writes in several genres and is well known for her children's and young adult books. She also does historical - very versatile but then she's an Aussie - like me.
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Gum; Kerry Greenwood's series about Corinna Chapman, baker extraodinairre, begins with Earthy Delights. I recommend that you read them in order. Characters are introduced in one book and may appear later in another. She carefully sets the scene incrementally through the series.
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My face to face mystery club discussed "The Last Child" by John Hart last night. I was the only one who liked it. One said that it contained every cliche of the "missing child genre." I didn't even know there WAS such a genre. Usually I avoid books where the victem is a child --- too close to the bone for me. But this one pulled me along.
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A Summer Xmas would indeed seem strange to those in the Northern Hemisphere. It gets very hot in Perth, where Gum lives and here, in Brisbane, where I live. When one goes for a "dip" in the pool in Australia during the day, one may need to wear heavy protection, eg sunscreen SPF15 to 30; a lycra bodysuit; a large hat; sunglasses and this is actually IN the pool. The best time to have a dip is at night. I remember a dinner at my daughter's house where she; her husband; I and my two grandsons spent at least three hours chatting in the pool. The water is soft and soothing like silk in the evening.
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Living in Florida, there have been Christmases where we went for a dip in the pool.. Not so much the older generation, but the young grandchildren love the idea.
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ROSE, that sounds like a lovely evening, ..but how did you all avoid coming out of the pool looking like prunes?
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Mrs Sherlock: Thanks for the tip on Kerry Greenwood - I'll definitely start with the first in the series and take it from there.
I don't read mystery novels much these days but really feel like one or two at the moment so I'm here looking for good ideas.
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In the latest offering from Beverly Connor, Diane Fallon, PhD, Museum Director, Forensic Archaeologist, finds herself on the s--t list of the sheriff in a neighboring county - he forbids her entry to "his county" on threat of jail after she stumbles on a double murder while fleeing from a wild who attacked her when her car was hit by a falling tree (containing a skeleton) during a wild thunder and lightening rain storm. Whew! This story kept my daughter up all night and I found it equally compelling. I do like Fallon's colleagues whose characters add spice to her work day. The Rosewood Museum is one I would love to spend several days visiting. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/beverly-connor/night-killer.htm
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You talked me into it. I ordered the first ofthe Fallon books from Amazon.
I'm currently reading a Reichs book about forensic anthropologist Temperence Brennen (I admit to being an addict of the series "Bones" on TV, based on her books.
This book, "Cross Bones" takes place partly in Israel, and gives me a chance to review my very rusty Hebrew. It involves a set of bones discovered at Masada, and thought by some to be the bones of Jesus. Shades of the DaVinci Code: I think she should have stuck closer to home.
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Gumtree, a mystery writer you might enjoy is P. D. James--not for when you want really light stuff though. Her books vary wildly in quality. Three that I like a lot are "Devices and Desires", "A Taste for Death", and "An Unsuitable Job for a Woman". Some of her later books are very good too, but some aren't, and it's probably best to start earlier.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/j/p-d-james/ (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/j/p-d-james/)
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I love PD James...Which ones did you not like PatH?...joangrimes
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Hi Joan - Haven't seen you for a while. Hope you are feeling fine.
Babi - As long as I am cool I don't care if I look like a prune. :)
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Joan
Grimes.. Welcome back. I missed you.. You always hang in there and read as much as possible.
Hmm. detective.. You might try Janet Evanovich is you want a laugh. Start with the first in the series.. which has One in the title.
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a double murder while fleeing from a wild who attacked her when her car was hit by a falling tree (containing a skeleton) during a wild thunder and lightening rain storm.
Miss Connor doesn't leave out anything, does she, JACKIE. That one
seems a little over the top. What wild thing was she fleeing from?
ROSE, I think you're real cool....even as a prune. ;D
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Babi: She was fleeing from the home of a couple she had had dinner with. After the accident with the tree and the pursuit by the wild man, she made her way back through the forest, dodging rain and lightening, to her dinner hosts' home to use their phone, cell phones not working there. She stumbled in out of the storm and found them sitting at the dinner table, in their night clothes, with their throats cut. She fled, not knowing if the killer(s) were still there. It sounds extreme but Connor writes it so well that it doesn't violate one's logic since the action flows so inevitably from event to event.
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JoanK, re: John Hart’s The Last Child – is that the one that recently won the Edgar award – for 2009 or 2010? My f2f group will read his Down River for our October discussion. I’ve not read any of his, but understand that he has won a few awards.
While you are all talking bones, this one is true – in one of the online newspapers yesterday – Someone was critizizing authorities in Japan for not keeping its “oldest person” lists up to date. Not only can they not find the 113 year-old woman who is currently the oldest, the, mummified body of another elderly man was found in his house -- yesterday. He had been dead for 30 years. No doubt this will spark a mystery sometime down the road.
Oldest Man (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/tokyos-oldest-man-had-been-dead-30-years/story-e6frg6so-1225899210820)
P.D. James -- one of my favorites, especially her Original Sin ? – the one about the publishing house.
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I like P.D. James, but I have to be in the exact right mood for her.. Same for Elizabeth George.. They sort of immerse you in the feel of England..So does Minette Walters.. A favorite of mine.
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Beverly Connor must be good if she can handle all that and make it work, JACKIE. I'll give her a try.
Minette Walters wrote some books I thought were great, but also some I thought rather uninspired. Maybe it is a matter of being in the
right mood.
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GUMTREE: what you read might depend on what kind of thing you're in the mood for. Many of the suggestions given you are "psychologicals" the most serious and darkest of the mysteries (P.D. James, Elizabeth George, Minette Walters). Well written, but be prepared to suffer!!
There are also the lighter "cozies" (Agatha Christie), the "tough guys" (Dashell Hamitt-- think Humphrey Bogart in a bar with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, some of them almost unreadable now) and the more modern "tough gals" (Sue Grafton). Spoofs of "tough gals (Evanovitch).The legal beagles (lawyers and courtrooms-- try Lisa Scotteline "Everywhere that Mary Went").
My preference for women writers and detectives is showing, I find it easier to relate to them.
I like mysteries that tell me about people and places I would never meet otherwise. Hillerman's stories of the Navahoe. Sue Henry "Murder on the Iditerod Trail" about an iditerod racer. The park ranger who writes about our national parks (Senior moment -- what's her name?). And on and on.
I shouldn't have started this.
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I picked up the new Lisa Scotteline, (Think Twice) and read it all night -- something I never do. Lacks the historic interest of her latest ones, but carries you along. If you don't know her "Legal Beagles", give them a try.
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Nevada Barr writes the Anna Pigeon novels set in various locations in the National Park systems. I enjoy them.
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as an avid NPR listener i thought I was keeping up with the books that are reviewed but this item slipped past me somehow; http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128718927&ft=1&f=1032#results
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Ialso tend to be biased and prefer women writers.. A powerful woman writer who is interesting is Dana Stabenow. She lives in Alaska and all of her books ( except a few sci fi) are based there. Interesting take for a lower 48er.
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An interesting link, Jackie, I just forwarded it to my f2f group.
My f2f group just finished Dark Places by Linda Ladd, a Southest Missouri author. For someone who has written 23 novels there has not been much written about her. She wrote one of our group that she was changing publishers because her current one did not prmote her. I was not particularly thrilled with the book -- very grissly and I don't like reading about purely evil sociopaths, if that's the correct word. Her series detective is Claire Morgan. I may give her another chance, but there are too many more highly recommended books to read right now. Has anyone heard of her?
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JoanK: Thanks for suggestions. I'm really not reading much at all at the moment - have an eye problem so am limited until I get the all clear. I drifted away from mysteries quite a few years ago - One author I used to read was Ruth Rendell - Inspector Wexford mysteries etc. Saw an article about her only last week - She's now an octagenarian and has just published a new novel - still looks smart as paint etc. G'rrr She also writes as Barbara Vine. I guess I lean toward the British stuff.
I'm often amazed at how much everyone here seems to read. A new book every day while I usually favour lo...ong books that might take a week to get thru - and have more than one going at any one time.... I'm rambling again.
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GUM: that's one trouble with mysteries, they are quick reads, so you have to keep reading more -- more. It's like eating potato chips.
I use mysteries as the snacks between meals of more serious reading.
I like Ruth Rendell also. I'm amazed she's still writing!
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Steph: I like Stabenow, too. Ever since I started watching Deadliest Catch on cable, about Alaskan crab fishers, I've been looking for my copy of the mystery Stabanow wrote years ago about crab fishers. Everything I see on TV was in that book (with a murderer thrown in). But I can't remember the title.
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MargV posted an interview with PD James in Fiction:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/video/2010/aug/03/pd-james-crime (http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/video/2010/aug/03/pd-james-crime)
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JoanK: Stabenow's Dead in the Water http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/dana-stabenow/dead-in-water.htm is about Kate on a fishing boat.
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That's It! Thanks.
The results of our poll are out. The first book to be discussed is Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. Check out the proposed discussion here:
http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=1585.0 (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=1585.0)
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I Really like Ruth Rendell...joangrimes
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Hey, JoanG, How is the rehab going? It's so nice to see your posts, you've been absent for a while.
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As a Lurker and avid reader of 'Murder, mayhem, blood and guts I regularly read the Mystery Corner and have widened my list of favourite authors. Before I joined Seniornet and then Seniorlearn I only read European writers but you have broadened my reading to include America. I now love (my favourite) Sue Grafton, Michael Connelly, Lisa Scottolina, and many more. On the recommendation of MrsSherlock I have now purchased three Susan Wittig Albert books and have started to read 'Rosemary Remembered' It reminds me a bit of Diane Mott Davidson, without the snow, but it is my first book about Texas and I am looking forward to learning more, as I learned so much about Colorado from Diane, California from Sue, and Boston from Lisa.
I enjoy all the chat about mystery books.
Nancy
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Hi Nancy, it's good to see you here. Another American mystery writer you might enjoy is an oldie, but goody -- Jane Langton. Her main character (and sleuth) is a Harvard professor and former policeman, Homer Kelly.
And then a young, "serious" writer of some good mysteries is "our" Matthew Pearl. I say "our" because he has participated in our discussions of his books, the latest one being The Last Dickens.
And mystery writer Neveda Barr will acquaint you will many of our National Parks.
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Women write better crime novels IMO. There is less focus on the violence of the crime, more on the natures of the characters, including the victim(s). Jane Haddam was my favorite for a few years. her series featured Gregor Demarkian, retired FBI agent who now resides in his old neighborhood, the colorful Armenian section of Philadelphia. He is not tied down, however, as he is called upon for consulting, seminars, visits to old friends. etc., so he gets around. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/jane-haddam/
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NANCY: WELCOME, WELCOME! Yes, we learn so much, from the books and each other. I always say that everything I know, I know from reading mystery stories.
PEDLIN: I love Jane Langton! I hesitate to recommend her, her writing is so unique, some people can't relate to it. Every book is based on either a piece of music, a work of art, or a classic piece of literature, and the plot follows the ups and downs of it.
I recommended "Murder at the Gardiner" to my f2f mystery group, and they thought it was dated. If it is, then I'M dated!
That one is interesting because it deals with an art theft at the Gardiner Museum in Boston. After the book was published, there was a real art theft there, and the works (including a Rembrandt) have never been recovereed.
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Fresh Air's Maureen Corrigenda commentary on the popularity if Stag Larsson's Millennium Series (The Girl Who . . ) reminded me of the series about Swedish policeman Martin Beck, written by the husband-and-wife team of Maj Stowall and Per Wahloo, I read many years ago. Like Larsson they wrote about crime in Sweden to dramatize its social stresses. Walter Matthau starred in the movie, "The Laughing Policeman", a Martin Beck story. Corrigan's final comment suddenly makes sense of my near obsessive dedication to crime novels:
Whatever you ultimately think of the politics of Larsson's Millennium series, its astounding popularity is a testament to the power of literature — high and low — to airlift us readers out of our hemmed-in worldviews.
Emphasis added.
For the entirety of her commentary see: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129081110
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I like the Barbara Vine mysteries. Odd type things.. But interesting. I read a bit of everything. Generally have two or three books going,plus a tape or cd..
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Presently reading Haunted Ground by Erin Hart. Set in Ireland, modern day, but dealing with the peat bogs and what interesting and horrid things can be found there--well preserved, if human! The story is a bit of history/mystery/romance/crime scene, archaeology...something for everyone. Don't remember where this title was recommended, but it may have been here on Sr.Learn, and if so, thanks.
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Thank you Tomereader1 for that recommendation. One of my my favourite kinds of fiction.
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Archeology.. I love to learn about things while I am reading about a crime. So neat.
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I'm currently reading "Gentlemen and Players", which was recommended here, I believe. The opening didn't really grab me, but
after getting into it I'm enjoying it. The two narrators are interesting;
you get two viewpoints, one of whom is presumably going to commit
murder.
I do wonder if the author is amusing himself at our expense, tho'. Does it seem too much that the newest faculty members at St. Oswald's are named Meek, Keane, Light, and Easy?
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Jackie, thanks for the link to NPR Swedish Mystery article. I’ve filed that away in my Larsson folder as I’m co-leading Dragon Tatoo in December for my f2f group. Good background info there.
Babi, good eye. I’ve read Gentlemen and Players twice and just never really picked up on those names. I remember Meek, but just never put all those names together. Too busy looking for the dirty words in Latin, I guess. I thought it was a good read, but you’re right, it does take a little getting into.
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At my library yesterday, i noticed that the mystery section is getting longer and longer - a specialization of the cliche "so many mysteries, so little time." I couldn't read them all if i lived to be 100....lol.
When i mentioned it to the librarian she said mysteries were the biggest circulation of the library. I think that's a new trend in the country, both the writing of and the reading of mysteries. Wonder what brought that about, do you suppose it was the good mysteries on tv? Or maybe that fact that women started writing them and changed the genre to more of the cozy mystery and therefore more woman are reading them? Might be a good topic for our next "Talking Heads" discussion.........jean
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Mabel: good question.
Women as mystery writers are interesting. Many of the early popular English mystery writers were women (Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Margorie Allingham -- the first two still popular). But the field was soon dominated by men, especially the "tough guys".
Then, I gree with you that women entered more and more into the field, although I don't have stats to back that up. Now, both are represented. I'd like to see statistics - (I've done research on "occupations that change gender composition", so you got me on my hobby horse).
I would have bet that there are more women than men. But my daughter showed me her new IPad. I looked for mystery books, and they listed them by "popularity". Nine of the first ten were by men (only Agatha Christie made the list). It may be that there are more women writers, but the men sell more books.
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Joan - I think you are probably right about writers v popularity. At least, my quick scrutiny of the mystery shelves at my library would say so.
Tell us more about your research, that's sounds fascinating. Give us some examples.........jean
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I was actually studying primarily how new technology is often used to introduce a new work force (for example women). The classical example is the entry of women into clerical work by creating a new occupation when the typewriter was introduced, thus bypassing the resistance of the (formerly all male) clerks.("A Woman's Place is at the Typewriter"). I was trying (in the 70s) to see how the increasing computerization would affect women's opportunities in the labor market.
Obviously our mystery story writers don't fit that pattern. As you pointed out, women writers (often) appeal to a new market rather than competing directly with male writers.
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My husband likes most of the female mystery writers. He doesn't particularly like the blood-and-gore stuff, and won't read the psychopathic serial killer stuff. He does tend to like the high-tech stuff, though, which leaves me cold.
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One aspect of the mystery phenomenon is that there is always an answer to the question of who/why/how/when. There is so much uncertainty today that it is comforting to know that there is safety in reading a mystery. Perhaps that is why I don't read non-fiction much, except for science, technology and poetry. And women writers speak our language in ways that the old macho, testosterone laden noir shoot-em-ups never could. When the character is a woman we are already on the same page with her, knowing her feelings, feeling her stresses, moaning her limitations either self-imposed or as the result of the failed expectations of others. Right now I'm reading The First Cut by Dianne Emley. It has more violence than the usual mystery written by a woman but I keep reading because the female protagonist is so vulnerable: single mom, female detective, victim of a violent attack who has just returned to work for the Pasadena Police Department, male colleagues who are threatened by her gender and competence. Cliche followed by cliche, but I can jump right into her mind and feel all her fears and anxieties. She has a good relationship with her daughter but her mother and grandmother can't give up trying "to help" her. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/e/dianne-emley/first-cut.htm Whatever woes she must endure i can feel confident that she will overcome the obstacles in her life. Wish I could say the same.
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I agree that I read mostly female writers because in mysteries, I tend to feel comfortable with the main character. There are male writers that I adore as well.. Michael Connelly, John Sandford..James Lee Burke,,etc.
I love what you did.. Mary.. The changing of jobs is interestingl I had been reading somewhere recently that more females than male are graduating from law school now..
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Joan - my readings told me that women got to be "typewriters" because the company sent them out as salespersons to demonstrate the machine - they made more sales then men ......was that your understanding? Sometimes sexism works for us......lol......or it did initially by opening up a whole new category of work. No more having to just work in factories or stand on their feet all day as sales persons in dept stores .....My students were always surprised to learn that men did all the work in offices previous to that time...............jean
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A dear friend of mine sent me a link this morning, asking had any of my "book buddies" (referring to this group) heard of, read or mentioned this fellow. Let me know!
http://www.craigallenjohnson.com
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The name of the author sounds vaguely familiar, but I've never read him. How about the rest of you?
Jackie: "One aspect of the mystery phenomenon is that there is always an answer to the question of who/why/how/when. There is so much uncertainty today that it is comforting to know that there is safety in reading a mystery".
That's an excellant point. There's a certain tidiness to them. There is uncertainty, but it is resolved.
There is also a sense of justice in the mystery story "world". Bad things happen, but at least there is justice at the end.
There are a few authors who don't punish the muderers. Ian Pears has jolly murderers running around as continuing characters: thats why I won't read him: he violates that sense of justice that, to me, is part of the genre.
And of course there is the "logical puzzle" aspect of them. I hate it when there is no detecting: at the end, the muderer just pops up and says "It was me and I'm going to kill you hah hah"
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I've just realized it's much too long since I last posted! So here's the mysteries I've been reading lately:
I've just discovered Tess Gerritsen's Jane Rizzoli-Maura Isles series. She's an excellent writer, and the one book I've read so far, The Apprentice (second in the series), was very nearly unputdownable. Be warned, there's a lot of grisly detail about corpses and autopsies (much like in Val McDermid's thrillers). When I finished it, I immediately ordered the first book, The Surgeon, and three more of them. (I haven't seen the TV series based on this series; like most shows I want to see, it's on too late for me!).
Those of you who prefer cozies might enjoy two new paperback originals, both with irresistibly attractive cover art: Murder Past Due by Miranda James (real name Dean James), a Southern whodunit that features a Maine coon cat named Diesel (because of his loud purr) and a librarian, and Chapter & Hearse by Lorna Barrett, fourth in the "Booktown Mystery" series, which stars a mystery-bookstore owner who has a cat named Miss Marple.
If you like thrillers, there's a wonderful Canadian writer named Rick Mofina, who is not nearly as well known as he should be. I just finished his If Angels Fall, which involves a serial kidnapper with religious mania. Like the one other book of his I've read (Vengeance Road), this one was very hard to stop reading, and I'm glad to find out there are still nine of his books I haven't read yet!
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haven't been on for quite a while - got involved in some other forums but i miss this one as i read many mysteries. i think i will check with you guys first from now on. i think i got kind of disappointed as i kept lists of books you all recommended and never could find them.
however, i just want to say that many of you spoke about Susan Wittig Albert's books. i have read all of her China Bayles and some of the Potter ones. waiting for the new series. I have learned so much about herbs and their uses. and get her newsletter on PC. also am a fan of hers on Facebook. she lists her web site at the end of her books. she it all out - I think y ou will be very interested.
also, i like (I guess you would call them cozies) books covering Knitting Clubs in knitting stores, quilting, cooking, cleaning lady etc. these all are hobbies most of us can relate too and i have learned so much from them. they contain a mystery but you also learn about hobbies you have never experienced. not explaining this very well but i think you understand what I am trying to say.let me know what you think?
JO
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Hi Johanz - Does that nz in your name mean that you are a Kiwi?
joegreyfan - I, too am an admirer of Tess Gerritsen. I just took a look at her website and there will be a TV series based on her books coming out soon. Probably not in Australia, though. In a similar vein (a bad pun there)you may also like Mo Hayder. Her books are a little "out of the ordinary" shall we say. Also probably my favourite author of this genre is John Connolly. He is Irish but writes about the southern states of US. Not for everybody, quite gory, but I enjoy his writing. His main character is Charlie Bird, retired detective. Don't confuse Connolly with the Connelly of "The Poet". JC also wrote a sort of fairy tale called "The Book of Lost Things". An excellent book imo. Although skip the part about Snow White, it lets down the whole story.
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At home, I have been reading The Lost Things book.. Excellent. Did not bring it with me fo a week of classes since I did not want to concentrate at night.. Good book though.
Never heard of the other author.
Tess Gerritsen.. Hmm. I thought she only wrote medical mysteries. Will have to check out the team thing. I see the promos for the tv series. I like Angie Harmon, but like some others too late for this early bird.
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I wasn't aware that the tv show Rizzoli and Isles was from a book series. I like the show very much, but i think that's partially because i love Angie Harmon and i especially like her in this show, the writers seem to write her behavior characteristics into her script - or whoever was doing the casting did an excellent job.
My library has about a dozen of TG's books listed, like i need a dozen more books on my TBR list.........aaarrgghhh, but i will put them on there..................jean
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The satellite TV service subscribe to supplies a Digital Video Recorder which has lots of storage room (200 hours) for recording those late shows. While it is recording one program it can also record one other or one can watch another channel. If one wants to see something other than what is being recorded one can watch a DVD instead. Every week I watch many of my favorite shows in the morning at breakfast or afternoon as I lunch. If I miss a recording time on PBS there are usually alternate showings, like 3AM, which can be programmed in advance. Another feature takes advantage of the electronic ID info so that I can schedule every episode of first run showings, I use this for NOVA, Nature, etc. Since one member of my household is a sports fan, (you'd be surprised how many hours of the day can be filled with sports!) I don't have to miss out on my favorites; watching reruns of "Bones" every day at 4 PM has become a tradition here. Additionally I can knit while viewing/listening.
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HI, JOHANZ -- we've missed you. I'm with you, I love to read mysteries where I learn about things or places that I wouldn't experience otherwise. I often say that everything I know, I know from reading mysteries.
JOEL: I had no idea that Rizzoli and Isles was based on books. I watch it (along with "the Closer" that precedes it). I watch Bones every day, too.
It's too easy to click on the "Amazon" sign above and order a book. Just ordered the first Rizzoli book (The Sugeon).
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It's nice to order from Amazon, especially if you do so from this site so we get credit for it. (Shhh, said in a whisper...don't forget to checkout Thriftbooks.com especially for older books, very very inexpensive for most and free shipping.
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How do you order books at Amazon thru this group?
One of my favorite groups for mysteries is the Yahoo group, 4 Mystery Addicts. They don't read many cozies tho' (which is one of the reasons I like them.)
Marj
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At the top of this discussion page (or at the bottom right below Post, Preview, Spell Check) Click on the Gold Amazon.com logo. The top of the discussion page, the logo is right below the "News" section. That should do it.
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JOAN & JACKIE, sci/fi offers me a similar comfort. They basically offer us
the good guys vs. the bad guys, and though the good guys suffer losses, they do win. It's a comfort when it seems that in real life the bad guys succeed all too often.
"like most shows I want to see, it's on too late for me!)."
JOEGREYFAN, don't you have recording capability? It's such a convenience. You record whatever you want to see, and then watch it whenever you please.
I believe I have read a book featuring a cat named 'Diesel', but I can't remember the title or author. sigh...Love 'em and leave 'em, that's me. (No cracks about that last line!)
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;D
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Babi - reminds me of another favourite expression. Keep 'em keen. Stay mean Ah! We are such vixens. (I wish!)
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Hi everyone - I have been checking my library catalogue for some of the books you have recommended.
Only problem is that I see Nevada Barr is quite prolific. Can you recommend one of her books that I should start with? Thanks.
I am looking forward to reading Ursula Le Guin and my library has plenty of her books. A new experience for me. My ex loved her.
"Haunted Ground" by Erin Hart is only in Large Print. Oh well! I will get in practice.
Couldn't find "If Angels Fall" by Rick Mofina. I shall stay on the trail of that one.
Michael Grant's "Readings in Classical Historians" does not show. I think it may be under another title. Does anyone know that book's ISBN?
Unfortunately, no Sigrid Undset. ???
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I'd recommend you start with Nevada Barr's first one - the one set in Mesa Verde. Her character does progress and change over time, so, although the stories are "free standing", some of the stuff might make more sense when read in order. Enjoy!
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Hi Mary Thanks for that info on Nevada Barr. That has to be a nom de plume, but I love that name.
You mention "Mesa Verde" Mary. Is that the title of the book you are recommending?
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Roshanarose: Looks like we're both chasing the same books.
My local libraries don't have Sigrid Undset either -however WA State Reference Library has Kristin Lavransdattar but the trouble is that it's in Polish ... ??
Reading in Classical Historians doesn't show up either although they have other works by Michael Grant.
The good news for me is that the University has Undset and also something by Michael Grant titled The Ancient Historians which may be what we're looking for. Publisher Weidenfeld and Nicholson 1970 ISBN 0297000802.
So, eventually I'll probably borrow them from Uni though it may be some time - real reading is not an option for me at present as although my eye problem has improved dramatically it's still a problem. To read SLearn I have the zoom way up and can only manage that for short periods.
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ROSE, here's the ISBN # for Michael Grant's "Readings in the Classical Historians". 0-684-19245-4
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Hmm, that is why I h ave netflix.. I am watching all of the later night tv shows, I have been missing. Great fun.
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Here's a web site that you can type in the name of the author and the series will come up in order.
http://www.fictfact.com/
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Thanks, Jeri. And here's Barr's site . http://www.nevadabarr.com/
And now that I look at it, The Mark of the Cat is the first one - set at Guadalupe Mountain Nat'l Park. :-[
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I agree w/ Mary about starting at the beginning of Barr's series, but i'd also say if you have a favorite national park, or live near one that you have some knowledge about, I would say read the book about that one also. When i can "see" the environment that an author is talking about, that always makes it more fun for me to read and any of Barr's books are worth reading...................jean
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That's one reason we like Barr's books - we've been to most of the parks she uses as locales.
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"Fantastic Fiction" and "Stop you're killing Me" will also give you the authors books in order. Let us know how you like Navada Barr, Rose.
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Gumtree and Babi - Thanks so much for that information. Gumtree - my eyes are giving me lots of trouble as well. Symptoms: Sore, red and watery when I first get out of bed in the morning, mainly the left one but the right is also giving me problems. I would just like new eyes. I think the ones I have are just worn out.
jeriron, maryz and JoanK - Thanks also to you for your help. I will keep you posted on my progress re Nevada's first book "The Mark of the Cat". My cat thinks she is a cougar - all she has to do is look in the mirror and see that in reality she is a very pretty, fluffy, grey and white fluffball with a cute sagging fluffy belly and short legs. Oh well, cats should be allowed their dreams too.
Unfortunately, I am not near the locales you enjoy. In fact I couldn't be further away. However, a good book should take me there.
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Where are you? I'll bet there are beautiful places there, too.
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Gumtree - my eyes are giving me lots of trouble as well. Symptoms: Sore, red and watery when I first get out of bed in the morning, mainly the left one but the right is also giving me problems. I would just like new eyes. I think the ones I have are just worn out.
Unfortunately, I am not near the locales you enjoy. In fact I couldn't be further away. However, a good book should take me there.
Roshanarose Have you seen someone about your eyes? It may only take a few drops or ointment to clear the trouble up. My problem was an infection and my defective autoimmune system kicked in and was intent on killing me and not the infection. - I was in big trouble but things are improving daily now.
As for your last remark - you could be further away from our friends in the states - you could be here in WA ;D Seriously though, I love to read about places I will never visit - if the author is good enough they can really bring the locale to life.
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I love reading about specific locals.. I h ave several favorite Canadian authors and they make the snow and cold soo real.. But I live in Florida, thank heaven.
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Too real, sometimes, STEPH. I can't read one of those 'ice and snow'
book in cold weather. Honestly, I start rubbing my arms, trying to get warm. :-X
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Speaking of bringing foreign places to life, I posted this in another discussion on SL:
Steig Larsson's site has a map online showing the locations of various sites he refers to in his stories: http://www.stieglarsson.com/millennium-stockholm-map
The Stockholm City Museum has organized a walking tour to places such as Blomqvist's favorite bar and the hangout for Salender and her friends, both real places. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20100712/ap_tr_ge/eu_travel_trip_sweden_dragon_tattoo_tour
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" I can't read one of those 'ice and snow'
book in cold weather. Honestly, I start rubbing my arms, trying to get warm."
I was reading "Into Thin Ice", about being lost in a blizzard on Mt. Everest once in August on a hot subway, and had to stop, I was shivering so bad.
If I ever get to Stockholm, I'll definitely take that tour.
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I would like to join this discussion. Has anybody talked about the mysteries by Julia Spencer-Fleming?
I love Nevada Barr's mysteries but found her autobiography disappointing.
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WELCOME, WELCOME! What do you like to be called? Ursa?
I'm not familiar with Spencer-Fleming? Do you recommend her?
Too bad about Barr's autobiography. She must have had an interesting life. Maybe it's harder to write about your own life than to hide behind a fictional character.
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Joan, I definitely recommend Spencer-Fleming!!! Start with the first one! Ursa, You sound like you have already been reading her. For anyone who hasn't, a super string of mysteries. You will love the characters.
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I love Julia Spencer-Fleming. A truly original main character.. Good books, have read all of them.
Did not know that Nevada Barr had written an autobiography. I am having fun on facebook via Dana Stabenow. Her facebook page is fun.She writes about everything.. I love it.
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There are currently six mysteries by Julia Spencer-Fleming. One will be published next spring and she is working on still another. I am particularly interested in the next one, as there is a break in the ongoing plot and things will be different. Won't discuss the break as people need to read the last book to see it. It is important to read them in order, starting with In the Bleak Midwinter.
I truly like the Stabenow books too. You learn a lot about Alaska from reading them. Her heroine, Kate Shugak, has a lot of spunk.I am looking forward to participating in this discussion.
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Julia Spencer-Fleming sounds familiar, but I can't place it. I'll have to
check it out.
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I can hardly wait for the next one in Spencer-Fleming's series. If I had to choose among several of my favorite authors, she is the one I would pick right now because of the turn in the main story line. Usually I would choose Connie Willis or Laurie R King first.
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Off I go to Amazon again. I already have about four mystery books coming. But I just finished the last one I had on hand, also a suggestion from here: "Too Many graves". I enjoyed it.
Connie Willis is Sci-Fi, rather than mystery, but even non-sci-fi-reading me loved her book "Bellwether". Hilarious.
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Yes Spencer -Fleming threw us a hard ball out of left field. An interesting plot swerve. Good book..
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On a recommendation from here (I think), I started reading a book by Denise Mina - set in Glasgow. I have to confess that it was a DNF for me. I never got into the character, and had too much trouble figuring out what a lot of the words meant. My laziness, for sure - but I didn't want to have to google something on every other page to find out what it meant in Scotland or the UK.
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Thanks, JoanK, for recommending Connie Willis's Bellweather. I'll get it. Recently finished her Doomsday Book and really liked it.
And if you want another book for chills during these hot summer days, get Lee Child's 61 HOURS, a good thriller set in South Dakota during a snowstorm.
Marj
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I'm hesitating about reading "Doomsday Book". A funny book about the Black Death !?!
Went to Borders yesterday, and got a new (to me) Nevada Barr and Donna Andrews. I haven't gotten any of the books written by Dick Francis and his son, figuring I wouldn't like them, but I got one yesterday ("Silks") and so far It's OK. Narrator is a lawyer hoping to "take the silk", (a British lawyer's honor) and also racing (in racing "silks"- the outfits they wear) as an amateur, trying to defend another jockey in a murder case.
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I like the Dick Francis books. The early ones are pretty much the same story over and over, set in the racing world. The hero is always the same personality with a few variations - young, unmarried, semi-naive. The later books are much more complex and Francis has branched out and learned about other areas than racing and describes them very well. The last couple are co-authored with his son (their pictures are on the back cover and the son is at least twice the size of his ex-jockey father). I think they ae very good.
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JoanK said, "I'm hesitating about reading "Doomsday Book". A funny book about the Black Death !?!"
Doomsday Book is not a funny book about the Black Death. The very subtle humor of some of the goings on and the people at the University who sent the student back to the Middle Ages merely makes the sadness and horror of the part told in the Middle Ages bearable. There is a lot of suspense at the university as they try to figure out what went wrong and worry about the student. And the book brings the characters in the Midieval time very much to life. A good story.
Marj
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Connie Willis wrote a funny book about the university time-travel History Department sort of like "The Importance of being Ernest" called To Say Nothing of the Dog.
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I've become addicted to reading this mystery forum even though I don't read mysteries much so can't really contribute to the discussion.
I haven't gotten any of the books written by Dick Francis and his son, figuring I wouldn't like them, but I got one yesterday ("Silks") and so far It's OK. Narrator is a lawyer hoping to "take the silk", (a British lawyer's honor) and also racing (in racing "silks"- the outfits they wear) as an amateur, trying to defend another jockey in a murder case.
JoanK: For what it's worth - taking silk in legal circles is a major honour which is actually conferred by the crown - at present Queen Elizabeth II. In common parlance it's known as 'taking silk' and the barrister becomes a Queen's Counsel or QC. (if there was a King on the throne it would be King's Counsel or KC). It means he is a senior and highly regarded member of the legal fraternity. It also means larger fees. He has to appear in court with a junior barrister at his side and wears a silk gown which is designed somewhat differently from the norm. Most prominent legal eagles here are QCs.
Mrs Sherlock Love the title To Say Nothing of the Dog - obviously snitched from Jerome K Jerome's classic Three Men in a Boat - To Say Nothing of the Dog - humorous tale about a journey along the Thames in a small boat. Fun.
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JOANK, "Doomsday" is not one of Willis' humorous books. It is powerfully
written, but it puts you into a grim era. Historically, I believe it to
be very accurate and I found that engrossing. I found it very worthwhile
reading despite the sadness.
Hi, MARJ. I see we are of the same opinion here.
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Gum: The derivation of the title gives you a hint about Willis' sense of humor. She is a delight to read IMO.
Question was asked about the author Craig Johnson who writes a series about Sheriff Walt Longmire in outer Wyoming. The first book in the series, The Cold Dish, suggests the saying about revenge being served best cold. I like this book and will read all the others. Johnson writes about this place, Absaroka County, and its residents in a folksy, sly manner with lots of humorous exchanges between the principles. The landscape is bleak, end of summer with winter knocking on the door while Longmire is still waiting for fall. His best friend, since grade school, Henry Running Bear, runs the local bar, The The Red Pony (he is know to read lots of Steinbeck). Here's what Bookmarks Magazine, as quoted on Amazon, had to say: The Cold Dish, a multilayered whodunit mystery, stands out in its genre. Shades of racism, mysticism, and revenge give the novel nuance; dead-on dialogue, good-natured humor, and flesh-and-blood characters, including the foul-mouthed deputy Victorian "Vic" Moretti, give it life. Johnson, who lives in Ucross, Wyoming, knows the Western landscape well, and creates stunning and violent scenes (including a raging blizzard) of the Rocky Mountains. Only The Philadelphia Inquirer faulted the novel’s roughness and comparatively immature prose. The other critics look forward to reading more from Johnson’s powerful voice and reconnecting with his eccentric mélange of characters.
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ALERT!! MY E-MAIL SITE HAS BEEN COMPROMISED. DO NOT OPEN ANY E-MAIL THAT THAT PURPORTS TO BE FROM ME, WITH A SUBJECT LINE OF "HI". OPENING IT COULD PLACE YOUR E-MAIL AT RISK
Babi
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oh, Babi, what happened? What a mess for you to deal with. ???
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I have the Doomsday book set aside for when I can handle sadness better. But I loved "Too Say Nothing of the Dog" A funny loving look at the department. I am reading a China Bayles, but she is away from Texas and it is not the best of her books. I had hoped since it is placed in a Shaker historic community, but she has decided to go for the scandals in the latter part of the Shaker life. Shame really.
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It was a bloody nuisance, is what it was, JACKIE. My address book disappeared, for one. It was such a stupid hack job, too. The hacker
didn't even say where to send the money!
I've got a new password, and I've retrieved some of my addresses from my old mail site. If you get an e-mail from me about updating my address book, it's legitimate. Any address that didn't get rejected I figure must be correct.
I suspect this may have been some kid, into mischief. Definitely amateurish.
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| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Babi: Seems like backing up that important data would be a good idea for us all. Those little USB gizmos, "thumb sticks?", hold 8GB and up and are dirt cheap. I've got to get off my duff and start work on it. When my laptop crashed I lost years of bookmarks, for example.
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Roshanarose, I have one of Mo Hayder's books, Pig Island, on hand, but haven't read it yet. Looks like my sort of thing. (Since my taste in mysteries ranges from cat cozies to serial-killer thrillers, "my sort of thing" covers quite a wide range!) I like both Michael Connelly (especially The Poet) and John Connolly. Has anyone read John Connolly's The Gates, a good-vs.-evil fantasy in which a boy and his dog face the challenge of keeping the gates of hell from opening?
Babi, I don't have a DVR, because I don't want to add yet another monthly expense to my budget. Netflix sounds like it might be a better idea for me.
I found out that the fictional Maine coon cat, Diesel, in Miranda James' (aka Dean James) Murder Past Due, is named after Barbara Mertz's (aka Elizabeth Peters) real Maine coon cat.
I'm currently reading Dog on It by Spencer Quinn (real name Peter Abrahams), which is a P.I. mystery narrated by the detective's sidekick, Chet, who is a dog. It's really fun seeing the world from a doggy perspective. I think the author does an excellent job of it, with the dog constantly being distracted by smells, food, etc., and having no understanding of the metaphors humans use when they're talking.
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PatH, who's read them both, says that "To Say Nothing of the Dog" is a spoof on "Three Men in a Boat", and is even funnier if you've read the latter.
Thanks fot the description of "taking the silk". I've finished "Silks", and it's ok, though not in a class with the best of Dick Francis -- rather slight of plot, with filler IMO.
Now I'm starting the Nevada Barr. She's in Big Bend National Park, on the Texas/Mexico border, and it looks like she's going to tackle the problem of immigration.
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Borderline was a good read, JoanK.
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Loved, absolutely adored Dog On It. Deisel sounds like a cat I would like to get to know better.
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I have now synced my IPAD with this computer.. Not quite sure what that changed, but hopefully nothing.
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I hate to think of all I lost the last time our computer crashed. Of course, by now,
some old stuff I had saved is on formats that no longer fit into computers. I suppose my
computer must have one of those 'ports', though I have no idea where it is. Offhand, tho'
I don't know of anything vital I need to save now. It's all communication and fun, now.
Restoring my address book was a pain, but I was able to do most of it. The rest will come
in, hopefully, as people get back in touch.
I've 'met' Diesel, JACKIE. He is a character, isn't he? I'll watch for "Dog On It".
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Steph, in the upper left hand corner of your iBook app is the word "STore". You can click on that and see books for sale and free. I just downloaded a free mystery by Henry Perez. It's quite good. Amazon also has a free Kindle app you can download. I've gotten several books from Amazon and they download them right onto your iPad. You can adjust your book to sepia and it is much easier on your eyes while reading.
I've downloaded some free games--Solitaire, Hearts, Dominoes, etc. One of my favorite games is Boggle (1.99). I love word games. New York Times has a free app "Editor's Choice" which is informative, also like the ABC app. It took me a little while to really get into the iPad but I enjoy it probably more than I should. :)
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Steph and FlaJean, I don't think I'm going to be able to resist getting myself an iPad much longer. I know so many people who have them, and they all love them! But to sync it with my computer, I'll have to upgrade my operating system from Mac Tiger to Mac Snow Leopard. A bit expensive but necessary.
I have a Kindle and really like it; I've found quite a few mysteries for $2.99 or less, some for a little more. I understand that I'll be able to sync my Kindle and the Kindle iPad app for iBooks so I can read on either and both will keep track of where I left off. Some people I know also have the B&N Nook app and use it on their Kindles too.
Currently reading Sudden Prey by John Sandford. Very exciting and suspenseful!
I preordered Peter Robinson's latest Alan Banks mystery, Bad Boy, and it's due to arrive tomorrow, along with Suzanne Collins' YA dystopian sci-fi novel Mockingjay.
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I am getting there with the IPAD. Downloaded some games.. although I love my solitaire on my big computer. It plays hundreds of variations which is fun.
Downloaded two free books and then one paid one.. on the IBOOK. I also have downloaded the Kindle applications and will explore them possibly today. Also the NYTimes extract. Did a really silly one yesterday.. Bubbles.. like the bubble wrap and you can pop away.. Silly and fun. Like the Weather app..
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Finished Suzanne Collins' Mockingjay yesterday. A truly thrilling conclusion to the "Hunger Games" trilogy, but the story goes in directions I never expected. I'm sure the ending is going to be controversial! It's not primarily a mystery, but it does qualify as a thriller.
I've just started Peter Robinson's Bad Boy. So far, so good! I love this series.
I'm about to upgrade my MacBook Pro's operating system from Tiger to Snow Leopard. It's the first time I've done anything like this. Fortunately I have 90 days of free tech support for it. Wish me luck!
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Good luck! I love those titles: just watched a documentary on snow leopards, so I'm envisioning one padding through your computer.
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Went to the library and came back with a mystery with Oscar Wilde as the detective. I always go for those with historical figures as characters, and often I'm disappointed. But some of them are good: Teddy Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Queen Elizabeth II have all made good fictional detectives.
So far this one is long on Wilde's funny quips (I can resist everything but temptation") and on historic personages that he met, and short on plot. But Wilde is funny, it makes fun reading.
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I just read Murder List by Julie Garwood. It was o.k., but i've read sev'l books w/ the same theme - tv personality being stalked. I do like her books in general.
I'm now reading Catherine Coulter's Blindside: an FBI story. I like her also, good reading....................jean
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Forgot to give the title of the book. It's "Oscar Wilde and the Dead Man's Smile" by Gyles Brandreth.
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Weren't the snow leopards magnificent?
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Of all the animals on earth, I have always thought that seeing Snow Leopards wild and free would be the biggest thrill. They have such a wonderful look.. Leopards in general, I love to watch.. The flowing motion when they move.
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I had a pretty good 'mystery' week. Read my first book in the Rev. Clare Ferguson series and
enjoyed it. Also found an old Brother Cadfael I didn't remember reading; "The Hermit of Eyton
Forest". Always enjoy Brother Cadfael. I'm now reading a book by Larry McMurtry, "Rhino Ranch", and remembering why I like the movies better than the books. Too heavy and 'in your
face' with the sex.
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JoanK, I wish I'd seen that snow leopard documentary! I did get OS X Snow Leopard installed on my computer with no trouble at all. Apple makes that sort of thing very easy! It has a beautiful desktop background: a starry night sky with the aurora borealis. Plus a lot of improvements and additional features that OS X Tiger didn't have. And I'll be able to sync my iPad with it when I get one.
Still reading Peter Robinson's Bad Boy. Not quite finished, but I can tell you it's a very good read! It's a series that's best read in order, though, as the characters, especially Chief Inspector Alan Banks, go through a lot of changes over time. It's an especially good series for music lovers, because Banks is wild about music himself and is always listening to it. He enjoys most kinds of music, including opera, classical, rock, jazz, and folk.
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Light relief.. the newest J.D. Robb. One of my guilty pleasures.. Never read Nora Roberts others, but love this series.
Almost done with the Lost Symbol.. Whew.. a very very violent book.. My ftf book club at the library is the reason.. I think that DaVinci code was somewhat better. This one seems to love violence for the sheer joy of it.
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I finished the latest Linda Howard last night...Veil of Night. I got so involved in it I stayed up until 1:15 am to finish it. I'm a huge fan of hers.
Steph...I really enjoy many Nora Roberts' books. I hadn't read her before, but got started and find most of them most relaxing and enjoyable.
jane
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I am really enjoying Daniel Silva's Rembrandt Affair...VERy well written book...Joan Grimes
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Joan: Have you read the other Gabriel Allon books by Daniel Silva?
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Joan: Have you read the other Gabriel Allon books by Daniel Silva?
I am reading them now...very well written....Joan Grimes
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Joan.. are you home?? I know you had to go to get therapy because of your fall. I must try Daniel Silva. Several of you like him..
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I have just finished reading 'Wormwood' China Bayles in the Shaker Village. I found it most interesting because I knew absolutely nothing about Shaker life. Now starting a Tess Gerritsen about secret agents set in Paris, having visited my daughter in Paris recently (my last vist to Paris was 55 years ago). I was interested to see that nothing much had changed there. I wish Sue Grafton would hurry and write another book - her detective Kinsey Millhone is one of my all time favourites.
Nancy
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I liked Wormwood also, Nancy. In fact, i think i've read all of the "plant/herb" titles. What a disappointment...... :'( to look thru all the titles at the library and know i've read them. I'm not as fond of her "English" stories.
I've read three of the Grafton books and haven't been captured by them, but i know there is an o.k. read if i get desperate........LOL.....of course, the library now has more mystery books than any other kind, so i guess i won't be desperate for a few yrs.........lol........jean
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Nancy: I liked "Wormwood", too. There's a mystery series set in a Shaker village, but I can't remember the author or name. I'll see if I can find it on "Fantastic Fiction".
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Found it. The author is Deborah Woodworth. Their are 6 in the series, the first is "Death of a winter Shaker. I read the first few years ago and liked them. I see there are some I haven't read.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/deborah-woodworth/ (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/deborah-woodworth/)
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Joan.. are you home?? I know you had to go to get therapy because of your fall. I must try Daniel Silva. Several of you like him..
No Steph, I am not home...I don't know When I will be home...I often feel that I will never be there again...I am still in this rehab place where I am getting Therapy...I am now wearing a big huge black boot which I have to remove everyday inorder to wash the injured leg with soap a
nd water.. I do not see the Dr again until September 13....I am as of today 50% weight bearing. I feel that i am only existing here in a vaccum... I am thankful that I have my computer here...I can read books on my Kindle here on my computer... Ihighly recommend Daniel Silva..Joan Grimes
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V I Warshowsky was interviewed today on NPR's Talk of the Nation. She is a delight! People call her "Six"!
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Thank goodness for books when you're laid up, JOANG. And it's fortunate that you have a computer, too. I know you must be longing
to be home again. Have faith; the day really will arrive.
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Joan, I will hold you in the light as the quakers say and look within to do what I can do. Glad you have the kindle and the computer. I am getting better and better with my IPAD.
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I hope you get to go home soon, Joan. {{{{{Joan}}}}}
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Joan; So good to hear from you again. I feel a special tie to you as I spent the first 7 years of my life in Alabama, Mobile, actually. Don't remember it much but there it is on my birth certificate. I can't imagine how dreary it must be to be deprived of your mobility but the computer and the Kindle do give you two great windows (pardon the pun) on the world waiting for you outside your rehab facility.
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JoanG: I know how you feel. It seem like forever, but it's not. This too shall pass.
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Good pun, Jackie............jean
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Thannks for your encouragement Folks...I really need it....I do know deep down that I will make it....I just don't like being ssuch a prisioner to this injury...JoanGrimes
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Finished the Boleyn Inheritance and chose another Gregory for my bed book.. The Queens Fool. I like her style of writing and I love English royalty .
I also walked by ( HO HO HO) the Barnes and Nobel yesterday.. Sigh.. Went in..oh to just walk by.. Found as always a lot of books I could not live without. Darn..
But I did find an interesting one that I had read about in Bookmarks several months ago.. It is about a polygamist and is fiction. Looking forward to reading it the review was great.
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Isn't it a great feeling to be anticipating reading a good book? It's almost like anticipating having a fun, nice visit from a friend.
Joan, i hope you can have some good books and some good friends to look forward to...........altho i know when i am confined and have already been reading a lot, I want some kind of CHANGE and that's the most frustrating - is that boredom? Well, maybe coming into SL each day, or reading your e-mails can give you that change and something to look forward to..........i hope so.................jean
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Thank you Jean
JoanGrimes
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Just finished Lisa Scottoline... Look Again.. I like her normally, but did not like this one. Just way way far fetched.
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I think Scottolini's books are uneven, but they are usually fun to read.
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I liked the ones with the female law firm a lot.. But this one was really very up and down.. Oh well,, authors get bees in their bonnets just like we do about a certain subject.
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I don't remember who mentioned Craig Johnson and his series about Sherfif Walt Longmire in back-of-the-beyond Wytana but I checked out his first in the series, The Cold Dish, and am enjoying it so I'll read the others, too. The book was lying on my bed behind me as I read something else. I felt my cat snuggle up to my back ; he was twitching for a while, I thought he was grooming. Lo and behold he was chewing on the Johnson book!! Now I know who has cost me the price of three books since the library insists I pay for them. No more leisurely switching from one book to another when my bed calls me at night.
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I think it was me mentioning or asking if anyone had read Craig Johnson. My friend, who originally asked me to ask you all if you had read him, will be thrilled to know that someone actually read one of his and enjoyed it! Thanks!
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Jackie: oops. Well, I'm glad to know Johnson is tasty!
I got my credit card bill. I'm going to have to stop ordering every book that's mentioned here! Or I'll have to write a book: "Murder Can Bankrupt You."
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Joan: Credit cards and I do not mix well so I use only debit cards which force me to be prudent.
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Thats the way I am about Barnes and Noble.. It lures me in.. I swear I hear the sirens singing..
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JACKIE, I had to grin imagining you explaining to the librarian,
"My cat did it." I'm not one to talk, tho'. I'm the one with clawed
up furniture that only gets clawed when we're not around to witness
and and discipline.
Back to the library, JOANK. It's one of the few things that is
still free.
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Then stay away from Kindles. You just click when you see something that looks good, and before you know it, you've ordered all these books without a care in the world about how they get paid for. Money? They don't even ask for a credit card! But just wait. :-\
I told my brother it was like eating candy. You don't know until you get on the scale.
So, you Kindle old-timers. What's your technique for staying out of bankrupcy?
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pedln...get friends and family to give you gift certificates to amazon.com. ::)
Also, there are a lot of older books that are free or very inexpensive - and no S&H.
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This is a message from roshanarose's cat Roxanataj.
I used to enjoy tearing up mum's newspapers, books, junkmail (which she loves). In fact, anything I could get my claws on. Mum solved the problem by putting one of her old sarongs in bed for me to suck on and knead with my claws. She gave me a another Mum and now I don't rip up paper any more.
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Steph - I hear your sirens singing as well. I need to lash myself to the nearest lamp post to prevent temptation when I go past book stores. I rarely buy new books these days. But there is something very satisfying about a beautiful new book in your hands. I did buy a new book on Saturday - "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo"- albeit in KMart at a reduced price. I just couldn't wait for it to become available at the library. The first 61 pages went completely over my head, but now I am getting into it.
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I have started Dragon
Tatoo three times, but cannot get past about 75 pages. Just not my thing.. Maybe in a while.
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I'm about to start a mystery by an unexpected author...Georgette Heyer! I've always enjoyed an occasional regency novel by her, but I
didn't know she had written a murder mystery. Has she written any others that any of you know of? It's titled "Behold, Here's Poison!"
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I just got "The Cold Dish" from the library. I am looking forward to reading it. Is anybody else hooked on Margaret Coel's mysteries set on an Arapaho Indian reservation? I think she is even better than Tony Hillerman.
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I'm one of the very few people who don't care for the "The Girl with" books. I put them on reserve and somehow got the second book first. After reading it, I canceled the other two reserves. It's well written but just doesn't interest me.
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Babi: I didn't know you were a Heyer Regency fan. I've read many of her mysteries but didn't enjoy them as well. Have you read An Accomplished Woman by Jude Morgan? Much like Heyer's crazy plots and humor. Some have compared it to Jane Austen; they must not have read Heyer. JA is not LOL funny like Heyer and Morgan.
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Here is a list of Georgette Heyers books with the mysteries listed first. Looks like enough to keep you busy for awhile.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/georgette-heyer/ (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/georgette-heyer/)
Thanks for reminding me about Margeret Coel: I read a whole bunch of her books some years ago, then forgot to keep track. She must have some new ones by now.
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I've read what I thought was a good deal of Georgette Heyer's novels - including a few of the mysteries but that list is staggering. Wonder how available some of the titles are these days.
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JACKIE, I admit I'm somewhat disappointed in the Heyer mystery. It does
seem formulaic and lacks the charm of her novels. I have read "An
Accomplished Woman, enjoyed it immensely, and recommended it elsewhere...probably in the Library. It did remind me of Austen, but with a less prim and proper heroine.
Heyer is very available here, GUM. At one time our library had a small bookcase dedicated to her novels. It's one they use to showcase a
particular author from time to time.
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I sold a lot of Heyer in the used bookstore. The regency novels are really done well..
I am reading one of Charlaine Harris Aurora Teagarden mysteries.. Obviously missed a whole bunch of them since the last one I read, she was selling real estate and dating and now she is a widow, etc.
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Most of Georgette Heyer's books, both romances and mysteries, have been or are going to be reissued in beautiful trade paperback editions, some by Sourcebooks and some by Harlequin. I love her romances, though I haven't read nearly enough of them yet, and have enjoyed the few mysteries I've read, though not quite as much as the romances. I've heard that with the mysteries her husband devised the plots, then she did the writing.
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What is a "trade paperback?" I've heard of them and seen some, but have never figured out the "why?" of them...................jean
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It is a large paperback.. Smaller than a book, but much larger than a regular paperback. They generally run in price between the two. No idea why the size was invented, but if you are having problems reading, the print is much larger.
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Larger print is a blessing. I can read regular books all right, but the print in old yellowed paperbacks defeats me.
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I have inexpensive magnifier glasses all over the house. There are some paperbacks that I absolutely cannot read without them.
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!Warning! If any of you here read Nevada Barr, I understand her latest, "Burn" is extraordinarily violent and off-putting. I have been unable to get it yet, but several book sites are saying that about it. She usually has such "quiet violence" (if there is such a thing) in her books, makes me wonder?? Just wanted to make anyone aware.
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I haven't read "Burn" but I did read "13 1/2" (not an Anna Pidgeon book) by Nevada Barr and, believe me, I was certainly surprised. Very dark, very violent, very graphic. I wonder why she is going this route? Perhaps her editors have "suggested" it to gain readership? I normally give up very quickly on violent, sadistic books but she is such a good writer that I stayed with this one and finished it. However, I'll add it to your Warning List, Tome, "Burn" and "13 1/2" by Nevada Barr are very different books for her.
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That's too bad. I really like Nevada Barr.
Thanks tho those of you whi suggested "In the Bleak Midwinter" by Julia Spencer-Fleming. Just finished it, and really liked it a lot. Now to get her second one.
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My sister called with names of authors whose books were funny. I've just finished the first on and it is great. Heron Carvic's Picture Miss Seton has a protagonist who surpasses Miss Marple. Armed only with her umbrella and her keen artist's discernment, Miss Seeton keeps the bad guys at bay and offers the police non-verbal cues to the players in this drama with her cryptic sketches. The very last page is a prime example of this author's talent and sense of humor. Don't peek.
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Sounds great!
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I have nine Miss Seeton books that I bought at our local "Friends of the Library" book sale. They are a quick enjoyable read.
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M iss Seeton are lovely gently funny books. I real them all quite a while ago.
Yes Nevada Barr in Burn has gotten way too violent for me. I love her books and am so disappointed in what she has decided to do. Such a shame.. But then the Winter one was edging that way. Darn.. another writer bites the dust.
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I'm sorry to hear about Barr, too. Besides, Anna is getting a little bit "long in the tooth" for such activities. ::)
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I have found a new author who writes modern day, specific locale "cozies", if you will. Mariion Moore Hill writes about a "scrappy" librarian in the state of Oklahoma. The current book is "Death Books A Return", two others are "Deadly Will" and "Bookmarked for Murder".
Easy, quick read. Librarian who just can't keep her nose out of police work, whose gentleman friend is a police Lt. And, if I have usurped someone's recommendation on this site, I apologize. I don't really remember where I got the suggestion for Ms. Hill's books. Was able to get this one from my library via request. Very light reading, but this one kept me up late last night.
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I remember reading a book with a librarian detective, but don't remember if that was the author.
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There was another series about a librarian in Bellingham Washington. Jo Dereske wrote 11 Miss Zukas books; I've read them all.
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That's the one I read! I think you told me about them. I knew it wasn't in Oklahoma.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Miss Zukas was interesting, although the last book was out of character for some reason. I am reading another Patricia Sprinkle in the southern series..
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Just finished The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree. This is the first book in a new series by Susan Wittig Albert (author of the China Bayles series). the series is set in the 1930s about a group of women in the local garden club. The book spends some time in filling out the new characters and I enjoyed getting acquainted with them. It's a cozy but that's OK with me. :) I'm looking forward to the next book.
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Flajean: We must be picking our books from the same list. I just finished Darling Dahlias. It was a fun read.
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I'll look for that. What a name! Can you see yourself as a "Darling Dahlia"?
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Me to, I put it on my TBR list for the next trip to the library......Jean
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I read Darling Dahlias last month. It held my interest, but not sure if it's enough to encourage me to read the next one.
Sally
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I must try and find the Darling Dahlias.. Sounds sort of fun
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I have every one of Georgette Heyer's historical novels and most of her mysteries. I enjoyed the historical ones best but also enjoyed the mysteries. I intend to start at the first and read them all again, but I seem to remember them too well at the moment, some books I can read again and not remember what they were about.
Nancy
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Yes, you have to let enough time pass (don't ask me what enough time is!)
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The time for me depends on the author..
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I've started Tami Hoag's new book, "Deeper Than the Dead", and it's
promising to be interesting. The title refers to the location of the
fledgling Behavioral Sciences Unit of the FBI, located sixy feet underground at Quantico. Used to be Hoover's bomb shelter, back
in the day. The book is set in 1985 when profiling was new and DNA
was a 'someday' dream. Forget computers; most police departments
were begging for copiers and fax machines!
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I read a Hoag years and years ago and realized she was another romance writer turned mystery and did not like her much.. May try her again.
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I know a lot of people like Tami Hoag's books. I read her Ashes to Ashes and Dust to Dust (a DNF). I found both to be repetitive and boring, and Dust to be excessively potty mouthed.
Marj
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That's the great thing about books -- there are some to satisfy every taste.
I'm reading an old Earlene Fowler "Delectable Mountain", and I realize the gentleness and familiarity of it is a relief after the harsher forensic mysteries I've been reading lately.
But the relationship betreen the narrator and her husband drives me crazy. She spends hours weighing every word she says to him for fear of making him mad. Then he's mostly mad because she doesn't want to tell him things. Well, duh!! After this many books reading about it, I've lost all patience.
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I hav enot read an Earlene Fowler in a long long time. Seems to me, she does a quilt series?? and another one.. I am reading Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly.. Violent, but a favorite of mine.. Bosch is such a complicated character..
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I'm reading another Cathy Reich. OK, but I'm tired of detailed info about body parts. As one who always wants to know how things work, I appreciate that she gives a lot of technical information (did you know that there was such a spike in radioactivity during the period when atomic bombs were tested that you can tell whether a person's teeth were formed during that period?). But sometimes, I'd rather not hear it.
This one (Monday Mourning) has two 65 year-old women in it, and the detectives keep mentioning how "old" they are. Boy, I wish I was 65 again!!
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Kathy does like to throw in lots of details. I am reading Sara Paretsky.. This one is political and very chicago.. All about the 60's and the riots.. I do remember the political convention of that period in Chicago. Watching it in horror on the tv.. Terrible image of Chicago in that period.
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I also like books that tell me something I didn't know before. Reichs, however, I don't much
care for. I tried two of her books and they just didn't click for me.
Did you know that the chess term 'checkmate' comes from the old Persian "Shah mat",
meaning 'The Kind is Dead"? All kinds of great trivia to be found in good reading.
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The King is dead! In ancient Persian! Who knew?
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Have to remember that. Who knew..
I learn about cities and cultures that I was curious about in my reading. Am currently into a fairly current Sarah Paretsky and as always she makes Chicago come alive. And in this book.. also the 60's..
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I'm reading Agatha Christie's Then There Were None to tide me over until we are closer to the discussion of Left Hand of Darkness.
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AAAAACK. I've got to start looking for my copy.
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Finished the Sara Paretsky. Oh wow. This one was a keeper. All about the 60's and really great. Cant say I am impressed with the rest of of VI's family. Petra strikes me as a typical 20's.. all text and no idea about how to live.
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Frybabe, This month my ftf book club celebrated Agatha Christie's 120th anniversary. Members could choose their own selection. It was most enjoyable. I chose Murder on the Orient Express, as I had the book and had recently watched the PBS production. There are 12 members in my group and 11 different books were discussed.
Sally
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Sally: That's very funny. 11 books for 12 people. Shows how versatile she was but also that her writing was rather general and indistinguishable.
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What a wonderful idea. Probably the only time I disagree with you, Jackie: A Christie fan can easily distinguish early, midedle, and late Christie.
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Just started Tess Gerritsen's Mephisto Club. I believe it is the first in the R izolli and Isles series. I love the tv show, but this one started out being very ugly - the body is in many parts. Have any of you read her? I have a feeling that may be typical of her writing since she is a retired physician.......jean
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I bought "The Surgeon" but decided I was tired of reading about body parts, so haven't read it.
I got my free Wallendar's in the mail. Now I'm reading "The Man Who Smiled." So far, I like it a lot.
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Iswapped for The Surgeon, but have not read it yet. In the basket, but not in the mood for a medical mystery.
I have the new Thomas Perry or new to me of Jane Whitfield. I do love his books and the Runner series is fascinating.
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Thomas Perry, some of his books are so funny, Island is laugh-out-loud funny, I've read it several times. Butcher's Boy and Metzger's Dog also read over again. Jane Whitfield, what a novel concept. Seems like it would make a good TV series on HBO, not network.
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I loved and read all the Thomas Perry Jane Whitefield series. I, too, thought it would make a good tv series. I used to think Cher would make a good Jane; but alas, now I think she's a little "long in the tooth" for it!
Sally
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Should be able to start the Jane book today. Yesterday got away from me.. Sometimes that does happen.
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For any of you mystery folks, who enjoy J. A. Jance's books, and if you also have a Kindle, her book, "Hour of the Hunter" available free from Amazon. I got it downloaded just a bit ago.
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Thanks, Tome - I'm off to order!
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Me too!.....Jean
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Turned out I already had ordered it. :D
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The Jance sounds familiar. I think I have read it. Isnt it an older one of hers..
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I think Amazon said it was an older one, and it doesn't have her usual characters, Joanna, etc. I started reading it last night, got quite a few chapters in. Lots of American Indian lore.
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Yeah it's a stand alone. I read it quite awhile ago.
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FF lists 4 novels in this series with the latest one published this year. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/j/j-a-jance/
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I had forgotten, she has several stand alones.
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Thanks for the tip-off Tomereader. I may have read this Jance before, but I don't remember it. Any, I downloaded it.
I wonder just what makes Amazon (or maybe it's the publishers) decide to offer some Kindle titles for free. These are not public domain items.
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I got a free book from Amazon for iPad and liked it so much that I bought another book by that same author. I'm probably not the only that does that. Anyway, I did download the free Jance book and realize that I have read it. But I'll probably read it again some time. it was an interesting story.
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Both Kindle and my Ebook seem to offer a selection of free books that are current. Some of them are new authors and I think it is to encourage everyone to read and possibly buy the next book..
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It is a very good and very old marketing ploy. A teaser. They give us something for free and draw us in to buy. I received 20 pages for free of the last book of the Steig Larson trilogy, "The Girl Who Played With Fire", on my B&N Nook. I read it and though I think he was a wonderful writer I just don't think the subject matter is one for my taste. But I will probably buy other books from B&N that they give me a sampling of for free in the future.
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Kindle provides a free sample of any of their books. I've used it a number of times - sometimes bought the book, sometimes didn't.
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I have been trying to catch up on book clubs.. both the October selection here and my ftof.. Their October selection is William Faulkner.. and that does not thrill me. He is not in my top 1000 writers.. Just never cared for him. So my IPAD has three books on it,, all free and I have not been reading them at all.
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Steph: Another TBR stack of books on your iPad? ;D
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Steph: I'm with you on Faulkner!
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Since I am so new to face to face book clubs, I am trying to be patient with the odd selection of books.. But choosing a classic??? and just sort of picking him out of a librarian suggestion strikes me as foolish. We had a really good crowd for Dan Brown.. The Lost Symbol with a lovely discussion..
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I don't care for Faulkner either.
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Steph, I also have a "shelf" full of books on my iPad- mine were all free books at this point. I think that is my favorite thing about my iPad. I told my husband "it's like having a library on my lap." AND I've seen dozens more that I have in my "mental" list. Many of them are out of print biographies or books or articles on history or historiography........it's almost frustrating......Jean
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Steph, I haven't read Faulkner in a long time. I did not care for the ones I read--too depressing! Ftf book clubs (mine in particular) always have at least one or two books that I would not have chosen to read. I try to read all the selections, since I think it makes for a better discussion if all members have read the selecction. I have been pleasantly surprised by some and some I have not liked at all. Sometimes the best discussions come from books that were disliked!
Sally
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Has anyone read William Faulkner's INTRUDER IN THE DUST? Really great story about a black man wrongfully accused of murder. And I loved the 1949 movie made from it
Marge
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I have read everything that William Faulkner ever wrote...He happens to be my favorite Author...Wouldn't you know it... ???I am always the different one...at least this time it is good to be different in my opinion... Did not mean to ever post on these boards anymore but could not let such ugly things be written about my beloved Faulkner and not respond...Joan G
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joangrimes:
Did not mean to ever post on these boards anymore
???
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JoanGrimes: I haven't read a lot of Faulkner but found him a little confronting - which titles would you recommend for me - or which of his titles are your favourites.
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JoanG... why would you not post? I love to hear what you are reading. I know lots of people love Faulkner.. I just thought for this book club, which is not well organized that a different type of classic would be more accessible.
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Do you know, I've seen the movies made from Faulkner novels and found them generally
fascinating, tho' definitely intense. Yet I've never read any of them. It may be seeing them
acted out is easier, especially since the films all featured top-notch actors.
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A new novel is out by Donna Leon, Willful Behavior, a Guido Brunetti mystery. Naturally, I am way down on the reserve list >:(
For those of you that like Alexander McCall Smith's Philosophy Club books with Isabel Dalhousie, a new book is coming out The Charming Quirks of Others. The library has it on order and I am already 4th on their reserve list. I know some here don't care for this series, but I really enjoy it. However, I do get frustrated at times with Isabel and her constant worrying.
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I like that series, too, although it's not for everyone. And this baby, that never seems to interupt their quiet, philosophical life, is too much!!
I've just found another McCall Smith series that really isn't for everyone -- Portuguese Irregular Verbs. If you want to read a book where nothing happens for most of the book, this is it. But if you've been around academics and scholars, it is a hilarious spoof on them. (imagine the perfidy of someone who claims to be Dr Dr when you know he's just Dr!)
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Thanks, FlaJean. Two of my favorite authors...Donna Leon and McCall Smith. Isabel Dalhousie is my favorite of his series. I like it even better than the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. I must check the library right away.
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JoanK :Rose pipes up "I once knew an absolute jerk who called himself Dr Dr". He claimed to have two doctorates, and he certainly was perfidious. I must read "Portuguese Irregular Verbs" it sounds like my style. I bet they (the verbs) are not as tricky as Greek ones. If you had two Masters Degrees, would you call yourself "Master Master"?
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We have a friend who we have labeled "DrDr." She has an MD and a
Phd. But we gave her the nickname, she didn't choose it...
And Joan, one of the reasons I was not fond of socializing w/ some academicians (I was a prof, my husband a prof and a vp of a community college) is because of that stuffiness about who was an instructor, who was an associate, who was "Dr", etc. ........as tho u are your title and IT determines who you are?.......Jean
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Jean,, I loved it.. We have a friend who is a retired prof.. I know he never ever uses his Dr... and he is actually a Dr. Dr. As he says life is too short for that nonsense. On with the fun.. He is the most curious person I have ever known. Interested in everything.
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JEAN and STEPH's friend really ought to meet. They obviously share a viewpoint on life and
would be great friends.
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I enjoy all of Alexander McCall Smith's Books I found 'Portuguese Irregular Verbs' interesting but not a book to read at one sitting."21/2 Pillars of Wisdom is also about Dr. Moritz-Maria Von Igelfeld. I usually like books that move at a fast pace but Dr. Moritz is very funny.
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My next door neighbors both have doctorates and are in the Administration for the North Carolina State University. He is a Vice-Chancellor. I hadn't a clue until I saw it as an address on an envelope to them when we were picking up their mail while they were away for a few days. They are the least self-important people I have ever known.
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"He is the most curious person I have ever known. Interested in everything." Now THAT is my definition of a scholar.
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Yes, it is great fun being with them. We talk of everything under the sun. He and his wife are in Chicago just now babysitting some of their grandchildren..I got an email yesterday about one of the museums and what fun they were having visiting it and then getting some books about the current displays.
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Stop You're Killing Me's latest newsletter lists several new-to-me Australian authors in their updates. See: http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/
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Don't know how many of you here are hard-core, police procedural mystery readers, but...I picked up a book at the library - Ridley Pearson's "The Art of Deception". It is not one of his newest, but somehow I missed it first time around. I started reading last night at 10:15, at 2:45 I was still going. It is a real, honest to goodness "page turner". I can't wait to get back into it tonight. It may be a bit strong for some. It features the police detective Lou Boldt, along with John LeMoia and Daphne Matthews. Takes place in Seattle. Wow it is a good one!!
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There are two older ones by this author at our library, Tomereader. I've put the 1993 one on reserve. And there are a number of his books available on Kindle - for various prices. I'll wait until I read one before I buy one. Thanks for the recommendation.
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I received this information in an email this morning, and I thought others might like to have it.
If you're a mystery, sci fi, or fantasy fan, these two databases are great resources for figuring out which book comes next in a series. You can search by author, series title or, in at least one of them by main character. For those of us who want to (have to!) read things in order, these sites are GREAT!!!!
For mysteries: Stop, You're Killing Me! at http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/
For sci fi/fantasy (and yes they put them both together): SciFan at http://www.scifan.com/
I've got them both listed on a new blog called A Reader's Companion at http://myste-reads.blogspot.com/ [/color]
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URSA: thanks for the links. We have "Stop your killing me", but I'm not familiar with the others.
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Ursa, I went to the myste-reads.blogspot.com but they just want you to sign up for your own blog. I didn't see anything that said Readers Companion. Can you tutor me for this?
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There are a number of mystery series that really really need to be read in order. I was just reading a Sharon McCrumb.. You need to have her history to know what is happening.
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So true. I just read several Wallender mysteries (the series start on Masterpiece Theater on PBS) out of order. I read them in order of copyright date not realizing that they were translated from Swedish randomly. After reading the first two, I suddenly realized that there was a list of the books in chronological order just after the first page in the book. Stupid me!
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Sorry, Tomereader, your mind is as good as mine. I just copied the message I posted from an email.
I agree that reading in order is important. I was reading the newest Patricia Cornwell a while back and discovered that Scarpetta was married to her long-time lover who had in a previous book been murdered and Scarpetta had performed the autopsy! In the crucial intervening book it was revealed that the death was a ploy to deceive the baddies and they hadn't let Scarpetta in on the deal! This caused me some consternation. ???
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Ohmy yes,, Just think of Elizabeth George.. You simply must read in order or you miss so much. Elizabeth Peters.. how confusing that would be out of order.. You would forever try to figure out Ramses, etc. There are others.. Evanovich.. Stephanie Plum can be read as a stand alone with no great problems..In Science Fiction Anne Mc Caffrey could be read out of order.. Would be a little confusing on some, but still fascinating all by itself..
I am rereading the Bloodhound series.. Virginia Lanier was a talented writer who started writing way too late in life.. Still a good series..
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I did a quick check of my library catalog, but couldn't find any of the Australian writers. Too new on the scene, perhaps.
I added the SciFan link to my favorites. I can see where it would have been a help to me in
avoiding past mix-ups.
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If I am reading s series, I always try to start with the first. I kind of like growing with the characters. I am now reading Open Season by Box. I've never read any of his; but decided to give it a try after reading some posts about his series. So far, so good....
Sally
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The Old Buzzard Had it Coming, by Donis Casey, looks in on an Oklahoma family of 8 and the trouble that ensues when their drunken and abusive neighbor is found dead in the snow. Alafair Tucker, Mom, juggles family responsibilities (can you imagine cooking for 8 three times a day or washing by hand the clothes and bed linens for that same 8?) When the oldest boy of the dead man disappears it seems certain that he is guilty of patricide. Alafair sees that her daughter Phoebe, is smitten with the boy and she begins to question everybody, finding contradictions which cast doubt on the Sheriff's conclusions. Thus one is choice; Alafair is a neighbor I wish I had. She's some woman! My appetite was aroused for more of her adventures but my library has book 2 only electronically, meaning I must get an MP3 player to download it. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/donis-casey/
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Jackie, sounds neat.. Will look for it.
The Bloodhound series holds up.. She is a bit too in your face to read them all at once, but mostly I understand her. Love the stories of the training and dogs.
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JACKIE, I think that's why clothes and bed linens weren't changed as often back in the hand-washing days. ;)
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Alafair hired a neighbor to help with the washing. Twenty-five cents for what seems like an all day job yet they finished hanging the wet things and had time to fix a big dinner from scratch. Supper, at night, would be leftovers plus biscuits, canned veggies, pie made from canned fruit, likely fried potatoes and fried ham slices to round it out. It is daunting to read ow much physical labor it took to care for the family and the farm.
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I remember my mother ironing sheets in the days of the wringer washer (used to love helping put the clothes through the wringer).
Just finished another Wallender mystery The Smiling Face. Interesting.
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Alafair sounds great! Now to see if my library has it.
Justread two Henning Mankell's: "The Man Who Smiled" and "The Fifth Woman", in preparation for the Wallendar series omn PBS. But my station has changed "Masterpiece Mystery" from Sunday to Thursday, so I won't see the first one til then.
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I hung a couple of old muslin sheets on the line today. I had forgotten how heavy they are! We forget how easy housework is today even compared with what it was when we were young. One of the sheets has fancy embroidery and was in my hope chest. I've been married 58 years. The sheets absolutely require ironing, but I will just fold them up and take them to Goodwill. Maybe someone else wants antiques.
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Oh, my goodness, they are heavy, but they don't make sheets like that any more. I still use some of the store-boughten ones I bought when I was married, 55 years ago.
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Oh me, I do remember those sheets.. My bridal shower supplied me with lots of sheets, towels, etc.. My only contribution now since I no longer have a double bed, just queens, singles and kings.. is that I still iron pillow cases.. Just seems to make for nicer sleeping.. Silly but true. Thank heaven, I dont however hang these outside any more, but I do have friends who love to at certain times of year.. Mostly sheets and rugs..
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Oh, yes. I'm a little leery of putting small rugs in the dryer, so they go over the porch rail to
dry. I also have one of those collapsible drying racks to use in bad weather, when I've something too large and heavy for the dryer. I set it up in the bathtub, where any drips will
do no harm. It's just about time to wash and put away my summer quilt and get out the heavier
winter comforter.
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We have a clothes line in the garage where I hang silk things and the rubber backed bathroom rugs. They last much longer that way.
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How did we get on this subject? We can find the oddest things to talk about...and thoroughly
enjoy doing it, too. ;)
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Babi said, "How did we get on this subject? We can find the oddest things to talk about...and thoroughly
enjoy doing it, too."
It's a mystery to me, Babi.
Marj
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One of the mysteries of life: we always find something to talk about!
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I think my husband might say that one of the mysteries of life is how we always find something to talk about. :D
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Ah, but now you are speaking of the joys of seniorlearn and the old seniornet.. We go on and on and after a bit , we form mental pictures of all of the posters and feel as if we are all together in a cozy library sipping various liquids and laughing..
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Make mine cocoa, please, STEPH. ;D
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Cocoa coming up. Do you want hazelnut, vanilla, or plain?
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I'll take a caramel latte with whip cream and caramel drizzles on top.
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OMG Jean, that sounds sinful, but DELISH! And cocoa is perfect for today, sunny and beautiful, but a chilly breeze. I think I'll have to get out my winter jacket to wear to my son's football game tomorrow night - he's the coach, not the player.......
I remember the wonderful smell of sheets and pillowcases that had dried outdoors, and I also remember sheets that were frozen stiff and couldn't be folded to fit in the basket! One of those exoeriences our grandchildren will never have.........Jean
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Flajean: I'll have one, too. Mabel, I've got my flannel sleep pants and my thermal top on right now.
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Hmm, I think Baileys would suit me today.. Not cold here. A bit cool for us at night,which is neat.. 60 is just perfect at night with low low humidity..Ah this is Floridas glory days..
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I haven't tried Hazelnut; sounds good.
I just started my first 'Jane Whitefield' book and I'm really getting into it. Thanks to whomever
mentioned it here.
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Am reading another Walllender mystery Before the FRost by Henning Mankell. However, this one is more about his daughter, Linda, as she joins the Ystad police department after just graduating from the police academy. It's very good.
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Ah Thomas Perry and Jane Whitefield.. A lovely lovely series, but he also has stand alones that are wonderful. A favorite author for me.
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It look like I'm going to be reading more of his, STEPH. The Indian background history is fascinating.
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I can't remember who suggested the Raine Stockton Dog Mysteries but thank you anyway. I downloaded the only three she has written so far to my iPad thru my Kindle app and have enjoyed them. They are a nice change from the police procedurals I've been reading. I enjoy those also but like a cozy in between. I didn't think I would like using the iPad for reading books, but I find it much better than reading some of the paperbacks (some of them are printed so close to the margins that they are difficult to read).
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Yes, the IPAD is easier to read in some instances.. I love the games as well and reading the New York Times, editors cut every day..
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FLAJEAN
I recommended the Raine Stockton dog mysteries by Donna Ball. I'm glad you like them.
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Jeriron, then I must thank you. I sure hope Ball continues this series.
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Are we still talking about sheets? :P
While at my voluntary Library Concierge duty this afternoon I pulled a very intriguing title off the shelf to help pass the time -- Life's Too Short to Fold Fitted Sheets.
Basically -- a let up and live a bit, nobody's perfect type of book written by a former Martha Stewart fan. No longer. But she did offer advice for getting ink stains off the sofa -- rubbing alcohol. But nobody spills ink anymore because there isn't any ink to spill.
As for the sheets -- don't try to fold them, just wad them up and throw them in your linen closet. I remember two comments from the days when those bed clothes were first making their appearance. One of my aunts said, "Well, of course your linen closet will never look neat." And the fiance of a friend, already in his own apartment, told his beloved, "If you get those sheets there will be no wedding."
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P edlin.. As an old and experienced house buyer and seller.. I have a little book about annoyances in a house that prospective buyers and sellers should note.. One of the things is folding the bottom sheet and gives instructions, then take the top sheet,, both pillowcases, Fold the top up to a point, then put the bottom and the pillowcases. Roll them up.. and boom.. instant tidy. Put them in your linen closet along with a special way to fold towels.. Amazing. You can take a closet you would rather not open and turn it into a thing of joy.. Then in clothes, group by sleeve lenght, then color and boom.. again easy to show . Prospective home buyers love to look at neat closets. Sort of silly, but quite true.
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I have just started an new author(new for me that is). Her name if Linda Fairstein and the book is "The Bone Vault" - It says "One of the best crime fiction writers in America" I am finding it rather slow going, though it is interesting reading about the Metropolitan Museum of Art. But I am thinking of putting it aside has any one else an opinion on this writer?
Steph
What is the special way to fold towels, mine are in a stack and I aways need the one at the bottom result - an avalanche
Nancy
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Nancy - my list of "books read" says I read Fairstein's Lethal Legacy and I liked it, but I couldn't tell you what it was about........too many books, too little memory ........ :D
I started Tom Perry's Vanishing Act last night, .......interesting style, don't know yet whether I'm going to like it........Jean
Oh yes,....... I looked up L L and i remember that the characters were interesting and it was a good story about the NYC Library. I'd read more of Fairstein......Jean
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Just ran across a new TV series, Hardcover Mysteries. It is being shown on the ID channel which is a channel devoted completely to true crime. The show is about the crimes that inspired various novels. The first episode featured David Baldacci and the murder that inspired him to write Absolute Power. It was about the death of Mary Pinchot Meyer in Washington, D.C. in 1964. It will be broadcast again at Midnight Eastern time. Next weeks' show will feature a Lisa Sala-something or other. I didn't entirely catch all of her last name. Monday's at 9pm Eastern. Here it is Comcast's channel 111.
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Fold towel lengthwise, then fold the two side lengthwise into the middle.. Then fold in half. You have a nicefolder front to put in the linen areas. They stack nicely and look tidy.. When selling a house, this helps keep the mess from appearing.. I love the sheets since it keeps the sets together and makes it easier to pick up an entire set without worrying.
I love Thomas Perry..
Linda Fairstein. I read her, but she is very very big on research and each book is an education in some part of NYC.. Makes them sort of lecturing in spots.
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Thanks for the tip about the towels. I agree about Linda, I must admit I am tempted to skip a paragraph or so, but then feel guilty, I do not know why I should feel guilty after all I should be able to read only what I find interesting or entertaining.
Nancy
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My Mom was a hotel maid when she met my Dad in Bath, England during the war. She always insisted that we fold the towels "the correct way" as you have described, Steph. Warm and fuzzy thoughts of childhood.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Fry: I hope the Lisa Sala-something is Lisa Scottoline. She writes about women lawyers in Philly, and the old Italian neighborhood.
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I found the website with the promo and listings. Yes, you are right Lisa Scottoline in in Episode 2. Check out the episode listing to see all the authors and which episode they are on. Besides Baldacci, Harlan Coben, Kathy Reichs and Joseph Wambaugh are the only ones I know.
http://investigation.discovery.com/tv/hardcover-mysteries/
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Wow! I saw a couple more, but they went by so fast. I don't think I get that station, but I'll look.
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Joan, on the right hand side of the site, about midway down there is a clickable "Episode Guide" that takes you to a description of each episode. Right below it is "Get the Full Schedule", which gives a listing of when the episodes (and repeats) are scheduled. Baldacci is scheduled to play again at 3PM Eastern on Sunday the 17th. The new episodes are on Monday nights at 9pm and 12M Eastern.
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Castle had a tribute to Stephen J. Cannell at the end of the show last night. He did guest appearances at least twice on Castle. I just looked at the show's website, there actually are 2books available by "Richard Castle", "Naked Heat" and " Heat Wave"........i wonder who the real author is?......might be interesting to check them out........Jean
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Jean, I fell asleep on Castle last night so I missed a good bit of it. Bummer! It isn't shown on On Demand here, and I don't think they rerun it during the week. Guess I will have to wait for a rerun.
PS: I looked around a little on the net. They are really keeping tight lipped about who ghostwrote the books. I saw on several that James Patterson has also been on an episode or two. Since I've only just started to watching Castle, I haven't seen any that include Cannell or Patterson.
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When you move as much as I did as a wife,you learn a lot of tricks to sell a house.. Closets are a big point. They need to be neat and uncrowded.. I dont agree with many real estate agents about no personal pictures, but will say that if you have anything small and valuable.. it is best to remove it..
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Patterson and Cannell appeared in Castle episodes where Castle's poker group is playing. It is usually only about a minute or so that you see them!
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I couldn't find the station on my cable TV guide, but I was hurried. I'll look again.
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Castle is on whatever channel where you receive the ABC television network.
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If Patterson was on anything, you can bet that one of his ghost writers did it. The man is a corporation, I dont read him anymore..
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I guess I got lost somewhere in the discussion. What/who is Castle? Is that the name of a show?
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Yes, the name of the show is "Castle", which is the name of the lead character, who supposedly is a fiction/mystery writer. The show does have a crime, police work, and all the main characters are well-played. The PD lets Castle follow along on cases, and he is often out of his element, but does provide a mystery writer's take on some of the crimes. There is a cute "chemistry" thing going on between Castle and the lead detective, Beckett, who is attractive and she gets so perturbed with Castle most times. As a very successful mystery writer, he has a posh apartment, lives with his daughter (teenager) and his mom. Good interaction betwixt the three of them. He is just a kid at heart, and is always playing some kind of games either alone or with his daughter. This is a very cute, (I would rate it PG) series, with nothing to offend anyone. Like most of the cop mysteries today, it hasn't a plethora of "gore". Actually one of the better network shows, though not "intellectual"
but definitely entertaining. As I said earlier, on the ABC Network. This is the second season.
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Sounds like my kind of show!
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I've never seen Castle, but Netflix carries the past seasons on DVD. So, first season is on my queue, but I just haven't had time to watch them yet. I'm working my way through The Wire, Desperate Housewives, 7th Heaven and Boston Legal. Castle is there somewhere. It's a great way to watch TV.
But if you think that's bad, my son and DIL are working their way through Law and Order. Not in this lifetime.
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I haven't seen Castle. But the "nothing to offend anyone" description sounds a bit boring.
My favorite (and the only cop-type show I watch) is NCIS. Love the rather subtle humor.
Marj
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"nothing to offend anyone"... to me that means no gratuitous sex scenes, no foul language, no multiple shootings. If that's boring, bring it on!
*I also said it wasn't "intellectual". May be that's boring to some.
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In Australia we have all the series mentioned. My favourite is "Criminal Minds" - I am sure you have it there as well. Like NCIS the characters all interact well. Instead of Abby, the scientist in NCIS, there is Baby Girl (can't remember her onscreeen name) who does all the nerd work. I am sure you must have it.
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Speaking of Law and Order, Pedln, BBC America is showing Law and Order: UK. I don't know when it is scheduled. I found the show listed on Comcast's On Demand. It is a bit less, shall we say, combative than the original. I like it. I lost interest in the original, never cared much for SVU, stopped watching Criminal Intent when they began alternating characters, and haven't even bothered to check out the new Law and Order: Los Angeles.
NCIS has become my Mom's favorite evening show. Even George is watching the reruns showing on USA. It is one of my top watches too, along with CSI (Las Vegas) and CSI:NY.
I've watched a few Criminal Minds, but can't get into watching serial killer hunts every week.
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We don't watch many of the crime series on TV. - what we see in the real life news bulletins is enough crime for me. Having said that we do watch the laid back, New Tricks and Midsomer Murders and also like courtroom series like Judge John Deed.
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I love Castle. The characters have personality and they make a great ensemble! It also has humor; which most of the new shows do not have. I watch Bones for the same reason. I also like NCIS and NCIS Lost Angeles. Got tired of all the Law and Order series and quit watching them. Is anybody else disappointed in the new season on tv? Seems like they are all "cops and robbers" and lawyer based programs. Enough is enough!
Sally
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I love netflix and like Pedlin, I catch up on shows.. Just now I am on the fourth season of Six Feet Under,, but just finished Boston Legal. I also bought and watched Glee and just passed it on to one of my daughter in laws.. Then she will pass it on to the other daughter in law.
I like Bones.. Used to watch NCIS, but stopped after the accident. I am not yet able to watch too much violence without getting flashbacks.
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We get Castle here in Ireland, I love it the interaction between Beckett and Castle is humourous and I love his mother and daughter. New Tricks is another favourite and has anyone seen "The last Detective" it is great.
Nancy
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frybabe I am so glad you mention Law and Order UK on BBC America. I didn't even know about it. I see it's on tonight. I am really anxious to see it. I used to watc that station a lot and they haven't even been showing any of the UK mysteries anymore.
I agree about Midsomer Mysteries,New Tricks and Judge Deed.. New Tricks has been showing on PBS here unless they feel like pulling it to put something else on. Right now new (for the US)MM and Pie in the Sky came out on DVD and there is a wait on Netflix for them.
I've wanted to see The New Detective on DVD but it doesn't have CC. I would be happy to watch Inspector Morse again, but there again it has no CC.
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He has another writer that writes along with him now and it shows. It was boring
and predictable.
It does seem ofte when a writer becomes so popular that anything with his name on
it will sell, the writer seems to try to 'cash in' by churning out as many books as
he can, using 'co-writers' to up the quantity. Never mind the quality. It strikes me
as dishonest, frankly.
MARYPAGE, I haven't heard of a single one of those titles. Where did you find them?
NCIS, CSI and Criminal Minds are all favorites of ours. I do like the subtle interplay
among the characters, and the close bonds that form...like family. We like Castle, too.
Not as intense as the others and the mother and daughter add the perfect touch to the show.
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roshanrose, on Criminal Minds, "baby girl" is Garcia. Somehow I think maybe her first name is Penelope, but that's just guessing on my part, as they never use her first name. We watch NCIS, CSI (except for the Miami one), Criminal Minds and Castle. As far as the "new shows" go...most of them can go...as far as I'm concerned. When they come up with a new show, that has good characters, plot, etc. it usually runs half a dozen episodes, then they kill it off. I try not to get too attached to anything new!! I think the networks would be better served to get rid of some of the dreck that's on, like Cougar Town. That new detective show "The Good Guys" is totally dumb. I don't mind lawyer shows, but they need to be "good" like L&O used to be. The one that's on now, "The Whole Truth" is pretty darn good, but there are cancellation rumors already about it, and "The Outlaw" with Jimmy Smits is already on the chopping block.
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Ah Yes Tomereader - thanks for that reminder. I think her first name is Penelope too.
I had withdrawal Symptoms when the ABC ended its series of "Midsomer Murders". I felt like I had lost an old friend. Hope it comes back soon. The English seem to have the knack, there is no doubt about that. The Australian detective/cop shows still have a long way to go. I watch "City Homicide" which has good characters too, but I am a little bit over the "experienced; sensitive but not showing it; tough; mentor type; grizzled; senior cop who never seemed to make it to the top ranks. Too stereotypical.
The British cop series that has been running since TV was invented "The Bill" is about to come to an end. I just don't know how I will be able to cope on Saturday nights now.
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I will h ave to check out Castle.. I watch more net flix than tv.. Besides I adore my IPAD and have two addictive type games on it.. Whew.. And I can catch the New York Time Editors choice every morning.. Yum..
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Watched Law and Order UKfor the first time last night (thanks to Frybabe) and enjoyed it. It had captions. I tried watching it on demand earlier in the day but there wasn't any captions. So guess I can't back track and see the older ones.
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Ah, TOME, I see I'm not the only one that 'excepts' the Miami one. Probably for
similar reasons. We also agree on "The Good Guys". May I say I admire your taste? ;D
ROSHANA, I really, really wanted to see "Misomer Murders" since I also enjoy that
English kncack. Unfortunately, like too many British made series, there was no closed
captioning. (sigh)
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Babi
If you are trying to rent them from Netflix. The 2008 series has Captions.
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WOW! I didn't know there were so many good mystery series. I see I'm way behind. Are you all watching Masterpiece Mystery on PBS?
I'm a sports junkie, so by the time I watch PBS at the Met, baseball, football, or basketball, I'm waaaay over my tolerance level for TV.
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babi and jeriron - You both mention "captions". Can you explain what they are please?
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Captions are printed words at the bottom of the screen. Used if you cannot hear well.. or sometimes because the actor or actress mumbles. I used them all the time before the new hearing aids.
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Oh, thank you, JERIRON. I'll look those up right away.
ROSHANA, 'captions' are the closed captioning that prints out the dialogue for those
of us who can't hear.
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Tome, I went to the Castle site on the Internet and watched the latest episode on my computer. I enjoyed it. I downloaded an iPad TV Times app so now I can check on what is on and when (for a change). I didn't know about Castle so thanks for mentioning it. I also enjoy The Mentalist which isn't as violent as many of the shows and also has a little humor.
Steph, found aother fun free game for the iPad called Word Abacus.
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glad to be of help, flaJean. I made the big mistake of downloading a free word game to my kindle last night. Couldn't bring myself to quit. Probably 2 hours past my bedtime! It was a free game, as opposed to any that you pay for.
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Thanks for the explanation(s) Babi and Steph.
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Oh I do love the free download games on the IPAD.. My current passion is for matching colors and clicking to explode.. Addictive and silly.. Best kind of stuff.. But I do love the new free download from the New York Times. Now I have the whole paper.. Who knows for how long.
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Steph, my free game is titled: "Every Word". They give you six or seven letters, scrambled, and you try to make as many words as you can. Only if you get the "longest" word do you get to go to the next round. There is a similar game on Games.com on line. Can't remember the name of that one. Still fun to play though!
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Castle is on tonight at 10EST.........after DWTS........Jean
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I would like the JUmble type with the word and will look for it on my free apps... That is the most amazing app.. Gives you all sorts of things that others have invented and listed..
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MABEL: rats! I had company yesterday, and didn't check in here. Oh well, next week.
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I cant believe I am such a fool, but I actually traded for The Scarpatta Factor.. Hmm. still self absorbed. Benton still making secrets of his entire life and Lucy being wretched.. Oh well. the story is intriguing at this point.
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I think it was the Scarpetta/Lucy relationship that finally ended it for me. I just got tired of the
whole thing. Scarpetta was always finding some reason to lash out at her niece, despite her declared love and devotion.
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I mentioned last week that I had stared Perry's Vanishing Act and tho't is was an interesting new idea for a story. Well, by last night I was more than half way through it and I think I am giving it up. The first half of insight into the Native American community, the strategy of how she planned for people to disappear were interesting to me. But, as he tries to explain why the first guy was killed, his writing is confusing and uninteresting to me. .......Jean
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yes, Scarpetta and Lucy are still in some sort of odd relationship. Lucy is even more paranoid.. The actual plot is interesting, although I am having problems with where the heck we are going.
Sorry you dont like Perry. You might like the stand alones. They are quite different.
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IMHO Cornwell has just about worn Scarpetta out. Not very interesting any more.
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Just finished Donna Leon's newest Willful Behavior with her Guido Brunetti. I think it is one of her best.
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I enjoy Donna Leon's books, mostly for her descriptions of Venetian life. It never occurred to me, for example, before I read her, that Venetians would of necessity shop daily - because they don't have cars to load up with a weekly shop. I love all the details about the food too, and often think of Paola making her coffee on the stove when I'm warming up the milk for mine (though sadly my view isn't quite of the Dolomites).
The thing that irritates me most about the novels is Paola's rich family - it so handily provides the connections that help Brunetti to solve so many crimes - but I suppose it would be quite difficult to resolve everything without some kind of short cut.
Rosemary
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More books for my TBR list........lol
I'm reading Point Blank by Catherine Coulter, one of her FBI series. I like those characters and find her books fast and pleasant to read. This is only my third, so thank goodness, i've got many more to look forward to.
I also just finished another Eliot Roosevelt book, Murder in Georgetown. He seemed to deliberately put in more "known" personalities w/ descriptions of their behaviors. That's the fun of reading them for me. Most of those people are dead, so i think he can give us the scoop w/out getting into trouble, altho i sometimes wonder if Eleanor was as blase about some things as he makes her. He does go directly at her relationship w/ Hick in this book. He quoted what i assume was a letter she wrote to her which was very affectionate, but then has FDR saying she should not be concerned about what people are saying about them, that he and all those around know that they are just very, very good friends. ..................jean
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Eleanor went to boarding school in the era that girls had very passionate relationships with other girls. Anyway, she never told , so the world will simply guess forever. I liked her..
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"Murder in Georgetown" is one I missed, and I thought I had read them all!
It was one of the other books that has Eleanor wandering into Franklin's bedroom while he's in bed with his secretary and calmly making plans for the day. I don't think the family appreciated his portrayal of them.
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JEAN, it occurs to me that perhaps Elliot prefers to believe his Mother was blase, rather then think she was hurt. I think she must have often been hurt, but learned to put the best face on
it that she could.
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I often wondered about Eleanor and Franklin as far as marriage went. His Mother definitely did not approve, but she was Franklins choice and I am sure he depended on her and sent her off on her many missions.
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When I mentioned that Eliot makes ER rather blasé about somethings, I wasn't referring to FDR or ER's lives. In this book their are stories about a prostitute and about Joe Kennedy's dalliances and other sexual issues. And in each case ER responds more like a 21st century first lady than as a "Victorian-raised" woman. The interesting thing is that I'm ready to believe his characterizations of his other famous people, but am suspicious of his characterizations of his mother.........lol ..........Probably says more about me than Eliot.........Jean
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For those of you who like jig saw puzzles and like to play "games" online, here is a fun site i recently found.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/your-shot/jigsaw-puzzles
They are national geographic picstures. You have a couple options - they will show you the pieces in there proper "vertical/horizontal" positions, or you can scramble them to make it harder, and there are other options...........enjoy............jean
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That was fun!! I've been doing puzzles instead of taking care of business! I saved it to play with again later.
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I actually think that Eleanor was in fact a very very advanced lady for her time. She seemed to have an acceptance for all sorts of people and situations.
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thanks, Jean - I like doing the puzzles online, but haven't found one I liked in a while. :D
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I like the games online where you have to find a whole bunch of things in a picture and they are mixed in and very difficult sometimes.. Sort of good for my concentration.
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Jean
Why did you share the jigsaw puzzles with us, how are we to get any work done.......only joking
Have just finished my first - great fun.
Nancy
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Steph, I love those "hidden object" games on-line! Sure are a test of your eyesight though. And sometimes if I go back and play again, I forget where something was that I had already found before!
Short term memory, where are you?
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O h yes, I sometimes can be asked three times for the same thing and still never remember where it is.. Still I enjoy it.. Amazing how you can hide items in plain site. Finished the Scarpetta Factor.. Oh darn.. same old villain. I hate it when they do that.
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And sometimes the object has been moved to a different location, too.
I'm reading my second 'Jane Whitefield' book, and still getting so much
enjoyment out of the background. Imagine my surprise to learn that when America entered WWII the Iroquois Nation also formally and officially declared war against Germany. I love it!
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"Hidden object" games"? I'm afraid to ask. I'll never get the bills paid!
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Hidden object games: You see a picture, a little side box with a list of objects (which are in the picture, but some are more hidden than others!) when you've found all those, it moves to another scene with more hidden objects. Fascinating, time consuming, and for me, fun as all heck! Love 'em. I'm on AOL, so they usually have several. Once you've finished a couple of levels, they want you to buy the game. But I don't. Just keep playing, the ones they offer on line FREE and always allowing some time to pass before I play the same game again.
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I bought two of the games in the last two years.. I can play either over and over to my surprise.. You can try to beat your time in them and that is fun as well.
Opened a Faye Kellerman last night for a little bit. This has been a busy week and I confess that the IPAD does hold me captive with lots of silly games.
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A crossword puzzle book, or one with acrostic puzzles and cryptograms, can use up
a lot of my time, too. And, I don't have to wait until the computer is free. ;)
I've just started "The Coroner's Lunch", which was recommended here. It's the one featuring
a old man, about my age, who is coroner in Laos. I think I'm going to enjoy it.
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John works crossword puzzles, and I work the crostics and cryptograms. I get the big books of crostics, used, from Amazon. Amazingly, I've only gotten one that had any puzzles worked in it. My mother did them, and I "took over" when she died. I don't know anybody else (in person) who works them.
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Have any of you read Ben Rehder's books? I picked up one last night at the library titled "Holy Moly" because of the name. The setting is Texas and it is humorous. I've only read about 10 pages, but I think I'm going to like it. Apparently there are about half a dozen with those two word titles.........Jean
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I will check him out.. A sense of humor is lovely in detective stories.
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My computer has been down for two days, and I felt like my arm had been cut off. Good to be back.
I think I suggested "The Coroners Lunch." Let me know what you think.
I'm a crossword puzzle worker. Every day, I call a friend who lives on the other side of the country and we work the New York Times puzzle together. She does it paper and pencil: I do it on my computer. I subscribe to it for $38 a year, and I get a new one every day, plus their acrostics etc.
We mystery readers are people who like puzzles, don't you think?
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There are two cryptograms at this site (free) - and they change daily.
http://wordzap.com/enigma/enigma.asp
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Babi, I very much enjoyed the Coroner's Lunch and one other book by that author. The setting and time was most interesting.
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Oh yes, I like crosswords - try to do the Guardian one (and usually fail), also do any others that come my way - Radio Times, Oldie (v difficult), etc. I love the idea of doing them with someone on the other side of the country. My mother has done the Daily telegraph puzzle for as long as I can remember, and my mother-in-law is a genius at the Guardian one.
I recently read a book by Sandy Balfour called "Pretty Girl In Crimson Rose", which is about his lifelong addiction to the Guardian crossword, and also his early life in S Africa (he now lives in London). It is a fascinating book, in the course of which he meets several of the Guardian setters - I had no idea before this that the papers actually have crossword editors who reject puzzles with too many anagrams, etc. There are also "classic" and more modern styles of setting. Incidentally, I seem to remember that the answer to the title is "rebelled", as in pretty girl = belle, crimson = red, and rebelled = rose.
Rosemary
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Do you all know the Crossword Puzzle Lady mysteries? Some of the puzzles for them were done by Seniornetter Manny Novotsky.
And there is an English mystery writer who has crosswords in his books, but I just can't think of who. Does anyone know?
English crossword puzzles are completely different from American ones. I can't even understand them, much less do them.
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Parnell Hall has crossword puzzles in his book, but I don't think he's British. But I see that he is now writing Sudoku mysteries as well. I'll definitely have to check those out. I don't do very many crosswords, but Sudoku is part of my daily routine. It's also part of my nightly routine and eats into my pre-bedtime reading. I don't know what would happen if I started in on crosswords also. Though that subscription to NY Times puzzles sounds mighty tempting.
Have you seen Wordplay, the film that featured the annual crossword puzzle contest in Stamford, CT. A really good movie. And JoanK, didn't Manny construct the puzzle for the contest?
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I used to do a lot of crosswords, but now seem not to be that interested. I do love Soduku,, but with pencil , not on line.
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I think you're right, JOANK. I know I love trying to solve the mystery before the end.
It's another form of puzzle, isn't it?
I love all kinds of word puzzles. Math is not one of my loves.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I love crossword puzzles and used to do the LA Times puzzles every day. Stopped the Times (tired of having to get rid of all the newspapers), so don't do them now.
Marj
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marjifay, there are lots of crossword puzzles online - many free. My husband works several every day. I work several word puzzles every day - free. And nothing to recycle.
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Spooky-book suggestions from Seattle literati, including, for Shirley Jackson fans, a collection of short stories by Karen Joy Fowler.
Spooky Books for Halloween (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/books/2013275946_halloweenside31.html)
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There's also a free web sudoku which, under options, allows for "pencil marks"...i.e., you can put more than one number in a blank as you try to figure out which one fits.
http://www.websudoku.com/
I'm continuing to enjoy many of Linda Howard's mysteries. Some are too much for me...but most are ones I enjoy.
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PEDLIN: "Have you seen Wordplay, the film that featured the annual crossword puzzle contest in Stamford, CT. A really good movie. And JoanK, didn't Manny construct the puzzle for the contest?"
I loved that movie. I think it was Patrick Berry who constructed the last puzzle (don't quote me on that). Manny may have done an earlier one.
My daughter this morning brought me the latest Stephanie barron "Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron." Unfortunately, when she left, she absentmindedly took it back with her, so I'll have to wait till tonight to get it. She reports that it's very interesting historically, but not as good as the others as a mystery. Has anyone read it?
Of course, tonight I'll be trick-or-treating with my grandchildren. I'll do that til THEY're too old (I'll never be).
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I loved Linda Howard's "Mr Perfect", a funny suspenseful book, but not a "whodonit" mystery. I just checked my library catalogue and found 47 books of hers. I had read one of her other mysteries, but didn't realize that was her primary genre, thanks for the tip, Jane......Jean
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I just took some sort of brain age test on line that a friend sent me.. Said I was 47.. I could have kissed it.. At 72 I will take all the brain that I can keep.
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Steph - have you got a link to the brain test - we could all take it and discover that none of us has reached 50 yet. :D
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Oh, wouldn't that be nice! I'm sure I would do much better with an on-line quiz...where I could
delay my answers while my brain sorted through the files. I may still know the answers, but
my retrieval time is definitely longer. ::)
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Spent last night trick-or-treating with my grandkids. But retrieved "Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron." Reading the very sad beginning late last night depressed me, but it promises to perk up now.
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This evening I heard an interview on Front Row (radio 4) with PD James. She said she would love to write another Adam Dalgliesh mystery, but she's not going to because at the age of 92 she is worried she won't get it fiinshed before she dies. She said she could not bear to think of a posthumous review saying "she was amazing to write anything at her age, even though it's unfinished and not up to her old standard".
She has, however, just won a prize for a radio interview she conducted when she was guest producer of the Today programme!
The Dalgliesh books are, for most of us here, inescapably bound up with Roy Marsden's wonderful acting of the part in the TV adaptations.
Rosemary
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www.freebrainagegames. com/ That is what it says on my favorites list. Babi.. They time you, it is part of the age thing..
I love P.D. James, but never watched any show featuring him. I much prefer to keep my heros in my brain, not from the tv.
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In yesterday's local paper, there was a column entitled: How to find your solution online.
For crosswords or Scrabble: crosswordsolver.org; allwords.com/solver.asp (enter word length and letters you know); oneacross.com or dictionary.reference.com/crossword/index.html (enter the clue and answer pattern)
For Sudoko: sudokusolver.co.uk (will solve by steps or entire board; sudoku-solutions.com (shows hints, rates difficulty; www.sudokuwiki.org/sudoku.htm (has a daily sudoku game as well; sudokusolver.com (solves super sudoku, too)
There's also a couple for Anagrams/jumbles or Scrabble. If you all want those, let me know.
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I finished "The Coroner's Lunch". Just when I thought it was over, I turned the page and found
another short (3 pgs.)chapter, entitled "Just When You Thought It Was Over". ::)
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Aha BAbi,, a writer with a sense of humor.. Rare indeed.
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;D
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;D ;D
That's what I like about him -- his sense of humor. Did you like the book?
As often happens, I found myself in the library without my list of your suggestions. But I found a Gillian Roberts I had somehow missed.
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I finished the Faye Kellerman. Excellent, although a bit more violent than her normal books.
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I realized quite recently that although I have read all of the others, I have not read Charlaine Harris original series.. Aurora Teagarden.. A bit less complicated than her current work, but I got several through my swap club and am reading one just now. Felt the need for simple uncomplicated mysteries. Aurora is a bit out in left field, but thats ok just now.
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I like him very much, JOAN, an will probably read more of this series.
After all, the coroner and I are much the same age.
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The Aurora book was good, although it made her a bit more silly than necessary and it is not quite that easy and quick for a first baby to be born.. Sigh.
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The Gillian Roberts "Alls Well that Ends" isn't as good as some of her others. Drags a bit.
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I am reading a newish Margaret Maron.. The one where she is at Wilmington Beach at a Judges conference.. Fun as always.
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Steph, is that the one where a judge comes out in a robe at a place where robes are usually not worn?
She is my favorite mystery writer.
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She has a new book coming out soon named Christmas Mourning. Waiting impatiently as the last three books I got from the library were real bombs and I didn't finish even one of them.
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"the last three books I got from the library were real bombs and I didn't finish even one of them."
When you're hot, your hot -- when you're not, you're not. I got a few new authors to try. We'll see how I did.
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I just found out that my library now has Christmas Mourning by Margaret Maron. I always seem to be late reserving new books and am 11 on the list. I'm glad several of you mentioned her and I checked or I would be much further down the list. >:(
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Finished Sand Shark,, No she talks of a previous conference and the judge who came out in the robe, but this time, she is a new bride and he gets his comeuppance from a very old male friend of hers.
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I just finished a very enjoyable and timely Donna Andrews mystery, "Six Geese A-Slaying".
As always, Andrews is fun, the book is fast-paced, easy reading, and you don't even have to
mourn the victim; he well deserved it!
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I'm reading a Judge Knott book, also, Killer Market, taking placein High Point during the furniture show....a fun read.....thanks to someone on here who steered me to that series......jean.
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Finished Victoria Thompson "Murder on Waverley Place". It's about a murder at a seance. They were very popular then (turn of the century) and later.
Turn of the century New York, with Theodore Roosevelt trying to clean up the police force, and many other social reformers (Riis, Hellman etc.) working on the problems of the immegrants, is an historical period that has always interested me. The population of the US literally doubled in 10 years from a combination of immegration and dropping death rate. Much of the increase was in cities like New York, and just about everything was in a state of crisis.
This book has less of this atmosphere than her others. But I always look forward to her books.
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Just finished The Charming Quirks of Others, the latest in McCall Smith's Isabel Dalhousie series. Dear, dear Isabel. She does make mountains out of molehills, but I do like her.
That murder mystery by Victoria Thompson sounds good, I'll check on that at my library along with a few other suggestions.
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Jean, Killer Market and Uncommon Clay are my very favorite Margaret Maron books. And I want to visit, someday, both Highpoint and Sea Grove.
I picked up a real bargain today from the Library Friends Discount Cart -- The Private Patient by P D James. Now to find time to read it.
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Oh Flajean, you are lucky! I am still waiting for a library copy of Isobel's latest.
Has anyone tried Donna Leon's detective stories set in Venice? Maybe they have already been discussed, in which case, apologies, but I enjoy them for their insight into Venetian life.
Rosemary
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I am with you. I want to go to all of the places that Margaret Maron writes about.
Just finished Marcia Muller.. "Locked In". Has anyone ever heard of this syndrom.. Scary indeed.
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Well I haven't read the books, but I did recently have a client who had had a major and catastrophic stroke at the age of 46, and the doctors told his partner that he was in a "locked in state", ie he could not communicate but they thought he could understand. Sadly he died after some months in hospital. He had not granted power of atorney to his partner, no doubt because he felt too young to do that - I was so shocked by the struggle the poor partner had (and they had a small child) with the various authorities, banks, etc, that I got my husband to sign a PoA immediately and also did one myself. I then e-mailed all of the people in my firm and offered to prepare one for them for nothing, and not one person took me up on it - my closest colleague, who is slightly older than me, said she was "not yet ready for that kind of thing" (even though she has several family members, including a husband, whom she could have appointed). The P of A can be made conditional on the attorney obtaining one (or indeed more than one) doctor's letter confirming that you are incapable.
I don't know if the same system operates in the USA and Australia, but as a lawyer I can only urge everyone to take this precaution, - you may well never need to use it, but it could save you and everyone else a great deal of trouble and money.
Rant over! Sorry - it's one of my hobby horses.
Rosemary
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I'm with you, Rosemary - it's SO important. We have them, our children have them, and I hope all of our grandchildren have them. Plus the Medical PoA - which is a different document over here.
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Thank you, Rosemary. I keep meaning to do that, and keep forgetting.
I like Donna Leon's books, too. Although it always annoys me that his wife is supposed to have a responsible job, but comes home every day to cook a three course gourmet meal for him. Yeah, right!!
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JoanK - I agree about the wife, she really doesn't seem to do much work, she just has lots of opinions! And of course, she must needs have an unbelievably wealthy family - in fact, she really is quite annoying :)
Brunetti, however, is a wonderful creation, and I love the way he looks forward to his meals, and hopes that certain dishes will be on the menu. Plus, there is no PC-ness about drink in these novels, they are forever opening a bottle of prosecco or knocking back a liqueur. I've only been to Italy a few times, but I have never seen anyone remotely drunk there - they seem to have a much better relationship with alcohol than we do in the UK, where every high street is now over-run with inebriated, obnoxious, semi-clad people every Friday and Saturday night. And I love the way Brunetti lays on the sofa reading classical authors like Virgil.
One of the things I always notice in the novels is how people in Venice don't do huge supermarket shops - they just buy what they need each day and the children go out to get ice cream after dinner - because of course they have no cars; what a liberation.
R
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I don't know about that. I had to buy groceries (especially milk and meat -- anythingthat would spoil) every day when I was in Israel, and it was a pain -- come home from work, and buy dinner ingredients before I could even start to cook. So I took one day, and cooked for three or four meals. The rest made simple quick meals.
Not Leon's women. A different three course meal every day. Things that would take hours to cook, ready by midday, and not made the night before (or he would have known what they were having). By what magic did she pull this off, and work full-time?
But that's such a quibble. They're excellent books.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Joan, I'm sure you're right - it just sounds novel and pleasant to me because I seem to be forever in and out of Sainsbury's! I have a rose-coloured view of myself, having made this on-off move to Edinburgh, popping to the local shops for artisan-made this and that (no doubt carrying my hand woven basket), when the reality is of course that even if I had the time, the prices would send me scurrying back to Lidl at high speed :)
Rosemary
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I know. Don't food and food stores in books always sound wonderful. Especially in a foreign country. Of course, if we ate like that, we'd be broke and weigh 600 pounds. But reading about it is free and has no calories.
The US is poor in interesting food stores and restaurants (at least compared to those in books about other countries). They exist, but you really have to look for them in corners. The malls are full of supermarkets and chain restaurants.
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I used to have a neighbor who was married to a frenchman. His Mother would come each year for a month. She cooked all three meals every single day. She also shopped every single day. You could not convince her that the supermarket for the most part does not get new food each day.
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When I was 14 I spent 3 weeks at the home of my French penfriend in Tours. her mother shopped in the market every day and I went with her. She also cooked every day twice a day - I had the time of my life, but managed to gain over a stone, so it's a good job I wasn't there any longer. I still remember the market with great pleasure - the stalls of little goats cheeses and the amazing vegetables. We also went out into the country to buy wine from a very small vineyard - this took some hours as it was customary then - and maybe still is in rural France - to sit down and have an aperitif with the owners before making your purchases. This was a completely novel way of life to me, and I loved it, although I'm sure now I wouldn't have the patience.
That reminds me, has anyone else read the children's novel "Please Don't Go" by Peggy Woodford? I read it first at about that time and as it is about a girl who goes to France and falls in love with a French boy, I was naturally smitten (sadly I only worshipped my penfriend's brother from afar). A few weeks ago one of our branch libraries was closed down by the council and had a book sale - I knew that they had the only copy in our library service, so I dashed up there and bought it for 50p. It's a little piece of my youth and I'm going to treasure it.
Rosemary
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An excellent idea, ROSEMARY. I believe my hospital still has my 'last instructions'
sort of thing, but it would be a good idea for my daughter to have a PoA. But which one.
Valerie lives with me and looks after me, but I don't know if I could ask her to make
the hard decisions..like turn off the machine. My son or older daughter might be better
able to handle that. Thanks for bringing up this subject, Rosemary. I need to talk with
her about this.
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Rosemary - I suspect that the Italians are similar to the Greeks in that it is considered extremely uncouth to appear inebriated in public. The Greeks have a method that they have used for centuries. Every drink is served with a glass or carafe of water. Even if you ask for a glass of water, you will get two. I can still taste the anise in raki and visualise the clouded drop that results in mixing it with water. During the time I spent in Greece, I never saw anyone drink raki straight. btw raki is the rough version of ouzo.
I think on the question of wills many people seem blissfully ignorant of the fact that they may die suddenly, if at all. Or is it just fear of one's mortality and that the world would probably not continue to turn if one was to die? I have had a will form sitting on my desk for three weeks now and I keep putting off completing it. If you asked me why, I would not be able to answer you.
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roshanarose - although making a will is certainly important, what I was talking about was a Power of Attorney, which enables your appointed person(s) to handle your finances and/or make decisions about your welfare should you become unable to do so. A few years ago, if an elderly person could no longer deal with their bank, for example, the bank staff would just let their son or daughter get cash out for them and so on. These days there are so many rules and regulations that the banks will hardly let us get our own money out, and they certainly can't let a relation or friend do it for us, no matter how well the bank staff know the family. Whilst all these rules are meant to be there to protect the clients, some banks interpret them so literally that things become quite ridiculous. I had more and more older people coming to me to do Powers of Attorney not because they didn't understand things, but because they just couldn't stand speaking to the banks on the phone any longer, with all the requirements for passwords, security codes, etc - they want their adult children to do it for them, and this is the only way they can get the banks to speak to those children.
I know that wills are a thing that many people worry about - it may help to know that all the firms I have worked for have safes full of wills that have been sitting there for donkey's years; in other words, making a will does not mean you are about to expire, and you are perfectly free to change your will as many times as you like.
Hope this helps, and if I can help you with any general queries, please feel free to email me.
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My husband and I (sounds like Queen Liz) organised new wills and powers of attorney about ten years ago. We haven't had to use them yet but it is a comfort to know they are in place should the need arise. We reviewed them a couple of years ago and found that we didn't need to change anything and our solicitor agreed. Big relief.
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Rosemary - Thanks so much for your good advice and kind offer. I will talk to my son-in-law about Power of Attorney as he is a also a lawyer.
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I had all of these things in place, but when push came to shove in the hospital, they hospital made me and my sons sign a release for my husband saying that this was his wishes before they would disconnect the machines.. Very hard to do.. We thought the living will would take care of that, but it doesnt. At least in Florida.
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It was self-protection on the part of the hospital, STEPH. Though a living will does express the
wishes of the person who made it, when the time comes the family may not agree. It it is done
without their consent, a law suit could be the result.
I was right about assigning a medical power of attorney in my family. My younger daughter,
who lives with me, was perfectly willing to assume responsibility for a financial PofA, but not for
a medical PofA. She could not bear to make that kind of decision. My older daughter was with
us last evening, and she agreed to take on that chore. She is better able to take a calm view
of circumstances and my wishes. Now,..to find the necessary forms. To the library today; they
have books of legal forms that I can copy.
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We have four daughters - the eldest has the medical power of attorney (after each other, of course) - she works in the medical world and is willing and able to do that. The second eldest has the legal power of attorney - very practical and willing. The two younger daughters are thrilled that their older sisters will perform those duties. And, I know they will all work together, too. Plus our attorney is a long-time family friend.
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MaryZ - that is really good. Most families do get on well enough to deal with this sort of thing, but I have had some people come in and say they have to, for example, appoint all four adult children as attorney (which can make things unnecessarily complicated) because otherwise the others will be offended, and I had one really nice lady in her 80s who felt she could not make a will because whatever she did her two daughters would resent it. They came in with her (though I got them out of the room to talk to her) and I could see exactly what she meant - it was sad.
We have appointed each other, whom failing (as we say in our legalese) our son, who is the oldest child - but we haven't told any of the children, as he is only just 18 and the others younger. We did not want to appoint my husband's siblings, who live a long way away and really have very little to do with our or our children's daily lives, and I am an only child.
I have looked into "living wills" for clients from time to time, but here in Scotland they have no legal standing, although i suppose they might be useful to give your doctors an indication of your wishes.
Rosemary
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Here in California, every time you are admitted to a hospital, they give you the forms and urge you to fill them out.
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We are asked for copies of our living will any time we go to a hospital. It's okay - I'm glad they do. It's a good idea to have one on file with your family physician, too.
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I guess I am in the minority here, but I like Brunetti's wife in Donna Leon's series. She comes up with some very good sayings from time to time (thank you Ms. Leon). I get the impression that the university classes don't demand a lot of her time during the days, but it is often mentioned that she is in her office looking at students' papers at night. I get tired of some series but never Leon's.
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Greetings,
When I gave both of my daughters medical power of attorney my lawyer said that they should have multiple copies made and for them to be sure to each keep a copy in the glove compartments of all their family cars because often times it is in an emergency situation that the "power" is needed and it does no good back home in a desk, safe, or in the other car.
Mary
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I can't remember if I mentioned it before, but we carry copies of our documents with us whenever we travel - especially when we're out of the country.
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Interesting.. I keep mine at home. But I think I will make a copy and take it with me when I travel.
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FLAJEAN
I agree with you about Brunetti's wife. I like them all and really enjoy Leon's book. Her next one comes out in April.
In some European countries they have long Lunch times. A few hours and that is their big meal of the day. They go back to work in the afternoon and work later then we do here in the states. Food is a big thing in her books. Notice their children are home from school at that time too.
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I think that is, or was, the custom in many hot countries. It was so when we were in Israel in the sixties. They were just changing to "our" schedule in Tel Aviv, which was getting too big for people to go home at lunch. I don't know what they do know.
Well, I had some luck: picked up a book by an author I'd never heard of, because the title caught my eye ("Cruel Hearts and Gentle People" By John Riggs -- do you remember the old song?) I liked it a lot -- the detective is the newspaper editor in a small town in Wisconsin, and it has a real small town feel to it (or what I imagine is a small town feel -- I've never actually lived in a small town). And an interesting solution. I've ordered his first book from Amazon. (he's written 11, so this gives me a new series to work on).
Does anyone else know him?
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Riggs is not a name I know. I am reading "Hornswoggled" by Donis Casey.. I believe she was recommended by someone here. Old time.. gentle.... a maybe murder.... and the detective has 10 small children. A challence to be sure.
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I am firmly persuaded that no one with "10 small children" has time to do anything else. :o
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You mentioned Casey before. I ordered "The old buzzard had it coming".
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I just started The Bootlegger's Daughter. It's my first Maron book (I think). Several of you here mentioned her; so I decided to start with the first. I'll let you know what I think when I finish.
Sally
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Got Cruel Hearts & Gentle People by John Riggs from the library this afternoon so will start it tonight. He is a new author for me. Also got several Victoria Thompson books Murder on Waverly Place and two others. She is also a new author for me. So I'll be busy reading this evening. :)
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Ilove Victoria Thompson. Her books have such a nice flow.. The Casey book is her second. The first one was the one mentioned here by someone else.. Her housework alone makes me tired to read about it. But it is a fun sort of book. The mystery is secondary to the descriptions of pioneer life.
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Joan, i think the name of the song is "Dear Hearts and Gentle People", but i did think of it also when you mentioned the book title.
I had started a Gerritsen book a month or so ago - w/ the Rizzoli detective character - but it was too gruesome fir me at the time. I picked up another one this week, but it is about a copy cat of the "surgeon" killer that had abducted and brutely attacked Rizzoli and she had arrested and jailed. I may have to give up on this series, altho i loved the tv show, but the books are too violent for me.........Jean
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Here is Bing Crosby singing "Dear Hearts and Gentle People." Unfortunately, the mystery shows that life (and people) are not that simple.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t314wo05ElI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t314wo05ElI)
Flajean: some of Thompsons early books give the flavor of the time better than Waverly place. Here is the list
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/t/victoria-thompson/ (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/t/victoria-thompson/)
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Thank you, JoanK.
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I am reading a Jonathon Kellerman now. This one is about a truly insance young male, who he once treated. I am suspicious about the mania. This is an older book of his, that somehow I missed. This is catch up month. Filling in series that I have read most of, but not all.
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Thompson's 'Texas' novels look like the 'heaving bosom' style of romances, which I
really don't care for. Notice how similar all the covers are? I might like the period piece, but consider Anne Perry the unchallenged champion of that genre.
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JoanK, it's [b]Cold [/b] Hearts and Gentle People. I've been searching upside down and backwards for it, especially on Amazon. Having grown up in Wisconsin, I had to know more. They sound good, but alas, not in my library. Will have to try the second hand bookstore.
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OOOPS Sorry.
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Thompsons historical series is really good. I like it much better than Anne Perry. For one thing , it is NYC and not England.. Makes it feel more real to me. Plus the subtext is interesting. How her first husband died and why is a constant theme.
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Ah, well, NYC is a different matter entirely. A very different background, a much shorter history
than London. I'll make a note and give Victoria Thompson and NYC a visit.
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Reading my first of Laura Lippman's Tess Monaghan series, Baltimore Blue. I like Tess. She's just as quirky, but not as funny as Stephanie Plum. Knowing a little geography of Bal'mor - as the natives call it, or somthing that sounds like that - makes it interesting for me also. I'll definitely get more of them.......Jean
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Steph
I would like to start reading Thompsons Gaslight books. Do I absolutely have to start with the first one. I wanted to read "little Italy" first because of interest in the area.
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No, you can read them out of order. There's a little "backstory" with the main character, but it's simple, and well explained.
JEAN: I like Tess and her Baltimore too.
Just like some people have "it", some quality that makes everyone they know interested in them, so some cities have "it". I don't know exactly what that quality is, but Baltimore definitely has it. Everyone I ever met who was ever from Baltimore, loves it, and can't stop talking about it. That quality doesn'y extend to outsiders -- living near there in the DC area, I've been there many times, and don't quite "get it".
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Joan
Thanks..
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I appreciate that information, too, JOAN....just in case my library doesn't have the first of the
series. I note they do have quite a number of Thompson's books, tho'. Same with Maron.
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I just ordered no. 1 and no2 of Victoria Thompson's books look forward to them arriving.
Nancy
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I like the Thompson in sequence, because she changes and becomes so much more of a brave human as it goes along.
Tess is another one who grows and changes, so needs to be read in sequence. I like her , but sometimes she gets a bit hinky..
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"hinky"??? translation please Steph!
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Hinky...odd.. off beat, not quite on the right path..a little scary sometimes.
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I started the "little Italy" one. If I like it enough I'll go back and start from the first one.
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Sigh!! I'm behind the times, as usual. Most of my crossword-puzzle friends have abandoned crossword puzzles for sudoku. But I thought I was safe with the (crossword) Puzzle Lady detective stories by Parnell Hall.
Not so. I went to the library yesterday, and there was a new-to-me one, "The Sudoku Puzzle Murders". The clue are BOTH crossword puzzles AND sudokus- the crosswords as always done by our own Seniornetter, Manny Novotsky, and the sudoku by Will Shortz (editor of THE crossword puzzles, the New York Times's).
Thats not all. Then I looked in the new books, and there was "The Puzzle Lady vs. the Sudoku Lady."
I don't like the way this is heading. For some reason, I've never taken to Sudoku, but I love my crossword puzzles. Will Parnell Hall abandon us? Worse, will Will Shortz, THE guru of all of us, abandon us? Will I be alone?
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JoanK - I love crossword puzzles - but the only other people I know who do them are my mother and my mother-in-law. However, having read "Pretty Girl in Crimson Rose" (which I think I mentioned earlier), I am quite sure that there is a whole army of crossword addicts out there - even young ones. I don't like Sudoku - it has no interest for me whatsoever, although I appreciate that it has a lot of fans.
The only crossword puzzles I don't like are those like the Oldie one, where there is always some complicated twist - eg "Half the definitions are missing", or where you have to fit the answers in without any numbers to guide you. i particularly love the Guardian cryptic crossword, and I also attempt the Radio Times one every week.
I can't believe that Sudoku will ever replace crosswords - although maybe it will in the books you mention - all of our better daily papers have their own crossword, and if they dropped them I think quite a few readers would drop the papers.
Rosemary
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Sudoku has a certain addiction, and, surprisingly, it is a great relaxer. Probably because you can't think of anything else while you're doing them.
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Pedln, that's interesting - I find gardening and swimming relaxing for just that reason. (Also playing Boggle on the computer - it's addictive. One of my friends plays is if she has to stay up late to wait for her bread to cook - it keeps her awake better than a novel.)
R
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We yanks don't understand British crossword puzzles. They are quite different. I think I would love them, once I got used to them.
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I don't mess with sudoku either, JOAN, for a perfectly good reason. I don't enjoy math. I'm very happy for the math-oriented souls who didn't have puzzles to enjoy, but I'll stay
with my word puzzles. That includes acrostics and cryptograms. My kids usually include a
puzzle magazine with my birthday/Mother's Day/Christmas gifts. They know me so well. ;D
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Babi, I understand that the Japanese are thrilled with Sudoku. Perhaps the Chinese are too. I can't imagine a crossword puzzle in either of those languages.
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Well, I finished "The Sudoku Puzzle Murders". The most convoluted unrealistic plot I've ever seen, in order to justify having 5 sudoku and 3 crossword puzzles. Maybe it's best to enjoy my crossword puzzles and mysteries separately.
But you-all confirm my suspicion that mystery story readers are people who enjoy puzzles.
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I l ove sudoku, but not in a mystery..
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Exactly, JOANK. Isn't a mystery another form of puzzle? :o ???
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Very good Babi.. I would agree, but I remember my husband reading the law mysteries for the law part. I am not overfond of the law mysteries, but he adored them. My older son loves the spy one..Steve Berry is a favorite of his.. Not sure they are puzzles.
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No, you're right, STEPH. The myster puzzles are the old-fashioned 'who-dun-it's. Trying to
spot all the clues and identify the murderer before the end of the book. There don't seem to be
as many of those nowadays. The thriller/legal books seem to redominate...not that I don't enjoy
some of those, too. Not to mention all those cutesy cooking/quilting/pets/you-name-it mysteries that are so popular now. Is there a name for that category?
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Babi, I've heard those called "cozies". I like who-dun-its, and legal procedural stories, but never read psychopathic/torture/serial killer ones.
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BABI: those are "cosies", but so are Agatha Christies. Perhaps they need a special sub-catagory -- "homeskills cosies" or something. I happen to like them a lot, I read them as "you can be a good cook/ quilter etc., AND outdetect the men. If you think those skills are trivial, you don't know _ _ _." I like the legal thrillers too
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I enjoy most mysteries b ut Like MaryZ no psychopathic/torture/serial killer ones for me...
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I agree - I like Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, Amanda Cross, Donna Leon, some Ian Rankin, Colin Dexter, PD James, that sort of thing. I don't want to read too much gore, torture, etc - there's enough of that in the news. My mother-in-law enjoys Ruth Rendell and my son likes Stuart MacBride, but they are both too violent for me (the authors that is...) I don't think I've read any of these "cosies" - would anyone be able to give me the titles or authors of some? Mysteries combined with quilting, cooking or pets all sound great to me.
Rosemary
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Debbie Macomber, The Blossom Street series. I'm reading my first one now. So tame!
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Susan Albert - protagonist owns herb/tea shop; Diane Davidson - protagonist is a caterer; Ann B. Ross - Miss Julia series, all titles are "Miss Julia........."; Jennifer Chiavernini - quilting group; Mary Jane Clark - setting is a NYC tv station; Carol Clark - all titles are one word like "Iced"; Laura Childs-protagonist owns a tea shop; Margaret Maron - protagonist is a judge...............will that get u started? :).........jean
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Thanks both - that is great! I had heard of Margaret Maron, but none of the others, and am about to get onto our library site to see what (if anything) they have. A bit of "so tame" would be very comforting in this weather :)
Whilst we are on the subject of recommendations, if anyone can suggest anything for my 12 year old, I would appreciate it. She is a keen reader and has loved Robert Muchamore's spy series ("CHERUBS" - it's an acronym, not about angels), she also likes Sally Gardener's books, esp "The Red Necklace" (about the French revolution). She likes action stuff (not Alex Rider), historical fiction, good stories that are not, to use her words "all about love or vampires". She liked Roald Dahl's "Boy" (but not "Going Solo") and she likes Cathy Cassidy but seems to get through those in hours. Our librarian gave her various suggestions, but none seems to have gone down too well - any ideas welcome - thanks.
R
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Don't know about 12-year-olds, but for "nice" murder mysteries, we'd recommend M. C. Beaton. She has two series - one protagonist is Agatha Raisin ("Agatha Raisin and the xxxxx") and one about Hamish MacBeth. Both are set in small Scottish villages. We particularly like Hamish - and there was a BBC series based on those stories. We got them from Netflix and loved them. The actor who was the "hero" in the movie The Full Monty plays Hamish. And we spent a couple of hours in the town where the series was filmed when we were in Scotland a few years ago.
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Rosemary, for a 12 year old, books by Willo Roberts come to mind, the one title that I remember is The View from the Cherry Tree, about a boy who witnesses something that noone will believe. Another is The Doll House Mysteries by Betty Ren Wright. Has she read The Giver by Lois Lowry? A terrific book for about 10 years old through high school. One my granddaughter recommended to me when she was about 14 was The God of Animals by Arin Kyle about a young girl interested in equestrian contests. And then I bought for her The Horse Whisperer. And just about anything by Elaine Konigsburg.
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I second Lois Lowry. I used to own a used book store and the younger girls seemed to love her. Of course there is Harry Potter, how did she feel about him.
I dont like torture books or books that put young children in harm... but I do love John Sandford and James Lee Burke..
Both are violent, but somehow ring a bell because of the writing. Just finished another Charlaine Harris,,
This is the Aurora Teagarden series of hers. Not as good as the vampires or the girl who talks to dead people, or the woman who cleans houses for aliving, but ok.
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My daughter has suggested she get me a Kindle for Christmas, i think some of the Senior Learn members have them, will I like it or should I stick to books, I am in two minds.
Would I be able to get my favourite mysteries.
Nancy
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I just wrote a reply that promptly disappeared - so apologies if it turns up and it looks like I posted two.
Thanks for all your recommendations. I have just been to the library, and managed to get "Back on Blossom Street" (Debbie Macomber) and "Do You Want To Know A Secret?" (Mary Jane Clark). Also finally found "Ladies of Covington". The library did not have any of your most welcome suggestions for Madeleine, so I will look for them on Amazon and in charity shops. I did get out Jennifer Donnelly's new novel, "Revolution", which the Guardian's teen book reviewer said is fantastic.
Still snowing, and in between there was a huge prolonged rumbling noise - I thought a plane had crashed, the windows rattled, but it turned out to be thunder, something we hardly ever get up here. Despite the weather, Anna and I are about to sally forth - husband is working at home today, and has so far colonised the sitting room (best fire), kitchen (best mobile reception) and the dining room (wanted to print stuff out) - so we are off to our favourite place to have tea and scones :) - (she is meant to be on study leave but so far she hasn't even got dressed)
Hope everyone is keeping cosy,
Rosemary
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Oh, it's not that I consider skills trivial, JOANK. My 'cutesy' is a sort of equivalent
for 'cosies'. Cozies? My own 'skills' have suffered a decline, sad to say. I have also
noticed that I seem to have less patience than I once had. By now I had expected to
have reached a truly saintly patience; a gift of old age. Tch! Wrong again. ::)
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Nancymc, I have a Kindle. I got it because I have arthritis in my hands, and have trouble holding books. You can get almost any book you like on an e-reader - depending on the brand. With a Kindle, you can only buy through Amazon.com. Also, you have to buy the books, and you can't pass them along to a friend. Any of the devices will hold thousands of "books", so space isn't a problem.
With the Kindle, even when you delete a book, it's still in their storage system, and you can retrieve it at any time. Some people are very attached to holding an actual book to read it - and I understand that - it's not a problem for me. I love being able to travel and carry only the Kindle and not have to worry about running out of something to read.
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ROSEMARY: "I thought a plane had crashed, the windows rattled, but it turned out to be thunder, something we hardly ever get up here."
I'm the nut that loves thunderstorms -- it's one of the things I miss. Back East, we had them several times a week in season (Spring and late Summer). In California, we get about one a year.
Why I like them, I can't tell you. Even being almost hit by lightning once didn't cure me. I saw a statement once that in the area where I lived, there wre twenty days a year with thunderstorms. "Thats not enough" I said, and counted for two years. I averaged almost 40. I also tried my best to understand what causes them. I know more now, but don't fully understand them.
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Nancy ... I have an IPAD. I love it because I can get books from all sorts of place.. Kindle, ebooks, Nook, etc. Also do my email, facebook, lots of free apps and addictive games..Along with newspapers from all over..
Just finished another Donna Ball.. She writes about a search dog and its owner.. Very light, but sort of fun.
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Steph
I like Donna Ball's search and rescue books but there's only three. She write so many others under different names that who knows when she will get back to writing another one.
I have 2 questions for you about IPAD. There are different prices for it. Did you get the least expensive which is somewhere between $499 and $599 or more expensive.?
and do you feel you still need your desk top computer even with having the IPAD?
I also have a Kindle and really like it. I use it just for reading.
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I like a good storm, too, JOANK. Surprisingly enough, we had a cat that loved storms,
too, Maggie would insist on going out on the porch when a storm came up, where she
would crouch at the edge and watch the tree limbs whipping about. Ah, but then, Maggie
was a most exceptional cat.
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I don't really understand i-pads. Can you use them for writing documents on?
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I'm enjoying my NookColor. I can also do when I'm where there's WiFi web surfing, check email, load photos, music, etc. . Once a book is purchased and downloaded, then I don't need WiFi read (this one holds 6000 books and can buy magazines and newspapers as well.) It does far more than I thought it would...so that's a nice surprise.
The best part, for me, was being able to attend free face to face meetings with a Nook expert at B&N on Sundays from 5 - 7:30 pm He helped us all (there were 8 there Sunday night) and got us all started. I felt so much more confident after that session, and I can go into any B&N and get help for free.
We were told that the reason books are going digital is the huge increase in royalties the authors get. From something like 10-15% for print to in the neighborhood of 70% of price for a digital. Obviously authors will love that!
Yes, I still love a regular print book; I hope they never disappear, but for traveling, the e reader is delightful.
jane
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Thank you everyone for the helpful replies, I think I will say yes to my daughter's kind offer.
Nancy
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We were told that the reason books are going digital is the huge increase in royalties the authors get. From something like 10-15% for print to in the neighborhood of 70% of price for a digital.
Jane, why would that be? Do you have any idea? The costs of distribution and inventory would certainly decrease, but would the publishers just past that on to the authors? Interesting.
There was something in the Wall Street Journal today about Google getting into the e-book business, but I'm not sure just how.
At any rate, Nancy, I think you made a good decision. The e-reader won't be the only way you'll read books, but it will certainly be a pleasant way to read, and it's nice to know that it'll always be easy to carry a "book" wherever you go.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I bought the least expensive IPAD, since I am retired and dont need a lot of the extras for business purposes.. I suppose you could write letters on it, but I use the big computer. I prefer the larger screen for everything when I am home. There is a brand new printer, that says it can be used by IPAD, but I did not investigate it. My computer whiz says that I can print on my upstairs printer from my regular pc, my laptop and the ipad.. Who knows. I generally just go it on my regular computer. But I do love my newspapers on the IPAD..
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Steph
Thanks for answering my questions. By the way I heard this morning that there is a new magazine coming out strickly for the IPAD.
Also here's another question. Do you have to pay extra monthly like you do if you have a I PHONE.
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Jane, why would that be? Do you have any idea? The costs of distribution and inventory would certainly decrease, but would the publishers just past that on to the authors? Interesting.
I don't know, Pedln. I was flabbergasted, and I can only say what the B&N guy said...but if you cut out all the printing costs---materials, labor, etc. all the distribution,-- trucking, storage---returns/remainders, etc., I suppose you cut out a lot of the $$ that reduced the author's share. It may also be an incentive for authors to agree to digital. I have no idea what the costs are there, but there are obviously savings over the print method...considering hardcover, then large print, then paperback, etc.
I found this that said Amazon was paying 70%...and yet I find publishers are paying 25%...still more than the print version.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/content-and-e-books/article/44626-agents-publishers-debate-digital-royalties-and-strategy-at-pw-panel.html
http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2010/01/20/amazon-upping-its-ebook-royalties-to-authors-in-effort-to-fight-off-apple/
interesting, to be sure.
jane
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No, there is no monthly fee for using the ipad, it feeds off of your present computer server w/ a wifi and safari software thst comes w/ the ipad.
I take notes for my history presentations on my ipad. The "notes" app looks like a legal pad and i've covered many, many pages w/ notes. I don't know what it's capacity is but i have't reached it after 10 different file subjects.
I wasn't interested in a "reader" i still like holding a book in bed at night, but the fact that i can use the ipad to read my mail, surf the net and talk to all of you as well as "read" if i wish, got me hooked. I love it! Best birthday present i ever got!.......jean
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Thanks for all the info.
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The joys of reading the New York Times and the Washington Post each day makes my heart sing.. They are free just now, but are both threatening to charge.. Ah well.
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Steph
Are you still using your Kindle?
I read someplace that you have to pay for newspapers like you do on the Kindle. I wonder why being as they can be read on the computer free.
My real concern is using it. I don't know anyone that has one to be able to go to with questions and help. :-\
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jeriron, I'll jump in - I don't think Steph has a Kindle. I think she got an I-Pad???. I do, and the lack of a paper-and-ink manual was one of the things I don't like about it. It does have a lot of instruction, etc., in the "machine" itself. I know that paper and magazine subscriptions are available on the Kindle, but I don't get any of those - just books. And I've found it quite easy to use. Mine is a Kindle2, and the later models and later e-readers in general have many more features than mine does. So the technology there (like everywhere) moves very quickly.
jane just got a Nook from B&N, and was very pleased with the fact that the store has classes where you can learn to use it, and people in the store so you can ask questions of a "real person" any time.
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Mary
I have a Kindle 2 as well. Got it for Mothers day just before the price drop.
I only read books on it and like it alot. Kindle doesn't have much paper instructions either. But I did find help in the Amazon Community for kindle.
How did you find learning what to do on the IPAD. I've never had anything "Apple". If I had the IPhone I probably wouldn't be worried about it. I remember Steph mentioning that she was getting an IPad and she seems to have managed ok??
I know if I mention wanting to get one to my sons I will get the "what do you need that for"? They did the same thing with the Kindle but I proved them wrong because I haven't read a "paper" book since I got it. :D
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jeriron, one of our daughters and I share a Kindle account. If one of us orders a book, it shows up on her Kindle, and is charged to her account, but the other one can read it at any time. I haven't "borrowed" a book from her yet, and I don't know if she has from me or not. Both of us can read a book at the same time, and be in different places in the books - no problem.
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On the Nook, you can buy newspapers and magazines at a one issue price, or a monthly subscription price. The USA Today, for example, is (75 cents an issue ($11.99 month); Newsweek (1.99 each; 2.99 monthly) Boston Globe ( .49 current issue; 14.99 monthly) Washington Post (75 cents; 11.99 monthly)
I know I could also read the Washington Post online with the Nook, but my husband prefers to do it on the bigger laptop when we're in Tx.
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Just now on the IPAD in the free apps section. you can order and read the Washington Post, The New York Times, Slate.. for sure for free. It wont last forever, but I am enjoying it. If you read them online, you must generally pay a subscription fee.
I printed out the manual for the IPAD. I am better at written instructions. That way I can thumb around for what I want. I downloaded the Nook to my IPAD, that is the way to get books.. But it is not as easy to get the books as they Kindle App.. The Kindle App is great. I also downloaded ebooks.. again easy to use.
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Everyone keeps telling me how easy the IPad is to use but I'm still nervous about it. :-\
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If you have an Apple store near you, go try out the ipad. They have them sitting out and you can play w/ it to your heart's desire, and they have lots of people to answer your questions....jean
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Thanks for the advice. I don't have an Apple store near me but we were in Best Buy and they have one out there was some one helping with questions. But of course there was people waiting.
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JoanK is computerless for a while. Hers has died, and she won't have a temporary solution for at least a few days.
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Yes, Best Buy has IPADs out and try during the day when the kids are in school. Easier to find one to play with... but.. when the time comes to buy, try online.. cheaper as a general rule.
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They told me in Best Buy that they will set it all up for you ready to take use when you take it out of the box. $29.
I noticed it is $528 on Amazon.
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jeriron, I don't really know anything about it, but I'd guess that the $29 is for the set-up - after you buy the i-pad.
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Mary
Oh yeah!
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I love my iPad. I have the Kindle app but haven't downloaded the other two mentioned. I also enjoy the NY Times and Washington Post on the iPad.
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I love my kindle..I really enjoy the Kindle for PC as I can read it From almost anywhere in my Kitchen...Joan Grimes
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Basically the ipad is set up when you buy it. You must download Itunes in order to get the apps. but that is not a problem. Just go on www.itunes.com or apple..
The apps do the heavy lifting,, not you. Look for Amazon kindle, which is a free app and then you can download books. The ebook is either a free app or installed on the IPAD at the beginning. I forget. I printed out the entire 150some pages of the information, so that I can look up things, but that is just because I find it easier to have the page in front of me when I am doing stuff;.
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I intended this post for Mystery Corner, but posted it in Fiction instead. No matter; share the
wealth!
I'm reading my first Victoria Thompson book. I am enjoying it, but there is no question it is
strongly reminiscent of the Perry books. Except for being in New York instead of London, they
are almost identical. Anne Perry's do, I think, have a deeper character development, but I don't
doubt Thompson's characters will develop also as the series continues.
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I have the book app that came with the iPad but downloaded a free app called ebook reader and it downloaded about 10 or 12 free books to get me started with their ebooks. I've been so busy over Thanksgiving my reading has suffered!
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BABI: you're right. Thompson is not as deep as Perry -- she doesn't try to be.
I'm using my son's computer, so don't have my books here to remind me of the author's name. i'm loving "the Old Buzzard Had it Coming", especially for the descriptions of the housework. boy am I glad I'm living now.
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JoanK.. I am reading off and on the second book in that series.. All those children and still ready to keep track. The second one really was not actually a murder mystery as much as a who done what and how.
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Thanks to the person who suggested Victoria Thompson. I am in the middle of Murder in Little Italy and enjoying it.
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I enjoyed it too. I think I'm going to start with the first one.
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Yes, starting with the first lets you see the softening and the developement of her relationships
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I've been reading an Australian author: Kerry Greenwood. I can't recommend her because of one VERY explicit sex scene, but if you can skip over that, she's fun. A 1920s rich woman, a parody of the suave male detective, (including in her sex life) with the latest car (an Austen-Healy), the latest weapon (a pearl-handled revolver) and a loyal servant (named Dot).
Went to the library, and picked up the third Donis Casey book (they didn't have the second) and a bunch of new authors. I'll tell you how I did.
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I like that series. Greenwood also has another series which I enjoy about a baker? Having a senior moment. :)
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I like Kerry Greenwood's books also. Fun.
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hmm. will look for her.
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I got my Victoria Thompson books delivered on Friday and am finding it hard to put down, it is very easy reading nothing too deep just right for bedtime.
Thank you to the person who recommended them.
Nancy
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Last night I watched an interview of Lisa Scottoline on PCN (Pennsylvania Cable Network). I don't think it is very recent, because I don't see it listed on her website. She apparently was here in Camp Hill. Her book, Think Twice, sounds interesting. Has anyone read it? Anyhow, Ms. Scottoline is a confirmed Pennsylvanian and lives in the Philly area. She has a ton of pets which are featured on her website. http://scottoline.com/Site/
Hardcover Mysteries, last week, featured Joseph Wambaugh. The show was a retelling of the rape and murder of two teen-aged girls in England. The book featured, The Blooding. is a non-fiction account of the murders and apprehension of the killer. This is the case that first used DNA to find and convict the killer.
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Lisa has at least one corgi and has written about him.. I have two corgi and love to read about her corgis adventures.
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Tarquin Hall, who wrote "The Case of the Missing Servant", about a detective in India, has a second one out. "The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing". So far, it's not as funny as the first one, but is very interesting.
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As I eagerly await my Kindle has anyone any suggestions re mystery books I could obtain for it.
Nancy
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Nancy, I have an iPad but use the Kindle App to buy books. Someone on the forum suggested the following and I downloaded them. Enjoyed them very much. All three by Donna Ball.
Smoky Mountain (I believe this one was free)
Rapid Fire
Gun Shy
One of them was free and each of the others cost a couple of dollars. They are about a young woman who owns a dog kennel and also tracks lost people in the Smoky mountains with her tracking dog. I found them light and entertaining mysteries.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I'll be sure and try Donna Ball when I get my kindle. Is it easy to browse on Kindle? I fooled with my daughters IPAD, and couldn't easily figure out how to browse.
I know that at least some of the Agatha Christies are free. I'll bet others of the older writers are too.
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JoanK, I don't like to browse on the Kindle. I browse on the Amazon web site, and order there for books to be delivered to the Kindle. Just my personal preference.
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I just finished Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron
by Stephanie Barron...I enjoyed it very much..There is a whole series of my treries with Jane Austen as the detective...These are available on Kindle....Joan Grimes..
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I read the second and third Donna Ball. Will look to see in Kindle about the free one.
The IPAD has Kindle, ebooks, google, amazon..Nook.. They all seem to work with the IPAD.
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I order my books for Kindle on Amazon and they are sent to my Kindle. Actually that is about the only time I turn on the wireless for it to download.
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I started Victoria Thompson's with the "Little Italy" one and enjoyed that one so I decided to start from the first one and am half way through it. I like this alot because it tells Mrs. Brandts story so you get to know what she's about and why.
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I'm heading to the library today to pick up the next Victoria Thompson,
and the first Louise Penny books. And Fiona McIntosh (sci/fi) and "Little
Bee" (January discussion). I am determined not to run out of reading
material over the holidays. I seem to be one of the few readers here who
does not have stacks of unread books available.
Well, I never did really get into those Henrik Ibsen plays on my bookshelf. I suppose in a desperate pinch I could try reading those. I have noticed that most Scandinavian writers seem to depess me. All in my mind, I'm sure. :-\
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Yes, browse on the Amazon website, it's easier than browsing on the Kindle directly.
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I agree with jeriron, too, about not leaving the kindle hooked up to the wireless except when "picking up a book". And I turn it off completely when I'm not reading it. No point in running down the battery.
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My best mystery reads of 2010:
HAG'S NOOK by John Dickson Carr
THE PRICE OF MURDER by John D. MacDonald
THE GODWULF MANUSCRIPT by Robert Parker
Worst of 2010:
THE MAZE by Catherine Coulter
CAUGHT by Harlen Coben
DAUGHTER OF TIME by Josephine Tey
What were your favorites/worst?
Marj
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Nancy, I'm with MaryZ and jeriron, it's easier to browse at the Amazon web site. I also like to go to the "Kindle Store" dept. and check out some of the discussions they have there. And to see what they have that's free or very cheap -- have downloaded a few ninety-nine centers -- Fifth Avenue by Christopher Smith, Impeding justice by Mel Comley -- haven't read them yet. Also found a freebie by J.A. Jance, don't remember the name.
I'm going to check out Donna Ball that's been mentioned above. My f2f mystery group is reading If Books Can Kill by Kate Carlisle for January. Thought I'd keep that one for my Seattle Christmas travels, airplane, etc.
I've been hearing a lot of talk about Louise Penny's Fatal Grace -- the Canadian mysteries with Inspector Gemache, in Three Pines/ Twin Pines? Apparently a Christmas mystery. Not a freebie or a cheapie. Will check out the used book store first.
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Marjifay, I'm not familiar with any of the titles you mentioned, but my f2f group read Harlan Coben's Hold Tight this year and it was very-well received. We liked it. I haven't read any others by him, so don't know why you have Caught on your "worst" list.
Popular as it is, I'd put Alan Bradley's Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie on my worst list. Too much detail. It's like someone said, "write about what you know" and he had to write about EVERYTHING he knew.
I don't know what I'd put on the best list -- probably Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. (And that's become really cheap for the Kindle.
It's a given. As soon as I turn off my wireless, I find something I want to download.
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BABI: " I seem to be one of the few readers here who
does not have stacks of unread books available."
I'm another. I read books as fast as I get them. If they hang around, it's probably one I think I "ought" to read, not one I want to.
MARG: interesting that you didn't like "Dauighter of Time" by Tey. I agree with you. The idea for the book is brilliant, but the analysis is just the kind of arguement I can't stand --- "my side is right, and anyone who disagrees with me is stupid".
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Funny. I have always loved Daughter of Time.. and any Harlan Coben.. Oh well, thats what sells books..
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MaryZ
Kindle suggests you put your Kindle in sleep mode rather then shutting it down (unless you aren't going to read it for a day or more then shut it down).. It uses more battery from a shut down mode then sleep.
I put it to sleep because I will pick it up to read several times a day.
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Pedln, I've read several of Harlan Coben's books and really liked them, including Hold Tight. But his Caught was overly long with complicated yarns and sub-yarns. And too much "computer speak" and "teen speak" as though Coben was trying to show you how cool and "with it" he is. I didn't care for the main character's high school teenage son whose mom admired him, but I thought was just a selfish, rude kid. Come to think of it, I didn't care for any of the characters.
I also liked Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but had read it prior to 2010. I have his Girl Who Played with Fire waiting to be read.
I forgot to list one of my best crime/mystery reads this year -- KILLER by Dave Zeltserman. It's about a former hit man who has just been released from prison after 14 years. He's now an old man, worn out, always looking over his shoulder, expecting to be wiped out by one of his enemies. While you are repelled as he relates his former life, you are strangely moved by his present one. And the ending is a "dilly"
Marj
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Thanks for that info, Jeri. ::)
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I have just finished four out of five books by John Luciew a newspsperman who is now wrting books about reporters some of them our age and very very well done. I recomend ZERO TOLERANCE in particular. The ifth is non fiction and I haven't gotten ther yet. on the kindle these are very cheap which is how I found them. less than a dollar in some cases. . . self publishing???
I went to that catagory and took samples of all the cheap ones. I still have a few to sample. the last John Luciew was only three dollars though. The public hasn't discovered him yet I guess.
Now to sample the other samples.
claire
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I am still on my Miles kick and that is technically science fiction, although there is a murder in this one..
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A while back FlaJean mentioned a series by Kerry Greenwood about a baker. That's her Corinna Chapman series, which begins with Earthly Delights. I like it at least as much as the Phryne Fisher series. Guaranteed to stimulate your appetite too!
I've been absent for a while, distracted by Real Life events: first a flood in my apartment (due to a loose drainpipe on the roof) and recently by a move to another apartment (in the same building and much nicer than the old apartment) as an eventual result of the flood. Still getting things organized in my new place, which is much nicer than the old one. Getting my books in order is a real challenge, and I've only just begun! I weeded out a lot of my books before moving and donated them to our local South Pasadena Friends of the Library bookstore.
I have a Kindle and an iPad. Have been too distracted to learn much about the iPad yet, but I do have iBooks, Kindle and Nook apps loaded. Will look into the N.Y. Times and Washington Post apps while they're still free. We're having a series of huge rainstorms here, and I've made sure my iPad is fully charged so I can read on it if the power goes out.
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I've been catching up on some of the older posts I missed. JoanK mentioned Parnell Hall's mysteries. If you want to see a really fun promotional video on YouTube, look up Parnell Hall's "King of Kindle." It's hilarious, and some other mystery writers show up on it too, e.g., Ridley Pearson (near the beginning) and Mary Higgins Clark (at the very end). Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-oGJvgHyKI
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How about that! I actually finally caught an episode of Castle with James Patterson, Stephen Cannell, and Michael Connolly appearing.
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Joeygrey fan
I loved the video I never heard of Parnell Hall but if his books are as funy as the Video I am all for them. Just got my kindle and downloaded my first book by Donna Ball have not had time to read it yet.
Nancy
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Cranky as a bear and nothing suited, so went digging in my TBR box.. and wow.. A Donna Andrews I have not read. The one with Swans in the title.. What fun. She always makes me laugh.. A woman goony enough to make everything either black or white. Whew..
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Joegreyfan, that youtube by Parnell Hall was really cute. I just picked up my reserved book Christmas Mourning by Margaret Maron and anxious to start reading.
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Joegreyfan: that video was great!
And did you notice he also has one about how to write a mystery story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHvBd8G6Jb8&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHvBd8G6Jb8&feature=related)
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Thanks, JoanK. I hadn't seen that one.
Here's a different version of "King of Kindle," made at this year's Bouchercon in San Francisco. Lots of authors in this one, including Lee Child, Val McDermid, Laurie King and Louise Penny.
http://mysteryreadersinc.blogspot.com/2010/10/king-of-kindle-bouchercon-edition.html
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joegreyfan - I note you mentioned Lee Child. I have not read any of his books so decided to download "61 Hours"? into my ebook. I downloaded it because it was cheap and had good reviews. I have read a couple of McDermid's but find she is a bit slow for me. Having said that the TV series "Wire in the Blood" is a favourite. Love Dr Tony Hill , Robson Green is a dish.
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If you are on facebook.. friend Dana Stabenow.. She has the most wonderful posts on life, internet and Alaska in all of creation.. I was always a fan and now feel more like a fanatic..
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Hey Steph - isn't 'fan' just the shortened version of 'fanatic' ?
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Hey, Steph, this is really creepy, I was just going to go to my Facebook and friend Dana Stabenow. I have been a fan of hers for years, read all her books, and get her Roadhouse Report re: her publishing schedule. Funny that your post comes up just as I got here to this screen name where my FB is!!!
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Our daughter just sent us a forward of Stabenow's newsletter, with an offer for a free Kindle edition of a Liam Campbell book. If you don't find it, let me know, and I'll forward the e-mail to you - it's not just a link or I'd post it here.
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Just read Mary and Carol Higgins Clark's The Christmas Tree, cute little Regan Reilly mystery about the Rockefeller Center tree. I had read it before, but knew it was fun and needed something like that. A good read.......jean
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Recently Dana Stabenow sent out an email to people on her mailing list (which includes me) inviting us to "friend" her on Facebook, so I did. I get her Roadhouse Report too. I haven't caught up with her latest books yet, but the good thing about that is that I still have quite a number of them to look forward to! She is an entertaining storyteller, and I do enjoy the Alaskan setting.
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Yes, her free book is her first of Liam.. Not Kate.. I downloaded it yesterday. I get the Roadhouse and then the Facebook. Both are great. I also get Lauri Kings newsletter and
Facebook as well as Janet Evanovich.. But Danas Facebook is outstanding..
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Oh, I am Happy - just crawled into library on way back from protracted and very tedious walk to supermarket, and found a Louise Penny ("Still Life") on their sale table for 50p and a Dana Stabenow ("The Singing of the Dead") on the normal shelves as well. I haven't read any of their books before. Wheelie bag, handbag, backpack, etc already full to bursting, but managed to force them in and drag everything back through the snow. Almost made up for (i) three 10 year old oiks kicking brown slushy snow right at me deliberately because I did not move out of their way on a narrow bit of pavement and (ii) getting home and neither daughter even offering to make me a cup of tea - I had been out 5 hours, most of it doing grocery or present shopping, and they had been doing sweet f- a-; I know they probably just don't realise, but sometimes I think they should!
Rant over - and books have cheered me up (felt like crying in public when those boys soaked me in slush - I know I shouldn't take any notice, but just why do they behave like this?)
Rosemary
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Rosemary, sorry you've had such a yucky day. Sounds like it's time to snuggle down (up?) and getting into the Stabenow book. Hope you like her - we do.
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Thanks MaryZ - I'm fine really, just wanted to let off steam, so thanks for listening! Got to wrap presents now, but looking forward to the books later - where would we (or at least I) be without the library?
R
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This is always a good place to vent - and aren't we glad we have it. ::)
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"This is always a good place to vent - and aren't we glad we have it."
Oh yeah!
I love "The King of Kindle", but I'm frustrated at not knowing who most of the people are. I don't spend enough time looking at author pictures I guess.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
One more Parnell Hall, for crossword puzzle fans. If you saw the crossword puzzle movie "Wordplay" you know how the annual crossword puzzle compitition goes. It is timed -- those with the shortest times move on to the next level and the one with the shortest time in the finals wins.
Here is PH singing on it, introduced by Will Shortz:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGreYSm5R44&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGreYSm5R44&feature=related)
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Poor Rosemary - I had one of those days on my date.
Sorry about your daughters. I don't think that girls really appreciate their mothers until they are mothers themselves.
As for the yobbos - they were probably bored and stir-crazy. Not that that excuses them or their behaviour. I have never heard the word "oiks" before, should it be "oinks"? :) Or does it mean "yob in training?
Today is Xmas Eve and my thoughts are with my SL friends. Have yourselves a Merry Little Xmas, to quote a line I heard somewhere.
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Merry Xmas to all you mystery fans.
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Thanks Roshanarose :)
It wasn't that bad really, just came at the end of a long and tiring day battling through the crowds, sliding on the ice/slush, etc. The word is indeed "oiks" but I am not sure exactly where it comes from - I think "yob in training" is probably very accurate!
I told my elder daughter about it and said it was a good thing she had not been with me because she would have been embarrassed when I shouted back at them (though I was very restrained in what I said) - to my surprise she said she was also glad she had not been there, because she would have told them exactly what she thought of them and would probably have been reported by their feckless parents. So she is on my side, even if that didn't run to putting the kettle on!
Have a great Christmas Eve - it is that here too now. Anna and I have a day of cooking planned - tomato and mint soup, goat's cheese bread, ordinary bread, chocolate log, sausage rolls, etc - all for various stages of tomorrow. Not planning to go out farther than the post box and the bird table.
Best wishes to all,
Rosemary
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Teen age boys are a mystery to everyone. I had two of them, but never figured them out. However deliberate stuff like that.. I generally look them square in the eye and mention how Mothers generally know what is happening in their childrens lives and sometimes neighbors help them find out.. That tends to run them off..
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ROSEMARY, I respectfully disagree. It was probably wise to ignore the
rude boys; they could have gotten nastier. But if the girls don't show
you the consideration they should, I'd say you should tell them about it
just as you told us.
STEPH, I love your proposed comment to the boys. Of course, that
only works in small communities where you actuallly know the parents
of the boys.
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I finished Margaret Maron's latest Christmas Mourning. I enjoyed it. I really liked her first series with the New York detective Sigrid even better than the Deborah Knott series. In this book she mentions Sigrid in the last few pages as being a cousin to the deceased husband of Kate, Dwight's sister-in-law. There is a hint that she is going to bring Sigrid into the next mystery and that sounds really interesting.
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"Teen age boys are a mystery to everyone."
My oldest grandson, the one that we worried about because he was such a "pleaser", always wanting everyone to like him, when he turned 11 discovered that being sarcastic was the way to go. I tell him that he's not allowed to be a teen-ager for two more years. No training period allowed.
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Rosemary, I love Louise Penny's series. You're starting with the right one; Still Life is the first in the series.
My Christmas season rereads this year were Charlotte MacLeod's Rest You Merry (the funniest Christmas mystery I've ever read), A Christmas Carol (a lovely edition illustrated by P.J. Lynch), and Dean Koontz's fun little book "written" by his late golden retriever Trixie, Christmas Is Good!
A merry Christmas to all of you!
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MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!!!!!!!!
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I just started a strange book.. Men and Dogs or Dogs and Men.. not sure which this morning.. She just killed her mother.. Hmm.. Is it a mystery?? or just a novel.. Oh well. I will keep going for a while
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On general principle, I strongly object to the idea of killing one's mother.
Still, I must admit that some truly poisonous mothers do exist and they can really mess up their children's lives.
Let us know more about this book, STEPH. I may want to be careful
to avoid it.
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I'm reading Lee Child's latest Jack Reacher mystery/thriller -- WORTH DYING FOR. A real page turner as they say. I like his sense of humor. A line from page 44: "He (Jack Reacher) had been broken down and built back up by the kind of esperts who could snap your neck so fast you never knew it had happened until you went to nod your head and it rolled away down the street without you." Not for everyone, I know, but if you like thriller-type mysteries, I don't think anyone can beat Lee Child.
Marj
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Since I am in the reading group.. put aside the others and have brought out Little Bee.. Hmm. that is going to be an interesting discussion.
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Good morning - thick fog here, but thankfully no more snow. Daughter and husband have gone off to Glenshee to ski, son and other daughter still in bed - one cat on lap, other one sitting on wi-fi thing (and so about to cut everyone else off :)). I know this goes against all the holiday spirit, etc but I am so glad to have a bit of peace and solitude - must be something to do with having been an only child, but I really find it hard to cope with too many people for an unbroken stretch, even my own progeny! Oh well - peaceful day today (so far).
This morning - in need of some comfort, and having been woken up at 5.30am by the two of them getting ready to leave - I started Back on Blossom Street - Debbie Macomber. For the first few pages I wasn't sure that it was my kind of thing, but when I pressed on I really got into it, and was halfway through the book before I realised. I can see what people were saying about it being "tame", but sometimes that is just what I want, and I am finding the stories of the different women's lives enough to keep me turning the pages quite happily. I had a look at DM's website and see she has written many many books - I am looking forward to reading some more, although I can see that they will need to be interspersed with other things. I am not usually keen on domestic saga type books - a friend recommended Katie Ffyfe and try as I did I could not finish a single one of her books, they were just so dull, predictable and self-consciously "trendy" - but so far I find DM's style very relaxing.
Before that I read my original copy of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" - although my copy is so old it still has the original title. I hadn't read any AC for years and I enjoyed it - she's another one who knew how to keep you turning the pages. I enjoy reading writers like Ian Rankin, who put in a lot of local colour and psychological detail, but sometimes it's good just to zip through a straightforward mystery. Evidently I am in need of comfort and predictability at the moment!
Rosemary
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After the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, ROSEMARY, peace and
quiet are definitely to be savored. I am leisurely dividing my time between
'Little Bee', a sci-fi, and my new crossword puzzle book. We eat soup or
leftovers. Housework is pretty much confined to making the beds and tidying
the kitchen. The Christmas to New Year's week is definitely my 'down' time.
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Babi: I'm like that too -after the pre-Xmas rush and the day itself I love the quieter time between Xmas and New Year - but I definitely give the soup a miss at this time of year - too hot for that here....
January is traditionally my month to recharge. I like to catch up with friends for coffee or a meal, do a couple of art gallery exhibitions, maybe take a laid back summer school course or two, see a few extra films, go to the beach, play around in the garden, waste some time in my studio and craftroom- but mostly I like to spend the afternoons sitting out under the trees near the pool with a glass of something cold and a good book and generally just let the world pass me by.
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I am just finishing reading my first Kindle book which I downloaded for free Invisible by Lorena McCourt. It started off rather slow, and as one reviewer on amazon said 'went a bit religious' but all in all I am really enjoying it and have just ordered the next three in the series.
I too always relish the quiet time after Christmas Day when the phone does not ring and you do not feel guilty if 'doing nothing' but I just left my son off at the airport home from Spain for Christmas and my daughter and her partner and my grandson are arriving shortly from Paris....all I can is 'What quiet time after Christmas'
Nancy
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I am home alone, but this time for me is intense thought and decision time. I have always used this week to think of my life.. Do I want to change things?? Am I sure this is where I want to be and am I doing what I want to do.. This year, I have the extra duty to try very hard to put aside the grief, concentrate on the wonderful memories.. MDH was always so full of plans and joy for the new Year. I do miss that.
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Marjifay, I'm a big Jack Reacher fan too. I discovered him fairly recently, so I haven't read the newer ones yet. My next one will be The Enemy.
I recently read two excellent thrillers by British authors, both serial-killer thrillers. I know some of you don't want anything to do with this sort of book, but if you do enjoy one occasionally, these are far superior to the usual book in this subgenre. One of them is Dead Like You by Peter James. He's well known in the U.K., but this is the first of his books to be published in the U.S. The other, which is really outstanding, and extremely hard to put down, is Oliver Stark's American Devil. It hasn't been published here yet, but I ordered a paperback of the British edition from Book Depository, after it was highly recommended by a retired Englishwoman whose book blog I follow. Stark sets his story in New York City, and does a fine job with the American setting and dialogue, though a few Briticisms slipped through, which I expect an American editor will fix when it's published here.
Now for something completely different ... I'm now reading Susan Wittig Albert's Beatrix Potter cozy The Tale of Hawthorn House. Quite a contrast! Yes, I do read a wide range of mysteries and thrillers.
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"I really find it hard to cope with too many people for an unbroken stretch, even my own progeny!"
I'm the same way, and I'm not an only child. I've always needed a balance of social time and alone time which is very hard to achieve.
I picked up one of Susan Wittig Albert's "Darling Dahlia" mysteries, and it looks like I'm going to enjoy it. I know that some of you don't like them. I've never been able to read her beatrix Potter series for some reason.
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Aren't the Beatric Potter stories delightful? I've enjoyed them so much, and hope she is busily writing more.
I've just started the third of Victoria Thompson's Sarah Brandt series.
I'm really enjoying them; like them better than the other period New York
series that were mentioned here. Don't remember the author; I only
read the first of that series.
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Ilove Victoria Thompson. She really makes you feel you are there during a complicated period. She also portrays each character with good and bad feelings. Amazing.
I have met a widower from our widows club, whose wife was murdered over 40 years ago. Two books were written about the doctor who killed so many patients and was not discovered for over 10 years.. Anyway Rene brought me one of the true crime books and I am eager to read the story..
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Steph
Do you have a shield for your IPAD?
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"the other period New York series that were mentioned here."
The series with Theodore Roosevelt as one of the detectives? I think the author is Caleb Carr.
I've been trying new (to me) authors. One I liked was Christopher Fowler and his Peculiar Crimes Unit. The one I read was "Bryant and May on the Rails." It features a zany unit of the London police. A mixture of humor and a good detective thriller. This one had a lot of information about the London Underground.
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Yes, it's Caleb Carr. The first in the series is "The Alienist". FF lists only one sequel -- I thought I had read more.
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I've just finished Susan Wittig Albert's The Tale of Hawthorn House. I know a lot of readers can't accept the talking animals in this series (and other series, such as Shirley Rousseau Murphy's Joe Grey series and Rita Mae Brown's cat mysteries). I've loved the idea of talking animals, probably ever since I read Beatrix Potter's tales and the Winnie-the-Pooh stories as a young child, plus the Chronicles of Narnia, which I read in my 20s (they hadn't been written yet when I was a child).
One of my brothers gave me (for Christmas) the sequel to Hawthorn House, The Tale of Briar Bank, which I'm looking forward to reading. But first I'm going to read some of the books I just received from Amazon (thanks to gift certificates from my two best friends), which include Dean Koontz's latest, several other thrillers, Terry Pratchett's I Shall Wear Midnight and Charles de Lint's new YA fantasy, The Painted Boy.
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Went to the library today and got about eight mysteries, including some you have led me to, thomas Perry, Linda Fairstein, Parnell Hall, Nancy Atherton, Charlotte Macleod, Joanne Fluke and someone i never heard of, but she has interesting titles and book covers - Kerry Greenwood - this title is Cocaine Blues. The covers all have "1920's" style women figures on them. I also picked up an Emilie Richards book on the " oldies, but goodies" shelf titled Touching Stars. I'm starting with Margaret Maron's Storm Track. Sooooooo much to look forward to!!! .......... Jean
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Yes, I bought the cover for the IPAD. Was afraid it would get scratched when I put it in my briefcase, etc. It also folds all the way back and you can use it as a tripod. Handy when in my lap and I am reading the newspaper from it. I do love the newspapers..New York Times, Washington Post. and an online thing called Slate..
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No, JOANK, there was a series featuring a young Irish immigrant girl,
and the first book was about a murder among the immigrants on Ellis
Island. That's the series I was thinking about.
I hadn't heard of the Terry Pratchett book, JOEGREYFAN. I'm a great
fan of his and appreciate the tip. I haven't tried Charles de Lint yet.
Looks like you're all set, JEAN. Have fun!
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Steph
I haven't bought the cover yet but I am going to. But what I mean was this screen protector. They say it's very hard to put on.
http://www.amazon.com/9-7-Screen-Protector-Apple-iPad/dp/B003C6SETS
also there is a drop down menu that has the newspapers but I can't seem to find out where it is.
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When you get ready to buy your cover, do shop around, even in Amazon, as there are several that are much cheaper than than $84.00+ because they have someone's "fashion name" on them.
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The Apple IPad cover is $39.99. and the few people I know that have that one like it. plus I have a Best Buy gift cert. so I'll get it there.
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Jeri - i also have the cover and recommend it. I got the ipad in Oct and got the cover for C-mas, so i got to experience with and without it and i'd say a definite yes. I don't have the prote tor, but for $2 why not?.........Jean
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Mabel
I'm glad to hear you like the cover too.
I hadn't seen that change in price on the protector. But at the regular price it sure got a bad review. It's kind of like what you put on car windows and trying to get it flat whithout bubbles.
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I have a cover for my iPad but didn't buy the protector. I did get a protector for my iPod as there is no cover. My husband put it on for me as I was afraid I'd make a mess of it. >:(
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Happy New Year to all the Bookworms.
I got three books by a Swedish crime author Camilla Lackberg, I started the first one in the series 'The Ice Princess' and am finding it hard to put down...can seriously recommend it.
Nancy
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Hmm, The little protector looks good, but I bought a chamois to clean my screen,that is working well. But the cover is great. I bought mine from Apple.
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I bought the apple cover and like it. I didn't get the protector.
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Did I already post about Foster and the Peculiar Crimes Unit? Senior moment -- I can't remember.
Anyway, the one I read is "Briant and Mays on the Rails". Humor plus a good thriller. I'll certainly read more.
I finished the "Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree" by Albert and liked it. I think only a woman would like it -- all the women are portrayed as nice and all the men sound like jerks ("Don't worry your pretty little head about that").
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
NANCY: missed your post. That sounds interesting. Does it have the flavor of the other Swedish books we read?
Claire suggested a series where the detective is the White House chef (Julia Hyzy "State of the Onion"). Have any of you read her?
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I am surprised. Generally her series is more sensible, but this is a particularly light one. I like the Herb ones the best.
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I started my first Parnell Hall, Favor, last night. It is funny and being located in NJ makes it more interesting. I was giggling almost from page one......Jean
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Just finished Sheila Connolly's A Killer Crop - mixture of apple harvesting & genealogy. Enjoyable read. Am now into her new museum series. The first title is Fundraising the Dead set in a private archival museum in Philadelphia much like the institution in Central city where she worked while living in Philly. Both have been a nice break from the holidays and nonfiction reading.
Mary
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Read my first "chocoholic" mystery by Carl. The detective runs a chocolate shop. Made the mistake of reading it at night, and got so hungry, had to raid the fridge. Don't think I can afford the calories to read many. Wel-l-l, maybe just one more.
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Will have to look up Sheila Connolly. I love books on museums, etc.
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Just to let those on here that I asked about the IPAD..I did get one and so far I love it. ;D It's a work in progress but I'm getting there and I'm sure I will still be asking questions on here.
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I tried to connect my new kindle yesterday, and it just will not connect to my wireless router. Frustration.
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Joan, I had to call my internet provider to help me get connected--seems I needed more help than the instructions provided. It was easy with help--though waiting to get to talk to a real person was frustrating and took about 15 min on hold! I am now connected and love it so far.
Sally
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Joan, your Kindle doesn't connect to a wireless router (or at least mine doesn't). As I understand it, it connects to an ethernet that Amazon has - and it should work anywhere you can get a cell phone signal (doesn't have to be YOUR cell phone).
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MaryZ: I think that's the more expensive one. I have the cheaper one that goes through your router.
Salan: I didn't think of that. My nephew gave me the router. But I'll see what tech support I can find.
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Might be, Joan - mine is a Kindle 2 - it was the only kind available when I got it. I've had it for a year or so.
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I honestly think that the less expensive one is the one that connects through the ethernet and the new and more expensive has a 3g and uses the router to connect for email, etc.
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I don't know whether the one that was given to me is a new version or old. It connects to Amazon;s "WhisperNet" automatically. I read enough of the manual to know that if I want to go to other websites, they will charge a fee of some sort. I haven't looked to see how to do that. For the Audible audio files and for e-books like from Gutenberg, they recommend downloading to my computer first and then transferring to the Kindle. I noticed, too, that Amazon has a document conversion service available for a fee. Interesting features I had no idea Kindle could do. Also, I can play MP3s on it, if I want to, while reading. Mine is a G3.
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That's the difference - mine is "only" a reader. Except I just found out I can connect to google and some other places. Don't plan to do it - it's too cumbersome to use that way, IMO. I hope I don't get charged for my experimenting with it - that never occurred to me. I'll have to check.
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JoanK, my kindle is like yours -- Kindle3 just for wireless and not the cell phone. I got mine in late August, so of course i don't remember how I connected, but it hasn't been a problem. I think maybe I had to type in the WEP number of the router. I know at the library I had to type in their password, which turned out to be the phone no.
Has anyone read Kate Carlisle's series about Brooklyn Wainright, a bookbinder? My f2f group is reading #2 for January -- If Books Could Kill. Maybe I'm in the wrong generation, but I think it's pretty goofy, ridiculous, and predictable. The protagonist is besotted with men and alcohol.
MaryZ, I understand what you're saying. I wouldn't mind experimenting with what the Kindle can do, but I don't want to be charged for it. I really like reading from it, with it.
I've never hooked it up to my computer, but aren't some of those older free books (public domain) at Amazon pretty much the same as you would find in Gutenberg.?
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I sync my ipad with my big computer about once every few weeks. That way, what I have is in both places.
I am reading my ftf book as well as Little Bee.. I also got this wonderful book for Christmas. Basically what do you eat.. It has pictures and descriptions from all over the world with the calorie count, the person, the food and then a short story of their life style. Absolutely fascinating.
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Finished and liked "Candy Apple Red" by Nancy Bush. Exactly halfway between a cozy and a psychological: not as deep as the latter or as light as the former. I like that and will definitely look for more: some may not.
Also read "Mai Tai to Murder" by Calvert. The detective is an OR nurse, and a cheerleader for nurses (good for her!). It's too drawn out, we don't have to know every morsel she eats or what everyone in every room is wearing. But worth another look.
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I'm not interested in what everyone's wearing, or eating, in real life,
...never mind in my reading. :-\
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Nancy Bush wrote several books, but I was not that thrilled with the writing.
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Finished Parnell Hall's "Favor". Entertaining, but not engrossing. Also "Aunt Dimity's Death" by Nancy Atherton. I liked it, a good story interweaving generations finding out about the best kept secrets. I believe this is the beginning of a series, but since Aunt Dimity is dead, I'm not sure how that is going to work ???. Also read my second Joanne Fluke book,Strawberry Shortcake Murders. I also liked it, but is much like Diane Davidson's food related books and caterer. I think i've read all but the latest Davidsonbooks, so is good to have another author to go to for light food mysteries :).......jean
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Steph: I agree on Nancy Bush. read a second (Ultraviolet) and didn't like it at all. The writing was bad, and the plot and detecting made no sense.
Oh, Well. there are plenty of other writers.
read a Harlon Coben. The detective is a sports agent -- ex-basketball player. Since I'm a sports junkie, the sports backgound really appeals to me. This one ("Drop Shot") didn't appeal. A plot twist you could see coming a mile away, and the gangsta stuff was just silly. He thinks he can shock you by telling you how commercial sports is. Well duh. Anyone with half a brain knows all that.
I like authors who love what they're writing about. I'll read mysteries about tea shops, when I hate tea, because I respect the love the author feels for it. But here is a whole book about tennis (which I love) with no hint as to why anyone would ever want to care about it. Grrr.
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Greetings,
Within the last year I also read Aunt Dimity's Death & Aunt Dimity and the Duke. There are quite a few titles in the series but I wasn't tempted to read any more. Just recently read Blueberry Muffin Mystery by Fluke and just couldn't "cotton to" the characters. I think I'm in a picky mood right now. Have six books going but none of them holds my attention for more than a few chapters at a time. No mysteries in my pile so there isn't the "what happens next" draw. Am looking forward to the new Anne Perry Charlotte & Thomas Pitt mystery due out in April. It's been three years since her last one.
JoanK. The new Laura Childs' tea shop mystery is due out March 1. I don't drink tea but I've enjoyed learning about the many different kinds through this series.
Mary
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I have just finished my first Dana Stabenow novel set in Alaska. It took me a while to get into it because I didn't understand all the shorthand references to Alaskan life, but once I got over that I really enjoyed it. Such a different existence from ours - as usual it was the everyday details that fascinated me far more than the plot - like living in a cabin that bears visit, having a dog that is half wolf, eating moose stew and so on. Will be looking out for some more of these novels (but in the meantime back to Blossom Street, such a good bedtime read).
Rosemary
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Sounds like those of you posting right now enjoy the "light" mysteries that I also enjoy. I've read all the Aunt Dimity series. I really liked the earlier ones especially. I think I just burned myself out and didn't enjoy the later ones quite as much. I have a tendency to "burn" myself out when I find an author I enjoy. It's like I have a compulsion to read the next one, and the next one, and....then all of a sudden ffft--I've burned myself out. I keep saying that I am going to pace myself, but........I just finished my first Charlotte MacLeod, God Rest You Merry, and enjoyed it. Now I have a new author to "burn" up!! I am currently reading an Anne Perry, Callandar Square. I enjoy her books, especially the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series. I read a couple of her Christmas books in December.
Rosemary, thanks for reminding me about Dana Sabenow. I read a couple of hers and enjoyed them; then I got sidetracked and somehow forgot all about her. Now I have another author to add to my list. I've also read several Joanna Fluke books and a few Debbie MacComber books. Some I enjoyed more than others.
Steph, what is the name and the author of the food book you mentioned?
Sally
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Ilove Dana Stabenow and if you are on facebook, you can friend her. She has the most fascinating entrees.. I love them. She is one of those humans interested in everything imaginable. Charlotte Mcleod.. You will be reading a long long time with her. She has at least two long series. I love the one in Boston, but not so much the Maine college ones.
Food// was I speaking of the coffee table type book I got for Christmas. That is What we Eat.. Look at it in Amazon.. the other Christmas food books.. were Julia Childs letters and 97 Orchard Street. The last is sort of a history of a house and the many immigrants who lived there and what they cooked and ate.
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I particularly like the early STabenow books because the Alaskan native lifestyle is so different from mine. In her most recent books the cabin has been rebuilt after a fire and the descriptions of life are not nearly so interesting. It is important to start with the earlier books about Kate Shugak because the characters grow and develop. I especially like Katerina Shugak, Kate's grandmother, and the aunties in the village. Kate, with or without Mutt, is a pistol.
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The one I read was called "The Singing of the Dead" - is that early or late?
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So glad to hear there's a new Charlotte and Thomas Pitt book coming, CUBFAN. And I totally
understand about the picky moods. I've been there a time or two...or three.
ROSEMARY, that's what I most enjoy about books with different backgrounds..the everyday
things that are so different. The same with 'period' pieces, whether ancient, medieval or
even Victorian/Edwardian. The little things that give you a feel for what it would be like
to live there, or then.
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RosemaryKaye, you can look at Stabenow's web site and get a list by publication date. That's the way I'd try to do it.
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Stabenow has a new one coming out very shortly (I think February?).
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Stabenows new one is out February 1. She will be doing a book tour as well. I love her. I hate cold, but love the Alaskan descriptions. Kate is probably the strongest woman in detective fiction.. Amazing.
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Rosemary, another Alaskan mystery writer that you might enjoy is Sue Henry, who has been writing for several year, has two series going. I really enjoy her Jessie Arnold, a dog musher, series. Good background on Alaska, though not necessarily about native Alaskans.
Her first book is Murder on the Iditorod Trail. The Iditorod, a dogsled race held each year, commemorates a famous medical journey from Anchorage to Nome. Another one I particularly enjoyed is Termination Dust -- two stories in one -- a current mystery and also one that comes from a recently discovered Gold Rush journal.
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Doesnt Sue Henry also do a series on a widow in an RV.. I keep thinking i have read some of them and loved them.
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Yes she does, Steph. One is about Maxie and her dog, who live in the RV, and another is about Jessie Arnold, the dog sledder. I remember reading one of Henry's where she had Jessie meetig Maxie for the first time. I don't know if they have appeared together since then or not.
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Iloved Maxie and her dog. Since we had an RV at the time and traveled all over, it really hit home for me.. Maxie is braver than I am however, since without MDH I sold the RV. I just could not drive a 40' anything.
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I am now into the 7th of Victoria Thompson's Sarah Brandt series. I
do love the setting and the characters. I must admit the 'mystery'
part, while well written, is also pretty easily solved. I've usually figured
out 'who-dun-it' early on.
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Babi - when I read mysteries I never care who "dun" anything - it's the characters and the settings that I enjoy (luckily, as I am hopeless at understanding the plots - at the end of most of Ian Rankin's Rebus books I am about as enlightened as I was at the beginning, but I've enoyed the journey!)
Rosemary
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Rosemary, I am that way with most of Minette Walters. I love her , read every one, but at the end, a good deal of the time, you still dont know what really happened.
Elizabeth George also.. its not who did it, but what happened and why. Both are authors that I adore.
By the way, I booked, so on 3 September, I will be on a plane for 12 days in Scotland. Can hardly wait.
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Steph, that is great - the weather is usually quite good (by our standards :)) in September. Will be great to meet up if you have time - I will start thinking about good coffee shops/lunch places. Where will you be visiting? (I'm sure you mentioned ths before but I have forgotten, sorry).
Rosemary
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
ROSEMARY, as much as I delight in the settings and the characters, I
am an inveterate puzzle solver. I am alert for clues in all that is
said and done, and am quite pleased with myself when I've successfully
identified the culprit. However, I can also admire the author who is
able to adroitly mislead me.....so long as they play fair!
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Steph, I envy you. Scotland is one place we'd both like to revisit. Are you on a tour/Road Scholar/something like that? What places will you be visiting?
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Fly into Glasgow, then STay there for a city tour, off to Loch Lomond and Glen Cow,staying Kyle of Lochalsh, Isle of Skye, Inverewe Gardens, off to Ullapoolm then the Highland areas, finishing in Thjurso, Isle of Orkney, Skara Brae, John o Groats and Dunrobin Castle, Battle of Culloden, Fort. George, Edinburgh for several days and home from there. This is a 12 days trip, so we keep moving but it gives me an overall view of Scotland, which is what I wanted. I know I have some time in Edinburg, since I have been there and spent some time and so have seen a lot of what they will be seeing inEdinburgh. I will probably skip the distillery tour there since MDH and I did that and had lunch there that day..It was fun, but not a repeater. We also did the tours around town on the off and on buses, saw the yacht, castles,etc. So we can have lunch the day of the distillery tour perhaps. I will check the documents closer and be able to tell you where I will be staying and you can advise on buses to get to meet you.
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Steph, we got to many of those places. Fantastic! We loved Skara Brae and the Ring of Brodgar - all of the Orkneys.
Have you ever read the M.C.Beaton stories with Hamish MacBeth as the village constable? The BBC did a series based on those books. It was filmed in (@$#%#^% - can't remember right now) a little town very close to Kyle of Localsh. Netflix has the DVDs - well worth watching.
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I'm back online after a days-long computer glitch! I feel like a person in the desert who sees water!
Funny I come back and you're talking about Stabanow. I just read her book about the gold mine (have to look up the name). She always has a bunch of local characters that don't have much to do with the plot, and you figure they're based on real people. In this one, there is casual mention of a man who runs an air taxi service.
The next night, I see that the Discovery TV Channel has a new series: "Flying Alaska". So I tune it in, and it's based on this man who runs an air taxi service. There are enough details that it is obviously the same person.
Talk about small world!
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STEPH: I envy you so much. Always wanted to go to Scotland. And to meet ROSEMARY, too!! You have to give her big smiles from all of us.
ROSEMARY: I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't always know what's going on. Especially in TV mysteries, it seems that I missed some important bit and can never quite catch up.
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Steph, what an itinerary! I have been to Skye, Inverewe, Ullapool and Fort George, but none of them for a very long time. I didn't even know there was a distillery in Edinburgh - there is one out here - past Ballater - and many on Speyside where my best friend lives. I'll look forward to hearing more details.
JoanK - I am even more hopeless with TV mysteries - it's always me saying "But - who is he? why did he do that?" etc. These days I just sit back and enjoy the scenery :)
The Stabanow book sounds like the one I read - I had never heard of air taxis before. And as you say, she probably puts people in regardless of the plot, but they are interesting so I don't mind (especially as I can't follow the plot anyway :)) I would have liked to have seen the programme about the air taxi service - when we move we are hoping to get cable TV at last (it does not exist in Aberdeen), so we should be able to get the Discovery channel. i am really looking forward to having access to Sky Arts.
And thank you for the big smiles you will be sending! I hope you will get over some time - I am also looking forward to having more guests when we are in Edinburgh, as not many people make it as far north as Aberdeen. I have recently re-contacted a friend I hadn't seen for years (through Facebook - it has its uses!) who says he is going to be bringing a show to the Edinburgh Festival, so I am glad we will have a spare room available. These will be the positive things about moving from here - middle daughter is feeling very negative about the whole thing at the moment (leaving her choir, our church, etc) so I am trying to find all the good things to focus on.
Rosemary
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Then you found a house?? Flat?? that you like in Edinburgh.. You mentioned Ballateer, when we were there for the wedding in 05, the parents of the groom stayed there. The little chapel and the shooting lodge where the reception was were on some estate around there.
The distellery in Edinburgh is right down the hill from the castle.. You walk down and boom.. it is there on the right. The little restaurant in it was really good.. There was also a wonderful Hot Chocolate type shop quite close to the little hotel where we stayed. I am not quite sure that six rooms qualifies as a hotel.. But the pub is downstairs and we had great fun.. Our bathroom was the same size on our bedroom. No noise from the pub and they did breakfast just for their guests each morning. We loved it.
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Piping up from the very wet Antipodean city of Brisbane.
Maryz - I was completely smitten by Hamish Macbeth. Small of stature, but strong on screen presence, Robert Carlisle is an extremely versatile actor. The name of the town was Lochdubh (pronounced) Lockdoob, with the post vocalic "ch" so similar to the Greek "chi" or χ. the -doob is pronounced more as a long "oo"; not at all like the "oo" in good. Ah - the Scottish accent is enchanting indeed. Hamish had a West Highland Terrier called "Wee Jock", who was often the star of the series in his own right. Rosemary is surrounded by the Scottish accent. What do you think of it Rosemary? Australian English is renowned for its somewhat flat vowels, although, of course, this is more varied in certain idiolects. My vowels and Gum's are in perfect shape. :-)
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Click here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamish_Macbeth_(TV_series)) for the Wikipedia link about the TV series. It was filmed in the village of Plockton. We took lots of photographs, and saw all the places we'd seen in the series. They're terrific!
Robert Carlyle is indeed wonderful. You'll remember him as the star of The Full Monty.
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Steph - No we have not yet found a house or flat! Viewing more on Sunday. We will be in Edinburgh whatever, as we will just keep on the flat my husband currently rents - it is very nice indeed but just not big enough. I certainly hope we will have bought something by the summer - I am cautiously optimistic about one of the flats we are going to see on Sunday, David has already seen it and thought it was good.
Carolyn - the Scottish accent has many variations. The Highland accent is generally quite soothing and pleasant, whereas the Glaswegian one can take a bit of getting used to! Edinburgh varies - many people would say it sounds more like an English accent, and it's certainly true that the posher you are in Edinburgh, the more Engllish you are likely to sound. When my son was a baby we lived in a fairly remote N East farming village and I couldn't understand a word some people said. They speak something called Doric, which is basically English with a lot of local terminology thrown in - for example, if someone sees you in the street, they will say "Fit like?" to which the reply is "Mucktie aye" - this roughly translates as "How are you?" - "Fine thanks". Women will often be referred to as "quines" and boys as "loons". People will also ask you where you stay, by which they mean where do you live, not are you on holiday? At coffee time, they will have a "fly piece", which means a cake or roll that they have brought in as a mid-morning snack.
MaryZ - I have been to Plockton, it's very pretty. One of the four Scottish Executive funded music schools is there - it specialises in "traditional music", which here means ceilidh-type stuff, lots of pipes, accordions, fiddles, clarsach, that kind of thing. I haven't ever been to Orkney, but my husband goes there often as he is involved in wave energy and they are testing their devices in that area, because the waves are so good.
I love Robert Carlyle - the scene at the beginning of The Full Monty, when the two men are standing on the old car in the canal, always make us laugh so much.
Rosemary
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I have read several of the Hamish stories, but never any TV.. What is the series name?? I thought I might try net flix to see if they have them.
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CLICK HERE (http://movies.netflix.com/Search?v1=Hamish Macbeth: Series 1&oq=hamish &ac_posn=1) for the Netflix link, Steph. There are three series to check out.
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ROSEMARY, I can remember my father telling stories of traveling
with a Scots friend during the depression, following the harvests.
He said that in the evenings people would gather around the
campfires to talk, and John Clark would tell stories in a brogue
that kept them all enchanted. It is an image that has stayed with
me to this day.
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Am just starting Laura Childs' The Teaberry Strangler. It was through her books that I discovered we have only one place that grows tea in the US--the tea plantation in the Charleston area. I'm not a big tea drinker but I do love these tea shop mysteries.
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Thanks Mary. I just wanted to be sure of the title, but it is simply Hamish Macbeth.. Will do the netflix thing and add to my queu.
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I'm reading Diane Mott Davidson's Fatally Flakey. I think she's throwing in a new character, Jack, Goldy's godfather, retired lawyer, who has moved in across the street from Goldy. Davidson is writing it as tho' he gave her money to start her catering business when "the jerk" was still in the story. Do any of you remember him being in the picture? I, also, must not have read the book where "the jerk" dies even tho i tho't there was only 2 or three that i've missed......jean
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Rosemary - I only use roshanarose as my ID on here because there are a couple of other Carolyns here. But I don't mind if you use it.
When I read the word "Doric" my interest was sharpened. I looked up Wiki (always my first resort - sorry to purists :-)) and found this:
As The Oxford Companion to English Literature explains:"Since the Dorians were regarded as uncivilised by the Athenians, 'Doric' came to mean 'rustic' in English, and was applied particularly to the language of Northumbria and the Lowlands of Scotland and also to the simplest of the three orders in architecture."[2]
Use of the term Doric in this context may also arise out of a contrast with the anglicised speech of the Scottish capital, because at one point, Edinburgh was nicknamed 'Athens of the North'. The upper/middle class speech of Edinburgh would thus be 'Attic', making the rural areas' speech 'Doric'" I accept this explanation, mainly because of its source, but I am looking for a more mysterious and glamorous meaning. Coincidentally, the word for where you live in Greek is also the verb for where you stay. If I am not mistaken, the word word for night in some Scottish dialects is "nicht", the Greek word for night is nichta =
η νύχτα.
I am a frustrated comparative linguist and become quite excited when I see similarities like those above.
Off topic - sorry - but I can't resist adding some Doric (Scottish) dialect sayings here. I think they are enchanting.
Foo's yer doos?" (Hou's yer dous?): Literally "How are your pigeons?", now used as "How are you?" A stock phrase, not so often used in speech as to send up Doric.
"Aye peckin": Literally "Always pecking. " This is the reply to "Fou's yer doos?"
"Fit's adee?" (Whit's adae?): "What's wrong?"
"Gie's a bosie!": "Give me a hug!"
"A'm fair forfochten": "I am very tired. "
The Broch - Fraserburgh also Burghead near Elgin. Fraserburgh, called The Broch in Scots, is a small town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland in the extreme Northeast corner approximately 40 miles North Burghead is a small Town in Moray, Scotland, United Kingdom about 8 miles
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I am reading the very first Louise Penny and loving it. What a wonderful character and what a wonderful small town.. I think she has written several, so.... I can see me looking for each one now..
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Oh, I do hope I can remember "A'm fair forfochten". I'd love to
astonish my family by using it the next time opportunity presents. ;)
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My favourite is "Gie's a bosie".
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INspector Gamache is interesting, although I am struggling with procedure. His assistant does not remotely seem to be interested in being a policewoman.. Just a star.. How odd. You would think if she got that far, she knew about police work and how to do it.
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Hang in there Steph - it's worth it. The first two or three titles are sequential and the behaviors of the characters are for a reason.
Mary
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The author's name, Louise Penny, didn't ring a bell but Inspector Gamache did. I'll have to check on those books. They sound interesting. I might have read one or two. I have a list but often just don't bother posting books. :-\
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I had never heard of Louise Penny until someone recommended Brutal Telling, which was the only Penny my library had. It's her latest, and knowing what I know now, I would have held off on reading it, and tried to find earlier ones first. It was a great story.
At the library the other day I decided I was in the mood for another Arnaldur Indriasson, so checked out Hypothermia. Not sure how I feel about it -- it's a little slow, kind of plodding, perhaps a bit too introspective. Not nearly as engrossing as his Arctic Chill.
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Double Recommendation: Do read the Louise Penney books. Start with the first one. They are wonderful! Go to her website, and there you will find the books listed, and alternate titles, since they do that in other countries besides the US. She writes a wonderful blog and sends it in mail every month.
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I finished Still Life and loved it. Must find the next few.. Will try the Website.. I do love informative ones on authors. I still do not understand the awkward assistant. She does not seem suitable to be a police person.
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I've read all of Louise Penny's books to date. I love them! And each one seems better than the last.
Has anyone tried Sophie Hannah's mysteries? I've read two, The Wrong Mother and The Dead Lie Down. She writes good psychological suspense, though I wish she'd include some likable characters. And The Dead Lie Down is so densely and intricately plotted that several times I found myself losing track of who was who and what was going on. I'm normally a fast reader, but it seemed to take forever to get through this one!
Now for a fast, easy read, I'm enjoying Tick Tock by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge, the fourth in a series I really like featuring a widowed NYPD homicide detective with 10 adopted children.
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joegrayfan, my f2f group will read SophieHannah's The Wrong Mother later this year. I've never read anything by her before, and I get her confused sometimes with Kristin Hannah. Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading it and hope that the characters are likeable.
Every night I tell myself that I'm going to go to bed early and just read a mystery. And I never do, it's always way late when I head off to bed. Last night I started Maron's Christmas Mourning (late) and read until the wee hours. Can't do that again, so hopefully it's off to bed early.
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I was nosing around on the net again, looking for something else, when I ran across this little tid-bit. A movie of Boris Akunin's The Winter Queen is in pre-production and is scheduled to be released sometime in 2012. So far the only cast listed are Milla Jovovich and Anton Yelchin.
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Pedln, that's exactly what I promise myself - and it never happens. I go to bed far too late, then try to read a mystery, then can't remember a thing I've read and have to start back-tracking. I was brought up to think that reading during the day was almost sinful - you should be doing something "better" with your time - and although I of course don't agree with that, I do find time does just disappear (then I think, how can it? I used to work, now I work only 2 half days, I don't have any more things to do now than I did then, but I seem to have even less time. I wonder if the laws of physics could explain that one?!)
I am trying to read a book by Mary Jane Clarke, but I must admit I am not yet gripped. The heroine (TV reporter) seems to be a bit too good to be true for my liking.
R
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Amazing how you can track an author. I am reading an older book by Charlaine Harris..It is one in the Aurora Teagarden series.. A Fool and his honey. She started writing sort of cozies, but this one becomes darker and really surprises you in the end.. Now of course, she mostly writes about the vampire.. Sookie Stackhouse series and a few other paranormals, but she is good in those as well.
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A police detective with 10 adopted children?!! On a policeman's
salary? Maybe he has another source of income? Okay, JOEGREYFAN,
I'm intrigued. I'll have to check this one out. Ten kids ought to
make for lively living.
It's true, ROSEMARY, I can testify to that. I get much more
done when I have a great deal to do. I think the sense of urgency
is responsible. When I have little to do and plenty of time..
well, what's the hurry?
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I'm back with a new computer -- my old one is dead as a dodo. You may find me grouchy for awhile as I get used to it.
" I was brought up to think that reading during the day was almost sinful - you should be doing something "better" with your time"
And since my mother was a librarian, I was brought up to believe that there is nothing better to do with your time.
While I was off the computer was playing with my new kindle (I now have more than 60 books on it: only one did I pay over 5$, and many were free. I caught up on the Dana Stabinow I missed -- don't know how I got so far behind. Read a sample of the new Donna Andrews (Meg is 8 months pregnant), but I'll bet I can get it "like new" for less than $9.99 even including postage. And others that aren't worth mentioning.
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Donna Andrews makes me laugh,although I would love to see Meg get more of a spine. Her Mother is fairly obnoxious.
Ten adopted children. Will have to hunt for that one. I am reading a James Swain.. Always interesting. His detective finds cheats in casinos for the casino.. Amazing the different scams that are done in the name of free money.. This one is about the Micanopy Indian casino down in south Florida..I think Swain lives in Miami..
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I just finished a great mystery: WHY SHOOT A BUTLER? by British author Georgette Heyer, with a group that reads vintage mysteries. An English country house murder mystery with a twist -- the butler as the victim. Very good writing with first-rate dry British wit.
Marj
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I have just finished "Do You Want To Know A Secret?" by Mary Ann Clark. I am not too sure about it. I liked it enough to read more (if there are more), but I felt that the characters were not well enough defined - even at the end of the book I kept getting some of them muddled up. Also, the heroine, Eliza, was just too too perfect - she was meant to be a secret smoker, but you did feel that the author had just put that in to give her a vice, and it didn't ring true. And I was also not convinced by the fact that at the start of the book she was mourning her recently dead husband, but only a matter of weeks later she was making hay with another reporter (who of course thought she was wonderful).
Meanwhile, the immensely rich ex-wife of the main murderee (as it were) wasted no time in hooking up with also immensely rich vice-chairman of the TV company, who of course also thinks she's wonderful. The only women who don't get their men are the murderee's devoted secretary (stereotype bitter twisted spinster with cat) and the chairman of the TV company (successful, but fat and unattractive, so no hope for her then). So not good messages really!
Marj - I saw that book in our local discount bookshop last week and dithered about whether it would be good or not - I expect they've sold out by now! I have never read any Georgette Heyer, but she is immensely popular. When I was at school, my best friend read through all of her historical romances and loved them.
Rosemary
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Checked out three Louise Penny books from the library. She is a new author for me but from the reviews here, her books sound interesting.
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The first book in the Patterson-Ledwidge series about the police detective with 10 adopted children is Step on a Crack, followed by Run for Your Life, Worst Case, and Tick Tock. It's best (but not essential) to read them in order.
I'm almost finished with Susan Hill's The Woman in Black, a ghost story that's more of a novella than a novel, and am not finding it nearly as scary or creepy as I've heard it is. In fact, it made a fine, relaxing bedtime read last night. It's written in the style of an old-fashioned Victorian ghost story. Has anyone else here read it? Next I'll most likely read You Are Next by Katia Lief, which several friends have recommended (I can tell from the synopsis that it's not for those who dislike serial-killer thrillers).
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I'm reading The Bootleggers Dgt which is the first in Margaret Moran's series on Judge Knott. I've read the next two but hadn't read the first one. She's running for Judge in this one. There's something about the clarity of her writing that appeals to me.....except for trying to keep the 10 brothers and their spouses straight... ;D.... Or maybe it's just how well she writes small-town, rural America that i can identify with, but i enjoy her books so much. For those of you who are looking for an enjoyable mystery w/out too much gore and some humor, i recommend her. Next on my mystery list is a Lisa Scottolini, since she writes abt Philly, i can also identify w/ her environment ........... My scheizophrenic life is laid bare :o ...........jean
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
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Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
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Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I read my way through Georgette Heyer long ago when I was just a green girl. Loved her Regency romances and the mysteries as well. Wonder how I would find her today...
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Jean, I have read every single Maron. I too love her stories of real life in the mountains. AFter a while, you become very comfortable and fond of her many brothers and wives.. They all seem to have a story.
L isa Scottolini writes nicely about women lawyers, Philadelphia and is really accurate about the area. She also owns a corgi as I do ( actually I have two) and writes a column in Philadelphia and often mentions her dogs..
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I believe Maron's books are mostly set in North Carolina's low country, near Raleigh. I've enjoyed all of them. I'm looking forward to the next one where I believe she will bring in the character from her first series. I really enjoyed the first series even more than the Deborah Knott one.
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What is the first series abt Jean?
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Jean, Flajean, I've just finished Maron's Christmas Mourning, which I think is her latest. And while Sigrid Harold (from the first series) is mentioned in this one, she does not appear. But you do learn about her family connections.
Jean, if you have trouble with the brothers and wives, wait until you try to sort out the nieces and nephews. Thank good ness they're all charted in the beginning of the book. I sure kept flipping back to that page.
She is such an enjoyable read.
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I don't know if I should mention this as a mystery or not. It is primarily Sci-Fi, dealing with time travel. But it has some spoofs on mystery writers (Christie, Sayers) "The butler always did it".
It's "To say Nothing of the Dog" by Connie Willis. Hilarious!
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Maron is not quite low country, but west of Raleigh.. Another North Carolina author.. Sharon ( oh boy, senior moment)?? writes about the mountains in North Carolina. I read both of them. Sharon writes and incorporates the old folk tales of the mountains into current days. Lovely reads.
I am read U is for...It has been out for a while, just got around to it. I like it. She seems to have known the principal characters from high school and she is learning about her Grandmother this time..
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I think I will just skip the Mary Ann Clark book, ROSEMARY. I do
appreciate the critique. Good critiques have saved me so much time
and annoyance.
Georgette Heyer is fun. The historical setting is very good, and
the heroines are spirited and entertaining. They are the only
'romance' novel series I've ever found at all interesting.
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That area west of Raleigh, NC, is called the Piedmont. And Steph, I guess you're thinking of Sharyn McCrumb (http://www.sharynmccrumb.com/)- she does write wonderful tales set in the NC mountains.
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Mable (Jean?), Maron's first series was about a New York City detective, Sigrid Harald. She was a loner and the opposite of Deborah Knott. Her first series is OP (out of print) but she says on her web site written Jan. 2011 that "Now, with the advent of Kindle, Nook, the iPad, etc., etc., these OP books can live again and I am absolutely delighted to announce that by the end of the year, I expect to have all of mine available."
Her web site is http://www.margaretmaron.com (http://www.margaretmaron.com)
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Thanks FlaJean, from NJJean. :)
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"That area west of Raleigh, NC, is called the Piedmont."
The Piedmont (named after a similar region in Italy) is actually the base of an old mountain chain, that runs in a line from South of new york city to Georgia. Something about the geology of the worn down mountain base gives it its characteristics, roling hills, red clay soil, and folage that is greener than anyplace else.
In my home town of Washington DC, the edge of the Piedmont runs right through the middle of town (roughly down Georgia Avenue). So half of the city is in the Piedmont and half at the edge of the Coastal plain. Going to work, I used to cross from the P to the C and you copuld really tell the difference. The land got flat, and the trees lost that bright green color. Of course, all of the poshy neighborhoods had developed on the Piedmont side (the grass really IS greener there).
I know all this because Arthur Godfry's son (remember AG?) wrote a book called "The Piedmont". Probably out of print now.
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Loved the AG program, not necessarily AG himself..... Interesting bit of info, thanks for sharing that Joan..... Jean
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All these years and I truly thought the Piedmont was North Carolina and Virginia..Thanks for the information. Guess I did not know that AG had a son..Just a ukelele..
Yes, Sharon McCrumb and I do love her and she does not write fast enough..
I like the Sigrid Herald books.. Read all of them as far as I know.
Finished the Sue Grafton. I think I am now caught up on the alphabet.. This one was more background story for her than anything.
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Of course, all of the poshy neighborhoods had developed on the Piedmont side (the grass really IS greener there).
:D
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The Piedmont and the mountain area are so very beautiful in North Carolina and Virginia. It was always a favorite spot for us in the rv.. I love the early morning fogs.. the green green everything, the orchards.. tree farms... just all sorts and sizes of greens.. Then as you get into the mountains, you get the most incredible blues.. I have spent years taking pictures, but they never seem to show the most beautiful and subtle shades in the blue ridge. I have however found an artist who is good at it.. Debbie Littledear brings my beloved mountains into full shades and hues.. I love her work.
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I finished "the Bootleggers Daughter". What a surprise ending! But i liked it! Usually, the protagonist is snowy pure and won't accept any "tainted" help. I like, in general, the idea of her father being a bootlegger and the marijuana growing neighbors and the snutty dowager who can't abide her son being deviant. I'm deliberately being obtuse for those of you who may read the book in the future, but those of you eho have read it will understand what i'm talking about. The end was a nice surprise.....I think the beginning was a little slow, but i think MM got in her writing groove in the second- half, and got her handle on the story.......jean
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Steph I did a search for Debbie Littledeer. How enchanting. I especially liked "Moonrise", "This Long Lovely Journey"and "My wish". Thank you for the introduction.
www.debbielittledeer.com
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Ihave a numbered copy of the The Long Lovely Journey.. It is amazing. The Smokies do look just like that. I feel like I have been on the road many times.
Yes Maron pulls you into the whole family. She expands in each book and it is fun to figure out what is happening to all of the family.. Along with Judge Knott and her love life.
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I started reading the Victoria Thompson books in the middle with Murder in Little Italy and then went back and started with the first one. I'm now on Murder in washington Square. I like them.
Although I'm reading most of the books on Kindle I really am enjoying my IPad. I'm finding all kinds of Apps that are free.
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jeriron : Everyone in Australia wants an IPad. Only trendy business people types seem to be able to afford them. They start at $680.00 here. :o I have my Sony Touch 650, and I love it!
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I really like Victoria Thompson and have read all of them as far as I know.. She really makes you feel you are there in the tenements and chaos of NYC.. Good writer.
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She has a new one coming out in June.
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Everyone can laugh.. In preparation for the Friday train trip.. 23 hours.. I am putting together.. the IPAD, a portable cd player and one paperback book..or maybe 2.. I am tryin to be prepared for anything.. I may have room for a few clothes, but who cares.. Oops, the temperature for a poor Floridian indicates another suitcase just for anything warm I own.
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Strange how clothes take on less importance as one grows older, or is it just me?
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Stehp
Will the IPad work on the train?
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One's priorities definitely change, ROSE. :D
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Rohanarose, I couldn't agree more. Clothes, so far as I am concerned, are just things to keep you warm and stop your skin getting scratched when you're gardening. My mother in law says she lost interest in clothes when she put on too much weight to be able to buy what she liked, but I am relatively small and still just cannot be bothered with thinking about them - too expensive, too uncomfortable, too impractical - that's fashion so far as I am concerned. And if i see one more fashion "expert" telling us to top it all off with some "killer heels" ---- the only thing they kill is my feet. I also feel that they are deliberately impractical to make sure that women are kept under control.
Steph - have a great trip. I always do the same, ie spend ages swithering about what books, etc I am going to take with me - the horror of running out of reading/writing matter is far greater than the thought of not having enough socks!
R
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rosemarykaye - that's the beauty of a Kindle (me), an I-phone (Steph), a Nook (jane), etc. You NEVER have to worry about running out of books. ::)
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:) I agree with that all the way. As long as my clothes are comefortable and warm, who cares. But running out of books -- ugh!
I do have a horror when I'm traveling of getting my feet wet, and having to wear wet shoes all day. So I always pack more shoes than I need. Must have happened to me once, but I can't remember when.
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Steph, considering you have an iPad that's loaded with books, TWO paperbacks seems a bit excessive. I can understand one, in case you get in an electronic black hole, but that's probably not going to happen.
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Once the books are downloaded into your e-reader, you don't have to have internet access to read them. :)
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Joan K - I once had to attend court in Edinburgh, which meant leaving Aberdeen on the 6am train. I had to walk to the station in torrential rain and by the time I got onto the train my feet were soaked. I took my shoes and tights off and put them on the train heater till we got there! It really is horrible sitting in wet shoes, I agree.
R
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Just started The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny. There were only three Louise Penny books on the shelf so have two more to read.
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My IPAD is loaded and I also am taking books on cds.. Reason being, that I am prone to car sickness and am not quite sure if the IPAD books will vibrate enough to bother me. If so I can listen to the other books. The regular paperback is for the odd moments at the show when I might want to sit and just rest for a bit.. I always have such a horror of running out of books.. I know I did in Egypt and believe me, except for the airport there were no english speaking books anywhere. Whew..
Today is the cut on the clothes. My bedroom is covered with all sorts of warm stuff. I am thinking in layers, so that will be the task later today.. I have a watch cap type that is white, so my head will be warm..The problem is that the Garden will be warm inside where they groom and bench the dogs,,but the main part will be much cooler where the show rings are..
I am really excited. This will be the first real trip on my own since his death. I went to an elderhostel but it was like half an hour from my sons. I stayed there, but was close and when I went to Nashville had my granddaughter and both dil
s with me ,, so this is my first on my own..
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ROSEMARY, I'm not the only one who suspects some male fashion gurus secretly hate women. I have pretty much tended to take 'fashion' with a grain of salt, so to speak. I would adopt an idea that suited me, but for the most part I stuck with what I thought looked right on me and was comfortable. Who wants to spend a working day being jabbed here and there by one's own clothes? Now there's a mystery!
Good thinking, STEPH. Layers is definitely the way to go. A handy PB
is, of course, always a good idea, but hopefully you'll also find some
interesting people to talk to and make some new friends.
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Steph
Good for you..
My husband passed away on Jan. 22 and I can't get myself to get in the car and go to Walmart a mile away. Every night I say to myself tomorrow and when tomorrow comes I change my mind.
Have a great time. I love the Westminister Show. I've been to dog shows but not the big one.
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jeriron - I hope what I have to say will not offend you. I have been divorced three times, but have never "lost" a husband. What you said about getting into the car to go to Walmart reminded me of some students I had from Bosnia. The student I am referring to is called Nevenka. She was such a good student that I suggested that she should attend class twice a week instead of just once. Her daughter, Gordana, told me that her mother was afraid of buses because the street upon which buses had to travel in Bosnia was called "Snipers' Alley" . In spite of this horrific memory, Nevenka felt so strongly about improving her English that she was determined to "ride the bus" to class. I can still remember the first time she caught the bus on her own and arrived at class on time. She was so proud and happy that she had overcome a terror that had haunted her since she left Bosnia. I remember at the end of the class I called her aside and congratulated her and we cried together.
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Jeriron, I didn't know of your loss. I'm so sorry and send my deepest sympathy.
Steph, perhaps Jeriron will someday be where you have gotten. You were smart to pick something so special for your first trip out.
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Jeriron, My heartfelt sympathies and prayers.
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Jeriron - sorry to hear about your loss. Be kind to yourself, take your time and small ateps, your confidence will come back......jean
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jeriron, my deepest sympathies. I'm so sorry to hear about your loss.
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Jeriron - I too am so sorry to hear about your husband. It is very early days yet - take your time, and as Jean said, be kind to yourself.
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JERIRON: so sorry to hear about your husband. We at Seniorlearn are there for you. Your bravery will come back, day by day.
And STEPH, you are our heroine. We all admire your courage.
When my husband died suddenly and unexdpectedly five years ago, Seniornet was such a help. And my first trip was to a Seniornet reunion, some 9 months later. It really marked getting back to my life for me.
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Jeriron, my heartfelt sympathy goes out to you in your sorrow.
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JERIRON, thank you for letting us know of your husband's death. I am deeply sorry for your loss. I am a widow and I remember how fragile I felt after my husband's death. Please be extra kind, gentle and patient with yourself. You will know when you are ready to venture out into the world, again. Right now you just need to take good care of you. Here is a hug, if you would like it ((((((((((((((((((((((Jeriron)))))))))))))))))))))))
Sheila
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jeriron: Heartfelt sympathy to you in your bereavement. Take it easily and be kind to yourself.
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Jeriron - Please accept my apologies for my post. It was inappropriate. I misread the date and didn't pay enough attention to what you had written. Please take care. My thoughts are with you at this difficult time.
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Oh Jeriron, I have truly been where you are..My husband has ben dead 14 months and I miss him like it was yesterday.. But and this is a biggie. T he only way to live is to set your teeth, lift your head and move forward.. It is hard and painful. I cried some bitter tears over the way and manner of his death, but I also knew that he would not want me to retreat.. So I move forward and somedays, my ghost goes with me, but thats ok.. Pick a thing you really want and move forward to do it..
Trust me, it will help.
At the very beginning, I had a chinese fortune cookie and it said " Begin the rest is easy" and I truly believe it.
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Thanks everyone.
I know I'm at a place where many of you have been. And each of you have moved foward and I will too, eventually. Every marriage is different, ours was one that everything we did we did together so going it alone will be the hardest for me. Our children are suffering as much as I am but at least they can go home to their wifes and husband and life can be almost the same for them there. For me it's different. But they say time heals all and it will get worse before it gets better and so on.. I'm sure it will..
My next door neighbor asked me to go to lunch will her and another neighbor today and I will go with them. It will help a little.
But thanks again for all your kind words.
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Jeriron yes, been there - not quite the same - death of my oldest child 3 Christmas' ago and earlier, by years a very painful divorce with circumstances that took years of therapy to put to rest along with the circumstances setting off an atom bomb in our family that took even more years to get beyond -
Your dinner with neighbors is so great - I had one friend that stood with me and if it wasn't for her I too would have sat in my dark house using anything in sight after the tissue box was empty to wipe my eyes - I found putting music on all day everyday helped or I would listen to the refrigerator come on and go off. And there is a delivery kitchen in town that only delivers their home-made food - so I ordered once a week - I also learned when I get up to open the back door and breath for a minute.
When my best friend lost her husband 2 years ago she called the florist and arranged to have fresh flowers delivered every week for 6 months and then she called me to come up once a week so she would have to cook dinner - she had a book on the table for us to read and this habit continues every Wednesday night - she cooks and after dinner I read with us both stopping to discuss, better understand and sometimes to disagree with the author. For months the discussion became memories of Bill and memories of her entire life with Bill including memories of her youth and when they first met - tears were at the edge but we were good friends and it was safe -
I hope you have a friend Jeriron - our kids as you have said have their own grief and life to deal with - even a fairly new friend can make a difference and like Charlotte, she was the one to reach out... I am thinking of you fondly and a prayer is in the universe for you.
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Jeriron my thoughts and prayers are with you....Nothing I can say will help but I have been through what you are going through.. my husband and did absolutely everything together...
Joan Grimes
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Thanks Barb and Joan for your thoughtfulness.
I enjoyed my lunch out with my neighbors. We went to a restaurant tea room that I have never been to. It was in a old plantation and was beautiful. I really enjoyed myself. But feeling a little guilty about that.
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I am so sorry, Jeriron, to hear of the death of your husband. My heartfelt sympathy in your great loss.
I am so glad you went and enjoyed your lunch with your neighbors. A lovely memory which I'm sure your husband would have wanted for you.
{{{Hugs!}}}}}
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Jeriron, I'm so sorry to learn about your husband's passing. My thoughts are with you.
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"But feeling a little guilty about that." I remember that feeling. It's part of the whole process of returning to the world. Don't let it stop you.
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Thanks again everybody.
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Am reading Laura Childs Fiber & Brimstone. I like her tea shop series but this is the first scrapbooking mystery that I've read. So far I like it. I tried Louise Penny but didn't finish the first of three that I got from the library and took the other two back without reading them. I usually like English mysteries. Perhaps I'll try her again another time.
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I just finished Lisa Scottoline's "Killer Smile" which is partially abt Italians' internment during WWII. Mary DiNunzio is the protagonist in this story. I think it may be my favorite LS so far, that i've read. The story was good, the humor witty, the two junior associates work behind the partners' back. I thoroughly enjoyed it..... Jean
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Mabel
I agree with you. I've read all her books and liked that one the best.
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Is that the one where Mary and Judy dress up as prostitutes, but can't walk on the high heels?
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No, but that sounds like a good one, i'll look for that. ;) :)
Has anybody read any of Kathy Reichs mysteries? I just saw them on my library catalogue. Apparently the protagonist is a forensic anthropologist and they are set in N. Carolina,or at least the first description i saw, "Bare Bones" - what else? - had a NC setting, haven't investigated any others. ........ Jean
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Yes, I read the first Reichs one (forgotten the title, was it Deja Dead?) but I couldn't get into it at all. She is, however, very popular, so maybe it was just me; I couldn't identify with any of the characters.
Rosemary
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The Kathy Reichs books are the ones that the TV series "Bones" is based on.
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Yes, MaryZ, "Bones" on TV is "loosely" based on the Kathy Reichs books, which are much better in my opinion, although the French Canadian aspect of the books, mightn't play so well for a popular TV series. I understand Ms. Reichs keeps her hand in this series, although to what degree, I'm not sure.
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I admit I like the TV series "Bones" better than the Reichs books they're based on. The minor characters (none from the book) pull the series along. But I have to admit, I close my eyes at the obligatory gruesome pictures of bodies. Especially since many of the episodes come on near suppertime.
Some of the books take place in North Carolina, and some in Montreal, an interesting setting. The TV series takes place in Washington DC: it's interesting for me, a native Washingtonian, to see how they use (often mis-use) different local settings. I hope the books are more accurate.
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I don't think "Bones" is as gory as the various CSI programs, but I prefer "The Mentalist" and "Castle" that are much less gory and have a little levity. I do enjoy Kathy Reichs' books, but haven't read one in a while.
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Oh my gosh, no wonder I never get anything done around here. Trying to solve a puzzle and came upon this bibliography of mysteries all set in San Francisco. What a treasure trove. I found two that I used to love and haven’t read in years – Janet Dawson and Susan Dunlap. But no wonder, Dawson hasn’t written any in 10 years, but now has a new one coming out.
Golden Gate Mysteries (http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/sfmystery/)
Here’s the story of how this interactive listing came to be – a Berkeley U librarian’s labor of love.
Sleuthing Bay Area Mysteries (http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2006/01/12_mysteries.shtml)
Now – off to do laundry and get some exercise -- maybe.
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I'll look for those Pedln.
I had a treat yesterday. I had looked up "women detectives" in my library on-line catalogue and found a category abt women detectives in NJ. One book was titled Chanukah Guilt and i thot that sounded interesting. When i stsrted reading i discovered that the author was one of the first women rabbis in the country AND lives abt 6 miles from me and her story mentions a lot of familiar places. What fun! As i said i had just finished a Scottoline book set in Philadelphia which is familiar. The author's name is Ilene Schnieder, i hope she writes some more books, this one seems like it's going to be a good story...... Jean
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Wow! The Golden gate list is incredible. Read the second link for the names of the oldest SF mysteries. The oldest one is Mysteries and Miseries of San Francisco, published in 1853.
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I can get Chanukah Guilt on my kindle for $4.99. I'll download a sample now.
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Ihave always loved regional mysteries. I read any number of them. There is an old series of San Francisco with a woman detective around the turn of the century. She came fromBoston and I did love it.. I think Dianne Day was the authors name.. Good small series.
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I agree - I am far more interested in Ian Rankin's Rebus books because they are set in Edinburgh, and I think we mentioned Donna Leon before - all those wonderful Italian meals.
R
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I love Donna Leon's books. It's so fasinating to read about how people live there. All the walking with no cars etc. We were only in Venice on a cruise once but it was a really so different then any other place.
By the way RosemaryKaye::: she has a new book coming out in April.
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I have no idea why, but cannot seem to get into Donna Leon.. Must try again soon, so many of you love her.
To continue another conversation, I do love trains,, all over the world.. I was just hearing about one in Australia that goes maybe halfway around the continent.. and there is an African one, that is a great adventure, but way too pricy for most humans.
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Steph: In Australia, The Indian Pacific train trip runs from Perth on the west coast to Sydney on the east - takes as few days - stops in Adelaide and Melbourne - or at least it used to do. Great trip in the old days - still has a good reputation.
The other great Aussie train trip is The Ghan - which runs straight through the red centre of the continent south to north - Adelaide to Darwin - in recent years the train has been refurbished and is now first rate - with prices to match. It's an unforgettable trip - even without delays caused by the rail being sometimes washed away by flash flooding on the route - which happens now and again.
There's another great route up through Queensland I think but Roshanarose may know more about that.
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Gumtree - Thanks for giving me the opportunity to tell about that Queensland trip. I have taken it, I went last May after I decided that because I had always wanted to visit Cairns, the Daintree etc. that I really had to visit before I died.
The railway trip departs Roma Street Station in Brisbane quite early and ends up in Cairns at 4pm the next day. The journey takes approximately one and a half days. I had saved my pennies and bought a private first class ticket to ride. The price included meals of the highest quality in a rather fancy buffet car. I had my own steward and she plumped my pillows and left chocolates for the night I was in transit. Also fluffy bathrobes and towels were provided for the passengers to keep. The drinks were good value and the latest magazines were on hand. Games, cards etc. were also available. In addition, there was an extremely accomplished pianist availabe to play requests on a baby grand. I was travelling alone, as is my preference, but for my first meal at lunch I was joined, after giving my permission, by a charming young man who I discovered was doing a review of the trip for Queensland Tourism. I had the impression that the staff knew about why this young man was on board, and we were rewarded by many free bottles of champagne and the finest food for the remainder of the trip. My bed was narrow, but comfortable. I particularly enjoyed looking out the window in the early hours - something I never do at home. The trip doesn't come cheap, but as a pensioner I got a reasonable discount. If you visit Queensland, I can recommend the trip most highly.
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Roshanarose, that trip sounds heavenly. I haven't been on a train since I was 11 years old. I went with my parents to New York City and we had what was then called a "stateroom" on a Pullman train. I'm 75 now and I still cherish the memories of that train trip and the whole New York experience. Coming from a small town it was so exciting.
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There used to be a PBS series on great train journeys of the world, and they did an episode on the trip across Australia., which I remember seeing years ago. And on my kindle is a book by a man who was on the first freight train to cross Australia. I haven't read it yet.
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JoanK - If the trip was across Australia it would most likely be "The Ghan" so-called because of the many Afghans who were camelleers in that vicinity at one time. The Ghan leaves from Adelaide, capital of South Australia, then to Alice Springs (Uluru is near there), then to the Top End (Katherine Gorge), then to Darwin. Or you can go from Darwin to Adelaide. Darwin would not be a good place to be just now or Alice Springs. Your bits can burn. :o 8)
Way off topic - sorry. The link for the train I took is www.railaustralia.com.au/sunlander.php. I travelled Queensland class.
FlaJean - I was quite a bit older than 11 when I first saw NYC. Like you, I will never forget it. Loved that city!! I also loved Boston/Cambridge. Upon telling a New Yorker this, he almost had a heart attack, seriously. He just couldn't believe that a tourist would compare any other city with New York. The Bostonians, cool as always, remarked that both Boston and New York City were great cities.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I saw New York and Boston in the same trip, aged about 20 I think. I was impressed by New York, but I have to admit that I liked Boston better - and I absolutely loved New England. My favourite city from that trip was, however, San Francisco.
There was an excellent series on TV here recently "Indian Hill Railways" (or something like that) - it followed three different routes, all of them originally constructed during the days of the raj, and each one still used today. The programmes were fascinating, as they looked at the people who now run the railways or are connected to them in some way, and told you about their families, home life, etc - many of them are children and grandchildren of railway workers. The drivers, engineers, etc are completely dedicated to keeping the old lines running, and take great pride in their work. The scenery was also wonderful, especially in the programme about the train that goes to Simla (?), which I think was the British summer retreat in the hills. I noticed last night that the series is now available on DVD.
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NYC is so crowded and noone seems to smile on the streets. I loved Boston, spent 10 years just north in Bedford, MA.. San Francisco makes my heart sing.. and New Orleans before Katrina was a place to eat and laugh and walk and take the trolley. Charleston and Savannah are heavenly places.. I see that my favorites are mostly in the south.. So be it.. I am a southerner.
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I've always wanted to visit Charleston and Savannah. But then, the
world is full of places I'd like to visit. Thank goodness for the miracle
of television, which is the only way I'm going to see most of them. ;)
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I lived in New York for two years, and never really adjusted to it: the noise, dirt, speed. Partly my fault-- I really didn't position myself to take advantage of its strengths.
BABI: the world is full of places I'd like to visit also. But as you say, we can be in most of them through TV.
I'm enjoying "Chanukah guilt" a lot. It's slow -- more about being a woman rabbi than about the murder(s).
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I love New York. It's easy to get around in, though a little harder now from Brooklyn to downtown Manhattan. You'd never think of it as a city of parks, but it is. Wonderful places to eat, lots of things to do and see. I'm so glad my daughter lives there. So are a lot of other people because it's not always easy to find a free day to visit. :(
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I can see visiting someone in NYC would be fun. We used to do that years ago when we had several friends in Manhatten, but over the years, they all moved to Connecticut, so staying in the hotels is not nearly as much fun.. It is truly a city of neighborhoods, so visiting is fun getting to find the little restaurants and shops that are just for that area.
Still I was surprised this time with all of the grim non smiling faces.. The dog show people were happy, but not so on the streets..I also have been back in the south for the past 22 years and people do more a bit slower here.
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Maybe it was the time of year, STEPH. By February, I imagine people living in a Northern city
are feeling pretty grim. I know I would be.
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Speaking of New York, has anyone read any Linda Fairstein books recently. I have not, but have always enjoyed the ones I've read earlier. And its a good way to learn about the different NY icons. She wrote one that had the Museum of Natural History, another had the Botanical Gardens, and I think she was the one that had a mystery dealing with the subway system.
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Just finished a re-read with another group of STRONG POISON by Dorothy Sayers, where Lord Peter saves Harriet Vane from a murder conviction and proposes matrimony. Sayers is my favorite female mystery writer besides Elizabeth George. My favorite Sayers' mystery is MURDER MUST ADVERTISE...great!.
Marj
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Pedln - I am going to put Linda Fairstein in my TBR book, she sounds interesting.
Marjifay - I love Dorothy L Sayers, and another one I used to enjoy is Amanda Cross, who I felt was a bit like a modern Sayers (though not as good). Do you like her?
Babi - I'm sure you are right about the Northern city - living in one myself, I can tell you that just about everyone in Aberdeen is walking around looking like misery at the moment - it's just so cold, and has been so wet, cold, windy, etc for so long, that everyone is fed up. One of the disadvantages of Aberdeen, IMO, is that you get all this grimness in the winter, but you never really get any summer - it's something to do with the proximity to the sea, so the city gets very few hot sunny days, and many days of the "haar" or sea fog. Inland Aberdeenshire is quite different - absolutely freezing in winter, but in summer we used to have wonderful weather, lots of baking hot sunny days. Aboyne (5 miles further up the Dee from where I am now) is frequently the hottest place in Scotland in summer, and I remember many long hot days, when my friends and I would take all of our children for picnics by the river at Glen Tanar, or to the one of the many National Trust properties such as Crathes Castle. My son used to go to SU camp at Ballater and come back as brown as a berry, having spent his days jumping into the Dee from the bridges at Cambus O'May, fishing, and generally enjoying life outdoors. happy memories.
I am looking forward to Edinburgh for better weather - around the time of the festival it is often brilliant.
Rosemary
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Rosemary, a recent selection of my f2f group was a somewhat silly book If Books Could Kill by Kate Carlisle and the only reason I mention it here is because it is set during the Edinburgh Festival. The protagonist is a bookbinder, and that is interesting, but the rest was so-so. Another that is set during the Festival is a much better one by Kate Atkinson, but I don't remember the title.
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No, Rosemary, I've never read any by Amanda Cross, nor have I read any Linda Fairstein recommended by Pedln. I'll give them a try, altho I must admit I haven't read too many female mystery writers because so many of them seem to write cozy mysteries which don't interest me much. I do love mysteries and try to ration myself so that I only read one after I've read one or two other books on my TBR list that require a little more concentration. Sayers was a reward for reading my first Graham Greene novel, The Heart of the Matter (an interesting book, by the way). And now I'm going to re-read with another group John Fowles' The French Lieutenant's Woman, which I read ages ago.
Marj
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That's exactly what I do - ie feel I don't deserve a mystery unless I've read something "serious" first - I wonder why we are so strict with ourselves? I haven't read The Heart of the Matter, but I have read The Quiet American, Our Man In Havana, and Travels with my Aunt, all of which I enjoyed. I also read a book by Julia Llewellyn Owen, think it was called Travels Without My Aunt, or something like that, in which she revisited many of the places in which Greene set his novels. Unfortunately, most of them turned out to be awful - in his books the settings may be seedy but they always seem to have a sort of romantic Bohemian air, but by the time she visited them, they were just run-down, corrupt, horrible places in the main. But it was a good read.
Brighton, incidentally, may be the exception, as it was run-down when Greene wrote Brighton Rock, and was much the same when I was growing up a bit later, but now it is quite hip and fashionable - with a huge gay population - lots of nice little shops and excellent cafes/restaurants. Zoe Ball (Radio One DJ and TV presenter) and her husband Norman Cook (aka dj Fat Boy Slim) and people like them have moved there and made it uber cool.
My favourite Amanda Cross is "No Word From Winifred", in which is it never made clear whether anyone dies at all - so maybe she wouldn't be your cup of tea, Marjifay - but she's worth a try.
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I wonder why we are so strict with ourselves?
I do too, Rosemary. Things have lightened a bit -- it used to be "no fiction in the morning." Well, there aren't as many chores or duties, and if you can spend the whole morning on the computer, why not settle in with a novel of your choice.
It's been years since I've read any Amanda Cross (Carolyn Heilbrun) novels, but I enjoyed all of them. They would make a good reread some day. Back in the SeniorNet years we read Heilbrun's Last Gift of Time, Life after Sixty, where she writes about the unexpected pleasures she found in the years. However I remember the anger or dismay displayed among us when we learned of her suicide at age 77. The link below, from New York Magazine is a sort of mini-biography of Cross/Heilbrun and imparts much of her feminist philosophy. Interestinly, her son is a lawyer in New York and has himself written a mystery, Offer of Proof. For the TBR list.
Amanda Cross (http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/n_9589/)
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Steph:"people do more a bit slower here." than in New York.
When I first moved to New York, people were always bumping into me in the streets: I was walking too slowly. When I moved away two years later, I was always bumping into people: I was walking too fast.
MARJIFAY: "I haven't read too many female mystery writers because so many of them seem to write cozy mysteries which don't interest me much."
It's true that most of the cosy writers are women, but there are plenty of women writers who DON'T write cozies. Sayers is a good example. (I had a long list in mind when I started to type, now they've fled)
Many of best writers in the field ofthe "psychologicals" are women (PD James, Ruth Rendell, Minette Walters, Elizabeth George). There are also procedurals with women policemen (like Fairstein) or other professionals (like Reichs). And the "tough gal mysteries (Grafton, muller, etc) are more readable that the "tough guys".
In short, whatever kind of mystery you like, women write it!
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Women non-cozy mystery writers: Dana Stabenow, Sue Grafton, Kathy Reichs, etc.
Click here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_female_detective/mystery_writers) for a long list of them.
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Rosemary said, "I don't deserve a mystery unless I've read something "serious" first - I wonder why we are so strict with ourselves?" I don't know why we are that way, perhaps from teachers or parents. I belong to a couple of groups that read classics, books I'd probably never have read by myself but find very good reads, especially when you can discuss them with others. But I've learned to be able to stop reading a book if I find it doesn't keep my interest. I give it 50 to 70 pp, and that's it. I'll give that Amanda Cross book you mentioned a try.
And Joan, thanks for reminding me of those women writers. I've read just about all of P. D. James, along with some Rendell, Allingham, and those others. My latest favorite is Georgette Heyer (Why Shoot a Butler).
Rosemary mentioned the settings of Graham Greene's novels being so bad. That sure was the case with Heart of the Matter, set in Africa. With big rats in their homes, and heat and humidity so bad it almost had me sweating while reading it in spite of winter weather.
Marj
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Rosemary said, "I don't deserve a mystery unless I've read something "serious" first - I wonder why we are so strict with ourselves?" I don't know why we are that way, perhaps from teachers or parents. I belong to a couple of groups that read classics, books I'd probably never have read by myself but find very good reads, especially when you can discuss them with others. But I've learned to be able to stop reading a book if I find it doesn't keep my interest. I give it 50 to 70 pp, and that's it. I'll give that Amanda Cross book you mentioned a try.
And Joan, thanks for reminding me of those women writers. I've read just about all of P. D. James, along with some Rendell, Allingham, and those others. My latest favorite is Georgette Heyer (Why Shoot a Butler).
Rosemary mentioned the settings of Graham Greene's novels being so bad. That sure was the case with Heart of the Matter, set in Africa. With big rats in their homes, and heat and humidity so bad it almost had me sweating while reading it in spite of winter weather.
Marj
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I haven't read any of Kathy Reich's books for ages. I managed to borrow one, 205 Bones I think it's called. Her style has changed completely. All jolly and haha so far. Quite different from the original ones such as Deja Dead. Maybe it is because I am only into the fourth chapter. I will be patient because I used to like her writing. As someone mentioned the Tempe Brennan in the book and the Tempe Brennan on Bones are entirely different. I also enjoy Linda Fairstein, but haven't read any of hers later. I have read a couple of mysteries lately by a guy called Michael Gruber. Has anyone read him?
Rosemary : I will email you some info about places that I think you will like in Greece.
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I loved Amanda Cross and loved the books, but remember the discussion after she died. So disappointing. She did not follow through on what she intended.
As everyone keeps saying, there are so many female authors.. They write about literally everything.. I read mostly female authors.. But have some few men that I like very much.. Dennis Lehane, James Swain, James Lee Burke,. etc.Some Harlen Coben.
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I'm moving along with Victoria Thompson Gaslight series. Right now I'm on the 6th one.Murder on Marble Row. It's funny when you read a series you begin to feel like you know the characters in the book.
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Pedln - thank you so much for that link, I knew virtually nothing about Amanda Cross (though I knew that wasn't her real name and that she was an academic). I was still imagining her as a 40-something woman. I wonder why she did what she did?
Rosemary
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These mystery posts are really a mystery...Re amanda cross "why she did what she did?" What did she do? Cryptic posts! LOL
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Sorry, Tomereader, it is all in Pedln's excellent link. She committed suicide.
R
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Oh, okay, sorry, I went way back and found that link!
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;D
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I think that shocked everyone. Who knows what goes on in peoples'private lives.
I thought her early detective stories were very good, but they went downhill.
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I haven't read any of the Amanda Cross books. When I looked her up, I was struck by the fact that many of her non-fictions books were woman oriented. They include Reinventing Womanhood (1979), The Representation of Women in Fiction (1983) (co-editor), Writing a Woman's Life (1988), and Hamlet's Mother and Other Women (1999).
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Yes, her mysteries are also female oriented. She marries late in the series and has a different sort of marriage. All fictional. I loved the books, but hated the fact that in real life she decided to suicide.
I am plowing ahead with Elizabeth Georges latest one in paperback.. Still two parallel stories.. I dont understand.. Lynley acting as a driver for a drunken type leader. Whew.. Why is she changing the personalities involved. He was never like that before.
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Steph, I haven't read any Elizabeth George since she killed off one of my favorite characters a few years ago. Aside from this new wrinkle in the Lynley character are you finding these later novels enjoyable?
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I finishe "Chanukkah Guilt" and looked on my Kindle for other books by Schneider. The only one listed was one on "Speaking Dirty Yiddish". Rabbi, tut tut!!
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Pedlin, Yes, I read the one where Linley was on his long walk to try and endure what had happened to him and now this one has him tentatively coming back. He remeets a woman from the last book and she is trying out for his surperiors job.. She has a few problems and seems to be coming on to him as well. The mystery is really good, The area in England is one I had never heard of.. and Barbara is back in fighting form.. All in all, I am enjoying it, but oh me.. it is over 900 pages. The lady really really overwrites. There are two plots running side by side and I still dont know why..
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I really like the Elizabeth George books too. The one that really got to me was Before He Shot Her, about the half-caste kid who fired the bullet that killed Linley's wife. The situation was so hopeless. I will look for the later books; I stopped reading them after that.
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All in all, I am enjoying it, but oh me.. it is over 900 pages.
Aaaaaach. What's the title? (E. George) That sounds like one for the Kindle, unless my library has it.
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I just got my credit card bill for the month since I started using the Kindle. Sigh----
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Uh, oh, JoanK! Just pretend every time you are tempted to buy a book from Kindle, that you are at your bookstore and will have to pay a lot for the book. This should slow you down some. All I have really purchased on mine is one game, one Louise Penney book, two or three free books, and a couple of 99 cent books. Like a fool, I went to Borders last weekend, since they are going out of business and have supposedly an "enormous sale". Mostly 20% off marked prices. I did find a couple of books that I "thought" I couldn't do without, and bought them. Should have saved my money. One was a crockpot cookbook, and all the recipes (pics) looked alike and sounded alike. I have a better one already. The other one was "Scarpetta" which I hope to heck is good.
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Well, I'm really trying to use will power, but it's difficult. And not just at the bookstores or at Amazon Kindle. I volunteer two Sunday afternoons a month at our library as a concierge -- answer questions and man the Friends "gently used" book cart which has fantastic bargains -- $2 for hardcovers and $1 for paperbacks. I have no idea where they come from. They don't have library markings and don't even look used.
I could easily come home with three or four books each Sunday, but the last one I bought was over a month ago. P.D. James -- The Private Patient. Has anyone read it? I'm looking forward to reading it, but there are a lot of other things that must come first.
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I am upstairs and my memory is not kicking in with the title this am.. Will look it up, write it down and tomorrow will give it to you, but it is the latest of her books.. Just came out in paper.. If I had to do it over, would do it on the kindle if they have it. I down loaded Laura Bush
s memoir, since it is my ftf book for March. She writes well or had a ghost..
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One of my branch libraries is having a book sale, March 18 & 19th. I was please to see the notice, but struck with fear, because I know I will go there and "buy stuff". They also have CD's, DVD's and old fashioned VCR tapes. I do have several books I need to get up there to add to their collection (so I can add to mine? LOL) The PD James is on the list that I carry in a little black book, which I always forget to take to the library with me! With the library not purchasing many "new" books, I would probably have a good chance of getting some of the titles in my book, since they are older.
I forgot - - how do you "bold" or "underline" words here?
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Pedlyn, the title is What Happened before he Shot Her by Elizabeth George.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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TOME: you have to go into Preview to bold or underline. Above the text box, you'll see rows of symbols, including B for bold, and U for underline. If you've already typed the text, highlight it, then press the symbol you want. If you haven't typed it yet, put the curser where you want the text to appear, and press the symbol. The cursor will appear between to sets of parentases ()l(). Type the text there.
Good luck!
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Tomereader: Buy a Reese Peanut Butter Cup for me today so I can taste it vicariously.
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roshanarose, I bought two of the "theatre-sized" packs yesterday. They have 4 of the large cups in. One pack is for you. Enjoy vicariously!
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and thank you JoanK, I got the "bold" on my numeral 4. Hope I can remember how to do this, but just in case, I printed a copy of your instructions for future reference!
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You're welcome. Hope they "emboldened you." :)
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NO, The elizabeth George I am reading is the latest.. It just went from hard cover to paperback so I bought it new.. I wont spoil it, but I dont like one of the developements in there. There is a poisonous new female policewoman. Bah..
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Thanks Tomereader - I think ???
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The largest section of my book sale was mysteries, but oh me.. most of my favorites are not there. Way too many Stephen King.. John Grisham...and legal thrillers. Not nearly as many female authors.. Surprising when I think about it. No Louise Penny..Only Two Elizabeth George, No Minette Walters..I know when going through them, being surprised at the absence of so many authors that we discuss..The general public reads the same few authors. You dont want to know how many John Grishams we had and mostly still do.
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STEPH, maybe the Penny, Walters and George owners hand on to
their books. ;)
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BABI: I'll bet you're right.
Just finished one of the San Francisco mysteries "Maids of misfortune" by M. Louisa Locke. The protagonist is the owner of a boardinghouse in 19th century SF. She gives financial advice, under cover of being a "swami" and getting it from "the stars" because that is the only way she can get people to teke financial advice from a woman seriously. I enjoyed it, though the "detecting" was a little weak.
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I just got BookMarks and am reading it with pen in hand. Boy do I not need books, but I can never resist Bookmarks..
I just started another book in an english series.. I think the name of the department is Bureau of impossible crimes or some such. I love the characters. They solve crimes, but only the impossible type. Fun
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I'm just starting one with an intriguing title, "The Second Sorrowful
Mystery". Too soon to say whether I'll like it.
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I'm finally reading Charlotte MacLeod's REST YOU MERRY which someone here recommended. Very good. I love her humor. Next I want to read her WITHDRAWING ROOM.
Just finished Agatha Christie's DESTINATION UNKNOWN. The premise of the book sounded kind of hokey to me at first, but as I got into the story it became quite good. A stand-alone, kind of unusual book for her, more of a thriller than her usual Poirot or Marple books, but nothing gory or gruesome. A woman who is so upset by her husband leaving her and her daughter dying, is preparing to commit suicide when a crack detective, named Jessup, offers her a more interesting way of possibly dying -- by going undercover and posing as the wife of one of a group of scientists who have disappeared in order to find out what happened to him. The suspense kept me turning pages.
Marj
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I wonder what happened to Mrs. Sherlock --I think her name was Jackie. I miss her postings. Have gotten some good mystery recommendations from her.
Marj
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STEPH: sounds familiar. Who's the author?
BABI: Is there a fiirst sorrowful mystery? Let us know how it is.
An Agatha Christie I haven't read !!!!! I'll look for it.
Jackie is around, but not posting as much as she used to. I miss her too.
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Asusual, the book is downstairs. It is the Peculiar Crime Unit out of London.. The author is Christopher something.
Yes, Jackie does not seem to post.. No idea why and she did read some interesting stuff.
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Apparently not, JOANK. The murder victim is a priest, and the
Second Sorrowful Mystery refers to the Catholic doctrine concerning
the beating of Christ before the crucifixion. I don't know yet what
the connection is to the murder of the priest.
I do hope Jackie is all right. We always seem to enjoy the same books.
I believe I had her e-mail address at one time, but I lost it when that
hacker swiped my address book and sent everybody the weird message.
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Last I post saw from Jackie, she was having balance problems, or what she called "disequilibrium". I hope she hasn't fallen and injured herself.
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Winsumm has not been posting frequently, either, since last fall.
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Winsum is fine: I talked to her a couple of days ago. So is Jackie, but it's harder for her to post.
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I am reading a most delightful "historical thriller" which I have hardly been able to put down. In it in the vein of "The Name of the Rose", but this one is set in 1583, Elizabeth I still on the throne. Battles still rage re protestantism/catholicism. A former monk visits Oxford to debate, and is thrust into a murder mystery. The title is "Heresy" by S. J. Parris.
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Sounds really good Tomer... I am going to look for it...JoanG
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Thanks for that title Tomereader. Added to TBR.
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I like mysteries based on a long time ago, but prefer the Victorian era to most others. Something about it always interests me..
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Thanks for the reassurance about Jackie and Winsum, JOANK.
I hope Jackie's difficulty in posting has to do with time or
her computer, and not a physical problem.
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Perhaps I'd best retract my "delightful historical thriller" comment. It was a very good book, but for those of you having qualms about violence, there are portions where the horrors of the English inquisition (if you will) are trotted right out at you, i.e.
the punishments/tortures and final punishments for being a papist. (drawing and quartering are not fun things to read about). Sorry if I jumped the gun, but I did so wish to pass this title on. Perhaps I shall wait until I finish a book until I make statements I'll later be sorry for.
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Tome, I am going to have to add this to my TBR list. Sigh! The last person burned at the stake in England happened to be minister and an ancestor of mine. Wikipedia says he was a Baptist. I'll have to check my records. We had a lot of Unitarian ministers in our family's past. I must say, Wikipedia seems to know a lot about my ILL-ustrious ancestor. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Wightman
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Unfortunately, you could have almost any religion and get burned at the stake in those days. Depended on which way the wind was blowing.
And a little later, you could come to America and be burned at the stake for being a witch.
I'm reading "Live free or Die: a Granite State Mystery", set in a small town in the granite state (of course, you all know which one that is!?!) So far, so good.
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FRY: that story of your ancestor is really something. If he lived today, he would probably be left alone to stand on a streetcorner with a placard.
My "ILL-ustrious" ancestor is John Brown of anti-slavery fame. He was hanged for trying to capture the weapons at Harpers Ferry in order to arm escaped slaves. He became a "martyr" to the anti-slavery activists, who used to march to a song "John Brown's body".
Unfortunately, if you read his biography you see that, while his cause was just, he was mad as a hatter.
I'm his fourth cousen, four times removed.
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JoanK - Aberdeen is known as the Granite City - but I'm guessing that's not it?
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New Hampshire!
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I lived in New Hampshire for a few years, hated that motto on my license plate, but you dont get a choice.. Very odd state in many ways, but rigidly independent.. Will remember the title.
I am having fun with the Peculiar Criimes unit.. I remember that I have read others in this series..
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JOAN, 'four times removed' seems a safe enough distance from
'mad as a hatter'. ;D
By the way, did you know that the origin of that term rose from the use of mercury in hat-making? It affected the nervous system, causing tremors, twitches, etc. that could make hatters appear quite mad.
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My ancestor was supposed to be Daniel Boone. When I traced the genealogy it turned out to be another Boone family, also here since revolutionary times. The issue was confused by the use of the given name Daniel in my ancestral family as well as his.
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Tomereader - I guess the mere title of the book you recommended, "Heresy" would be to those of us who appreciate novels of our not so distant past a flag to what might be expected in the novel. As far as I am concerned it just makes it all the more fascinating. The barbaric nature of "man" lies as close to the surface today as it did then. Not a lot has changed.
As they say "If you don't like the heat, get out of the kitchen". Thanks for the recommendation.
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Victoria Thompson:gaslight series.
Well I just finished reading "murder on Bank St." so I finally found out who killed Sarah's husband. The next book got very poor reviews. (Waverly Place") So I plan on skiping over it. The newest one(LexingtonAve) is selling on Ebooks for $11.99. It's kind of expensive I think. So am not sure I will get it or not.
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Well I gave in and downloaded the newest book from Amazon to my Kindle. What the heck! ;D
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Indeed, Jeriron! Enjoy ;D
My friend books herself a cruise when she's fed up, so I think you're justified in downloading a book!
Rosemary
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I think with my husband gone I'm going to miss going on cruises the most. I'm not one to do things on my own. So books have been my biggest splurge.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I found my library catalogue could list detective stories by "state", so i looked up NJ and picked up Chanukah Guilt, which i finished and liked, the story and the characters were interesting, not compelling however. It wasn't a book i just had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. It was interesting in that it was written by a women who was one of the first woman rabbis in the country and she lives abt 10 miles from me. The setting of the book is here also and that made it fun.
The second one is "Wrong Beach Island" a take off on Long Beach Island, a place we go to vacation every May. The storyline has potential to be a good one, but the author feels the need to throw a humourous quip into every paragraph. That's getting a little old, espe ially since some of them are a real stretch to make a bon mot.
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MABEL:""Wrong Beach Island" a take off on Long Beach Island, a place we go to vacation every May."
When I was a child, we went on vacation there every August. We wnt to the old "Baldwin Hotel" in beach Haven, a monstrous Victorian hotel with turrets. Gloria Swanson used to stay there. When it burned down, we rented an apartment in a large Victorian house on 2nd Street in Beach Haven. I have wonderful memories. Have to read the book, even if it's not good.
One of Scotteline (sp) books has scenes on Long Beach Island (Barnegat). The one with the snow storm.
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Jeriron,, Ginny was talking of a cruise with all of us bookies.. That would be fun .. Wouldnt matter where we went, I suspect.. However I read somewhere that there are a few themed cruises with authors on board. Anyone know anything about them??
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Steph, I found this link to a New York Times article about "author cruises". I am not sure that I would be keen on all of these authors, but I suppose you can choose and it would be fun:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/01/business/media/01cruise.html
Rosemary
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That was an interesting article on a book cruise. Cruise lines have lots of different theme cruises.
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I'm enjoying that series, JERIRON, but I don't buy any of them.
That blessing, my library, has them.
What I would really like in a cruise, is one that left from Galveston.
Convenient! That's the name of the game for me. 8) Cheap wouldn't
hurt either.
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Babi, the River Barge Explorer used to have trips that either started or finished in Galveston. Does that company still exist? I can't find any current itineraries for them and know that a few years ago they had to cancel part of a season.
They used to give discounts to teachers, either current or retired, but we're all getting such bad press these days, that might be a thing of the past.
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pedln, we LOVED River Barge Explorer. Alas, they had to go out of business. We had been on two trips, and were signed up for a third (their first to come to Chattanooga) in 2009. Unfortunately the economy did them in, and they weren't getting enough bookings to even start the year. What a great company they were - we got the refund for our deposit promptly. We've gotten several mailings from them for river cruises as a "group" with other companies in Europe, but we haven't taken advantage of them.
We've found another small company we'd like to try - Blount Small Ship Adventures (http://blountsmallshipadventures.com/), but we haven't signed up for a trip yet.
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MaryZ, I was afraid that the River Explorer was out of business. I loved it -- took two trips several years ago. A perfect way to travel.
Thanks for the link to the Blount Cruise line. I've been browsing there and they look very interesting.
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We have loved the American Cruise Line cruises, but the difficulty of getting to the point of origin has pretty much put an end to our participation. Airlines are dreadful. That line has cruises up and down the east coast. The ships do not get out into the main ocean; they are really just floating hotels and wouldn't be comfortable on the open sea. The food is wonderful and we could get king size beds. On a different cruise line we had bunks, and my bed was shorter than I was. Not very comfortable.
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I have looked up American Cruise lines, but they stop and start in so many different smaller areas.. You need to fly in and then get somehow to where they are. When I talked to the person at the company. She quoted me some very high prices to be picked up and dropped off. Hmmm.
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Steph and ursamajor, check out that Blount Small Ship Adventures site - something there might work for you.
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Bookmarked Blount for further looking at..I picked up a book that I thought would be interesting.. Psychic who goes to work for the FBI, but it was written by one of the romance types.. Everyone is just way too handsome, charming and perfect. Bah..
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Last night I tried to get into an Iris Johansen from the library -- Closing the Night. I guess it was part of a series -- Eve Duncan, Forensics. I ended up not wanting to spend time with it -- too much CIA, rescuing people from gangsters all over the world, violence galore.
Guess, I'll stick with folks like Margaret Maron, Nancy Pickard, Donna Leon and Sarah Paretsky.
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Pedlin,You might like Sharon McCrumb..Especially the Norah Bonesteel ones.. She is an interesting writer. Southern and mountains... What could be better.
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PEDLIN: there are tons of good mystery writers out there. Don't give up.
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All you mystery lovers need to visit Stop You're Killing Me website. There you can look up authors, locales of the mysteries, etc. and any series, you can find them in chrono order. It is a worthwhile site, and you won't be getting unnecessary emails from them. You CAN sign up for their twice monthly newsletter, if you want it. I love mysteries too.
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Tomereader, that is a good site. I haven't been there in a while, but now that mention it, I'll head back.
I had Concierge duties at the library Sunday afternoon, and although I struggled against it, ended up buying a Lisa Gardener mystery from the Friends Cart. The Neighbor. So far, so good. This is a new author for me. It's early stages yet -- a young mother has disappeared in the middle of the night, police think husband/father is hiding something. There's also a young sexual predator recently released from prison who lives in the neighborhood. And there is a computer that the husband does not want the police to see.
Are you familiar with this author? Does she usually include her biases or leanings. In this one she's showing issues about the post-prison treatment of offenders.
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I am not a Gardner fan, but I know lots of people are. She loves to do people in peril and I like a different type of mystery.
I found a Rita Mae Brown at the book sale.. One I had missed. Not the mysteries, but a straightforward coming of age book.. A theme of hers for many years. I do like her books. Called Alma Mater.
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I've read some Lisa Gardner, but not for awhile: I don't remember her too well.
Many mystery authors include their biases: I like it when I happen to agree with them and hate it when I don't. Maybe when we mention an author, we should mention if they do that. Two I can think of are Paretsky (Liberal) and Fairstein (Conservative).
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That might keep us from reading a really good mystery, even if we don't agree with the author's biases (sp. is that right?)
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Tomereader - i too had forgotten the Stop your Killing Me site, thanks for the reminder......and yes, books are like people, if you only hang out w/ people who are just like you, you might miss some really interesting people, or books :)............ Jean
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I know somebody here must have read the Mrs Pollifax series, tell me abt her. I just saw she's a CIA agent from NJ. Did you like the stories?........ Jean
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JEAN: the Mrs. Polifax series is my favorite series in the whole world. I've read them all 4 or 5 times.Mrs. Polifax is who I want to be when I grow up (Maybe I'd better hurry up). She's a senior whosae children are grown, and finds her life a little boring. So she goes to the CIA building in Washington and volunteers to be a spy. Through a series of mistakes, she is taken up on it. From there the adventures begin. But her spying style is nothing like that of the men in the typical spy novel.
The last few Gilman wrote aren't good, but the others are. Start with "The Unexpected Mrs Polifax."
Tome and Jean: you're right of course. We don't have to agree with everything someone says to appreciate them.
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I agree and read both Paretsky and Fairstein..But there are authors I wont touch.. Most of them are politicians who try to sway the world in their directions and a few like Ann Coulter who simply spew venom in all directions. I think life is too short to read that stuff. I also made a solemn vow not to read any of the stupid books written on watergate.. What a mess and why would I line their pockets with their various reasons for being and doing illegal things.
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I agree with JOAN, JEAN. Mrs. Pollifax is a lot of fun.
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Thanks for your thots, i knew i could count on this group....... Jean
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I liked the early Mrs. Pollifax, but the later ones did not seem to be the same writer.
I am reading a Joe Pike Mystery.. Elvis is simply a secondary character. It is good, but then all of Elvis is wonderful as well. One of the few violent writers that I read.
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Finished reading the latest Craig Johnson, "The Dark Horse". Made it in one sitting, although it was 3 AM before I finished! This is the best of his books, so far. I think I've mentioned Craig's work here before.
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OK, I've heard of this series, but don't know his name --- clue in thursday's crossword puzzle: burglar in detective stories, 4 letters.
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A few years ago I first read Dorothy Gilman's A Nun in the Closet which I bought at an airport. I told my daughter I enjoyed it and she bought me a copy of the first Mrs. Pollifax mystery. I've read all of them and enjoyed them--just light escape reading. She has also written a number of non series books.
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JoanK.. Ah, my husband adored the burglar series.. The author writes all sorts of books. This is his light series..I wish I could remember the burglars name, but go to any mystery writers site and put in Burglar and you should find him.
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I need to mark my spot so this site comes up.
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Hi, URSA!!
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Aha,, The burglar was Bernie Rodenbar.. He had a small book store as his cover. and the author.. Hmm. I believe it is the man who has so many different names. Ed McBain... Evan Hunter...etc.
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I am confused! How is that 4 letters?
R
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me, too, Rosemarykaye. I knew it was Bernie Rhodenbarr, but couldn't fit that into four letters either!!
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Just started The Case of the Missing Servant, a Vish Puri (India's Most Private Investigator) mystery, by Tarquin Hall. So far I'm enjoying it. I've been so busy lately with spring gardening, my books have been "lonely":)
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Anybody else like the Cliff Janeway novels..... Bookman's Wake, Sign of the Book, etc. by John Dunning?
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We love the bookman stories.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
ROSE, TOME: you're right. The answer from the crosses seems to be "yegg", which I gather is a general term for a burglar (?), not this particular burglar.
I liked "the Missing Servant", and there's a sequal out. Couldn't get into the bookman series, I don't know why.
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Dunning is a wonderful writer and also knows so much about books. I reread the books for all of the information of collectible books.
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I've read his earlier Bookman books and also his Two O'Clock Eastern Wartime and have Sign of the Book sitting unread on my shelf. Someday ... . . .
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Have loved all the Janeway books. In fact, my f2f Mystery Book Club will be reading "Booked to Die" in April. It was my turn to chose a book, and moderate, so I chose this one. I don't think a lot of our group has read him, so it will be (I hope) fun for them.
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I tried to use the "modify" button to correct my spelling (choose - not chose in the first instance) but it wouldn't let me.
Hmm, wonder why?
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I was trying to read The Railway Detective by E Marston this weekend, but I got so bored, not so much by the trains as by the plot/characters. Too typical. Maybe another in the series would be better, but I couldn't get past this one, read the last couple of pages and put it in the giveaway pile.
Now I'm reading one by Jacqueline Winspear, Among the Mad. I do like that series, with depth to the characters and a good history lesson as well.
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nlhome - I was interested to hear that you like the J Winspear series. I quite enjoyed Among The Mad, but I have found some of the books really annoying. I think it is because Maisie is just too perfect - all that "intuiting" and Being Good about everything. I think Winspear has lightened up a bit on that in the more recent books.
Rosemary
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Yes, I agree that she is an ideal, in some respects. But she is very focused, and I find very focused people in real life a little annoying at times, too.
I was intrigued by some of the plot devices in the books - the white feather organization, for example. I had to research that to realize it was real. And the hops harvest - because we are growing hops here and so the harvest information and the smell made things more interesting to me.
Whereas, the Railway Detective used, I thought, hackneyed character relationships, etc. The railroad history itself was ok - but I was bored so didn't research it to see what was fact and what was not. Of course, I think it was the first of the series, so a lot was packed in that maybe should have been developed more slowly. However, at my time of life, I know there's something better out there, so I may not go back to that series. It's hard to find, so I had to buy the first one, and I certainly wouldn't spend money on any more.
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Thug - burglar. I am thinking of Sluggo - remember him?
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nlhome - yes, the period details are good. My mother's family used to go "hopping down in Kent" in the summers - whole families went, staying in little stone rooms (one per family I think), living mostly outdoors and earning some much needed money, whilst having more fresh air than they probably got for the rest of the year in London.
Would there have been a similar arrangement where you are?
Rosemary
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The White Feather society was quite famous and had a lot of right and wrong attached to it. I had heard of Hopping, but I suspect it is quite English. If we grow hops in the US, I honestly dont know where. Dont like Maisie. Too too perfect for me.
Picked an older book for my bed book.. It is a mystery written by Patty Hearst with another woman and is about SanSimeon. We went there once and loved the silliness of the place.
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Hops are not a big crop here where I live, Rosemary. It's being grown in smaller lots for the speciality craft breweries. I had never seen them growing until my son planted some in our yard, and he harvested some to make a small amount of beer. They are actually a rather pretty vine, and the hops themselves are interesting. I later saw some grown as an ornamental in an expensively-landscaped yard. That made me rethink where ours are planted - I mean, if they are "trendy" maybe we shouldn't be hiding them behind the shed?
I don't know the history of hops in the country - another thing to research - but we have a long history of migrant workers here who harvested cucumbers, corn, peas, cherries, etc., during the growing seasons. Most of those workers came from Texas/Mexico, and they lived in housing on the farms also. Another topic.
Anyway, that's what I like about some of the books I read - they take me to places and times I don't know about.
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TOME, just go look up that answer, please. We all want to know that four-letter detective.
I haven't read the books about the perfect Maisie, but do any of you remember Elsie Dinsmore?
I was young enough to think she was wonderful, but on more mature reflection she really was
the perfect little prig.
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She and Pollyanna, Babi? I can remember as an 8-year-old, sobbing and sobbing over poor Elsie. My best friend had "inherited" her grandmother's complete set -- I think all the way to Elsie's Grandmotherhood.
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Well, I looked for a four letter burglar and didn't find a thing. Someone wiser than I will have to tell us who.
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Yes, I remember Elsie, and perfect little prig is quite apt. Does anybody else remember Judy and Chris from Those Plummer Children and Narcissus and de Children? Quite politically incorrect nowadays, but so much fun. It featured a pair of black twins named Sears and Roebuck, and the author said they really existed and she was afraid someone would put them in a book before she had a chance.
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TOME, BABI: I'm sorry. I posted the answer we got for the four-letter burglar. from the words across it, it seems to be "yegg". I assume that is a British word for burglar (????), not a character.
What period are the mysteries about the hoppers set in?
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Oops, I thought it was a "character's name" also.
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Go to the website: "Stop You're Killing Me" for all that is mystery related. http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/
If I have said this before, mea culpa! It just let's you search under all sorts of categories.
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Joan K - they are set in post-World War One London and Kent, but only one of them features the hoppers.
Rosemary
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Inspector Gamache and I are closing in on our villain in Three Pines, Quebec.. I know from the murder that the most odious character was murdered and I fear that her murderer will be one of the nice characters.. He is such a nice mix of french and english.. Some of his detectives are one and some the other. I do like him. Louise Penny is such fun.
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I didn't know there was a whole set of Elsie Dinsmore books, PEDLN. Perhaps just as well.
I might have tried to read them all, and my Mother definitely didn't care for Elsie.
Never ran across the Plummer Children, URSA. I probably would have greatly enjoyed reading
about Sears and Roebuck.
I run into that problem with crosswords frequently. I get one interpretation of the clue
in mind and nothing works. But if I put the puzzle aside and go back to it later, I seem
to take a fresh approach and things become much clearer. And yes, yegg is Brit. for
burglar.
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After some digging, I found the Anne McCaffrey Cat--- story. I have only read the first few pages, but I do wonder if it is written for teens. The story is a bit soppy at this point.
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Apparently they have written others about the Barque cats. It is a bit silly; not what I have come to expect from McCaffrey. But then, in collaborations like this, the more famous author
may contribute little more than his/her name. For people like me, the name McCaffrey is a
sure winner; I'm going to read it!
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There are two books so far. I have read about 50 pages and put it down. Maybe I will come back to it.. It is much much more a Scarborough than a McCaffrey.
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Seph, I have just finished the same Three Pines mystery you are reading. I wasn't entirely satisfied with the ending, but just reading the books is a real pleasure.
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I know.. I like Louise Penny so much, but found some of this one confusing.. People are plotting against him??
My bed book is one cowritten by Patty Hearst and is about San Simeon.. Actually it is fun at this point.
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Am reading a very good mystery by P.L. Gaus, "Blood of the Prodigal", An Amish Country Mystery. This is a new author for me but the book is well written and seems very authentic regarding the Amish and the geographic area. It caught my interest right away.
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I read one of the Gaus mysteries, but I come from Delaware, growing up my closest neighbors were Amish and his Amish were so very different from the ones I knew that the book turned me off.
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Gaus does explain in the story the differences in the various Amish groups which I hadn't realized, never having been around the Amish.
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Yes, the communities are quite different, depending on which leader they follow. In Delaware there are two distinct communities.. One are called Buggy Amish( since they only use buggies ) and the other are Ford Amish. They use cars that are stripped and very basic.. We lived by a large buggy amish community.They meet in each others homes for church.. go to the 8th grade and now have a special school for their children. However the community picks out various brighter children. They are sent up to Pennsylvania to become nurse practioners and various holistic type doctors and teachers.. They are concerned about inbreeding and encourage their teens to be exchanged to several other communities each summer. Ohio and two in Canada as I recall.
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Steph, I only discovered recently that there is apparently a whole sub-genre of "Amish fiction". I came across a blog written by an English Lit student at St Andrew's University here in Scotland, and she is very keen on this (amongst lots of other things).
It's an interesting blog is anyone wants to have a look at it:
http://the-compulsive-reader.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html
The only thing most of us here know about the Amish is what we learned from the film "Witness". Last week there was a programme on TV about two families who had decided to break away from their Amish communities. It was interesting, although one got the impression that one of the two families had really swapped one extreme community for another. The women seemed to have a very hard life, although of course TV can distort things.
Rosemary
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RoseMary,, yes life can be very restrictive for both male and female, but from my childhood experiences, also rewarding. One of my childhood amish friends was one of those sent off to be a nurse practioner. Katie never married, lives in a small apartment attached to the clinic , she runs and is one of the most contented women I know. But her life is quite different from her Mothers and sisters. There are so many variety of Amish.. All feeling that theier way is the only way.. Interesting way to live.. I bookmarked the blog to look at later today.
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i just fnished a great new thriller by Robert Crais--THE SENTRY. This one stars Joe Pike. I really like this character, and the pages just raced by. Crais is a great writer.
Marj
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I love Crais,, Joe Pike and Elvis of course.. An excellent writer.. I just finished The First Rule and am looking forward to The Sentry
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This week's People magazine, features the latest book by Kate Atkinson. It sounded interesting, so I went shopping in the Kindlestore. She has written several prior mysteries. Have any of you read any of her books? What do you think of her writting? I ordered several, free samples, but haven't read them yet.
Sheila
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I vaguely think I tried Kate
Atkinson and did not like her, but dont remember why..Hows that for absent minded..
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Par for the course, STEPH. I do it all the time. Reminds me of an old joke about a guy who
drove a party of friends 40 miles out into the country to have dinner at a restaurant that stuck
in his memory. It wasn't until he got there that he recalled why it stuck in his memory. The
food was terrible!
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I think she wrote "Behind The Scenes At The Museum", which was very popular - but I started it and gave up, it was not my kind of thing (though Like Steph I can't now remember why ???)
Rosemary
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I read Kate Atkinson's Case Histories several years ago. Gave it a 3/5 rating. It was okay but did not make me that interested in reading any more by her.
Marj
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ditto for me Steph and Rosemary. I read Behind the Scenes at the Museum, but can't even remember what it was about. I just remember thinking that I didn't need to read any more by that author.
Sally
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Hmmmm. Sounds like I don't need to bother with that one.
just read a book by Marcia Talley. She's won all kinds of awards, and the subject was interesting, but the book really dragged. Won't look for more of hers either.
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This is funny.She must be simply a boring writer for so many of us to vaguely remember her, but not interested in reading anything new by her.
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I tried Case Histories by Atkinson also, and I was bored. I remember trying it once before, when it first came out, and didn't finish it that time either.
However, I am in a "state" where few books appeal to me now, so my opinion shouldn't carry much weight.
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Reading an older Marcia Muller.. It is the one set in Hawaii and Sharon seems to be getting cold feet about Hy... Since I have read more recent ones, I know it doesnt last..But her series are always interesting.. Sharon grows and changes with time.. Kinsey never seems to quite grow up.
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nlhome - I hope you are OK?
Rosemary
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Thanks for all of your feedback about Kate Atkinson. I decided that if all of you were in agreement about the author, to pass on her books.
Right now, I am well into Jodi Picoult's newest novel. It is really holding my interest.
Sheila
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Serenesheila, I have not read any Jodi Picoult but I know she is very popular. What are her books like? What sort of things does she write about?
Rosemary
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Picoult writes about topical subjects, she writes beautifully. She is not afraid to approach subjects from a "political" angle though. I have thoroughly enjoyed all her books and look forward to this new one, "Sing Me (You?) Home" (I didn't look up the title before I started typing, sorry, just working from memory, which is often skewed! Check out her books on Amazon, or I think she has her own website, and it will tell you about subject matter. :)
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My daughter loves Picoult, and keeps lending me her books. Haven't been able to get into theem though.
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www.jodipicoult.com/
this should get you there!
“Picoult writes with unassuming brilliance.”
— Stephen King
“It's hard to exaggerate how well Picoult writes.”
— Financial Times
“Picoult writes with a fine touch, a sharp eye for detail, and a firm grasp of the delicacy and complexity of human relationships.”
—The Boston Globe
“Picoult is a master of the craft of storytelling ”
—Book Review, AP news wire
follow... or dialogue with Jodi @
SING YOU HOME!
Learn about my new novel, Sing You Home, which arrived in bookstores March 1. On March 10 Sing You Home debuted at #1 on the USA Today book list, and at #1 on the NYT print & e-book list! You’ll find an excerpt, the story and research behind Sing You Home, my thoughts about gay rights and Evangelical Christianity, and probing questions for your book club. Find out what others are saying.
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Thanks everyone, i think I will give her a try. I must admit someone did lend me one of her books a while ago and I haven't opened it (and now it is in storage) - I will have look in the library.
Rosemary
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Rosemary, I am ok, just sad. Thank you for asking. Too much to go into, and nothing that earthshaking, but it does affect my ability to enjoy. So unless a book is particularly engaging or particularly relaxing, I can't seem to pay attention.
I am rereading Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith just now. I must have skimmed through it once before, because it is vaguely familiar, but now I am paying attention and appreciating some of the simple (or so they seem, but aren't really) thoughts of Precious Ramotswe.
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I have only read one Jodi Picoult, and it was excellent. I love reading to learn, and in this book I learned about eugenics.
Second Glance - highly recommended.
Expertly entwining a powerful drama of the heart's redemption and the disturbing real-life history of the VT eugenics project of the 1930s, Second Glance asks if truth is always something that can be measured… and if what can be measured is indeed always true.
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I have read maybe half of Jody Picoults books. I like them, you do learn, but oh me,, my problem is she ends the books on such an odd note mostly. Still they are quite worthwhile even thought she skews the odds on some of them.
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I used to read Jodi Picoult, but not any more. She usually ends on a "down" note, and her books are usually topical. I don't care to read about all the terrible things that I hear in the news. She's a good writer, but.....Ever since my husband's terrible illness and death (2 yrs ago), I look for books that give me comfort and peace.
Sally
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Thanks Salan - I'm glad you told me that, because I really am not in the mood for depressing endings. I am presently wallowing in Debbie Macomber and Jennifer Chiaverini, and would be happy to read some more Ladies of Covington.
Have just been unable to resist visit to charity shop in Banchory (the nearest small town to where I am staying), came out with Mr Bridge and Mrs Bridge, Wolf Hall, and a book called Last Tango In Toulouse, which says it is about a 50 year old Australian woman who "ran away" from her home, family & work for 6 months to live in a remote French village. I'm not sure if I'll enjoy the latter at all, as I expect I'll get piqued by how she managed to afford all this self-indulgence (there was absolutely no way that I was going to go and see "Eat, Pray, Love"), but it was three books for £1 and I couldn't see anything else I liked the look of.
Rosemary
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I have been reading Anita Shreve's newest book, Rescue. I am about to give up on it although I have enjoyed her previous books. In this book the female leading character is, not to put too fine a point on it, a slut. I don't like her.
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Salan...I'm with you on depressing topics and endings. I see more than enough of
"the human condition and behavior" on the evening news and the newspaper. I'm not going to use the leisure time I have to wallow in more of that.
jane
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Has anyone read the Aunt Dimity series by Nancy Atherton? She has a new one out, Aunt Dimity and the Family Tree. If you like like light mysteries that border on the paranormal; then you will love this series. Start with the first one, Aunt Dimity's Death. I haven't read any of hers in a while (I tend to "glut" myself on an author, & then....), but I have put Family Tree on my reserve list in the library. Rosemary, you might enjoy these as I am a Covington fan also.
Sally
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I'm revisiting books I read as a child or young adult, since many of them are cheap or free on the kindle. One is a series by Mary Roberts Rhinehart about "Tish". Don't know whether to recommend it or not: it's about three "middle aged ladies" (they are 50 -- I wish I was 50 again!) who have adventures. It makes fun of them (how funny that they think they can still have adventures at 50), and start out treating them as silly,but in the end Tish always conquers all by being unbelievably competant and resourceful. (when she finds their canoe has a hole in it, she just tells the one with the most padding to sit on the hole so the water won't come in).
Not quite mysteries, although some come close. You might find them funny or annoying --- but they seem to be what I need now.
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Finished Margaret Maron's Uncommon Clay, a Judge Knott book about N. C. potters. A little slow at the beginning, but ended up a good story. Not so much about the brothers, so didn't have to keep them straight. Picked up Darling Dahlia, which i think is the beginning of a new series by Susan White Albert and an Elliot Rosevelt i haven't read, thr aren't many left. :)
And a J. d. robb, again, not many of those left i haven't read.guess i have to look for some new authors. That won't be difficult, the library has almost as many "mysteries" as " fiction".
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Rosemary Last Tango in Toulouse - haven't had sight nor sign of Mary Moody for what seems like aeons. She was a well known TV gardening personality before she took off for her 6 months in France. She's written several books - some on gardening, some on her adventures in France and her 'affaire'. I believe she and her husband now live in France though why she felt she had tosettle there is something of a mystery - she already lived in a beautiful rural spot about 2 hours outside of Sydney in the Blue Mountains - I think initially the move was motivated by some kind of mid-life crisis - or maybe she just wanted to get away from her four grown children and the grandchildren.
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Actually the draw with Jody Picoult is that she is an excellent researcher and some of the books are truly remarkable in what they tell you about some types of diseases.. Some of them caused me to throw them around the room at the end since the endings are generally things I dont agree with.. but still I never think of them as depressing, just annoying.. Hmm..
I like the Murder at San Simeon.. Not really a solution to the Ince Murder, but a good try at it. Made Marion into something of a twit however.
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ROSEMARY, I feel the same sense of dismay, or astonishment, when I watch shows about
some young couple shopping for a wildly expensive house big enough for a large family.
They won't need a house like that for years...if ever. what kind of salaries are people
earning these days, to even consider taking on a burden like that?
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Especially when you realize we are eating up the planet with our over-consumption.
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Susan Wittig Albert has a new China Bayles (the 19th and I still enjoy them) mystery that will be out in April. I'm on the reserve list for that and "The Darling Dahlias and the Naked Ladies" which is being released in July. Her final Beatrix Potter book will be released in September--Beatrix and her (secret) lawyer fiancee are getting married---finally.
Donna Leon has a new one coming out in a couple of months also. Some series I never get tired.
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OK what is the source of this mystery do you think - copied from the Jakarta Globe
In truly bizarre scenes outside Indonesia’s Communications Ministry in Central Jakarta on Thursday evening, hundreds of onlookers resorted to praying and chanting Allahu Akbar to force a man to stop behaving like a monkey and climb down from a tree.
The man, a security guard identified as Fika who worked at the ministry, scaled the tree after evening prayers and began to swing from one branch to another, beating his chest and screeching and howling in the manner of a monkey.
Attempts by the man’s colleagues to urge him to climb down from his perch failed, with Fika only climbing higher into the upper branches of the tree. They then began to pray and chant.
Though many of the hundreds of bystanders thought the display was amusing, firefighters who arrived at the scene at 6:30 p.m. were less than happy, particularly when Fika refused to jump down on to a specialized air mattress.
They were even less pleased when they raised a ladder and Fika began jumping from the tree to the ladder and then back to the tree.
This prompted security guards at the ministry to come up with a new approach to encourage Fika to abandon his lofty perch — bananas.
This, however, also failed with Fika eating one of the bananas whole, including the skin, as he began to hammer his fists against the tree.
Then the shaman arrived.
They invoked spells to “drive away the spirit of the monkey,” which they believed had possessed Fika. The security guard, however, seemed unaware of their presence and instead began munching on the leaves of the tree.
This brought about another round of praying and chanting.
At 8:45 p.m., Fika finally began to climb down from his aerial abode, but when he touched the ground he began walking on his knuckles toward the security post before rolling around on the ground.
As he was held down, the shaman again began attempts to exorcise the spirits, which caused Fika to faint. He was taken away.
The spectacle caused massive traffic congestion outside the ministry.
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Babi - I do so agree. I think people seek to fill up the void in their lives with spending. I have never really wanted lots of "stuff" and as I get older I want it less and less. I know that we are lucky - we already have tons of things, not to mention a roof over our heads, food in the kitchen, heating, etc - but I really find this frantic over consumption quite repellent and also frightening. As for the taking on of huge debts - you are so right, we do not need huge houses, top of the range cars, etc.
At the moment most of our possessions are in storage, and Madeleine and I have lived the past 6 weeks very happily with a tiny fraction of our usual things, which just goes to show we probably don't need most of them - it really is quite liberating up to a point, and the only things I have so far wished I hadn't packed away are two Mary Berry cake books and my sandwich cake tins!
Rosemary
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Barb - I think that there are two plausible reasons for the monkey incident.
1) On some Indonesian islands shamanism is still practised. Spells are the order of the day. I once taught a class of 12 Indonesian public servants, and one vulcanologist. There are lots of volcanoes in Indonesia. All these students got on wonderfully well. One day I said that I was happy that they all got on so well. One replied with that dazzling Indonesian smile. "Yes, Guru. But we would all kill each other if we were in Indonesia." I thought it wise not to follow up on this comment. Another day we were talking about Indonesia and they told me that one of their number actually was from an island that practised just the sort of thing you mentioned, Barb. They pointed to the smallest in their group. He was under 5 foot tall with the biggest, whitest smile I have ever seen. This young man stood up and explained that he came from the island where the Boogie man originated. They weren't joking. The man's name was Bugi.
2) Tongue in cheek here and I do hope that no Indonesian public servant or diplomat will read this or it could start an international incident. Perhaps the monkey man was acting out his opinion of "The Communications Ministry"?
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What I found fascinating is they brought a Shaman and not someone with a straight jacket which I could see happening in most of our western nations.
It is a mystery though how folks flip and become not think but actually become someone else - with so much work on the mechanics of the mind of late maybe that part of the brain will be discovered and discussed - I wonder how it starts - if it starts on Q or on demand - what an interesting mystery story that could make - a cat burgler does his job while an accomplice becomes a monkey grabbing all the attention - or even a slight of hand artist working the crowd or someone in the crowd knifed - oh dear but it would be a mystery plot worthy of Poirot.
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Hmm, Went by our Borders which is closing and stopped in.. 50 to 70%off is irresistable.. Found some mysteries of the cozy type, that I had never heard of, so tried a few of them.. Who knows, I may find a new author.
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What did you buy Steph? I am very much in the market for "cosy" books at the moment :)
rosemary
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I'll look forward to that Beatrix Potter book, FLAJEAN, but I'm sorry to hear it is the
final one.
Nothing like learning what's important, ROSEMARY. ;D
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Finished James Patterson's Third Degree. Good one about domesticate terrorism in San Francisco. There's a surprising twist about one of the four women he wrote about in the first two of the series. I wonder why the tv series of the four women didn't make it. I am right aren't i? It was to be a series, not just a movie? I can't remember who was acting the parts, but i remember a good show..... Jean
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Are you referring to "The Women's Murder Club"? If so, the lead actress is Angie Harmon, now starring in Rizzoli & Isles, which is a better show .
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I was digging around in my tbr in the bedroom.. Came up with Hurry Down Sunshine.. by Michael Greenberg.. A true story about his daughter who had a psychotic break at 15.. Whew.. Cannot imagine, but it is compelling. Probably not a good bedbook, since I did not want to put it down last nigh.. I need slightly less compelling at bedtime, but it is interesting..
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Thanks for suggesting the Flavian de Luce series (I think it was Steph). I just finished A Red Herring Without Mustard. I wish I could have gotten his first two. I'll have to see if they have come out in paperback.
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Tomereader - yes, it was w's murder club. Was it a series or a one shot show? If it was a series, i wonder what happened to it? ...... Jean
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Jean, Women's Murder Club was, indeed, a series. It ran, I think, only one season which was kind of chopped up, i.e. it would run one or two weeks, then be interrupted for possibly something going on that would take viewers away (probably World Series, Basketball March Madness, or something like that). Then after the one season, it kind of died a quiet death. It wasn't a bad series, but just didn't get the viewer response it might have. I am still chafing at the fact that one of the "very best" mystery series to come along, "Rubicon" was cancelled. It was exciting, without a bunch of blow-ups or gross murder scenes, rather cerebral, and spy-like. It had unfamiliar (for the most part) actors, but the characters were played terrifically.
Did anyone else on here watch it? I keep thinking it will come out on DVD, but not yet apparently. I know there was a write-in by viewers to keep it on, but to no avail.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My library had the latest Donna Andrews "Stork Raving Mad". Listed by fantastic Fiction as coming out in june, but it's out already. The detective, Meg, is now 8 1/2 months pregnant with twins and can barely walk, but still gets her man!
They also had a new Margeret Coel Wind River Mystery "The Spider Web". It's listed as not being out til September. I like her, with the background of the Indian reservation. but for some reason, I haven't read her for a long time, and see that I've missed a bunch of books.
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I don't think I've even heard of Rubicon, TOMEREADER. It sounds like something I would
have liked.
Always happy to hear of a new Donna Andrews. I'll have to see if my library has it yet.
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Rubicon (TV Series 2010– )
Crime | Drama | Mystery
Will Travers is an analyst at a New York City-based federal intelligence agency who is thrown into a story where nothing is as it appears to be.
Creator: Jason Horwitch
Stars:James Badge Dale, Jessica Collins and Lauren Hodges
* * *
I copied this off IMDb should you want to see the entire cast.
Miranda Richardson guest starred for a few episodes, but then got killed off. (She shouldn't have been, I thought she was pivotal to the story).
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I do like Donna Andrews. She makes me laugh.
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Just finished Donna Leon's latest (20th) Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery Drawing Conclusions. It is one of her best IMO. It had a very satisfying ending, I thought.
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I just started to read it. I've read all of her books.
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I'm going to do something I rarely do here, make recommendations for a site. All of us devout Mystery readers really like to know what's available, and what's upcoming in the mystery genre. So...if you haven't found it as yet (now, I'm not commercializing anything here) go to OmnimysteryNews.com sign up for their newsletter, and you will be rewarded with titles of dozens, if not hundreds, of new mysteries, some maybe older, and lists of what is upcoming in print. I spend entirely too much time on this site, but it is "super".
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Gonna have to check that out.
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Me too!
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Tomereader, I loved Rubicon. I can't believe they cancelled it. There are so many programs on TV that I don't think are worth watching. That series was all you said it was. Fascinating, with excellent acting.
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I've been having fun with some different 'mysteries' this past week. National Geographic's
"Expedition Week" had a number of exploratory documentaries that found some answers to
one mystery or another. A cemetery for gladiators in York, England; a Dutch 'ghost ship', intact,
at the bottom of the Baltic; Ben Franklin's pirate fleet (???), and a totally lost and previously unknown city in Syria.
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Must look up that site..
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BABI: that sounds great! Is that the NatGeo TV station? I don't get it on my "cheap" cable package. (The price keeps going up and the stations I get keep going down).
What is Ben Franklin's "pirate fleet"?
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Aha, the new Elderhostel catalogue arrived yesterday, so that was my reading for the day. Lots and lots of fascinating things to do and places to go..
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Stephanie do you go by yourself or with a friend?
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JOAN, it seems that when Ben Franklin was ambassador to France, he tried to deal with the
problem of so many American prisoners in British prisons. America had very few prisoners to
exchange. After all, England had a very large fleet at a time when our fleet was counted in
single digits.
Franklin decided to make a trail of commissioning privateers to prey on the British mercantile
fleet, with the idea of taking prisoners for the purpose of exchange. Some of those privateers turned out to be ex-pirates, with entirely different goals in mind. And really, those small ships
did not have room or provisions for a lot of prisoners. They wound up turning the prisoners loose, but keeping their valuables.
Believe it or not, some of them tried to use 'certificates', signed by the prisoners before release acknowledging that they had been caught. Franklin tried using those to effect a gentlemanly swap for some of our prisoners, but the British govt. didn't go for it. All in all,
the project was a failure.
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Steph, weren't you just at an elderhostel? How was it? .....
Someone put up a link a couple weeks ago of mystery books and you could go to theme list including states where the book is set. I wrote down all the ones in NJ and Philadelphia. Since there are so many mystery books, i've decided that i'm going to concentrate on those two lists for awhile 'til i've read most of them. I figure that's as good a criteria as any 8) .......
Babi, that's an interesting story abt Ben F. I hadn't heard abt it before, but it sure sounds like Ben........... Jean
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Jeriron,, at this point, I have gone to two Elderhostels rooming by myself. YOu do meet people there and there are always a lot of women. I would love to find a compatible friend who likes to learn as much as I do.
The New Catalogue ( the big one) comes out several times a year and it is a joy to look at all of the places in the US that you can go to. They also have an International one as well.. I love to dream with it of places to go and explore.. They have a really fun Lewis and Clark one later this year.
I always read Lisa Scottoline detective stories, but just now I am reading " My Third Husband will be a dog". She writes a column in Philadelphia and this is basically a collection of them. She is quite funny in them.. She also has at least 4 dogs and one daughter and she writes about them as well. I am enjoying the short columns just now since life has been a bit hectic . and I am in two book discussions this month.
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Steph
I am trying to pick up some sort of life since my husband passed away. But I've never been one to do anything on my own. We always did everything together. I'm also very nervous driving because there again he did it all and would even drop me off to shop or have my hair done and then do his own errands and then pick me up. So I think it's going to be a long haul for me but I do have my 2 sons that live near. I didn't realize there would be so much paper work to do and names to change etc. Thank heaven my son has been doing most of it for me.
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JERIRON, that has always been a major problem for widows who were accustomed to their
husbands taking care of everything. In the long run, I think it is really better for a wife to
learn to be more independent, even if she is content to let the husband do it.
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Jeriron, you have my sympathy and best wishes. I have not experienced what you are going through, but my husband and I are so close, especially in the thirty years since the last child left, that just the thought gives me chills. Only one of my five kids is anywhere close, and she has a job that consumes about 50 hours per week and an elderly husband.
The best elderhostel we ever went to was in Farmington, NM. We studied the Navaho culture and the works of Tony Hillerman (that's for us mystery fans). The motel was comfortable, the food, served in the college cafeteria, was surprisingly good, and we learned a lot about the history and culture of the Navahos. This would be a good one for a single woman.
We have almost given up Elderhostels since flying has become so unpleasant. After the last one we attended I was pulled out of line at the Charlotte airport and all but strip searched, TWICE! I didn't fly again for years. Now we both require assistance in airports and it is just too hard.
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URSA
The things my husband and I enjoyed the most was cruising. The last one we took was Feb. 2010. We were undecided whether we could do it or not but we did and everything went well. So I'll always have that to remember .
We would have enjoyed that Elderhostel in NM that you went on. I was always interested in the Plains Indians. We really liked NM when we went out there.
Babi
You're right. I've read that women like me take the longest to pick up the pieces.
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jeriron: we all understand what you are going through. It is always hard to pick up the pieces. Thank goodness for our wonderful children who help us. I considered myself reasonably independent, but still would not have gotten through it without family and friends.
Luckily, with Seniornet, even at home we don't have to be lonely. But if you can find a way to be mobil (taxi's, busses, special senior services, friends, even hiring someone to take you places, short drives) and start getting out-of-the-house activities, it might help.
I'm freminded of a joke a senior friend used to tell me. Widow Jones had a new boyfriend, and her friends were asking about him. "Is he handsome? - no
rich -no
funny?, interesting?, tender? sympathetic? -- not really.
Well, what's te attraction?
He drives at night.
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Good one, Joan.
In case anyone is looking for a good mystery to read, I just read the best one I've read in a long, long time. THE FRANCHISE AFFAIR by Josephine Tey. Marvelous writer and I like her sense of humor as well. Their is no murder in this one. Two women are accused of kidnapping and beating a young 15-year-old girl whom they claim to have never heard of or seen before until she appeared at their home with a Scotland Yard detective to accuse them. The women recruit (or beg, rather) the senior partner in a small law firm in their little English town to help them prove their innocence. This was so good, I'm going to have to read more of Tey's work.
Marj
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Joan
Funny joke but actually true.
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Joan - that is too true - I hate driving at night.
Marjifay - I also very much like The Franchise Affair, which I read after I heard it serialised on Woman's Hour.
Rosemary
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I thought I'd read all the Tey's, but I don't remember that one. Have you read the one about Richard III?
I watch all the shows on Discovery that follow fishermen (and one women). Now I've discovereed that the one woman, one of the swordfish boat Captains, Linda Greenlaw, has written mystery stories. I read one last night "Slipknot". Needless to say, part of it takes place on a fishing boat (cod, not swords). I'd give it a medium; if you're not into those fishing shows, I don't know if you'd enjoy it, but I'll certainly read more. Looking forward to reading some of her non-fiction about her experiences.
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JoanK said, <I thought I'd read all the Tey's, but I don't remember that one. Have you read the one about Richard III?"
I tried to read the one about Richard III (The Daughter of Time), but did not finish it. Readers at Amazon say that book is cited as one of the best mysteries of all time. So, because I loved Tey's Franchise Affair so much, I'm going back and finish Daughter of Time.
Marj
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I absolutely adored every word Josephine Tey ever wrote. My, she has been gone a long time now. Shows how good she was that her works are still read.
A Daughter of Time is on the list of my all-time favorite books. It is taught and discussed in university history courses world wide.
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Josephine Tey.., Oh me, I read every single one of her. Such a good writer with interesting ways of looking at the world.
Jeriron.. My husband did all of the driving..We wer always together for the past 20 years, so I had to really force myself out of the house. I just sort of gritted my teeth and considered. I could stay home and rot.. or I could get up and join all sorts of things and force myself back into life.Since my sons live 2 and 3 hours away and have full time jobs, I also did all of the name changings, etc. Then because the remaining car was my husbands and I realized I was uncomfortable with it. I went out and looked at cars.. found what I wanted and bought it..The feelings of freedome were fantastic. In Elderhostel, you can opt for a roommate and they will assign you one.. I guess what I am saying, the old adage from Betty McDonald...She wrote a book about it.. "Anyone can do anything".. I think this is really true and try to live it. Sometimes I fail, but generally the journey is interesting. So I cry a bit here and there and miss him desperately. I sometimes feel him watching me.. sometimes laughing, sometimes gently urging me forward..
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STEPH, I recall my Dad describing a similar experience of my Mother's nearness after her
death. It must be a great comfort, and I hope my children have some such comfort some future day.
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Stephanie
Thank you for a very nice post. I'm hoping someday in the near future I Will be able to move ahead and start doing things on my own. At this point in time being only less then three months since my husband passed away I don't want to do anything out of the house bad enough I guess.
so I spend lots of time moving from my computer to my IPad to my book. Plus I've watched lots of movies. Right now even going to Walmart alone makes me want to go back home. I'm just as alone there as I am at home so I might as well stay home.
I'm very lucky to have my son doing most of the paper work before he goes to work. I didn't understand why I had to remove my husband name from everything like bills, charge cards etc. But after awhile I realized what was upsetting me about it was that it was like erasing his life away as if he never existed.
All the while he was sick he was mostly worried about leaving me alone. At 18 I went from living with my parents to getting married and living with my husband for 55 years. So I know it's going to take time and it won't change until I really want it to I guess.
Thanks for writing.
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JERIRON: " I realized what was upsetting me about it was that it was like erasing his life away as if he never existed."
That's exactly the way I felt.
I also moved directly from my parents' home to a 50 year marraige. I've never lived alone. But I see my friends making the transition.
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I have left several things in his name.. Our entry in the telephone book.. His voice on my answering machine. I prefer not to let casual callers realize that there is no man in the house. But I do hate the phone calls that ask for him..
I also left the credit cards and bank account in place.That was on the lawyers advice..
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I still have his name on E-mail and facebook (jeriron) forums.but it seems that just about everything else including charge cards and bank accts. his name has been taken off. Also utility bills. I kept arguing about it but my son kept saving I had to do that.
I do get phone calls asking for him but I always say he isn't here right now.
Some mail is coming in addressed to him. I think the ones that are just addressed to me upset me more.
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My mother continued to list her telephone under my father's namefter he passed away. We were very surprised when a letter arrived for him offering to sell him life insurance. This was FOUR YEARS after he passed away. He would have been so amused!
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STEPH, why did the lawyer advise leaving the credit cards and bank account as they were?
I would think that could lead to confusion in areas like filing tax returns, for example.
I'd be interested to know the legal viewpoint there.
At one point after my divorce I considered taking back my maiden name. But then I decided
it might be wiser not to make any change like that for a while. It might have complicated the
sale of my house, for example. My older daughters' SIL, a lawyer, said that was a good
decision.
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Himself has been dead for 5 years and 3 months now, and I took great care to get his name off of everything and close out every credit card, etc. Only my name is on the phone, utilities and all. When someone calls now and asks for him, it is always a salesman or someone trying to get a contribution. I tell them he died January 12, 2006 and ask them to please take him off their list. It breaks my heart all the mail that still comes here in his name!
I do not have to feel concern about the woman alone thing. I list only my name and city in the phone book, requiring them to leave out the street address. Also, I live in a gated community with good security guards at the gate 24/7. No one ever knocks on my door other than an expected guest or a near neighbor. I love it! Absolutely no salesmen, politicians, crusaders, or what have you.
Oh, I still miss my husband something fierce every moment of every day. You do get used to it. You never get over it. Two different things.
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MARY: my husband died 11 days after yours did. You do get used to it, and the memories get sweeter. But just yesterday, I found myself bursting into tears when something happened that reminded me too vividly of him.
But I still talk to him. Especially when I do something I know he wouldn't have liked. "I know what you're thinking" I say. "But it'll be OK. Don't nudge."
(nudge, pronounced noodge,: yiddish word for nag. Men don't nag, they nudge. You know the old joke. Shlomo was very religious. Every day, he prayed, and asked for good luck, good health etc. But the more he prayed, the worse things got for him. His neighbor Moishe never prayed, but had everything: wealth, health etc. etc. "Lord" said Shlomo, "I don't understand. Why when I pray three times a day and he never prays, don't you give me anything?" The answer came roaring back "BECAUSE YOU'RE NUDGING ME!").
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The two name bank account can now be closed out. But The bank people said to leave it just in case that first year. I did get a few checks made out to him.. The credit cards. I will probably change this year as each gets renewed. The lawyers explained that with the accident, insurance payments, etc, it was safer to leave that in place. It does not affect our tax situation.The first year of death, they are still alive from the governments point of view.. Then the next year, you are single.. They simply dont care about death at all..
I am closer and closer to no land line on the phone. My hearing aids hate my land line..No idea why and I am tired of worrying about it.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Thanks for the 'noodging' story, JOANK. ;D
Ah, of course. I hadn't thought of that, STEPH, but of course there needed to be an
account in place for anything coming in your husband's name. Odd, that one isn't 'single'
until the next year. But the world of finance has always been a deep mystery to me.
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I was told the same thing. It takes awhile before everyone gets notified and they do what they have to do to change they're addresses. So I opened new acct in my name only but have kept the old ones for now.
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In the year in which a spouse dies, you are still a married couple as far as the IRS and your state Comptroller of the Treasury are concerned. Ergo, you may file jointly. My husband died in January 2006. When I filed my income tax returns for the calendar year 2006 in April of 2007, I filed married filing jointly. Next to his name I wrote in: DECEASED.
I gather that had we, for some reason such as being filthy rich (ha!), been in the habit of filing separate returns, his would have been filed as ESTATE OF JOHN DOE (not his name, obviously).
So I did not change our joint account with the bank to just my name until after those refunds came in. I TOLD the bank right from the git go that he was dead, but did NOT change the accounts. After the refunds and when I was, paperwork wise, all single, I did the paperwork removing his name.
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JoanK, I loved that Yiddish story.
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This is very different from the UK. As soon as the bank sees a death certificate, the person's accounts are immediately frozen and no transactions can take place on them until the executors have obtained probate/confirmation, which gives them the authority to close the accounts and/or transfer other investments, eg shares, to the beneficiaries.
If a bank account has been in joint names, the bank will immediately put it in the sole name of the survivor only. This is a real nuisance in situations where the deceased person has actually left his/her share of the account to someone else, as you then have to somehow get the money back. It was common until recently for wealthy people to leave the equivalent of the inheritance tax "nil rate band" directly to their children, so as not to waste that tax free allowance. (Everything that passes to a spouse or a charity is exempt from inheritance tax anyway).
Rosemary
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Rosemarykaye, we had a similar experience with my Mom's accounts. Her bank account was frozen, and our power of attorney was no longer valid. Since the CDs were joint, we closed them out (no early withdrawal penalty when one of the joint owners becomes deceased thank goodness).
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Just finished a mystery by Betty Rowland "Miss Minchen Dies". A british policewoman. Good, workable mystery-- off to get more by her.
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Betty Rowland.. Wrote it down.. Ah, the tbr list grows and grows.
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Just finished Albert's latest China Bayles mystery, Mourning Gloria. It was a little slower starting than usual, I thought. She spent some time in introducing her characters which is good for first time readers, but if you have read her previous China Bayles series it takes some time to get into the story. That's just my opinion, but overall, it was a good mystery.
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Just started on a new Kathy Reichs.. Smuggling humans in NY.. Did not think it was a sea problem there.
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I've just started on my first Reginald Hill; "Pictures of Perfection". I'm thoroughly enjoying it.
There's also the added bonus that each chapter heading is a quote from a Jane Austen letter.
Reading the quotes out of context generally adds an element of surprise. Jane said that?
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Hmmm. I'll read anything with an Austen connection.
STEPH: I have heard of problems smuggling women for the sex trade. Is that what Reichs is writing about?
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Babi, I am thrilled you are reading a Reginald Hill, whom I adore. Here are my favorites of his in the order in which they should be read:
A Clubbable Woman - 1970
An Advancement of Learning - 1971
Ruling Passion - 1973
An April Shroud - 1975
A Pinch of Snuff - 1978
A Killing Kindness - 1980
Deadheads - 1983
Exit Lines - 1984
Child’s Play - 1987
Under World - 1988
Bones and Silence - 1990
One Small Step - 1990
Recalled To Life - 1992
Pictures of Perfection - 1994
The Wood Beyond - 1995
Asking For The Moon - 1996
On Beulah Height - 1998
Arms and The Women - 1999
Dialogues of The Dead - 2002
Death’s Jest-Book - 2003
Good Morning Midnight - 2004
Death Comes for the Fat Man - 2007
The Price of Butcher’s Meat - 2008
Midnight Fugue - 2009
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I've ordered "A Clubbable Woman" from Amazon. I got a used paperback for $1 plus $3.99 shipping, cheaper than Kindle's $7.99.
I've been spending too much money on Kindle. I promised myself that I would look for cheaper ways before giving in to temptation to push that button and get the book immediately. Fortunately, I just got a stack from the library, including Dana Stabenow's latest.
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Atta girl JoanK. I like to compare the overall cost before I buy books from different sources.
I am kind of bummed that I can't download books from my library for my Kindle. They do have eBooks in PDF form, so I don't know why I couldn't. Even so, I may just join the library.
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The BBC Dalziel & Pascoe series does these books in order also. Sometimes they seem to be including more than one book; I am not sure. I have passed the first two years of DVDs of the series on to a granddaughter, but Barnes & Noble has just shipped me series 3. This is the Reginald Hill set of detectives.
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Oops.. not Reichs, but Linda Fairstein.. She writes about smuggling adults including women from Eastern europe and also throws in the history of the Gracie mansion and the Hamilton one.. She does love to throw a lot of history in. I love it, but I know people who have stopped reading her because of it.
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MaryPage
I ordered the series 3 of Dalziel and Pascoeand just finished watching it. I really enjoy them. I just wish it wouldn't take so long for the next ones to come out on DVD. I also watched the new one of Judge Deed I like them too.
I would love to see all the Midsomer Murdersbut the old ones don't have captions or subtitles or SDH.
Just received from Netflix LILIESI finished the first disc, there are three and enjoyed it. Have you ever seen it?
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MARYPAGE, I would love to read them all in order. Unfortunately, my library only has some
of the books, and I'll simply take what I can get. Some of the others I may be able to
get from my swap club...as soon as I earn some more credits. I've just used up my last
two for a couple of old Josephine Tey books recommended here.
If the BBC series is nearly as good as the books, I'll be able to enjoy all the stories
that way. IF they have closed captioning; not all BBC series do.
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I have never yet seen a film or a mini-series that was anywhere close to as good as the book(s). Pascoe, Ellie and Rosie pass muster in the series, but Dalziel is not NEARLY as fat and huge and ugly as he should be (the actor, however, is superb in the part), nor is Wieldy as ugly and frightening.
Hill is an intellectual with a very droll sense of humor.
No, Jeriron, I do not know of LiliesI. Please tell us about it.
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Sounds like I've been missing a good author. I look forward to it.
Yes, I'm bummed that the Kindle isn't hooked into library systems. Obviously, the Kindle itself is the "loss leader, and Amazon expects to make their money from the books sold. I've already spent more on books than the kindle cost.
The new Stabenow is "Though not Dead" and is full of the history of Alaska. I'm half through it already. I'm the opposite of those who won't read a book with history -- the more, the better. I claim (with some truth) that everything I know, I know from reading mysteries.
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MaryPage
Lilies
2007 NR 3 discs
In this BBC-produced drama set in post-World War I Liverpool, England, three sisters (Catherine Tyldesley, Kerrie Hayes, Leanne Rowe) face the usual coming-of-age struggles in a world that offers few choices to women of no financial means. That doesn't, however, stop the Moss girls from finding laughter as well as pain as they struggle to make their way in the world -- one making chocolates, one selling corsets and one working as a parlor maid.
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Finished the Fairstein.. HellGate. Lots of interesting facts about the few old houses left in NYC.. I know the Gracie Mansion, but did not know about some of the others.
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Let's face it, MARYPAGE. Actors who are fat, huge and/or ugly and frightening don't
usually have much of a career.
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How about Alfred Hitchcock? OK, a director, not an actor, but then there's Peter Lorie.
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Charles Laughton, Orson Welles, Peter Ustinov and Peter Lorre, all magnificent actors who would hardly be called pin-up material. Mmmmm who are the ugly ducklings of today's movies?
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And Sidney Greenstreet was the daddy of them all... huge
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But they never get the girl!
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The large men are often excellent actors..So are some of the truly ugly ones, but they rarely get to be the conventional hero.. Hero
is bound to be tall and conventional looking, although some of the current Owen Wilson, etc are too vacant looking for me, but I think that is the style.
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Re the large size actors.. they are usually referred to as "character actors".
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Humphrey Bogart was never particularly good looking, and as he aged he was even less so. Guess he just had lots of sex appeal.
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Okay, you're right. We do have to have some 'heavies' and 'uglies' to fill in certain roles. (Don't
forget Jack Elam!) But still, when you have characters as enjoyable as Dalziel and Wield, the
casting director tends to play down the fat/ugly part of the description. If they disregarded it
entirely, of course, that would spoil the show for devoted fans of the books. It is also true, if
unjust, that 'ugly' , in a rugged way, is far more acceptable on men than women. :-\
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Too true Babi - The same applies to female TV interviewers and especially weather girls, although there are exceptions, of course.
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Oh yes, Roshanarose! The women on Sky News are so perfect that I can't believe they weren't employed for their appearance.
Rosemary
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Not sure any more, but most of the more famous females on tv started out as weather people.. No degrees, just pretty and presentable.
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How about the gorgeous women who give the stock market reports? Maria Bartiromo and Erin Burnett on NBC, CNBC and MSNBC especially. Erin Burnett is one of the most beautiful women on television, and absolutely loaded with brains and degrees, but I'll bet her looks gave her the edge for the job.
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Of course. If a job involves being on camera, appearance is key. You have to get to know
a person before you can see past the outer facade. Meanwhile, we tend to take people at
'face value'.
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I'm reading one of Carolyn Hart's ghost series. "Ghost in Trouble". I get impatient with the "death on Demand" books, but her style works better with the ghost, I think. Wouldn't read too many of them: it's like eating a dessert that's good, but a little too sweet.
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I gave up on the Carolyn Hart.. Just too sweet . but I am reading Denise Swanson.. Death of a Bookstore Babe.. Good, but I do get tired of a grown woman letting her Mother dominate her life.. I keep thinking.. GET A BACKBONE.. Oh well.
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I entirely agree, STEPH, but unfortunately seeds planted very early in life are hard to root
out. I remember a mother, very tiny lady, realizing that she would not be able to physically
control her children for very long, made a point of 'getting in her fix first'. Minding momma
was rule #1 from infancy. And for their own safety, it needed to be.
That said, sooner or later, either Mom or the kid has to cut the apron strings.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Have any of you watched "The Judds" on the OWN channel? Ohhhh, the tyranny of the mother-dgt relationship there!
I remember a situation when i was just about 40 Yrs old when my mother made a very innoculous statement about me at a family dinner table and i responded w/ great defense of myself. I thot afterwards, "why did i get so defensive about that little critical remark?" i had a pretty good sense of myself and had fairly good self-esteem by that time in my life. Years later it dawned on me that i wasn't responding to that remark, but to another situation that i had been in that i was sure my mother disapproved of.
I'm constantly mulling over my relationship w/ my dgt and DIL wondering how they are perceiving our relationship. We, unlike the Judds, don't verbalize every emotion and anxiety, which i think is healthier. Having come thru the " let it all hang out" period if the 70's, i think it's better and healthier NOT to do that, but to think "what's the most productive thing to do here"? Of course, that's a very subjective opinion.
Jean
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Am a very lucky lady. With 5 daughters, I have what I can only describe as a perfect relationship with numbers 3 and 4. A pretty darn good relationship with #1; we do not always agree, but we have strong ties and love one another. A deeply loving but difficult relationship with #2, who, I have finally come to accept, will never approve of or have a consoling relationship with the rest of us. Finally, a funny sort of now I see you, now I don't but deeply bonded relationship with #5.
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My philosophy has always been if you want to hold onto a child, you must open your hand. I think I have been pretty successful, but now that the oldest daughter has grandchildren of her own I don't see much of her. And there is a lot of truth in the old saying that "a daughter's a daughter all her life; a son's a son til he gets him a wife."
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Gee, MaryPage - I always thought our life was interesting with our 4 daughters. We feel very close to all of them - in different ways. We see #2 more than the others - because she lives closer to us, but none live in the same city we do, and none live in the same place as any of the others. Interestingly, #1 & 2 see each other more frequently outside of family gatherings, and #3 & 4 see ech other more frequently. Family dynamics are most interesting. (We have 3 sons-in-law, 6 grands, 1 grand-in-law, and 3 grand-fiancees.)
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Finished the Swanson. I do enjoy her series. This one had a nice twist.. They are all cozies of course..
I just found the Elizabeth Edwards last memoir.. It is touching me deep in my soul. She has the ability to cut deep into grief and anger.. I am reading it very very slowly.
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Steph - I am always so glad to see you, you are almost inevitably the first up in the US!
I have just started my first Louise Penney and I am enjoying it even from the first chapter, because her writing really brings to life the Canadian countryside - which I don't know at all (apart from Newfoundland) but feel I do on reading this.
Rosemary
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JEAN, I think most of us have some difficulty with being honest, without being harsh.
It is possible, but very hard to manage when one is angry or upset. I think you are 100%
correct in taking "What's the most productive thing to do here" route. Which, of course,
is also difficult it you've lost your temper. KEY!..don't lose your temper!
MARYPAGE, I imagine that's a pretty fair description of relationships in a good-sized
family. Our children each have such distinctive personalities; we have to learn to appreciate the best in them. And like URSA says, let them go to be themselves.
My, we're getting philosophical. Uh, mysteries, yes...I've started re-reading Josephine Tey.
I'm into "Man in the Queue" and have already spotted a discrepancy I don't remember seeing
before. Neither did the police Lieutenant. :)
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I'm finishing up one of Jane Isenberg's Bel Barrett series. I do love Bel and like the characature of her two friends, but this one, "Out of Hormone's Way", isn't as good as the other's i've read. O.k., but not great. She didn't make me care about who killed her student. That's not a good thing when reading a murder mystery, uh? I haven't figured out how the title relates to the story either. ???
On to one of Chiaverini's quilt stories and the second multiple volume of John Jakes' Kent series.
Jean
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Rosemary, I enjoy the Louise Penney books also, and would very much like to visit that area of Canada. But, like most other places, I'll probably just imagine...
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I love Louise Penney. If you like her descriptins of Canada.. Try Giles Blunt.. He also writes about this part of Canada and I love his work..
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Thanks Steph, I will add him to my TBR list :)
Rosemary
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I agree with you, Steph, about Giles Blunt's writing. His book, FORTY WORDS FOR SORROW, is one of the best mysteries I've read. It's very well written, has characters you care about, and ends with much suspense. Oh, and you feel you are really there in that arctic cold of northern Canada.
Marj
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He is one of those few writers that the weather seems to become part of the plot.. You do feel as if you are in eternal winter.. I just finished.. When you read this.. by him and it is amazing. His ability to subtly move the reader and the plot are simply incredible.
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It's that feeling of being trapped in extreme cold that makes me unable to enjoy books with this kind of setting. Perhaps I should plan to read this one along about midsummer, when the cold
would be most welcome. ;)
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I'm not a true crime/psychopathic killer story reader. But it sounds like he does a really good job.
I like books about the cold though: especially about Alaska.
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Me too - Alaska, the wilds of Canada, Antarctica - give me cold!
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Especially when I'm warm and cozy by the fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa. My Deadliest Catch comes on tonight.
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And don't forget books/shows about Everest!
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I hadn't read a mystery for quite awhile. Yesterday, I began one called: "Beacon Street Mourning" by Dianna Day. Read all day. I enjoyed the first half of the book, by was a bit disappointed in the last quarter of it. Has anyone else read it? Or, have you read any of her other books? If so, what do you think of her writing?
I have always enjoy Mary Higgins Clark's books, and John Grissums. However, the last few of these authors were not as interesting as their early books. It seems to me to be too predictable.
Today, I ordered a couple of new books from Amazon, for my Kindle. They are books you said you have enjoyed. I look forward to reading them.
Sheila
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Diane Day has written a small series about this character, but I think that you read the one that I did not care much about. Her adventures in San Francisco are great though.
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Thanks for your message, STEPH. I will try at least one more of Dianne Day's mysteries. Can you tell me the name of her first books in this series?
Sheila
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Try goggling Dianne Day and see the order. I wish I could remember, but I dont Fremont Jones is her name and I think one of the books is even titled that.
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I finished reading Tey's "Man in the Queue". I had forgotten the unusual ending. A little bit of
'deus ex machina' there. I won't explain that, in case someone else is planning on reading it.
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Once, the New York Times had a puzzle that was based on the many different ways of spelling Diane. Couldn't find Day untill I tried Dianne. Here is a list of her books by date from Fantastic Fiction. If the one you red is in the fremont Jones seies, looks like the first is "The Strange Files of fremont Jones".
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/dianne-day/ (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/dianne-day/)
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Thanks, STEPH and JOAN K. Only two of her books are available on Kindle. So, I will see if I can order them in paperback, from Amazon.
Sheila
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Yes,, The Strange case of Fremont Jones was the first and the very best.. I got them used through Amazon.
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Now I remember I read that, and liked it. I'm always returning books to the library and forgetting to make a note of the author's name. then I loose track of that author
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JoanK, I know what you mean. Our small town library used to have cards that you signed. I loved that because I could check and see if I had read it before. About three years ago, I bought a pretty journal and have been keeping a list of books and authors and my ratings of them. I put the name of the book, the author, the month I read it and my rating (I use 1-10 with 10 being the best.) It has really helped me.
Sally
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I found the Louise Penny that I as missing.. Was the 3rd one in the series, so I will read that before going on.. The 5th one just won an Agatha award..
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I love the audio editions of Louise Penny's books. I don't know any French so I can't "hear" it when I read the books. The narrator is very good, in my opinion.
I haven't posted in this discussion in a long time, but I haven't stopped reading mysteries. Right now I'm reading "The Girl Who Played with Fire" on my Sony ereader.
MaryH
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Hi Maeve
I am assuming you are from the US. I am Australian and post regularly. I, too, have a Sony, which I adore. I have been using www.ebooks.com for most of my books. It is good and charges very little for many books, and no exchange rate or anything silly like that. Do you have a favourite web site for ebooks for Sony. I would be interested to know. Thanks.
Carolyn
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So many readers. Does anyone else feel that our reading habits have changed enormously in the last 18 months or so.. The ereaders have really made us look at books differently.
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No change here. I am still happily reading my printed books, and don't even feel particularly
interested in reading from a small lighted screen. But then, I've always been a middle-of-the-road type. Comfortably settled, that's me. (I've heard the more stringent views of that, no
need to repeat them. :D )
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Reading from a screen doesn't appeal to me at all. I used to like to read in the bathtub - can't get out if I get in now - and the idea of dropping a reading device in the water is depressing. Anyway, I like books - how they feel, how they smell, sharing them with others. No electronic readers for me!
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I like books too. The thought that e-books might replace them scares me. But I love my Kindle: in the 4 months I've had it, I've accumulated almost a hundred books, many of the older ones are free or almost free, without the space problems that my book-books cause.
For mysteries, I have the complete Sherlock Holmes, the Complete Father Brown (remember him), an anthology of 22 books by Mary Roberts Rhinehart, and some Agatha Christie, for about 99cents apiece. As well, there are a number of inexpensive new series that I've discovered. The newest hot mystery by a popular author is $12.98, and I don't buy those on kindle: look in the library or for a cheaper deal on "like new" books on Amazon.
And the browsing is fantastic! I've discovered all kinds of books I never would have known existed by using the "browse" function.
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Babi - I still read "real" books, I have a huge backlog of them. Because I have plenty of time to browse through the newsagents and Target, BigW and KMart of my suburb, I often spot books that I have been wanting to buy at reduced prices. Nowadays, on principle (mostly financial) I will not buy a new book at full price. Those big paperbacks you can buy cost about $32.00 here. There is no way I am going to pay that for a book! I have all the reference books I need already in my personal library, and I am not patient enough to borrow from the library. I have this terrible habit of reading 5 or 6 books at once. It really annoys me, but I can't help myself, thus borrowing books doesn't work that well for me. My Sony keeps all the books downloaded, patiently waiting for me to read when I am ready, and the prices at the ebook store are excellent.
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When I was young, Roshanrose, I would read only one book at a time fearing that I would confuse the contents. However, now I usually have two or three going at once with no such problem. My fears were unfounded. Right now I have two on my Kindle that I am reading and am just getting ready to start one of my adventure books in print.
I am happy to see that the textbook companies have started putting textbooks in ebook format. What with print textbooks sometimes going for over $200 for one and weighing a "ton", it seems a natural. It also seems to me that textbooks in ebook format would be easier and far less expensive to update for new material or corrections. Which means, new versions could be available sooner than before. My accounting book, for example, was over $150 used, is very heavy and oversized, and the material is only up to date to 2007. Areas of fast changing technologies and discoveries (like computers, medicine, science) could certainly benefit from having textbooks that are more up to date.
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I have this terrible habit of reading 5 or 6 books at once.
Roshanarose - so what's so terrible about that? I do that too- along with a few magazines, and I'm always delving into art and craft books as I go and then there are the Latin course books and support material for whatever the actual books I'm reading are about. If we read, we read and it doesn't matter how when or where we get our fix. One of my sons is exactly the same. It's a way of life I guess.
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Wow! Gumtree and Rose, I thought I was bad with 3 or 4 going at the same time. Not sure if I could handle five. I am currently reading: Cutting for Stone (ftf book club), Clara and Mr. Tiffany (Sr. book club) and Miss Julia Rocks the Cradle (for bedtime book). I am enjoying all three for different reasons.
Sally
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I am reading The Way Through The Woods - Colin Dexter (Inspector Morse), Still Life - Louise Penney, and have just finished The Quilter's Apprentice - Jennifer Chiavernini. I often have several books on the go, but I'm not sure I could cope with 5!
Rosemary
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I generally have three, sometimes 4..Usually a mystery ( Fatal Grace), the newest J.D. Robb and a science fiction..But also now Clara and Mr. Tiffany, which I am really enjoying on my IPAD.
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RosemaryKaye, how does the Inspector Morse series stack up against the TV series? I really enjoyed those.
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Me, too, URSA. About the tub, I mean. Strictly showers for me.
ROSHANA, if you don't quit buying new books, you'll never get around to
reading all the ones you already have! Think of the waste! :( :)
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Just for the record -I've just finished Mr Pettigrew and Old Filth and am currently reading Staying On and Odyssey for the discussions. Kristin Lavransadatter, Museum of Innocence, a biog of Robert Graves, and have finally started on Robert Harris' Imperium. As soon as I can lay hands on a copy I'll begin Clara and Mr T.
Of course none of these are mysteries...
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Frybabe - the Dexter novels are quite different from the TV series and took some getting used to - he writes in quite a strange way IMO, with a lot of rather distorted "internal dialogue" that can be hard to follow - but I enjoy reading one from time to time. I have seen him interviewed and he seems like a really nice man - and very clever. he is actually a graduate of Cambridge, not Oxford, and a absolute whizz at crossword puzzles, as is Morse.
Rosemary
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I have 3 books going at the minute: don't think I've ever been up to 5. I admit as I get older and my memory gets worse I sometimes find I have to go back and reread the last page or two to remember what was going on when I put it down.
" how does the Inspector Morse series stack up against the TV series? I really enjoyed those." The books are a little bit sexist. The actor who played Morde on TV made the scriptwriters change that, saying that his daughters would stop speaking to him if he played Morse as wriotten.
At least that's what I was told. I wish I'd known it sooner -- I missed much of the TV series, thinking I wouldn't enjoy it since I hadn't liked the books.
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JoanK - that is a shame, as the TV series was brilliant - John Thaw at his finest, and Kevin Whately (?) as the long suffering sidekick. You can get it all on DVD I think.
rosemary
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Gum et al - My family used to make fun of me when I was young for reading so many books at once. Now people say to me - "How can you read so many at once?" and say that it is important to finish one book at a time. That would appear logical, but who wants to do what everyone else does anyway? I am heartened to know that others share my habit - well, that one anyway ;)
babi - You hit the nail right on the head. Not being around long enough to read all my books is now a worry for me. I actually try to measure out time (maximum) to catch up on my reading, and it never seems to work out. Gosh! I make books sound like tyrants. I also like reading magazines esp "Vanity Fair", although it costs $10.95 here, I enjoy the stories very much. For a fashion fix it is always American "Vogue", which for some strange reason is always thicker than the Australian Vogue, and thanks to the exchange rate just now, also cheaper. American Vogue is one season ahead, or is it behind? Still it is fine escapist fare. If I can just save up enough to buy a pair of black patent loafers from Tod's I will be happy. I also like Cole & Haan (sp) After all when I think about how much I pay for car registration and for my cat's teeth to be scaled, both in excess of $500, I figure I should be able to buy the shoes I want.
Bit of a rant - I feel better now. :D Thanks!
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Roshanarose - yes, when you start to make comparisons you realise how hard you are on yourself - eg yesterday I shelled out £44 for a return train ticket for my daughter (who then announced "I don't think I'll take the cello anyway" - so she could have gone on the bus and saved me £16), but stopped myself buying a writing magazine for £3.75 because it seemed extravagant! And as for vet's bills and car tax......don't you just feel like you're on another planet when you deal with those? the one where you just hand over your credit card and try not to think about it.
Rosemary
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Uh oh, the library just called and the latest Ladies Detective agency (Alexander McCall Smith) book is in. It is the Big Tent Wedding Party. So now I will have 4 books going as none of them are renewable!!
Sally
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Roshanarose: I haven't seen Vanity Fair for an age. used to enjoy it very much - that and Saturday Evening Post. Must check whether my library carries it.
I had to buy a toaster today - my goodness - they do everything these days including cooking the eggs... and the decent brands have hefty prices - no doubt the prices are to cover the LCD panels etc - all that's needed are the heating elements, a timer and a metal casing ... give me strength.
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heating elements, a timer and a metal casing
There are still toasters like this
around, GUM. I know, I've got one.
ROSHANA and ROSEMARY, I 'indulged' myself laying out less than $13. for a year's subscription
to "Smithsonian". And that is the only magazine I receive now. I spent most of my
working years at home raising the kids, so my SS income is pretty low. Great kids, though. ;D
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My biggest "indulgence" is my subscription to "Bookmarks" magazine! But it is worth every cent! $29.95 per year, for six issues, but with all you would like to know about "new books". I happened on it several years ago, by accident (don't even remember where) but was immediately bowled over. For dedicated reader like myself, I consider it a must-have. It would be very expensive for those of you not in the U.S. I believe you can read some of the things at www.bookmarksmagazine.com
Oh, I guess I have to admit I have another indulgence...I go to the Metropolitan Opera in HD performances at the movie theatre during their season. Last one this year is May 14th...Die Walkure. I can't afford tickets to our local opera company since they built a new B$ opera/symphony complex.
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Tomereader - Die Walkure doesn't screen here until June. We go to as many of those HD performances as we can. It all depends on health issues - his and mine - whether we can go but we've managed quite a few this season. We missed Comte d'ory as I wasn't well and we gave Nixon in China a wide berth.
The only magazines I subscribe to are art journals - anything else I want I get from the library these days.
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Gumtree, I also gave Nixon in China a wide berth, but you missed a real gem in Le Comte Ory. It was a laugh-a-minute, with wonderful, awesome singing! I've never seen an opera that made me laugh, :D but this was a treasure. Diana Damrau has an exquisite voice (she can surely hit those F's over high C. Joyce DiDonato also has a great voice. Juan Diego Florez is simply yummy to listen to and look at! He has an amazing comic flair! And this was ...oh, heck, do they run the "encore presentations" there where you are? If so, please go see/hear it.
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BABI: "I spent most of my
working years at home raising the kids, so my SS income is pretty low. Great kids, though."
That's me!! Luckily, books are my only indulgence: most of my clothes are at least 10 years old, I have plenty of furniture, don't drive a car (and keep them 15 yeaars anyway) or need to go on fancy vacations, when I'm 15 minutes from beautiful beaches.
But I can't resist books! (and chocolate, but luckily chocolate is cheap).
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Our library does the operas,,They get them each month and show them on a special day with refreshments and a short discussion before hand. It is the same time as the Friends of the Library, so I never get to see it.
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I can't walk on sandy beaches, JOANK, but I'm 10 minutes away from the senior
center and a few mornings of bridge. I have a car, very old and beat up, and
like you I wear clothes until they wear out. Chocolate, of course, is a staple,not an indulgence. 8)
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Yes, this is definitely me too!
My staples are: chocolate (daily); white wine (sometimes); coffee; books - mostly from the library or charity shops; - and lately, as we have no TV at the moment, jigsaws, also from charity shops - I find them very relaxing, and at the moment we are doing one that is a mediaeval map of Britain, fascinating.
Rosemary
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Have you tried THESE jigsaw puzzles? They are my favorite thing and I am addicted to them. I just wish National Geographic would tell us what and where most of the photos are of, but they do not. They have a royal wedding one this week: an obvious. They change a few every weekday, but not on weekends. You can go back and do almost a thousand of them. Some of the photos take my breath away, they are so beautiful.
After the site comes up (I have it, of course, in my FAVORITES listing), you must wait a couple of Minutes for the puzzles to come up. You will learn to work it from there. After you have done one and want to do another, just go up slightly and click on the far left end of the black bar just above the puzzle itself. The set will then come back up for you to choose from.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/your-shot/jigsaw-puzzles
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Of course, those are the staples. And of course also a computer so we can come in here.
I wish I could get your medieval map of England, Rosemary. I inherited wonderful jigsaw puzzles from my mother (rich paintings, medieval tapestries etc.), and in my new condo I finally have room for a big table where I can lay them out. But I need some new ones. The ones I find now are boring!
The mystery series where the Queen is the detective says that she loves to do jigsaw puzzles too. I wonder where she finds the time?
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JoanK - email me with your address and when I have finished it I will gladly post it to you. We never do the same one twice, and as I have mentioned previously, I have a ready supply of stamps thanks to my husband's late uncle, so it doesn't cost me anything - would be happy to pass it on. My email is rosemarykaye@yahoo.co.uk.
Best wishes
Rosemary
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That would be wonderful. Can I send you one back?
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I sent an e-mail. If you don't get it, let me know.
Read a book by a new author "The Detroit Electric Sheme". The detective is a manager in an electric car company in 1910, and it talks about the car industry then (Edsel Ford as a teenager, is a character). I found the material on cars fascinating, but the murders were too gruesome for me.
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Joan - I've emailed you back!
I can't bear grizzly murders. That is why I can't read any more of the Stuart MacBride books, which are widely admired and are all set in Aberdeen, so I am very familiar with the locations - there is just too much violence. I like mysteries that are more like crossword puzzles - Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, etc. Can just about cope with Donna Leon because the settings are so wonderful.
Rosemary
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Rosemary - That is so sweet of you to send that jigsaw to JoanK. You are a very kind and generous woman.. I just bought another McBride for $7.99, reduced from $32.99. I liked the first one of his I read. Not too grisly for my taste, but may be for some.
Chocolate - If I ate chocolate every day I would look like a balloon!!!! I have a very slow metabolism, darn it. And I can't exercise or walk too far because of my ankle. Rocky Road is my downfall - I cross myself when I see it in the shops. I turn my face away and pray ;) I guess it is also a matter of quality over quantity. White wine is my poison. Love the bubbles, too.
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I keep chocolate drops in the freezer. Since they are frozen, I can't eat them quickly. I put one in my mouth, and let it melt slowly, and that's my chocolate fix for the day. I can make one last twenty minutes.
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Steph, your Friends of the Library ought to change their meeting time if it conflicts month after month with the opera programs. It's not fair to the members, and besides, they should support library programming, not conflict with it.
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Still, despite the conflict, I do think Steph's library is fantastic - I have never heard of any Scottish library doing half as much as hers does, though Edinburgh is definitely better than Aberdeen was. They always cry "no money", but, as is always the same with our local authorities, they do not want any public involvement (despite all David Cameron's waffle about "the big society" - by which he means, of course, please do it yourselves and save us some ££). I would be very happy to be involved with a Friends of the Library group if such a thing existed. Maybe I should write to the council and suggest it, although our councils are not known for replying to correspondence.
I just noticed yesterday that the big Christian Aid book sale will start in one of our local churches on 14th May - hooray! Though if we don't find a house soon, I will be banned from buying anything - this flat is bursting at the seams.
Roshanarose - my son absolutely loves the MacBride books, but even my husband found them too gory :)
As for chocolate - I limit myself to 4 squares of Lidl wholenut after dinner (I do not eat pudding), but I feel quite deprived if we haven't got any - JoanK, your idea is brilliant!
Rosemary
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I don't have a yen for sweet things and rarely buy sweet treats but will eat a little if it's put in front of me. I do love chocolate - so long as it is dark, dark - but only buy that occasionally. I'll probably be given some on Sunday, Mother's Day.
My food downfall is cheese - any cheese...
Roshanarose: Have you tried chair aerobics - they helped me when I couldn't move much due to a herniated disc - they give you a good workout without loadbearing on your joints and certainly gets the blood circulating - might help those cold legs you have.. There are plenty of DVDs around so you get a visual of what to do -how fast and for how long... or you could try a class - I really recommend it so do try it if you can.
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Thanks Gum for the tip about "chair aerobics". It sounds like a good plan.
JoanK - Your rather elegant consumption of chocolate also sounds like a good plan :)
My leg warmers from Bloch arrived on Tuesday. They are so lovely. Not at all like the rather bulky woollen ones I wore in the '80s. These new one are delicately ribbed, very light, very warm and made of a cashmere / wool mix. I should look rather fetching as I go to the Supermarket wearing my Uggs, daggy jeans and leg warmers. Huh!!!
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Those leg warmers sound lovely Roshanarose. I've never owned a pair of uggboots - how un-Aussie is that?
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ahem.. Friends of the Library have met at the same time each month for many years.. The opera at the library is new.. Run by a professor, who is the lecturer every month and tells you all sorts of things you dont need to know. She is a difficult woman to put it mildly. I listen to the Met when they do their series on Sundays.. But after one instance, wont go back to the Opera series.. She has moved it forward in the day to 2:00.. which helps. Stars are hard to deal with when they have decided they are stars indeed.
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Oh, MARYPAGE, what a find! I immediately added it to my favorites also. I
can't wait to get in there and see how it works.
Oh,yes, GUM, how could I forget cheese! I cook with it, snack on it, and
consider that it goes with/on most anything!
It occurs to me that I've never owned a pair of boots. How very un-Texan
of me! I recall a neighbor who couldn't wear anything else. He had bad feet
and boots were the only footwear he found comfortable.
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Just what i needed, MaryPage. Another addiction. But what fun, and yes, it's in my Favorites.
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I haven't posted in a while--so busy. My number finally came up at the library on the latest in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series The Big Tent Wedding. I enjoyed it as usual.
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Addiction is right. I've got the jigsaws bookmarked and am busily going through the choices. I like how you can set the puzzle piece size, set to rotate or not, and can add a background color.
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"I do not eat pudding"
I think "pudding means something different in English and American English. Here it's specific to certain kinds of dessert (rice pudding types). In England, does it just mean the last sweeeet course of the meal?
Can't wait to check out the jigsaw puzzles.
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JoanK - as with everything in the UK, "pudding" is a class-ridden term - I was brought up to call any sweet dish after the main course "pudding", whether it was a hot dish like a pie, crumble, charlotte or rice pudding, or a cold one like ice cream, blancmange (yuk), stewed fruit, etc. In my youth, smart people would have called it "dessert", but now, as the fashions change, "pudding" seems to be the favoured term - there is a lot of pretend "return to the nursery" language in vogue with the young and aspirational. I think many cook books use "pudding" for hot dishes and "dessert" for cold, but my mother would certainly still refer to them all as "pudding".
One thing that we would never ever have called it is "sweet" - I think for my parents it was simply a word that never entered their heads, but for many people that would be a marker of someone trying to be "posh" and failing miserably. I seem to remember that Alison Steadman used it mercilessly in the brilliant "Abigail's Party". For us, sweet refers only to confectionary, as in "sweet shop", "bag of sweets", etc - a sort of generic term for toffees, boiled sweets, mints, even chocolate.
I must find a copy of Nancy Mitford's U & Non-U and see what she has to say about it all.
See how fraught simple conversation can be over here!
Rosemary
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Rosemary, I've always wanted to know what is a "boiled sweet"? Clarify for me please.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
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Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Three mysteries arrived in the mail, yesterday. The author for all three is Dianne Day. I have just begun the first one, called "The Strange Files of Freemont Jones". I would love to sit down and read all three this weekend. However, my son, who lives in Ohio, arrives Saturday night. He wants to be here for some business about my dad's will, and an appointment I have with my attorney on Wednesday, for estate planning. He planned his trip to include both Monther's Day, and my birthday on Wednesday. I am getting excited!
Sheila
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Carolyn, I'm sorry I haven't gotten back to you with an answer to your question until now. I don't have a favorite source for ebooks. I have used the ebook store and the ereader store that is a click away on my Sony, but I really bought it so I could download books from my library. They are free, but I can only keep them for 2 weeks.
I did see a report that kindle will allow library downloads later this year. I guess they got the message.
MaryH
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I just want to encourage each of you to do what yoou enjoy right now because in a moment of time you could be taken from this earth. I almost was gone in an instant as I sat herer in my ling room with a horrendous Tornado swirling all around me. I live in Alabama were we have had the most horrible destruction..It has left me very dazed and quiet....I was without electricity for 24 hrs..But I was luckymany towns were wiped out completely...Really tragic...I am going to shut up about it now.. I am sure that if you wanto hear about you can research it on your own.JoanG...
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I'm glad to hear that you're okay, Joan. It was a terrible thing - and continues to be.
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The moment I heard about Alabama, I thought about you, Joan; so am most appreciative of your checking in here.
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Ah! American/English and Australian English all differ on the subject of sweets. In Australia there may also be a variation among states for certain words. For example, when I first moved from New South Wales to Queensland there were a few terms that confused me. My children, and I (blushing) loved "cocktail frankfurts". In Queensland they call them "cheerios". Also there may be small pronunciation differences, e.g. in New South Wales we say "castle" as in carstle, in Queensland they say cassel.
Gum - Ugg boots are so ugly but so warm. I would never wear a pair to the supermarket, Gum. I have three pairs of Uggs. The other day I bought a long black pair of Ugg boots for nightime wear - no, seriously, I did!! I did have a pair of lovely brown leather cowboy boots when I was younger, but now I can't wear anything with a heel. So flats are my fate. Fortunately they are fashionable. Uggs will never go out of fashion. Long live Uggs!!!
Link so you can see what Ugg boots look like. Don't you want a pair now? :o PS the Uggs I own cost no more than $15 at Target. There is no way I would pay more than that for them.
www.uggys.com.au
Rosemary - I have always called it dessert. I have heard people up here say would you like sweets rather than dessert, but it is quite rare to hear it.. I have heard pudding used as a general term for dessert, but not often.
Joan Grimes - At times like those you have just experienced, one is definitely reminded of one's mortality. It can be a very unpleasant feeling. Humans are so helpless in the face of such power. I hope you are recovering and best wishes.
MaryH - thanks for getting back to me. I use my library too. It is excellent, but with a long waiting list for best sellers.
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JoanG , I'm so glad to hear that you are okay. I've seen videos of the destruction. Just awful.
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Joan Grimes So good to see you here safe and well. Your advice about living every moment of every day is well taken. One just never knows what's around the corner.
Roshanarose: I've nothing a'gin the Ugg boot. For me they are just too warm for comfort. I can't even wear fleecy lined slippers and don't own a pair of real socks. I just wear ankle or knee high stockings to have something between my skin and the shoe. It's the 'chair aerobics' I mentioned yesterday that gets my blood circulating and keeps me so warm. If you give it a try you won't be sorry - just warm ;D
I agree there are lots of differences in terms used between the Australian states - take NSW 'port' for WA 'suitcase' or 'togs' 'cossies' and 'bathers' for swimsuit. The pronunciation differs too - try saying 'balloon' the way they do in Victoria - bal-looo-un - well that's the closest I can get to that one! We could write a book - someone probably has!
Pudding, Dessert, Sweets: My mother and grandmother always called it pudding no matter what it was. I tend to call hot dishes - rice custard, steamed puddings, pies, crumbles etc - 'pudding' and the cold ones - fruit, jellies, pavlova, roulades etc - 'dessert'. I never call either 'sweets' which as everyone knows are lollies and chocs.
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Joan - I am so glad that you are safe, what a horrible experience. I hope you didn't have too much damage to your house either, and that there are people there to help you sort it out.
Tomereader: a boiled sweet is a hard round translucent sweet that you suck, eg sherbet lemons. They are made from sugar and flavouring I suppose, and I do have an old cookery book that tells you how to make them yourself - which involves a sugar thermometer, etc - but I can't imagine that anyone does.
http://www.partydelights.co.uk/sweets/boiled_sweets/?pmo=sweets&mo=sweets&gclid=CPmg0rGk1agCFdFX4QodjjsJ_w
Roshanarose - over here Ugg Boots are very expensive and something of a fashion status symbol. Needless to say, neither I nr my daughters have the real thing, but there are lots of rip-off versions. My old neighbour, who was extremely label conscious, bought real Ugg boots, at the price of £150, for her 10 year old, which for me was an act of complete madness, but I'm sure she would see me as a total skinflint (correct ;D)
Rosemary
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It's good of your son to be there to assist you with the legal and business
meetings, SHEILA. I am not too confident in those areas, myself, and find
support most welcome.
So good to hear from you, JOAN. Several people expressed concern when we
didn't hear from you for a while. I can well imagine how shaken you must have
been and I'm very glad you were not injured.
I like the uggs, ROSHANA. They look way too warm for the Texas Gulf Coast,
but I'd definitely want a pair in a cooler climate.
Here, pudding is that soft creamy stuff you eat with a spoon, period. You
can get it in vanilla, chocolate, butterscotch, lemon, tapioca and rice. It,
and all other after dinner sweet treats are 'dessert'. Eaten at any other time, they are
snacks. So, now that's settled. 8)
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I just want to encourage each of you to do what yoou enjoy right now because in a moment of time you could be taken from this earth.
Well said, JoanG. We're all very grateful you're still here with us.
Rosemary, I find the differences in UK and US English absolutely fascinating. Thanks so much for explaining all about the puddings, sweets, etc. I can just imagine the facial expressions here, if after eating something like pecan or key lime pie, some said, "best pudding I ever ate."
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Today, I received a new mystery in the mail. It is the first, in a series. I did not order it. There was no bill inside. Hmmmm
The title is: A Clubbable Woman", by Reginald Hill. The book came from Thrift Books. Are any of you familiar with that place?
BABI, my son just called from the local airport, to let me know he is in Sacramento. Some friends are picking him up. They are loaning him one of their cars. So, he will spend this afternoon and evening with them. He will come to my house, bright and early, tomorrow. I am feeling excited!
JOANG, it is good to hear from you. I am so glad that you are OK. That experience must have been terribly frightening for you. You are very correct in saying that we just never know, when our time has come.
Sheila
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I am familiar with ThriftBooks, and buy stuff from them all the time. Very inexpensive! Someone is giving you a secret Mother's Day Gift.
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I order used books from Amazon. Some of them are from Thrift Books. Someone must have mailed you one.
Sally
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Rosemary - To me it is highly amusing that Ugg boots are a status symbol in the UK. I would never wear my Uggs to the shops for the opposite reason. There is not a lot of snobbery around where I live, but wearing Uggs outside the house is definitely a no-no.
The same used to apply to thongs. No, ladies not the underwear. In summer EVERYONE wears them, including me. The rubber thongs called "Havaianas" sp. are the status symbol among thongs here. Yes. I do have a pair, not for status, but because they are the most comfortable thongs I have ever worn. I think you call them flip-flops in the US. Maybe it is too cold to wear them in the UK. Those poor little toesies might turn blue and fall off :o
Key Lime Pie - mmmmm I have always wanted to try that.
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I never wear boots, so don't have a clue as to which are Uggs. Love the name, though!
We here in the States began to wear flip flops after World War II. They came to us from occupying Japan, where we copied the Japanese footwear called zori.
I never wear them, either. Do not own a pair. Have known of too many accidents as a result of wearing them. Am in need of having my feet covered fully at all times: no open toed footwear or open heeled, even in slippers. Something in my psyche demands my feet be protected from insects, snakes, water and other liquids, pebbles, sand, dirt, grass and cold. Also need them ready to get me away from a scene as quickly as needed.
Since a doctor (an orthopedic surgeon) lectured me way back in 1987, have not worn a pair of heels; I can still see him showing me how they throw women's postures out and do a job of work on the spine. Decided I was not going to suffer in my old age, and have never regretted that decision. Went home and threw out all my high heels that very day! Now I wonder what is to become of my granddaughters generation in THEIR old age!
Sheila, I have nothing to do with your getting that Reginald Hill book, and would not have known where to send it in any case, but he is one of my very top favorite mystery writers and ever so clever. Hope you enjoy and get addicted to Dalziel and Pascoe. I believe there are now 24 or 25 books!
I dislike Key Lime pie (and key limes), but it was my darling husband's favorite, and I was always happy to see him enjoy it.
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I love Key Lime Pie.
I don't know if I could stand wearing high heels any more. I've been wearing flats for so long. I do know two people who couldn't wear flats, had to wear heels, abet the low ones. One of them definitely had a shortened Achilles tendon which made walking in flat shoes painful.
I've started reading Paul Sussman's The Secret of the Last Temple. So far so good, but I am not too far into it yet. I like his Det. Insp. Yusef Ezz el-Din Khalifa of Luxor, Egypt. He is something of an expert in antiquities, having taken classes at university to become an archaeologist before he had to give it up because of family obligations. Sussman's first book, The Lost Army of the Cambyses, was a good story, but I got impatient with the heroine who seemed to be thinking with other parts of her anatomy than her brain, I didn't care for the amount of swearing and drinking considering the setting is a Muslim country, and even though it is a reality, the anti-semitism (the characters, not the author's). This second book starts out with the conflict between the Romans and the Jews and then switches to the modern day conflicts. Only one swear word so far. Sussman, BTW, is a trained archaeologist.
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I've started reading mysteries located in NJ or Pa., just to narrow my choices among the thousands at the library.
My first one is pretty good, Backstage Murder by Shelly Freydant. A "retired" dancer returns to the theater as a rehearsal director. If you have been a dancer or in theater, you would probably enjoy it, or even,if not. I was lost a few times at the terminology, but generally could figure out what it was. Altho the protagonist lives in NJ, most of the action has taken place at a theater in Conn, not that it matters, i like the characters and the story. I'm almost finished and haven't figured out who is the murderer.
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MARYPAGE, thanks for your comments about my new, Thrift Books selection. I am looking forward to getting into it. However, I just began "The Strange Files of Fremont Jones". I must finish it, before I read the Thrift Book selection.
Sheila
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Jean/Mabel - that is a really good idea; I tend to go off all over the place with my choices. I am reading my first Louise Penney at the moment and enjoying all the details about Quebec, so maybe I should stick to Canada for a while. However, having just visited the Rosslyn Chapel area yesterday, I am also drawn back to Ian Rankin, as the chapel featured in one of his Rebus books. The "Stop, You're Killing Me" website is a great help in finding what you want - thanks to whoever recommended it - was it Tomereader? I've passed it on to my mother, who also likes it.
Rosemary
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Probably was me, RosemaryKaye! Love that SYKM! Haveyou also visited FantasticFiction.com?
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MaryPage - Just for you :)
Another link to Ugg boots. These cost too much. As I said earlier I buy mine at Target for $15.00.
www.fluffyfootwear.com.au
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Thanks! They look very comfy.
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Also need them ready to get me away from a scene as quickly as needed.
AHA! Fleeing the scene of the crime, are you, MARYPAGE? BUSTED!! :D
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ALWAYS looking for the way out, wherever I go.
Don't know why I am programmed that way, but 'tis true!
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JOANG: I'm SOOOO happy to hear from you. We were all worried when you "disappeared". Thank God you're all right.
I was off being feted for Mothers Day -- wonderful time, but glad to be back to my fellow crime-lovers.
SHEILA: I had just ordered the same book from Amazon. Enjoy. If it's a gift book, there may be a note on the wrapping paper.
Glad to get "pudding" straightened out. Class is subtle in Britain, isn't it? Here in the US, we tend to pretend that class differences don't exist (although they do).
Wish UGGs had been around when I lived back east. Always had trouble getting boots that had a good enough "tread" on them to be safe on icey sidewalks. Here in California, I don't really need boots.
Reading another Sansom mystery about a hunchbacked lawyer in Henry the Eight's time "Heartstone". I like the series, but I wish I'd bought this one on my kindle -- it's over 600 pages and weighs a ton. I can't get comfortable with it.
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Oh yes, I do not understand the term " Boiled Sweet".. Is it like Taffy???
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Steph, what is taffy? Is it what we call toffee? (ie brown chewy sweet). If so, no that is not a boiled sweet. A boiled sweet is a hard, clear-ish sweet - if you bite it it cracks/shatters. Do you get "travel sweets" in a small round tin? If so (and if they are the same as ours) those are a small version of the boiled sweet, although the travel ones are usually packaged in icing sugar, which the "normal" ones aren't. When I was a child, you bought boiled sweets (by their individual names, eg sherbet lemons) by the quarter and they were measured out from the big glass jars kept on shelves behind the counter. Nowadays they are mostly sold in packets, although a few of those old fashioned sweet shops are coming back (though sadly not with the old fashioned prices).
Rosemary
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Ah hah! Are boiled sweets like our lemon drops? Maybe like our "Life Savors"..... I always imagined boiled sweets as a kind of pudding boiled in cheese cloth.
Sally
When I was in London and ordered lemonade; I was surprised to be served what I call 7-up or sprite. What is the difference between lemon squash and lemonade?? I know "crisps" are our potato chips and "chips" are our french fries. Interesting..
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Boiled Sweets - we call them Boiled Lollies. They were very popular when I was a child. Lollies of any kind were few and far between during my childhood so this talk about them brings back memories of my aunt who lived in the outback and who always brought a one pound bag full of boiled lollies with her every time she came to stay with us - As I grew older I discovered that she stopped to buy them on the way from the railway station to our house. Spoiled the magic a little as I had imagined she carried them all the way from her home on a far away cattle station. But it didn't spoil the feast! They come in a variety of flavours and kinds. Most popular were the Humbugs - mint, aniseed, peppermint, spearmint flavoured and one we called the Bullseye. We even had a eucalyptus and honey flavoured humbug.
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Ah hah... No Taffy is soft and chewy. Comes in all sorts of flav ors and is popular at the beach. Many candy shops used to always have all sorts of taffy.. Lemon drops, Humbugs.. what we call hard candy is the closest.
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When we were in Australia 25 years ago, I couldn't get iced tea so I ordered iced coffee. What a surprise that was. I can't remember what all went into it but I do remember ice cream and cocoa powder. Yummy.
MaryH
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Maeve - Mary H? Yes, iced coffee is still our No 1 summer drink and yummy it is. Iced tea doesn't stand a chance here though in the past few years it has made some headway - they sell it bottled but can't say I've ever tried it. I have hot tea made properly in a teapot with fresh tea leaves. Call me old-fashioned if you will :D
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Salan - I think you are thinking of something like a jam roly poly, which is a sort of suet pudding rolled up in a muslin cloth and steamed. I don't think anyone makes those at home any more, although puddings have suddenly become fashionable and are being sold in upmarket retro restaurants.
As for lemonade - yes, that is tricky! In supermarkets and most restaurants, if you ask for lemonade you will get something akin to Sprite or 7-Up (yuk). My mother used to make real lemonade, a still (ie not fizzy) drink made with lemons and sugar, and you do very occasionally get that in cafes. Squash - which is more often orange or blackcurrant (eg Ribena), although you can now get some rather superior ones like Rock's in all sorts of flavours, including some very good elderflower ones -although these would call themselves cordials - is a concentrated drink that has to be diluted with tap water, or with fizzy water if you wish. At least that's how it is in England. In Scotland, just to complicate matters, they tend to call all soft drinks "juice" - this really threw me when I first arrived here, as to me, "juice" means pure orange/apple/etc juice, not something full of extra sugar or sweeteners. In Aberdeen in particular, you will often hear people telling their children to "drink your juice" - when the child has been provided with a bottle of some disgusting neon coloured fizz.
Gumtree - yes humbugs are definitely a form of boiled sweet, I would say. Steph - your hard candy must be the US equivalent. Isn't it funny how certain things in our childhoods have a certain kind of cache? When I was very young, our neighbour's husband worked at Harrods (which was much more exclusive than it is now). He used to bring us bags of "misshape" sweets from their confectionery dept, and I used to think these were the last word in sophistication - I also imagined that he must be the managing director at least. He was in fact one of the store porters, a very kind and generous man. His daughter, the exotically named Coral, married an American and went to live in California - even more exotic! Then she had a son called TJ or something - my goodness how dull our lives seemed compared to theirs.
I also had a whole collection of hardback Enid Blyton books that were handed down from my mother's friend's daughter Sally. To me, Sally was amazingly grown up and exciting (she was probably then all of 12 as she is about 6 years older than me), which made those books very precious.
Iced coffee unfortunately sounds ten times more fattening than iced tea. The only kind of iced tea we get is Liptons, which, as I think I have already said, is probably nothing like the real thing.
Rosemary
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And to further confuse you, Rosemary, in the South there is iced tea and sweet tea. Iced tea is brewed tea mixed with how-many-ever parts water (thinned to your taste I guess) Sweet tea is iced tea strongly laced with sugar! REally too sweet for my taste, plain, but I like it with a lemon slice squeezed in. Then don't forget "sun tea" which is brewed by putting the tea bags in a large, glass (usually gallon) container, fill with water and brew in the sun on the windowsill or back porch. All get the same result, but people's preferences are what they are!
I would think "boiled sweets" would be kind of like the little butterscotch rounds, or peppermints, lemon drops, in essence "hard candies" over here.
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Isn't that amazing. All these different names, but as kids, we all yearned for the same sweet things. What is it with kids and sweet treats, anyway?
ROSEMARY: " His daughter, the exotically named Coral, married an American and went to live in California - even more exotic!"
As an American who lives in California, I can tell you there's nothing exotic about it. Just a lot of people and a lot of traffic. C'mon over and see for yourself. I've got a comfy couch.
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I finished the Sansom mystery (Heartstone). Good story, and he provides a good "feel" for the time, but his editors really should have made him shorten it!
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I guess I am puzzled. In the US, Iced coffe is just regular coffee with ice cubes and generally milk and sugar.. Is it something else overseas?? I know that in Holland, I saw Iced Tea on the menu andwhen it came, it was fizzy..What a surprise.
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Iced Coffee where I come from rates high as extremely sinful to the weight watcher, e.g. me.
The best iced coffee includes a dash of the iced coffee mix at the bottom of the parfait glass. Full cream milk is added and then ice cream and pure cream on top laced with cocoa or chocolate. Sometimes even a stick of chocolate is introduced to the mix for the fortunate consumer. On a hot day one can see many "fortunate consumers" delighting in this concoction. There is only one problem - it doesn't last long enough... One may see other consumers looking longingly at one's iced coffee, and, then, suddenly there is a veritable epidemic of this divine milky treat. Mmmmmm. Fortunately the shops are now closed for the day...
In Greece they pride themselves on their frappes. A cunning mix of humble Nescafe and ice, all mixed at high speed with the lightest and most delicate coffee froth mixed throughout. You have to be there...
Quite recently I have discovered a Lemonade sold in Coles. It is the "real thing", ie lemon juice, pure water and cane sugar. It is nothing short of gorgeous. Very astringent, but so refreshing..
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Considering how kids burn up energy, JOAN, I can see how they might need the
fast energy of sweets. And considering how sensitive their palates still are,
I can also understand why they hate some of the stronger flavored veggies.
See, another mystery solved. :)
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Roshanarose: Yep! - that's iced coffee!
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Rosemary, do you still get Horlick's for Malted Milks? When I was growing up in Racine, Wisconsin, home of the Horlicks, you could order a milk shake or a malted milk. Both had ice cream, as I recall, but the malteds had Horlicks powdered malt. And we loved the malted milk tablets -- they came in a little glass bottle and we ate them like candy. Did they move the whole outfit to the UK?
When I went away to college in Ohio, the milk shakes didn't have ice cream. You had to order a frappe.
Gum, I'm with you. Not an ice tea fan, but I do like hot tea, although I doubt I prepare it properly.
My f2f group discussed Sophie Hannah's The Wrong Mother last week. The consensus of the group was that there was just too much going on, too many conflicts, too convoluted. Apparently it is part of a series, though I think few of us will attempt any more of her titles.
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Thats ice coffee?? Hmm. Here that is a frappe.. or fribble ( in Friendlies) Amazing..
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Have always loved malted milk shakes and malt balls. Malt was very big when I was young, and it was actually considered good for you.
We used to have "Dusty" sundaes. That was vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup with malt dusted (heavily, in my case) over the top. Um, yum, good!
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Wendy's chocolate milk shakes are something like the old malted milks. I don't think I've seen one of them since WW II.
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For you malt lovers who have an HEB chain, their Creamy Creations puts out
a chocolate swirl malt crunch ice cream. So-o-o-o good!
I'm just starting Josephine Tey's "The Franchise Affiar". This one I don't
recall reading before. My favorite of hers is still "Brat Farrar".
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I loved Tey's Franchise Affair, Babi. And I have her Brat Farrar on my TBR list.
I was reading for another group Louise Penny's Still Life, the first of her Three Pines mysteries. Was really disappointed after others had liked it so well, but I dropped it after 99 pages because I found it so boring, and couldn't see hanging in there for another 200 pages. She introduces too many characters, many of which IMO were not interesting (hard to tell one from another) and should not have been included in the story.
Marj
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Marjifay - I have also just finished Still Life. I did enjoy it, but I know exactly what you mean. In particular, I found some of the female characters hard to differentiate, although maybe they become clearer in her subsequent novels? I also found Clara distinctly weird. What I enjoyed was the portrayal of small town Quebecois life, the details of the houses, the food. etc. I did like Gamache, the detective, but I found some of his sidekicks poorly defined and confusing. I thought the gay couple who ran the bistro were well written, and also the deceased labrador dog, who with a droop of her tail spoke volumes about loss.
I am going to read the second novel as I do think some writers improve as they go along. Even my favourite Alexander McCall Smith did not, IMO, do too well with his first novel set in London rather than Edinburgh, but the sequel was much better, as if he had finally got into his tread.
Rosemary
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You really must read the first one of Penney's, because some of the characters re-appear in subsequent novels. It was only slow-going to me because of the French words/phrases (sparse though they may be). Yes, Rosemary, Clara is distinctly weird!
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Re Penny's Still Life: Glad I'm not the only one, Rosemary, who had some problems with this book. I think it needed a good editing. Couldn't see what that new police girl, Nichol, added to the story. And I thought the bringing in of (all? that was not clear) of the townspeople to the church was something a real policeman would not do -- asking the perhaps accidental killer to own up to doing it. If I were the killer, accidental or not, I'd not have shown up. And all that boring explanation of bows and arrows... Oh well, I guess enough people liked the book because she was published again. I'm not going to read any more, tho'.
Marj
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"See, another mystery solved." Isn't it amazing what we learn on Seniornet.
I went off my low-fat diet with a bang after dinner yesterday: the toll: one cookie, three big chocolates, and a big piece of Tiremesu. The more treats I ate, the more I wanted. Ah, well -- back to the sensible diet today. Sufficient unto the day is the fat thereof.
Started "the Lincoln Lawyer" as a sample on my kindle, but I don't think I'll buy it. The contrast between my conception of a Lincoln lawyer (Abraham Lincoln, that is) and the sleazebucket in the book is too great (not that old Abe didn't pull a few tricks of his own).
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Am reading my first Sigrid book of Margaret Maron's. I like it almost as much as the "judge" stories. We're off to the beach for 8 days and it looks like we choose the wrong week. This week is beautiful, next week it looks like we'll have a stalled rain over us w/ a poosibility of scattered showers most days. SO, i went to the library and got about 8 cozy mysteries - altho one is a Scottoline- is she considered a cozy? I don't know. Mystery books in the rain - sounds like a book title, doesn't it? In any case i will enjoy! ....... Jean
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Have a lovely time Jean! Sometimes I think it's quite cosy to be tucked up indoors with a good book whilst the rain pours down outside. We have quite a bit of experience of this in the Lake District ;D.
It's been raining here in Edinburgh today, but this evening there is again a clear view over to the hills of Fife.
Rosemary
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Scottoline: Not "cozy".
Lincoln Lawyer: translates into "he operates his lawfirm out of the back seat of his Lincoln automobile". In no way refers to Abe.
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JoanK - I fear that we may have led you off the path of righteousness, ie your diet, with all our talk of iced coffees, frappes and malted drinks. ::)
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I really liked Michael Connelly's Micky Haller (Lincoln lawyer) series. The last thing I'd call him would be a "sleezebucket." LOL. "Interesting" would be the adjective I'd use.
But my favorite Michael Connelly series is the one with Harry Bosch, my favorite fictional detective. The first in the series is BLACK ECHO, which won the Edgar award for best first novel.
Marj
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The thing about Louise Penney is that she is setting the scene in the first novel. The characters will all be around for each book.. Sooo. it is a bit confusing, but as you read the series, the answers will be amazing.. Each person introduced has a distinct and different part to add..
I love Harry Bosch, but hated the Lincoln Lawyer.. Mick..
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Just realised I meant to say the "deceased's dog" NOT "the deceased dog" who would, of course, have had a bit of a problem in doing anything with her tail.
Also I should have said "into his stride" rather than "into his tread" - I knew it was wrong when I typed it but I was not having a good day yesterday!
Rosemary
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Rosemary: ' into his tread' - and there I was thinking you were treating us to a piece of quaint Scottish vernacular. :D
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For you are just starting Louise Penny's books, the characters reappear in subsequent novels. The rather unpleasant Nichol will be seen again, unimproved. She is, in a way, one of Inspectator Gamache's projects. And yes, Clara is distinctly weird but lovable. I saw a play once in which a similar woman constantly repeated to herself: "I am lovable and capable". I sometimes do that myself.
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I like Clara, but Ruth.. hmm, no not really. It is an art to be that unpleasant, but a lot of her is explained in the books as we go.
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ROSE: "JoanK - I fear that we may have led you off the path of righteousness, ie your diet, with all our talk of iced coffees, frappes and malted drinks."
I would love to be able to blame you all, but unfortunately when I look into the mirror I know who's to blame. Oh well, another day, another set of fat grams!
Culded up inside in the rain with a good mystery! Sounds great! I get the curling and the mysteries, but here in Southern California rarely the rain. Wouldn't have believed how much I miss it. I dream of rain sometimes. You probably think I'm crazy.
Is Edinburgh as much fun as in the Alexander McCall Smith books? he makes you want to pack your bags and go.
Read the latest Anne Perry Christmas mytery, this one featuring Henry Rathbone as the detective. OK, but not much to it. But at the library, I got the latest Albert mysdtery (Morning Gloria) and a tiny mystery by Laura Lippman (something about a green raincoat). Got nine books to read in 14 days -- do you think I'll make it?
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A rather rude young library page once asked me if I was going to read all the books I checked out. I replied that I would look at all of them and read the ones I chose. I was a little miffed with her. Loud mouthed little brat!
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Someone here STEPH maybe ? mentioned Dianne Day's Fremont Jones books and I've read the first one and enjoyed it I was going to order the next one on Kindle and it isn't on Kindle so I'm wondering if it willl really be so bad if I skip it and go to the third one??
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Yes, I love Dianne Day and Fremont, you could probably skip around with her. The books are out of print, so I bought them used here and there, so I read them out of order..
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Ursamajor said, "A rather rude young library page once asked me if I was going to read all the books I checked out. I replied that I would look at all of them and read the ones I chose. I was a little miffed with her. Loud mouthed little brat!"
How many books were you checking out at one time? LOL She was probably just curious.
I just looked, and I have 23 checked out with 9 on hold. I do the same as you do -- some I just look at to see whether I want to read. Had bad luck yesterday, started two that I could not finish as they were so boring.
I sometimes check out (usually nonfiction, many pagers) books to see whether I want to buy them.
Marj
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Steph, the Fremont Jones series sound good. I put the first one -- The Strange Files of Fremont Jones -- on hold at the library. (They are on sale, new and used, at Amazon.)
Marj
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Steph
Thanks for answering. I got the third one on Kindle.
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Wouldn't it be simpler to just sit down for a few minutes and scan a
book to see it you want to read it? Lugging all those books home seems like
a thankless chore, when you may not want to read them.
I am more likely to have trouble finding two or three books that I'm in the mood to
read. Some days, I can't find the books I was hoping for and nothing really seems to catch my interest. Then, I have to take some on 'spec'.
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I generally have 10 or 12 books checked out at a time, 3 or 4 of them taken out at one time - does that make sense? I may go to the library the first week of the monthand then again in a week or two and take out 3 or 4 each time. I read the blurps for each one, but would not sit to read them at the library to determine if i want to take it. It may take me 100 pages to figure out if i'm going to read to the end. ..... Jean
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My paperback swap club has so many titles, so I trade for most of my books. I also haunt used book stores, Amazon for both new and used and cannot resist sales at B and N..Sigh.. Also friends of the library book sale yielded all sorts of books and authors I did not know. Way too many books and no will power.
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I may well be missing some good ones with my method, JEAN, but I usually
read a paragraph here and there and if I don't care for the writing, I pass.
I can do that without even sitting down. ;D
I've gotten good books from the swap club, STEPH, but I need to 'bulk up' my
bookshelf. The old ones still on there aren't moving, and I've used up my current
credits.
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Well I finished the first Fremont Jones book and have just started the third one. I wish I could have gotten the second one on Kindle but I couldn't. I am so glad to be back to reading on the Kindle and no longer have to struggle with the paperbacks.
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I usually need to read at least a chapter to decide if I want to read the whole book. I also check out books for my husband, who reads quite different things, mostly biography and non-fiction. I think I had about 9 books the day I had the interaction with the page. My current library has a limit of 6, but all the people who work there know I will bring the books back so they don't give me a hard time. For a while I was also using the Knoxville Library, but gas has gotten so expensive I have almost stopped using it. I frequently buy books with the purpose of giving them to my local library. Funding for it has been cut so drastically that they are buying many fewer books. I try to give my purchases to them while they are still current.
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I'm reading Dorothy Sayers' HAVE HIS CARCASE. I adore Lord Peter. In this book Harriet Vane, a successful mystery writer, while walking along a lonely beach, finds the body of a young man with his throat cut. I love it when Lord Peter ends many of his conversations with Harriet, almost as asides, saying "Oh, by the way, will you marry me?" And she answers "No! Of course not!" (They do get married, however, in a later book)
Marj
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I love Dorothy L Sayers. For me, Lord Peter Wimsey will always be Ian Carmichael, who played him for so long on TV in my childhood.
Rosemary
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I once went to a wedding where a bridesmaid, chosen to read a passage, read a passage from Sayers where Lord Peter describes his love for Harriet. Just finished a mystery that was supposed to be an imitation of Sayers (But wasn't anything like, except that one of the detectives was what used to be called a "man abouit town." "Spider on the Stairs" by Cassandra Chan. I'd give it a medium.
JERIRON: I had the same experience with the fremont Jones books. Strange that they skipped one. The third one is waiting for me after I finish my library books.
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I love Dorothy L Sayers. For me, Lord Peter Wimsey will always be Ian Carmichael, who played him for so long on TV in my childhood.
Rosemary
Yes, Rosemary, Carmichael is great. I own the DVDs of The Nine Tailors, which is particularly good. IMHO Have His Carcase is not one of Sayers' best, but still has points of interest. Carmichael's Five Red Herrings is also very good. The plot is very funny, with a number of temperamental artists as suspects. Unfortunately, it also involves very elaborate timetables, and who could have been where when. When faced with this, my mind turns to a grey mush. Fortunately, the book is still good even if you don't keep the timing straight.
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I love Sir Peter. Have read all of her books including the few short stories..I like quite a few British authors.. Minette Walters is awesome to me..I liked Ann Purser, but she is getting in a rut and needs to branch out a bit.
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JoanK
Re the Fremont Jones books: Being as I skipped the second book and although she explains things that happened in the second book (earthquake) the Michael Archer character has changed his personality from the first book so It's taking awhile to get used to.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
My favorite Dorothy Sayers Lord Peter book is MURDER MUST ADVERTISE. They will be discussing that book in the Yahoo Lord Peter group in June.
Marj
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Can someone please tell me the name of the second book, in the Freemont Jones series? I have just begun readng the first one.
Thanks, Sheila
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Sheila
It's FOG AND FIRE.
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Sheila, if you want to find out the chronological order of a series of books, you can visit the website of Fantastic Fiction. Just list the author and it brings up all the author's books in the order they were written.
Another great site, StopYoureKillingMe.com, lists mystery books by author, character, area, etc.
Marj
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I have gotten interested in polygamy and just got three books from Amazon.. Interesting topic and quite different in this first one than the nonsense on TV..
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Steph, participating in??? :o or just reading about?
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JERIRON and MARJ, thank you for your help. I just signed up for the book lists. I anticipate a lot of fun, exploring these stes.
Sheila
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Naughty girl maryz. :D
I think polyandry is much more interesting, although my personal feelings about having more than one husband will not be shared here. ::)
"According to inscriptions describing the reforms of the Sumerian king Urukagina of Lagash (ca. 2300 BC), he is said to have abolished the former custom of polyandry in his country, on pain of the woman taking multiple husbands being stoned with rocks upon which her crime is written.[1]" From Wikipedia.
Evidently, according to Wiki anyway, the Masai have a form of polyandry.
However, fraternal polyandry is the most common form and still exists today in Nepal and Tibet, although the Chinese have tried to abolish it.
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Very funny. I dont think I would have been good at sharing a husband.. I just started watching Big Love and the other polygamy show on tv that is supposed to be real and wondered a bit about how common it is and how the women may really feel. There are a lot of books out there, but many of them are fiction and very very dramatic for one reason or another. But there are a few written that seem to be more balanced.. I love to explore different parts of life through books and that is my topic at least for now..
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I wonder why polygamy has popped up as something to be talked about recently?
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Probably the end of the series on TV, Big Love.
I read a really fine book dealing with polygamy many, many years ago. And of course, there is no way my brain's disc drive has recorded the title or author. I do seem to remember (maybe, perhaps) the author's first name was Charles??? Maybe not. Oh, I hate getting old, or mostly just forgetting stuff.
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My favorite Dorothy Sayers Harriet Vane story was Gaudy Night. Now that is one I have read more than once!
And I will rush to buy the latest Minette Walters every single time a new one comes out. She is five stars in My book!
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Actually I would probably not buy or read a book on polygamy written by a man. The one I am reading is by Ruth Allred Solomon. This is a famous family involved in polygamy. She seems to portray both the good and bad and the reasons that they got involved in the first. place. I still think that Joseph Smith was simply a greedy old man who decided he wanted younger and younger wives.. So he made his religon be the reason. Sad, but true.
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Me too, and all, Steph.
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MaryPage said, "My favorite Dorothy Sayers Harriet Vane story was Gaudy Night. Now that is one I have read more than once!"
Thanks, Mary. Gaudy Night is sitting on my book shelf, and it's the only one I haven't yet read.
Marj
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I have read and reread Dorothy Sayers many times. Lord Peter is an amazing character and Harriet is way too funny in her own way.. A nice reread author indeed.
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With all this praise of Lord Peter, I suppose I will have to go re-examine that
character. It's been a long time since I read a book featuring him, and my '
impression was that he left very little impression at all. Yawn. But perhaps
I just wasn't paying attention. I'll give him another try.
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I haven't read any Sayers for years, and never read them all. Maybe it's time for me, too.
Trying to finish my library books. read one by Jane Haddam. well written and interesting. Not sure why I don't like her more than I do.
And a light cozy, "Koala of death" by Betty Webb. Picked it up couse I assumed it was Australian. but no, the detective is a zookeeper on the California coast. Lots of amusing information about zoos and animals (though maybe they poop on someone once too often). And the koala saves the day! I've got the first of the series, Anteater of Death, on my kindle.
The same author (Betty Webb) has another series with many more books. Do any of you know it?
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Hmm, Betty Webb sounds familiar, but not quite sure why. My new bedbook is really funny.. A true ( sort of) story about a man who decided that he wanted to try agility in the dog world. He got a rescue Sheltie , who was complicated and homely and now he is trying to figure out how to motivate the Sheltie, who is truly funny.. I needed something to make me laugh and this is doing the trick.
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Just ordered the first Lord Peter book on my Kindle (.99)--it's been years since I read Sayers.
Sally
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For anyone wanting to read Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter series with a group, the Yahoo Lord Peter discussion group is reading them all (June will be Murder Must Advertise, one of her best, IMO). This is a very interesting bunch of readers, several of whom are from England and are able to explain for American readers what may be puzzling bits of some of the stories.
Marj
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A whole group on nothing but Lord Peter.. How neat.. She loved to overcomplicate her books by using latin for the good stuff. But then Sayers considered the Lord Peter books as just some fluff. It was her religion books that she felt were important.
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I did not know about Dorothy Sayers' religious books, Steph. You'd never know from her Lord Peter books, not that they are anti-religious, just that I don't think she reveals that part of herself in them. (Or maybe she did and I didn't notice.) I see she was one of the first women to receive a degree from Oxford. I'll have to read a biography of her.
Marj
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And don't forget she also translated Dante's Inferno!
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And don't forget she also translated Dante's Inferno!
Yes, Joan, I saw that somewhere. Sayers was an interesting woman.
Marj
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You have convinced me to try Dorothy Sayers. I just ordered the first Lord Peter book.
Sheila
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Sayers if one of those authors you need to keep going for a while. She is hard to get into, but once Lord Peter exerts his charm, you will be hooked.
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There is a great article about Agatha Christie in the latest SMITHSONIAN magazine.
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Interesting article, MaryPage. What a beautiful vacation home she had.
Marj
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I'm reading a Henning Mankell stand alone (not Wallender). "The Man from Beijing". The beginning is very good. But when it gets to china, it reads like a parody of the old cold war sinister-Russian stories. I'll let you know when I finish it.
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JoanK, I have Mankell's The Return of the Dancing Master in my TBR pile. I had started it months ago, but wasn't in the mood for it. It also is not a Wallander, but was reading a lot like it. Actually, I thought I was picking up a book set in Africa, but I guess not unless it moves there somewhere after the first chapter.
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PIcked up a short story mix of
Vampires and Birthdays book on the remainder pile a few weeks ago.. Love to have some short stories on hand occasionally.
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Just started a Daniel Silva book, one of the Gabriel Allon series. I've read one
of those before and found it interesting. I like the idea of a top-notch art
restorer who is also an agent for the Israelis. I mean, who would think...?
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FRY: The Man from Beijing has scenes in Africa, too.
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MDH loved Daniel Silva books. I guess I did not realize he was still writing.
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I can't say for certain, STEPH. I don't know the publication date on the book
I'm reading. It should be easy enough to find out, tho'.
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Its on my computer list, but the trial is riveting me.. Oh me.. I have never ever watched this much tv in my life. It is only a half day today and then two days off, thank heavens.
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The library had a new book by Cottrell about the state coroner of Laos (Dr. Siri) I like those books, and there are a number that I haven't read. have to catch up.
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JoanK, which book? I enjoy those Cottrell books also. I've only read two, but each really kept my interest.
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It would be fascinating to watch a trial in real time. Here in Australia, we have closed courts, no TV, not even photos are allowed once the trial / case is in progress. This applies to every case. TV journalists are required to wait like hungry wolves outside the court house, usually on the steps, and even then it is strictly "no comment".
The only way to visit a court room is while court is not in session, or if you are on jury duty. Very different legal system. I think UK is the forerunner of our system.
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| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Everyone - I am so jazzed that so many are getting back into Dorothy L Sayers. She has been an obsession of
mine ever since I attended a non-speaking retreat where we listened to her "The Man Born to be King" and then
had non-speaking meals for three days. Since then, I have read everything I could find by or about her and have
gotten Audiotapes, books, DVDs and any other form I could find. She has made a real progression from
writing just to live, as her character, Harriet, did, to doing the most marvelous mystery-romances with Harriet
and Peter....and then going to the WWII era Christian-oriented writings, to the heavy task of translating Dante
Algheri's work, as was mentioned in the last few posts. I am delighted that there will be a Lord Peter discussion
- I can't wait!!
isak
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I gather that we vary from state to state on televising the court room. But it is fascinating to watch an entire trial thus far.. But oh me, the sidebars are more than the testimony.. And the judge turns down the defense attorney on sidebars about half the time. Baez seem to be deliberating slowing the trial down. No idea why.. I suspect he thinks he is good at cross exam, but I dont find him effective at all.
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nlhome: it's "Love Songs from a Shallow Grave" by Colin Cotterill. Very depressing, though. It's the 7th in the series of 8, and there are about 4 I haven't read.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/colin-cotterill/ (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/colin-cotterill/)
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Thanks, Joan, I'll have to request that when I'm in the mood for depressing....
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A Lord Peter discussion. How wonderful. I read somewhere that Sayers considered Harriet as her alterego..
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Can someone please supply a link for the Yahoo Lord Peter discussion?
Many thanks
isak
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I did a search on Yahoo and came up with two books clubs for Dorothy Sayers. One is a general DS book group and the other looks like it concentrates on food and wine mentioned in the Lord Peter Whimsey series. Neither one looks like they are very active. Is there another one Marjifay?
http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=Book+club+dorothy+sayers&sort=relevance
I started Douglas Preston's, Tyrannosaur Canyon but got impatient with it. It is just not grabbing me. In fact, it was starting to annoy me. I'll try it again another time to see if I get the same reaction.
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Hi, isak. Somehow, I missed your earlier post. A non-speaking retreat to read Sayers?? I've been to silent religious retreats, but nothing like that! tell us more.
I'm reading Victoria thompson "Murder on Lexican Avenue". This one revisits the question of whether speaking/lipreading or signing is a better route for deaf people to follow (she's for signing).
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I do wish I was a better lip reader.. In the Casey Anthony trial on Saturday, she spoke and cried when her Mother was testifying ( actually at the beginning of a recess) and I got, the But shes my mother from her mouth, but not the rest.. \
I do like Victoria Thompson.. She makes you believe in that world.
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I'm almost finished with the Daniel Silva book. As usual, he has written a tightly
woven story, though alternating between the two protagonists. No one
dimensional characters in Silva's books.
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My book for the car just now is one of the Spellman series by Lisa Lutz.. Not quite sure how it fits.. It is about a family of Private investigators, but there is no real mystery involved.. Just very funny.. and written from one persons standpoint..
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Just browsing in the new stuff at the library I picked up Lea Wait's Shadows of a Down East Summer, her latest of the Antique Print mystery series, which I'm enjoying so far. She's a new author for me -- never heard of her. I'm going to recommend it to my f2f group today as many of them are really into Antiques, flea markets, selling and reselling, etc.
I also brought home a new John le Carre, Our Kind of Traitor, which is a jump around, flash-backy, kind of weird spy story. Not sure I'm going to stick with this one.
Has anyone heard of Mortal Shield by Thomas Taylor? My f2f group will be reading it sometime during the coming year -- a novel about a security person for the governor. It's been published by our local university press here.
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I read one of the Antique Print mysteries.. Not that interested.. The stories of the dealers is fun though.
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I had Pete Hamill's Tabloid City on hold at the library and just picked it up yesterday. Have never read any Hamill before, but do enjoy mysteries with a modern New York setting.
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Read a good first detective story set in ancient Athens :"The Pericles Commission" by Gary Corby. the detective is Socrates' older brother. Socrates (aged 12 at the time of the book) keeps saying "I've been thinking..." and older brother keeps saying "Try not to think so much. It'll get you into trouble."
In addition to being funny, the book has a good plot, some real detecting, and all sorts of interesting tidbits about Athens at that period. (I now feel like I've been in the "stoa" and "agora" that are always showing up in crosswords, and have more of a feel for how hard it was for Athens to become the first real democracy). I'll definitely read more by him as they come out.
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Just started a mystery that has promise. "Hollywood Bust" by Margit Liesche. It caught my eye bcs the protagonist is a woman pilot who is in the WASP's, women who piloted supplies and flew planes for target practice for the guy pilots during WWII. Her "boss", Jackie Cochran, (the real organizer and supervisor of the real WASPs) sends the protagonist to Hollywood to find out who is sabatoging a film abt the WASPs.
I've been interested in the WASPs ever since i learned abt them in the 70's when they attempted to get acknowledged as military personnel and therefore vets benefits and pensions. They were given status, i believe in the 90's, let me check on that. PBS did an interesting documentary on them.
I'll let you know if it is as good as it seems at the moment.......Jean
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No, i was wrong, the WASPs were recognized in 1977. Jimmy Carter signed the law.
Their story is here
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/waspwwiiaviation/a/wasp.htm
Jean
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that does sound promising. Kindle doesn't have it (sigh)
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JoanK - that Athenian book sounds really good, I am going to see if the library has it.
Just finished "Let It Bleed" by Ian Rankin - another of his Inspector Rebus books set in edinburgh. As usual I enjoyed the setting more than the plot - I find he has too many poorly differentiated characters - I keep thinking "who?" - but he is immensely popular, so I think it must just be me..... ::)
Rosemary
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There is a wonderful statue of the women in the military close to the Viet Nam memorial on the green in Washington. I loved it.. Shows the compassion that women share.
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rosemary: (Rankin)" is immensely popular, so I think it must just be me..... "
Not just you. I feel the same way about the two Rankins I've read.
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My real life trial and mystery is still compelling to me. Yesterday I learned a lot of science.. And really admired a woman CSI who stood her ground and carefully explained over and over her conclusions.. Caseys attorney is an idiot. He should have let a more careful lawyer cross for him..The woman he hired is supposed to be an expert.
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Looks like some good mysteries on Masterpeice Theatre starting this month.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/schedule/index.html
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I'm curious, Steph. What trial is keeping you so enthralled? Where did the crime happen?
(I'm assuming there was an alleged crime)
I heard that some women were taking their vacations just so they could attend some trial, in Florida I think.
Marj
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Read another nice period mystery: "Her Highness' First Murder" by Peg Herring. The detectives are Queen Elizabeth I at the age of 13 and a fictional 15 year old boy who helps her.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/peg-herring/ (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/peg-herring/)
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marj, this is the trial that Steph is talking about. It's been in the national news, too.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43312815/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/
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On my journey to read mysteries that are set in NJ or Penna, i found a new author i like..... Shelly Freydont. In the two that i've read, the protagonist, Lindy Higgins, is a rehearsal director for a modern dance troupe. Bothstories wereentertaining. The second one the troupe was on a cruise ship as the entertainment, along w/ a ballet troupe and an opera company. If you have ever had dance lessons and or been in a dance group, i think you would like her stories. There's a lot of explanation about what they are doing dance-wise. I have never had dance lessons, but i still enjoyed the books.
I also finished a Lisa Scottoline book, Devil's Corner. It was not one about the women's law firm, this lead character is a prosecutor. I didn't like it as much as the law firm stories.
I just started Harriet and Isabella, by Patricia O'Brien, a story about those two Beecher sisters. There's no mystery yet, except that Isabella has been ostracized from the family and we don't know why. Her brother, the infamous Henry, is on his deathbed and she's going to try to see him. Has anybody read any of O'Brien's books?
So many books, so little time!!! Jean
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I just saw this on my computer -- "Lillian Jackson Braun dies at 97"
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2015253614_apusobitbraun.html
MaryH
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Yes, saw on my IPAD yesterday in the Times, the Lillian Jackson Braun died.. I was never a fan of the cat series..
Yes, Marjifay.. It is the Casey Anthony trial. I live in Clermont, Fl. , very close to Orlando and the disappearance of the child and the lies being told by her Mother caught my attention back in 2008.. They found the childs body in December of that year.. Her actual death is proven, but as to why,, no.. The trial is something of a three ring circus, but quite interesting. I have never watched a real trial before and am enjoying how they actually do it.
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Wow, a Scotteline I haven't read. Found it "like new" on Amazon for under $3 plus shipping. And found a Freydont dance mystery on Kindle cheap (Midsummer Murder") . I love mysteries that tell me something about something I know nothing about. She also has series of sudoku murders (?!?).
I go to the library later today, and won't let myself buy books the week after I go to the library, so I'm loading up.
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Thanks for the trial info, MaryZ. I haven't paid any attention to trials since the O.J. Simpson one here in Los Angeles.
Marj
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That WAS a downer, wasn't it.
Here is a book about it: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/96789.Outrage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2MGbPYOxL0
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I am positive that as we speak, there are dozens of people writing their version of Casey Anthony, what happened and how it happened. It is a natural for the true crime market..As a matter of fact, I am convinced this her attorney is writing as we go,, being sure he portrays himself as wise and wonderful.. He is not doing a good job, but the smirks tell me he thinks he is just too clever for words.
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Yes, MaryPage, the O.J. Simpson trial was a real downer, at least the verdict was, for me anyway. Am glad O.J. is safely tucked away in prison for awhile. I guess when he got away with the murders, he thought he could get away with anything. Surprise, O.J.
My son was impressed by the Bugliosi book, and passed it on to me. Haven't read it yet, like so many other books I have waiting to be read. I see Bugliosi has a new book out, about religion of all things -- The Divinity of Doubt; The God Question.
Marj
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Which I am reading and which is WONderful!
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I hav e the most recent Louise Penny and really want to start it.. Got sidetracked with my bed book.. Shanghai Girls.. Very interesting.. Tells me a lot about how the early Chinese in California were treated and why..
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Steph, I am way behind you but I have just found the second one in the library and like you, can't wait to start, but am half way through Catriona McPherson's "Bury Her Deep", which is really good, and have umpteen other books in my TBR pile - isn't it wonderful, though, to have all that anticipation?
Rosemary
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I finally found the channel that is carrying the Casey Anthony trial. I started watching t yesterday but they stopped because she was feeling ill. Hopefully feeling ill with be the least of her problems.
This is one person that should have had an abortion. It would have saved the child from all the pain she has had in her short life.
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Well so much for that idea. I thought it would be on CNN/HLN all day but it isn't.
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I think it is being carried by the network that does nothing but trials.. But our local stations are carrying it.. Try.. WESH.com or weshtv.com Maybe google can do more thatn I can. I watch it on my Bright House local channel. I will have to really get this in order before I leave for NC the last of June.. The trial should still be going on and like everybody else, I am dying to see if she decided to go on the stand. I think they would be foolish, but there is no way to get out her story of accidental drowning.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Steph
I found that Trutv is carrying the trial. I used tobe Courttv. and HLN is too but not all day. I think it's in the afternoon and on Sat. Morning. So I did get to watch it yesterday.
I have a few questions for you. Were they both living with her parents?
So if the defense says it was an accidental drowning then they are also saying she faked the dealth by putting tape on her mouth and burying her in the woods. I guess trying to make it look like a kidnapping (the nannie)Right? And as of yesterday the ME said it was a homicide but didn't know the cause of dealth although it appeared to be the tape that caused it.
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STEPH, can't you record the trial if it's still going on when you leave? Then you can catch up
when you return.
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I am not following this trial, but am aware of it a little bit from what is being said in here and from tidbits on the national evening news.
One thing I wonder about, and perhaps you know the answer. There appear to be an awful lot of really professional looking photographs and movies of this 2 year old. Amazing to me, as I never had that many of any of my children, each of whom was once two years old. I would have loved to have had such pictures, but never had the money to spend in that way or the time or talent to devote to such a hobby. Is there a photographer in the family? Does this family have money? The child appears to have had an awful lot of really nice "stuff," as well.
My once upon a time two year olds are now 64, 62, 59, 58, 57, 55, 53 and 47. I have a few snapshots of each and a fair collection of pretty dreadful school photos. Believe you me, they made do with an awful lot less "stuff," and what they had was not as decorative.
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Now a days parents spend a lot of time taking pictures of their kids You can take pictures and videos fom your cell phone. I didn't think it was more then usual. same for toys,cloths etc.
My kids at that age didn't have nearly as much as the kids do now.
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Then, too, doesn't the first baby get a lot more of all that from the parents, grandparents,etc.
After a couple more, the novelty wears off a bit. ::)
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Yes that's true Babi, although as for photos, I took far more of my son than of my daughters, because by the time they were born my husband had got a digital camera and I don't understand how to work it, or how to get the photos onto and off the computer. I can almost feel the tears in my eyes as I type this because I feel so disenfranchised by all of this stuff - it's not that he's not willing to show me, but i somehow never get it, so all the photos are now done by him (and more latterly also by elder daughter, who is gadget mad), and he is hardly ever home, so we do not have the spontaneous snaps that I used to get when I was here with the baby.
I think what I should really do is buy my own point and shoot camera and get my son to show me how to do the rest - in fact that is my plan! Otherwise if I ever have any grandchildren I still won't be able to photograph them ???
It's the same with recording from the TV - when we just had a video recorder I recorded Postman Pat, etc for my son every morning - but since the advent of DVDs I have failed so many time to record something that I have given up. However, my in-laws say that the new hard drive recorder (I think that's it) that we gave them for their anniversary makes it all as simple as anything, so maybe that's what I need.
As for stuff - well it's true that my second daughter did not have any new clothes till she was at least 10 - she actually loved having her sister's hand-me-downs.
Rosemary
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Rosemarykaye, there are a lot of digital point and shoot cameras that are really easy to use. You could schedule a once-a-month downloading.
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ROSEMARY: I bet it isn't your fault you didn't get it. There isn't one out of ten people who know how to teach to use an electronic device. When one of my computer geek relatives offers to teach me something, I say in effect "only if we do it MY way. I do it, you tell me what to do, and I stop and write down every step. Otherwise, it's a complete waste of time." Drives them nuts, but it works (about half the time).
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This morning's paper had an obituary of Lilian Jackson Braun (Bettinger), the author of the "The Cat Who...." series. She was 97. The story says that after she published the first 3, well-liked, books, she stopped for 20 years because the publishers wanted her to put in sex and violence, and she wasn't having any part of that. Good thing she reconsidered and wrote the rest of the 29 books.
The Fantastic Fiction website is on the ball; they already have her death (it was June 4th).
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Thanks Joan and Pat! Moral support always welcome! One of my friends has recently bought herself a "simple" (but certainly not cheap :o) camera, I think I will ask her what it is and how she is getting on with it. Great idea to schedule a regular downloading. And yes, I so agree about people telling you how to do something - my daughter whizzes through it all so fast that I haven't even worked out where the mouse is on the screen before she's saying "and that's it" ???
Rosemary
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I have a small point and shoot and love it. It fits in my pocketbook and even in a pocket.. The battery is piggy, so it is wise to remember to release the battery when you are not using it, but otherwise, it is so very simple to use.
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Thankfully, ROSEMARY, we have ATT U-verse, which means I can pick an upcoming show, push
the little red button that says "Record", and tra-la! It's done. We can go in to our
recordings any time we like, chose one and command "Play"! Some things, thank Heaven,
modern technology makes easy for us non-tech types.
JOANK makes a good point. I recall my older daughter once had a math teacher, brilliant
fellow, but not good at all as a teacher. Sally and a couple of other bright students adopted
a pattern of taking turns asking him pertinent questions. By the time he had answered all
their questions, the rest of the class had a grasp on the subject.
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Many good and bright humans are terrible teachers. I know I had professors that were supposed to be brilliant, but they simply did not communicate well at all..Sad.
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Has anyone read any good mysteries lately?
I'm reading the latest Matt Scudder mystery, A DROP OF THE HARD STUFF, by Lawrence Block. I'd forgotten what a great writer he is since reading his EIGHT MILLION WAYS TO DIE a few years ago.
Marj
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Just finished "Bury Her Deep" by Catriona MacPherson. The heroine is Dandy Gilver, wife of a landowner in 1940s Perthshire. Her sons are at boarding school, she has time on her hands, and she has started a sideline as an amateur detective.
The first book, After The Armistice Ball, presumably explains how she has fallen into this "job" and how she has acquired her rather lovely sidekick, Alec, so I am going to read that next. This book does, however, stand on its own, and I enjoyed it. The action takes place in Fife, which in those days was a very inward-looking, backward sort of place - this is a farming community in which everyone is related to everyone else, and superstition and prejudice abound. Dandy is a great character, very sensible, a bit scatty, and with an articulate line in irony that I found very appealing. The details of local ways are excellent, and really bring the setting to life. The book is funny but also interesting, touching as it does on the issue of women's independence in a society where they were largely expected to stay at home and be satisfied with the domestic round. I did want to know what was going to happen next.
The only slight problem I had with it was that the plot, especially towards the end of the book, was a tad confusing, with several strands all seeming to get a bit tangled up. However, this may well be me with my usual inability to work these things out. It didn't much spoil my enjoyment of the story, and I am looking forward to reading more.
Rosemary
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Will look for Catriona MacPherson. Never heard of her..She may not distribute in the US.. Who knows. Nook free book of the week is Robert Crais.. The Watchman.Wow..
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ROSEMARY, I do enjoy "an articulate line in irony". I'm going to check
and see if my library has any of Catriona MacPherson books.
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Read my first Mrs Polifax, "The Elusive Mrs Polifax", last night - literally last night. Had a terrible night of not sleeping, so contiued reading each time i woke up. It was fun, fast and entertaining. ..... Jean
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Oh, I do so love Mrs. Pollifax!
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My swap club has lots of McPherson, all on people wish list, so I assume there are not many circulating..
Finished Shanghai Girls last night. Did not like the ending at all.
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ROSEMARY: thanks for the excellant description of McPherson's book. really gave me a sense of it. They have one on McPherson on Kindle --"An Unsuitable Day for a Murder". Love that title, play on "An Unsuitable Job for a Woman" by P.D. James. I'll get a sample.
Is there any difference between names with Mac and with Mc. or is it just like any spelling difference?
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I was told decades ago that Mc is Irish and Mac is Scottish.........i have no idea if that is correct.....:)....... Jean
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It IS correct, Jean.
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Yep it is!
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Victoria Thompson has a new book out in her Victorian mystery series,
set in New York. "Murder on Lexington Avenue". I'm hoping to pick it
up at my library this morning.
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I've read it, and it's quite nice.
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I really do like Victoria Thompson.. She makes me believe I am back there in NYC with her. An interesting writer. I am finishing up the latest Louise Penny.. I think I have maybe 20 pages left and the whole thing makes no sense. I am disappointed in this one.
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Babi
the newest Victoria Thompson book just came out (Murder on Sisters Row) I'm almost done with it. I'm enjoying it. It does annoy me that the Kindle version of a lot of new books have gone up to $11.99.
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Thanks, JERIRON. I didn't know there was yet another Victoria Thompson out. I just read about "Murder on Lexington Avenue" in a very recent magazine.
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I am currently reading (just about finished) "Scattered Graves" by Beverly Connor. This series is about Diane Fallon, Forensic Investigator.
Sort of like the series "Bones" on TV. This is my third one. I had read her before, and forgot about the series, and just happened to pick this one up at the library. I would start at the first book in the series, so you know the "politics" and characters involved in the stories. Connor also writes the Lindsay Chamberlain, Archaeology mysteries. I've only read one of those so far. Fallon books are light and easy-reading, and while you do have murders and such, its passive violence. Also, no bad language and gratuitous sex scenes.
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Took some books to the used book store and used some of my credits on two more Steve Berry - The Romanov Prophecy and The Emperor's Tomb. Berry has an exclusive ebook short story out too. Most places seem to list the 31 page story for $.99. I have to double check my TBR pile to see if I have his Venetian Betrayal. Other than that all I need to get yet is The Paris Vendetta and I will be caught up with his books.
I don't think these books are exactly mysteries. What would you call them? Adventure, suspense, just plain fiction?
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I just finished a new author - to me at least- and it was a good read. Maris Soule, the title of this book is The Crows. She is a college prof who began by writing romance, but moved on to mystery. In this book an accountant who has just moved into the family homestead by herself, thinks it is the perfect place to work on her clients tax files. While walking in the woods behind her house w/ her Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy, she hears shots and returns to the house to find a dying man on her kitchen floor.
The writing is sharp and clear, the suspense continues thru the book. I liked the lead character, she and the other characters seemed real to me, altho the others characters are not flushed out much, just enough to justify them to the story. She throws in a little of her " romance" genre, but it's not much and not too contrived. I felt the author had to contrive the story a bit to get it to get to the importance of the title, but that was o.k., i enjoyed it. Was having a bad sleep night, so i read it in one night, which is unusual for me.
Have started a Lea Wait book "Shadows at the Fair", one of the "antique dealers" stories. This is my first of her books. I think someone here had mentioned her. I think it's going to be fun.
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A newer new Victoria Thompson? That's good news!
So many good suggestions, here. FRY: what is the period/background of the Steve Berry books? The titles are interesting. I'll have to check out Conner. I'm addicted to "Bones" (for once, the TV series is better than the books, but the graphic scenes really get to me. Especially when it comes on at dinnertime).
And accountants and antique dealers. Two more chances to learn about something I knew nothing about. (Probably past time to learn about doing the accounts.
I was disappointed by last weeks crop of library books. So I've been reading "the Anteater of Death" by Betty Webb about the zookeeper who keeeps on finding bodies. I enjoyed "The Koala of Death" so much, I've been hiding "Anteater" on my kindle, waiting for a rainy day. Not as good, but still just what I need.
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JoanK, the setting of the Berry books is modern day, but they revolve around lost real or thought to be real artifacts/antiquities. The name sometimes tells you what it is they are looking for as in The Amber Room, the famous amber wall panels from the Hermitage(?) which disappeared during WWII, and The Templar Legacy which is about the supposed Templar hoard that the King of France wanted to get his hands on but was never found. I don't yet know what they are looking for in The Romanov Prophecy, or in The Venetian Betrayal, (which it turns out I do have), in The Paris Vendetta(don't have yet), or in The Emperor's Tomb (looks like oriental type Emperor venue). The ebook short story revolves around a female character introduced in The Templar Legacy who I really liked.
In The Amber Room, heroine and hero were lawyers (one or both, I forget) from the US. The hero of The Templar Legacy and The Alexandria Link is an ex-pat American who owns a bookstore in Denmark (or Sweden, again fuzzy brain).
If you get around to reading The Templar Legacy go to http://www.renneslechateau.com/default-uk.htm where you can see pix of the actual site and a bio of the historical people that populated it. The French have turned it into quite a tourist attraction.
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I haven't read any Steve Berry, FRYBABE, but the titles sound interesting. 'Prophecy' always sounds intriguing. "The Crows" sounds good, too, JEAN. Like I needed two more authors! Well, actually, maybe I do. I'm having a hard time lately finding something that interests me. Two new possibilities are very welcome just now.
Just read your second post, and I remember "The Amber Room" now. As I recall, I wasn't too taken with it, but I'll try one of his other books.
JOANK, I'm so glad to find someone else who thinks the TV 'Bones' is better than the books. I read two of the books, and didn't find the heroine there nearly as interesting.
I've often thought that these characters who keep 'finding bodies' are bound to be 'persons of interest' with the police. Highly suspicious! 8)
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The Amber Room was my least favorite also, Babi. I loved The Templar Legacy though.
Let me know how how you like the Lee Wait book, Jean. I used to love watching the old Lovejoy TV series, so I am interested in finding out if it is anything like that.
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I have read one or two Steve Berry.. not bad actually when I am in the mood for that sort of mystery..
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I just finished The Troubled Man by Henning Mankell.
I wish I remembered more of world history during the 60's and 70's, but I was caught up in the Vietnam controversy, didn't pay enough attention to the rest. If I had time, I would do some more reading, but so many books, so little time, so much other stuff to do.
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I got a Mankill book, but it is in my bookbag for my months stay in the mountains. Books are packed, IPAD loaded.. now to think about what else I need.... Oh, the dogs stuff is packed as well. YOu can tell order of importance in my household.
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I'm into my first Tarquin Hall book, "The Case of the Missing Servant". I'm enjoying it, tho'
actually I'm finding the background on India more fascinating that the mystery. I wish I knew
precisely the time period of the setting. Modern, obviously, but contemporary?? There are,
for instance, all those clerks using typewriters. Are barbers still setting up shop under a shady
tree in the big city? ???
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leaders: BillH (Leyube@aol.com) and JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I think I have read all of Steve Berry's series with Cotton Malone. Some of his books are stand alone, I think the Amber Room was one of those. There is a lot of history and myth in these books. How much is true is for you to figure out. I'm finishing up his latest one, The Jefferson Key. I'm not sure any of it is true and I don't like it as well as his other books. Don't know why. Maybe I'm just getting tired of this series.
MaryH
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BABI: good point about Tarquin Hall " Modern, obviously, but contemporary?? " I just assumed that it was --didn't catch the typewriters. Boy, that seems like the dark ages now. I liked the book, and it's sequel "The Case of The Man Who Died Laughing" --although the plot of the latter is quite a stretch.
Read another Parnell Hall (no relation, I'm sure) "The Ken Ken murders". It didn't hold my interest somehow. Maybe if I did the Ken Ken (sort of sudoku wit arithmatic added) I would have liked it better. It did have Manny's crossword puzzles in it.
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I am reading an Ariana Franklin that is something of a mystery. It also has Anna Anderson( Anastasia)
Berlin between the two world wars and all sorts of russian emigrees.. Whew..Good book.
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JOANK, I've really enjoyed the Tarquin Hall book, though I was mildly frustrated by all the
references to previous cases with intriguing titles. All non-existent, of course, since "The Case
of the Missing Servant" is the first of the Puri Vishti books. Really naughty of Mr. Hall to do that.
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Wanting a complete no thinker, I dug in my TBR box and got out an Ed McBain..Nothing like the police station and their routine to soothe the soul.
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I just got Camilla Lackberg's latest, THE PREACHER. Looking forward to it as soon as I finish tossing off several of those frothy Aunt Dimitys. Nancy Atherton is just the light weight fun for these hot sleepy afternoons.
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The Victoria Thompson is easy reading, too. Something is always happening, so it's easy to keep on reading. And so I don't suffer any twinges of guilt, I always learn something about old New York in her books.
Did you know that at one time the NYPD actively recruited big men
from Ireland to come over and be policemen? Six footers and broad in
the beam. They came to be referred to as the 'whales'. They may not
necessarily have been great fighters, but most criminals did not care to
find out first hand. Their daunting presence did help to curb crime.
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Oh Babi, the mental picture of the Whales is really funny.. Such strange facts we discover in our beloved books.
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Not exactly a mystery, but I'm reading a non-fiction book that no one but me and a bunch of computer nerds could possibly be interested in. Called The Lure, it's the story of the capture and trial of two Russian computer hackers. The trial part contains long descriptions (including computer code) of exactly how they did what they did. most of the programs they used are listed as widely available on the internet or using widely known holes in operating systems. I hope since it came out, someone has fixed thing so the methods described here wont work. Whatever little confidence I had in the security of the web is gone.
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My problem is that I dont quite understand the hackers.. Why oh why should you ruin someone elses work. The thieves for identity is one thing. They are just crooks and should go to jail.But the deliberate hack to ruin.. They are corrupt.. And they seem to feel that they should punish all who do not agree with them. Wrong.
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Now that you ask that question, STEPH, it occurs to me that it could
be anger and vengeance. How many computer genius types have been
put down as 'nerds' and 'geeks', scorned by the athletic types, ignored
by the good-looking girls? The hacks know they are way smarter than
those humiliating them, ...and they definitely know how to get even. I
think they just get to a point where they not longer draw the line and
enjoy proving their 'superiority' to everyone.
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Babi - good point, the good looking girls (and boys) at school have so much to answer for - and of course they get away with it right through life.
My younger daughter has just learned which registration class she will be in next year. She is very pleased about it, and said that as well as the girls that she had asked to be with (there are only about 5 per class, + tons of boys), she is with the "geeky" boys, whom she likes much better because she can talk to them. I wish I had had her sense when I was wasting my time swooning over the "hot" boys!
Rosemary
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The latest issue of Time Magazine (The Constitution is on the cover) has a very interesting article about Hackers, and about how little we are protected from them.
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For a mystery centered around a French bookstore that stocks only 'Good Books' you will enjoy figuring out who is the behind the culprits of an auto accident that lands a published author in the hospital, abducts into the forest another well respected author, a known alcholic who they force on him a bottle of liquer so that he ends up in a hospital and a couple of brutes stalk a third author causing him during his daily walk to lay on the trail of the side of a mountain and the next day to run home with the brutes taunting him. After the bookstore opens there are more outrageous attacks -
While reading this book we are treated as the author writes many memorable quotes about reading - one gem after the other - The story centers on the opening of a bookstore and we are privy to all the decisions made by those creating a start-up business in Paris.
Won't your join us - July 1, when Mercie and I start the discussion of "The Novel Bookstore" by Laurence Cossé
Not sure I know how to do this but here is the URL for the pre-discussion -
http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=2267.0
We found so many bits and pieces in French sites about this book I am excited - The English reviews seem to have only copied from each other and missed so much that Laurence Cossé brings to our attention in one of the two videos that will be linked to the discussion where an interpreter sits by her side while our author explains her intent - this will be an adventure reading a literary style we have seldom explored. Come on over and enjoy the adventure.
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I recently saw some old Ed McBain's and picked them up at a book sale. They are strictly procedurals, but nice and mindless to use as a quick book.. Finished the latest paperback of Evanovich.. Sizzling sixteen.. She is losing her touch or getting bored..Too much Lula and not enough others.
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Good for your daughter, ROSEMARY!
I am currently reading another of the Thursday Next series, titled "One
of our Thurdays is Missing". I love the play on words and the fun Fforde
pokes at our literary pretensions. BookWorld, for instance, has a
newspaper which reports the weekly trends in reading. "Urban Vampires
were once more heavily forcast for the week ahead, with scattered Wizards moving in from Wednesday and a high chance of Daphne
Farquitt novels near the end of the week." And, of course, there is
the fun of interpreting Ms. Malaprop in this story.
And, after you've spent July with Barb and Marcie at the Novel Bookstore,
you might like to join JoanP and I, "Dancing at the Rascal Fair" on Aug. 1.
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Another Jasper Fforde fan. I have to read Thursday Next: First Among Sequels before I read the newest. I'd like to try his nursery rhyme based novels at some point in the future.
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I have read some of the Thursday books, but not all.. I have to be in a really good mood for them. A lot of whimsy..
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And I'm reading "Sizzling Sixteen" and enjoying it a lot. I was laughing so hard this morning, my family rushed in to see what was the matter. Lucky we all have different tastes.
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To go back to the Mc or Mac, I married a Mc whose family was one of the original Scottish clans, I have never thought about it but must investigate.
Nancy
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There's a lot more to this than I thought.
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nancymc - A very small bit of research under the search heading "difference between mc and mac scot" revealed some interesting answers. Here is one:
freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mcmunn/surname.htm
Unfortunately, this link doesn't "link". It should show up in the search results page/s though.
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Oh I am now reading the second adventure of Flavia De Luce.. What a hoot.. A bloodthirsty 11 year old..Such fun.
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Reading my first Victoria Thompson book.....Lenox Hill.....thanks for the recommendation. It's quite readable and i'm enjoying the story of a mentally impaired 17 yr old who is pregnant and the mystery is how that happened since she is always w/her family. It's got me curious.
Jean
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I just finished Michael Connelly's latest legal thriller with attorney Mickey Haller, THE FIFTH WITNESS. Altho his Harry Bosch series is my favorite, this is the best of his Mickey Haller series so far, IMO, since his The Lincoln Lawyer. Takes you through the trial of a woman accused of killing the head of the loan department of the bank that has foreclosed on her house. I had a hard time putting this book down.
Marj
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marjifay - I like Michael Connelly's books too. But I particularly enjoy John Connolly's books. Check him out if and when you get time.
I am not sure if it is spelled Connelly or Connolly.
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Thanks, Roshanarose, for your recommendation of John Connolly (I checked and you're right, it's spelled with an "o."_)
I've put The Unquiet on my TBR list. Have meant to read some Connolly, but haven't gotten around to it yet.
Recently read Lawrence Block's A DROP OF THE HARD STUFFF (a Matt Scudder mystery). Block is such a great writer.
This is one of the few mysteries I'd read again, just for Block's musings about life.
Marj
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I have always like thScudder stories.. They have a certain rhythm I love.
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I've just started a Harlan Coben, "Long Lost". I've only read him once before
and though he is undoubtedly a good writer I found the other book darker than
I like. I've hesitated to try him again, but I'm liking "Long Lost" much better.
A little soon to decide...he may lead down dark paths once again. ;)
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I love, love, love Harlan Coben.
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I love both Myron and then stand alones by Coben, but the stand alones are dark indeed.
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I've only read one Coben -- a stand alone -- Hold Tight. Absolutely fascinating, much focus on teenagers and some of their not-so-savory activities. It provoked a lot of discussion in my f2f group. Has anyone read Caught -- another recent one of his, and I think also a stand alone. It sounds good.
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Reading a wonderful and different Lisa Scottoline book, Dirty Blonde. The protagonist is a newly appointed federal judge in Philadelphia, of course. It has surprising twists and turns and is compelling to read. It might be the best LS i've read.
Jean
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I love LS! She's one author I reread.
I'm reading the latest (I think) Donna Leon, "Drawing Conclusions". Good, as always. In spite of my continuing irretation at the wife, Paola, who is a professor at the university aned produces gourmet three course meals twice a day (lunch and dinner) which he doesn't even show up to eat. GRRRR. In this book, she had the NERVE to start to talk for a minute about HER work, but he sees it coming and in panic cuts her off at the pass by talking about his work. Double GRRR.
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I just received free from the publisher the latest Tess Gerritsen Rizzoli & Iles book, The Silent Girl. I love the Rizzoli & Iles series on TNT, but have never read one of the books. Since I am currently reading 3 books, I passed it on to my SIL to read first. She finished and really liked it. She will return it to me tomorrow and it will be on the top of my tbr pile. Do any of you watch the series? Have you read any of the books?
Sally
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I love the tv series and think Angie Harmon is perfect in her role, as is the Iles actress. But i've tried to read two of the books and they were just too gruesome for me. I put each down, unfinished.
Jean
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Funny.Angie Harmon and I always think of her in Law and Order. She was always so serious..
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That's a high recommendation, JEAN. I'll have to see if my library has it. And
thanks for the tip about the Rizzoli and Iles books. I really love the TV series and
would not want to spoil it with 'gruesome'.
JOAN, I remember meeting a couple once..she was an RN and he had some kind of job
involving physical labor...can't remember what. He resented the fact that she had
a better education and took no trouble to hide his resentment, even in the company
of others. I can only hope, for her sake, she eventually got out of that marriage.
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Have never read any of the books, but have loved the Rizzoli & Isles TV series when I have been able to catch it. Fact is, it has been coming on much too late for me most of the time, or has competed with something else I had to see at other times; so I have only seen a few of them. I hope for reruns.
I particularly love the fact that Isles' tortoise is named for an old childhood friend of mine. Really! By the author of the books, who knows him, and not by the actress, Sasha Alexander, who is married to one of Sophia Loren's sons.
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I'm trying to imagine what Sophia Loren's sons would look like. If they are as "hot" (in a manly way, of course) as she was, Sasha is lucky.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Angie Harmon plays Rizzoli; Sasha Alexander plays the Iles part.
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I liked Sasha Alexander when she was with NCIS, never cared much for Angie Harmon.
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JoanK - I haven't read the latest Donna Leon, but I've read all the others. I find Paolo irritating for other reasons - she's just too damned perfect! Brilliant academic, beautiful, good mother, good cook, - AND her parents are some of the richest people in Venice (handy for moving the plot along at times...). I like Brunetti, and I suppose that in Italian culture a man not being in for dinner is maybe less annoying than it is to us - in that I mean that I doubt that the women are as "liberated", although Paolo is described as such.
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Mary Page, I frequently record (DVR) programs that come on too late so I can watch whenever I want. Can you record these? They really are worth watching. Next week starts the new season. Also the new season on The Closer. They are both on TNT and come on here (TX) at 8 and 9 p.m. Finally, something for me to look forward to watching!
Sally
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Haven't gotten into Rizzoli and Ives, but I love "The Closer".
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Just finished Louise Penny's second novel, "Dead Cold" - I really enjoyed it, it was definitely better than the first (which I did enjoy, but there were some bits that dragged a little). This time I loved the more spiritual aspects, as well as all the wonderful description of the Quebec village, and especially the mountains of food and drink - I think they eat more than the Venetians in Donna Leon's books, but then, this novel is set in the Canadian midwinter - I can recall eating quite a bit in Newfoundland in December! Wouldn't it be wonderful to live in such a perfect little place (without the murders of course)? - although i must admit I am a bit stumped by most characters' lack of visible financial support. The Morrows paint - and have inherited from the last murder victim (handy!) - Gabri and Olivier run the B & B and bistro - Myrna has a book shop in a tiny, remote village, when, as we know, even the big stores can't make any money these days. Oh well, even if it's pure escapism, I love it.
Rosemary
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Was Sasha Alexander the actress who played the first female on Mark Harmons show before Cote De Pablo>
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MARYPAGE, I can highly recommend recording. It's the only way we can manage to see
all our favorites.
ROSEMARY AND JOAN, I think every woman who reads Donna Leon gets annoyed with those
gourmet meals every blessed day. No woman can do that and also care for a child and
pursue a career. One or the other,..or both..are going to suffer for it.
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Was Sasha Alexander the actress who played the first female on Mark Harmons show before Cote De Pablo>
Yes, Steph. The character's name was Kate if I remember correctly. I was really bummed when they killed her off.
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I finished Victoria Thompson' Lenox Hill, my first of hers. It was an interesting story, altho i had to suspend reality on more than one occasion. I guess that's true for many mystery stories. A teenaged girl becomes pregnant, a mystery in itself since she is almost never alone from her parents. The midwife discovers other problems related to a popular minister while trying to solve rhe first mystery.
The Lisa Scottoline, "Dirty Blond" continues to have more and more interesting twists and turns. I almost don't want it to end. The lead character continues my question "why do smart people do such dumb things?" i ask that more and more often the longer i live. We don't often find a character in fiction that embodies that characteristic, or who the reader has major ambivalent feelings about.
Jean
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Actually Sasha Alexander asked to be released from her contract.So they killed her off.. She said the works schedule was too much for her.
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You can Google Image Sasha Alexander and her Ponti brother (I mean, of course, the one she is married to), or the Ponti boys (sons of Sophia Loren). Sasha's husband extremely good looking, but nearly bald.
I do not own a recording device for television shows I miss. I get the impression I am the only person left on the planet who does not. Years back, when video tapes were all the rage, I had a video player that also recorded. I wound up with a couple of hundred tapes carefully marked on the outside as to what precious thing they recorded. Never go near the shelves that hold these! Decided it was not worth the bother and expense to continue in that useless vein, so I did not purchase DVD players that also record. If I miss it, I miss it!
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No, Mary Page. I do not record either. Just not that interested in TV
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Sasha Alexander was Kate? I never would have recognized her; totally
different look.
I've read all of The Victoria Thompson series, JEAN, and really enjoyed them.
I'm going to be at the library this morning and am hoping to find 'Dirty
Blond'.
That's the trouble with modern technology, MARYPAGE. As soon as you buy and adapt to the latest thing, something else comes along and supercedes it. Most annoying.
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I hang onto my old TV set, because it has a VCR and DVD recording systems (how out of date am I). I record and buy tapes from PBS. Just got a yoga for arthritus tape that I hope will keep me going over the Summer til my chair yoga class meets in the fall.
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I record things to watch later, but then either erase them or record over them. They were never intended to be saved.
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hmm chair yoga..Now that would help me if I could at least hold onto the chair during any one legged thing.. All of our yoga classes where I live do too much balancing and I simply cannot snce the accident.
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JoanK, my VCR is about 18 years old and still working, knock knock knock. I don't tape much, but always the Masterpiece productions on PBS. I either fall asleep during them or one of the kids calls for a long chat.
How about water yoga? You can fall and not get hurt. I practice balance in the pool.
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STEPH: the chair yoga classes are for people like you. There are only two of us in wheelchairs. Maybe it's given in your area. The PBS tape is yoga for arthritis, and all the poses are shown in three versions: standing, holding onto a chair, and seated in a chair. You can perhaps get it through your local PBS station.
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I got the tape "Yoga for the Rest of Us" sev'l years ago from PBS, maybe it's the same one you are talking about, because sev'l of the people on the program talked about having arthitis. It also gives sev'l suggestions for doing the pose and using chairs.
I'm reading Murder in the Oval Office by Elliot Roosevelt. I've read at least a dozen of these. It might be the first of the series because it's placed in 1933 when the Roosevelts first came to the White House. In the first chapter he describes the main characters - the Roosevelts and their live-in cohorts Howe and LeHand - in more detail than in any of the others i've read. My impression is that they are very real characterizations, which make them very interesting to me. Eleanor, of course, as in all the others, is a princeple in solving the murder.
Jean
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When I get home, will look up chair yoga for my area. I love yoga and gave up the classes since the one I took they would not let you use a chair.
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And, Steph, pedln mentioned water exercises. Some balance exercises are always included in the water class I take.
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I've read most of Eliot Roosevelt's books about Eleanor, and enjoyed them, as much for his portrayal of his parents as anything else. Apparently, that portrayal caused a bit of a ruckus in the family, especially the scene in one of them where Franklin is in bed with Missy Hand, and Eleanor comes in and calmly starts planning the day.
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Yes, he talks in a couple books aboutwhat the relationship might have been between FDR and Missy Lehand. He does so in this book, writing the scene of Missy in her nightgown and pegnoir, watching a movie in FDR's bed and having breakfast with him. He also mentions people who saw her in her bathing suit, sitting on FDR's lap with her arm around his shoulder on the yatch. Elliot said Eleanor understood that Missy was in love w/FDR and had no problem w/it, that Missy acting like a wife and enjoying the activities that Franklin did, allowed Eleanor to be about the activities that she wanted to do, especially her traveling.
He also comments on Eleanor and Lorena Hickoch's relationship. In this one he explicitly says they did not have an intimate relationship, but were acting as Victorian women did in professing their love in letters and in person, kissing, hugging etc.
Jean
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FYI, A new Miss Marple episode. THE PALE HORSE, will air tonight on most PBS stations (or view it online). Join our PBS Mystery discussion (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=2286.0).
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Jean, Since the relationship of Eleanor and Franklin has always interested me, I have read a lot of information on them and I do agree that Eleanor all her life had passionate relationships with women, not intimate, but bubbling,kissy, not wanting to be away from each other. Actually I can remember marveling that Franklin was the pursuer in his marriage. His mother did not want him to marry Eleanor. Eleanor herself backed away, but Franklin was determined and much in love..Always puzzled me.They were so very different from the beginning.
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RE: The Pale Horse, I watched it last night and thoroughly enjoyed. I also very much like this Miss Marple. I remember seeing others (can't remember the names), but this one is good. My husband made a very astute observation: "This is just like watching Jessica Fletcher: Murder She Wrote". I don't think I would have made that connection, but after he said it, I agreed. I both love and hate the circuitous route Marple takes to unmask the killer!
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Since I disliked Jessica Fletcher, I dont think I will try the Miss Marple. I love her inthe books, but the only movies I saw were some tremendously large woman with a huge voice.. Not my idea of Miss Marple.
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Steph - that was probably Margaret Rutherford, who was IMO dreadful. The new-ish TV adaptations with Joan Hickson and now Julia Mckenzie are so much better - Joan Hickson in particular really was Miss Marple in many people's eyes, and although Julia Mckenzie hasn't been doing it for very long, she too is pretty good.
Rosemary
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The only one I can think of, Steph, that fits that description would be Margaret Rutherford who play the first Miss Marple in films. It looks like Disney has bought some file rights and plans on casting Jennifer Garner as a young Miss Marple on the big screen. http://www.parade.com/celebrity/hollywood-wire/2011/03/29/jennifer-garner-miss-marple.html
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I like this Miss Marple, too, TOME. She does well as the quiet, observant old lady,
but well able to get about and steely on the subject of combating evil. All of which
fit Agatha's Mss Marple well. Julia MacKenzie; she also did a brilliant job on
'Cranford'.
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I missed it, and am keeping my fingers crossed that one of the PBS stations in my area will rebroadcast it.
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Steph said, "Since I disliked Jessica Fletcher, I dont think I will try the Miss Marple. I love her in the books, but the only movies I saw were some tremendously large woman with a huge voice.. Not my idea of Miss Marple."
I don't care to watch mysteries as movies -- prefer them only in books. You have to pay attention too closely with the movie or you miss something. With a book, if your mind wanders you can go back a page or two and re-read it. And also, the characters never seem to look as I pictured them from the book.
I could never finish a Jessica Fletcher film. Always got bored and turned it off.
The only TV mystery series I liked that I can remember was Hart to Hart with Stephanie Powers and Robert Wagner, and that cute little old butler of theirs. I guess it was more of an action thriller than a mystery. It kept me awake, anyway.
Marj
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Read "Nemisis" by Linsey Davis. Mystery set in Roman times. I was hoping I would like it, since there are 20 books in the series (enough to keep me busy for awhile) but I didn't. Charming writing couldn't disguise a rambling plot and an ending that pushed all my buttons. Mystery stories are highly moral: bad things happen but there is a kind of justice in the end. This book violated all my sense of justice.
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I like Patricia Wentworth and her Miss Silver character. I have read almost all the series now. Set around the time of some of the latter Miss Marple novels I like this author better. If you like old style British crime novels Patricia Wentworth is a very good author.
Carolyn
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I remember reading her years ago, and liking her. I'll bet I can get her books on kindle.
Yep, they have a lot of them. But they're $9.99. I was hoping they'd be cheaper. GOT to get my book spending down. The trouble with mysteries is they are quick reads, so you have to keep getting more. And more ....
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Sorry you didn't like Nemesis, JoanK. Thanks for the warning, though. I haven't read it yet. I still have Alexandria to read first. I noticed that, a few books back, Lindsey Davis seemed to have changed her writing style some. I think it was the book after her hiatus from Falco to write Course of Honor which was set in the same time period but not a Falco Mystery.
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Does anyone other than me like the Medieval Murderers series?
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/the-medieval-murderers/
Carolyn
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I like Falco, but he is not everyones cup of tea.. His idea and the romans idea of justice are not ours, but they are fun to watch..
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Oh, though I did watch some of Jessica Fletcher, I don't think that series
can begin to compare with Miss Marple. Especially one that, to my mind, is so
much closer to looking and acting like Agatha Christie's character. I wholly
agree about the 'tremendously large woman'. She was unquestionably a fine
actress, but about as far from 'Miss Marple' as it is possible to get.
I really liked 'Hart to Hart', too. It's such a shame they had a falling-out
and quite filming the series.
That's a new one for me, CAROLYN. Would the books be listed under M..
as the author?
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Babi when I am looking for the books on any site I just use Medieval Murderers as the authors. The books are written by several authors for each book. They collaborate. They are all excellent authors. The books are very historically correct and so good I can see those Medieval streets. The houses, the clothing and the characters clearly in my mind. Not every book can capture me like this series does.
Carolyn
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I had never heard of the Medieval Murderers. They sound fantastic!
Margeret Rutherford, who played the too large (and too forceful) miss Marple, was simply miscast and misdirected by someone who thought he knew better than Christie. But Rutherford was a wonderful comic actress in her other roles in classic British comedies.
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Yes, my mother has very fond memories of her as Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit - but she then read Rutherford's autobiography, and said every second line was about "how wonderful I was" - it quite put her off, no modesty at all.
Rosemary
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Yes, my mother has very fond memories of her as Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit.
Rosemary
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Yes, Margaret Rutherford was a wonderful comic actress, but miscast as Miss Marple, but then Hollywood and the BBC love to simply change the books to suit the actors.
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Sorry, I seem to have posted twice - I am having problems with this site at the moment, as it tells me I have been timed out and must re-post, then either two posts appear or none at all.
It's not me, honest ::)
Rosemary
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I have the new Nevada Barr "Burn". We will see. I hated her last one. Too too violent.
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Where is this one located, Steph? Anna's getting a little old for some of her exploits, isn't she? But I do love learning more about all the national parks - and Barr does do her homework.
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Someone mentioned a week or so ago that they read Evanovich's "Seventeen" and wasn't fond of it. I 'm about 100 pages into it. I think i'm too familiar w/ the characters' styles. I do still laugh out loud, but not as often as in the previous ones, their responses are not surprising any more, therefore not as funny to me. There is less "mystery" so far. there is an interesting new character whom her mother is pushing on her. He may a bigger player than he looks in the first 100 pages. But it's still entertaining to me.
Jean
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On Evanovich, my problem seems to be Lula, she is sort of a one joke character and she is too much in the books. I did like some of Sixteen because Connie was in it and she is not used much.
Burn.. Hmm, I have read about 50 pages and think I will put it down for a while.Already too too out there. The only National Park tie is that she is in New Orleans visiting a friend who works at the National Park Service music center there..
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Steph, I read the review of Burn on Amazon - not sure whether I'll get that one or not.
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I had heard that Burn was disgustingly violent so I opted not to read it.
Has to do with child porn or something like that. Nope, not gonna go there.
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Just finished Silent Girl by Gerrittson. It was very good and didn't get too graphically violent. Also finished Real Murders by Charlaine Harris. It is the first Aurora Teagarden mystery. I enjoyed it for a light read and will try to get more of these.
I haven't read Nevada Barr in a long time. I used to enjoy her, but kind of burned myself out for a while. Same for Evanovich and Grafton. Maybe I'll give them a try again. When I find an author I like; I tend to "glut" myself on them. Can't seem to control myself.
Sally
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Charlaine has written maybe four series. Some long, some just a few books.She is just flat out great. She holds your attention on sentence one and hangs on.. The small four or five book series on the damaged woman who cleans house for a living is spectacular..
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Finished "Smokin Seventeen" by Evanovich. The last scene was wonderful! So typically Stephanie Plum. It made sloughing thru some of the less interesting parts worthwhile. Apparently "Explosive Eighteen" is coming out in November. That's unusual. The Stephanie Plum series usually come out in the spring.
Am reading a Linda Barnes mystery, "Bitter Finish", w/ P.I. Sprague. This is my first of this series. I don't yet have an opinion about it.
Jean
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Looked up Charlaine Harris on Amazon/Kindle. They have three pages of books. Where do you suggest I start?
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Joan - here's the Harris page from Stop You're Killing Me site. It tells you what the series are.
http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/H_Authors/Harris_Charlaine.html
Jean
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I've started an author/series new to me. By James Doss, they are set in and around a Ute
reservation and will remind you of Tony Hilerman's Navajo series. So far I'm finding it holds my
interest. Haven't decided yet how comparable it might be to Hillerman. This book,
"The Shaman's Bones", is not the first of the series. The first is "The Shaman Sings". If I
like this on well enough I'll go back for that one.
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I have read some of the Doss. But Hillerman is by far the better writer. I adored Hillerman and have read everything he wrote.. Doss.only a few..
I got a bunch of little known female type mysteries, that are mostly not that good. Its romance writers throwing in a bitof mystery or murder and then just a typical romance type.. Ugh.
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I need a bit of applause here...I actually remembered to watch Masterpiece Mystery last night! Score one point for me. I thought it was wonderful! I certainly hope I won't miss any of the remaining episodes, and how many of them will there be? I certainly hope that anyone here who recommended this, didn't forgot to watch!
Great show.
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I have recently found a new author C J Sansom his books are set in the time of Henry Eighth and his detective a hunchbacked lawyer named Matthew Shardlake is a very interesting character. I am looking forward to reading more of this author.
Has anyone else read this Author, I may have missed a discussion on him.
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NANCY: I've read (I think) all in that series, and liked tem a lot. One problem: they are big and heavy to hold, so I read most on my kindle. But I love the detail: you really feel that you've been there in that time and place.
In this series, it pays to read them in order. here is the list from Fantastic Fiction:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/c-j-sansom/
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Mabel: thanks for the harris list. I think I've read some of the Shakespeare ones. Sometimes I read a book I like, and forget to write down the author, them "lose" them.
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Tomereader, I'm glad you remembered to watch Masterpiece Mystery. I loved ZEN too. There will be two more ZEN episodes and four new Inspector Lewis episodes this season. Join our PBS discussion at http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=2286.0. There are links in our discussion to the PBS site where the episodes are available for viewing online after they air on TV.
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marcie et al : I was wondering what Zen was like. He is such a gorgeous creature, and ahem, I am also interested in the story line, of course :o
I suspect it will take many moons before it reaches our shores, but I am definitely looking forward to it.
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Well Roshanarose, my daughters and I have only just this week caught up with Downton Abbey! We missed it on TV, but it was worth the wait.
Rosemary
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I sorarely watch TV that I dont even think of the mysteries.. Maybe one day.
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Hear, hear! Mark up a point for TOMEREADER! I liked it, too, TOME. And new
Inspector Lewis episodes coming up! That's good news, MARCIE.
Well, Hillerman is hard to beat, no question about that, STEPH. Still, I'm enjoying
the Doss.
I'm interested in Sansom, NANCY; he's new to me. Thanks for the link, JOAN.
I do like to start from the beginning whenever possible.
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Those of you who are not getting the PBS Mysteries on TV might be able to view them online at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/watch/index.html
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Rosemary - I have enjoyed watching Downton Abbey also. The final episode was a wee bit anti-climactic for me. If you haven't seen it I will not add a spoiler, but....
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I missed the Zen, but thought I just had too much to watch. I had checked out The Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries (set2) from the library, and have been entranced with The Nine Tailors. Sooo good. Now, only two nights to watch The Five Red Herrings before it has to go back to the library, and I have to get on a plane for Seattle. Christie's Pale Horse, which I taped, will have to wait until my return.
This is what Matthew Pearl had to say on his Facebook page the other day about a collaborative mystery. The comments and reviews sounded good.
I wrote a chapter for No Rest for the Dead a collaborative murder mystery novel compiled by Strand Magazine editor Andrew Gulli and written by twenty-six authors.
Great fun to write a hardboiled modern-day detective as a break from my usual setting.
Check out the website and get a copy for your summer reading!
No Rest for the Dead (http://pages.simonandschuster.com/norestforthedeadbook)
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Those of us who were in the book discussions with Matthew Pearl are big fans of his. But I hope he doesn't abandon his historical mysteries.
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Amazing, somehow I missed a John Sandford...Broken Prey.. Fairly raw, but I do love Lucas..
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Isn't it nice, PEDLN, that we now have the option of taping what we want to
see, and it will keep, like a book on a shelf, until we have time to view it?
We have truly lived in one of the most exciting and barrier-breaking eras in
history. How often have I thought, "Oh, brave new world!"[/b]
Even if I can't keep up with it all. :P :)
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I am not a taper. Either I see it or I dont,, Just never got into the habit. I really should, I would guess. I think I was put off by a friend who has ove 100 programs taped or dvd'd... She has never watched any and still keeps on taping everything in sight.
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We record programs with conflicting times, or something we particularly want to watch when we won't be home. But we always watch it ASAP. We have a couple of friends who record everything to watch later so they can fast-forward through the commercials. Obviously, they have an extra TV or two and extra players so they can do that.
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Your friend sounds like a new version of the hoarder, STEPH. Just keep on getting
more and more, whether you can use them or not! We enjoy the flexibility of
taping shows we want to see, but we do watch them. Taping also offers a bonus; you can fast forward through the commercials!
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For those of you not familiar with the Aurelio Zen series by the late Michael Dibdon, I cannot praise these too highly. Dibdon was a master craftsman as a writer, and some of his visual images re emotions we all have at one time or another are quite simply amazing. Aurelio Zen is an Italian from Venice. The books are set in many places in Italy. Here is a list:
THE AURELIO ZEN MYSTERY SERIES BY MICHAEL DIBDIN
TITLE YEAR SET IN
Ratking* 1989 Perugia
Vendetta* 1991 Rome & Sardinia
Cabal* 1992 Rome & Milan
Dead Lagoon 1994 Venice
Cosi Fan Tutti 1996 Naples
A Long Finish 1998 Piemonte
Blood Rain 1999 Sicily, Malta & Rome
And Then You Die 2002 Tuscany & Iceland
Medusa 2003 Italian Alps
Back to Bologna 2005 Bologna
End Games 2007 Calabria
This next is not Zen
A Rich Full Death 1986 Florence of 1855
* film made & to be shown on Masterpiece Mystery
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Thanks for that list, MaryPage. The PBS website has some short Video Q&A with Rufus Sewell, who is staring as Zen in the Masterpiece Mystery episodes. He has some interesting things to say about reading the stories by Dibdon. He liked the character because he was complex, flawed and had a good sense of humor.
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Some of Dibdon's phrases I savored from Ratking (which, in itself, constitutes a fascinating very old myth):
"prisoners of their own wealth"
"deafened by thoughts"
"a yellow butterfly loped by with its strange broken flight"
"is that Assisi over there? ....... in the distance a mess of lights were spread out across the face of the night like a shovelful of glowing cinders"
"that knowledge was as inhibiting as the acoustics of a great church"
"the great weakness of paranoia is that it cannot take chance into account"
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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oh, I look forward to reading the books, MaryPage!
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Senior learn has been a mess for the past few days.It is not the interenet or the computer, both are working fast, but senior learn.. NOOOOO..
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May I solicit comments from anyone who has read the following Mystery Authors?
Maureen Jenning (The Murdock Series)
Joan Hess (Arkansas setting)
Jeff Abbott
These were names "pitched in" at our Mystery Book club meeting, and were not familiar to most of us.
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Same here Steph >:(
Rosemary
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I have never heard of any of those, but I do note that I have been posting Michael Dibdon and it is DIBDIN. My apologies.
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No I haven't heard of them either.
MaryPage, my daughter is anxious to know whether the Arizona forest fires that you told us about have been controlled. She was very impressed with your news about your daughter looking after all those animals.
Rosemary
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I've not heard of them either.
Seniors and Friends got hit with a similar slowdown last week. It took several days to clear up. I don't know what their problem was.
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The Arizona "Monument Fire", as it has been named, has been put out, but problems of various sorts remain. Here is the story of one:
http://www.kvoa.com/full-coverage/monument-fire/
If you scroll down, you can read lots and lots of other stories about the fire. My daughter has her vet clinic in Sierra Vista, and there are a lot of stories here about that place and the fire.
Thank you for asking. My daughter is fine, the animals have gone home or found homes, and she will visit me here in October.
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I can see why you like him.
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OK. have read Joan Hess, a few times.She writes several series. Dont like her, but she is popular.
Now, I am reading Victoria Thompson who I love. Thisis the Chinatown one.. I am intrigued.. Was it true? Did the chinese men in NYC marry the Irish girls?? Way back.. I had never ever seen that and find it interesting if odd.. So does anyone know if this is a fact or a made up thing. She does excellent research and it all seems so real, but this one threw me.
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I just posted a note in Fiction that I thought I was posting here. Oh, well, it won't be the first
time I've repeated myself..
I've just started C. J. Sansom's first book, "Dissolutions". Wasn't it someone here who
recommended him? The series is set in Tudor England and I always enjoy good historical
fiction. Mr. Sansom himself is pretty impressive. Ph.D in history and a lawyer, before he began
writing. He is English, lives in Surrey, so the background is all familiar to him.
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I love Victoria Thompson's books and like you, Steph, I was particularly interested in the one about Chinatown. I can just imagine th young Irish girls fleeing from Ireland in the famine years and the aftermath of the famine and arriving in New York to lives of equal poverty. They must of been so pleased to meet Chinese who were kind to them, but after marriage to be rejected by both communities each thinking they were better than the other, and everyone else thinking badly of both groups. Prejudice is such a terrible thing, why any group of people could possibly think they were better than another group. I am now going to look up Michael Dibdin on Amazon kindle, cannot believe I may have one of his books in seconds. I think I was the one who recommended C.J.Sansom, I cannot get his third book on Kindle, but will try again.
Nancy
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Babi if like me you like historical books have you read the Sister Fidelma books by Peter Tremayne.
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Yes, the instant book feature on ebooks of all types is fascinating, but addictive..Start out looking at free books, venture over to books period and boom.. buy one. Am really trying to preload for the Scottish trip in September.
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Thank you, NANCY. I have read a period mystery featuring a 'Sister', but can't remember now if it was by Peter Tremayne. The name does seem familiary. I'll see what I can find of his.
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I amreading an old Patricia Sprinkle. This is one of the ones about the widow of a diplomat. Most of them are in or around Atlanta, but this one is Jacksonville.. Scenery sounds nice, but doesnt match the Jacksonville, I have visited..
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Just camr back from te library with a Reginald Hill and two Carmaine Harris. See you later.
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Watched Part II of Zen on Masterpiece Mystery last night. Yummy!
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Charlaine is a favorite of mine.. She writes in so many different genres.. Fun to see what she does with her characters.
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I seem to remember that some here like the Donna Leon books.. Well most of them had been made into a TV series in Germany (of all places) the first two with two on each DVD have been done with english subtitles. and Amazon has them and I bought them.
Inspector Brunetti isn't what I pictured him to look like but I am enjoying them. Venice is wonderful. and so much of it because just about everyplace they go is on foot or boat. I recommend yhem..
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Just finished Susan Wittig Albert's latest Darling Dahlias book. It is the second in her new series. I enjoy reading about the 1930s era. It is light reading and enjoyable.
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Thanks Jeriron - I had no idea the Brunetti books had been televised.
Rosemary
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I must tell my libray to get the " Dahlia" books they don't have them yet.
Jean
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Many in this forum have read McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. I have really enjoyed that series, but I just finished another mystery book written by Frederick Ramsay "Reapers" that is also set in Botswana. It is the second in this series and more serious and perhaps more realistic than McCall Smith's but nonetheless a very good read.
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Will look for Ramsey.. Dislike the McCallSmith series..LIke a more down to earth Africa.. Elspeth Huxley was my sort of Africa.
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I'd love to see the Brunetti series -- I wonder if Netflix has it.
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No they don't have it.
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Rats! Oh, well, I have trouble with subtitles anyway.
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Found a really old Jean Hager.. Possibly the second she wrote on the Inn.. Sort of fun, although her plottig has really improved.
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I find I am having mixed feelings about the Preston and Childs book, "Gideon's Sword".
Gideon gets a bit tiresome with his repeated interplay of witty hero vs. dump cops. Other than
that, tho', the action is fast-paced and the plot is ingenious.
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Babi, I'm in line at my library to get the first book in Preston & Child's new Gideon series. The authors say that they regret killing off William Smithback in the Agent Pendergast series so they put little bits of him in the Gideon character.
I see that a new Pendergast book, Cold Vengeance, will be published on 8/02/2011.
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I think I'm getting "cozied out" as STEPH says. Looking for something more serious, but not "noir".
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I just started my very first ever Dorothy Sayer book. I don't remember the title off-hand, but it was the one where Lord Peter Wimsey's brother was accused of murder.
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I'll be interested to know what you think of Gideon Crew, MARCIE. So many
people are dying in this book, it reminds me of one of those 'action' films that
go for a lot of fire, explosions and mayhem. A lot will depend on how this story
ends, as to whether I want to continue the series.
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I'm reading "Hitched" by Carol Higgins Clark. I haven't read any of hers for a while, but enjoy her Regan Reilly series. In this one, she and her finance Jack "no relation" Reilly are getting married in a week. When she goes to pick up her gown the store has been robbed and she has no gown. I went back to her as part of my reading mysteries set in NJ and Pa. It's a fun read and set almost totally in NJ and NY, of course. It's hard to have a setting in North Jersey w/out it bleeding into NY.
Jean
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I'll be interested to know what you think of Gideon Crew, MARCIE. So many
people are dying in this book, it reminds me of one of those 'action' films that
go for a lot of fire, explosions and mayhem. A lot will depend on how this story
ends, as to whether I want to continue the series.
Babi, I'll definitely let you know what I think of Gideon.
I loved Agent Pendergast in the early Pendergast series, when references to him were more sketchy and subtle. I haven't liked the latter Preston & Child books as well. His character has become too bizarre and has lost some of what I saw as endearing, idiosyncratic, Sherlock Holmes qualities. And the mayhem definitely increased in the last couple of Pendergast books. I'll be interested to read the latest one.
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Frybabe, I think the Dorothy Sayer book you read is "Clouds of Witness." I haven't read her books in a long time. I'm sure I have the stories somewhere around the house. I always picture Ian Carmichael (http://www.bbcamericashop.com/blog/dvds-in-the-works/2010/02/17/remembering-ian-carmichael/) as Lord Peter when I read the books. The PBS series starring Carmichael was very witty.
"But to Lord Peter the world presented itself as an entertaining labyrinth of side-issues."
— Dorthy L. Sayers
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The family Round Robin came zipping around last week. We band of first cousins did it by snail mail for decades, and then we began to die off and email became so easy and yes, we feel guilty about the plight of the United States Postal Service. What can I say?
Anyway, we are down to 3 from the original 5, and one of the three is actually the widow of my cousin Bill, who delighted us by wanting to pick up where he left off in August 2006.
So we do paragraphs about what we have been reading, and my Cincinnati cousin is currently greatly enamoured of MICHAEL GRUBER. My oldest son gave me five (5) Michael Grubers for Christmas, which I dutifully put on a bookshelf while mentally marking them male fare. Well, Judy says not. She finds them beyond wonderful and suggests I begin with Tropic of Night, which is, luckily, one of the 5 I own. Sigh! Have moved that one from a foyer bookcase to a bedroom stack, but it is about a month or two down the stack and likely to have something newly discovered inserted on top of it. In short, it will be a while yet.
Has anyone here read Gruber?
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I liked Agent Pendergast, too, MARCIE. I suppose after an author has been writing
about a particular character for a good while, he feels he must introduce something new and different. Or may he just gets bored. It appears that the Gideon Crew series is going to reflect that increase in 'bizarre' and mayhem.
Nope, MARYPAGE, Gruber is unknown to me. Let me know what you think of
him....if you ever get there. ;D
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Gruber_(author)
http://www.michaelgruberbooks.com/books.html
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I read online that Gideon's Sword is going to be the basis for a movie. See http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/17316/michael-bay-wields-preston-child-s-sword-
I read somewhere else that there might have been a movie deal in the works from the beginning and that's why the writing is different (less complex?) than the usual Preston & Child books.
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MaryPage - I have read two of Gruber's. I enjoyed the books very much. A little bit of supernatural, a little bit of voodoo; some South American magic as well, and some rather unique sleuthing and storytelling. "Tropic of Night" and "Night of the Jaguar" are the ones I have read. The detective is satisfyingly different. He is Cuban.
I think that you would also like John Connolly (not Michael Connelly, although he is good too). Some of his work includes supernatural themes. Or have I already recommended him to you?
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I'm not surprised, MARCIE. It's a natural for the Bruce Willis type of extreme
action. If you're right about the pre-arranged movie deal, I perhaps can forgive Preston & Childs for departing so far from their original class act.
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I watched two Jesse Stone movies on the Hallmark Channel last night. I think some if you read Robt Parker, do the movies follow the books closely? Do you like his books?
Jean
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I never cared very much for Robert Parker's books. I'm not sure why; just a
personal taste, I guess. I have enjoyed the Jesse Stone movies, though. I think
that is largely because Tom Selleck is so good in the role.
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Iam and was a Robert Parker fan from day one. No, the movies are not that close to the books.. I love the books.. The movies I like because of Tom Selleck, but he is not the damaged man that Jesse is in the books.
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I don't know, STEPH. Struggling with alcoholism, short-term relationships and
general isolation, ..that sounds damaged to me. But maybe it's much worse in
the books; I haven't read those.
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Jesse is not my favorite character of Parkers, but at least he does not have the poisonous
Susan Silverman in his life..
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Just finished Dorothy Sayers', Clouds of Witness (you are right, Marcie). I think I will have to read another before I form a firm opinion. Lots of wonderful plot twists and clues, but I turned my nose up a little at his Lordship's conversation. It sounded so "dead common" rather than the Oxford English you might hear from an aristocratic mouth. I refer, mostly, to Wimsey's habit of endin' his endings and investigatin' rather than investigating, if you get my drift. The story lends itself well to a TV production, I think.
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FRY: PatH, a Sayers fan, says the books vary a lot in how good they are. Try "Murder Must Advertise", the first one. It's supposed to be very good.
I always found Lord Peter's verbal "tics" very annoying. I don't know if Sayers fans do also.
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Thanks for the input JoanK. I will try that one next. You know, I remember seeing the TV Wimsey and a fellow named Campion years ago, but I remember very little of the stories except that I liked them.
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I found all of the Sayers books absolutely delicious fun. Wish there were some left for me to read, but alas, I've read them all. I own all of the films made, as well; but in the old VHS videos. Still have a player, though!
Think I have said so before, but I'll say it again: Gaudy Night was my very favorite.
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I love Sir Peter.. Harriet was supposed to be Sayers alter ego.. She was a bit overwhelming at times.
Loved the Campion series. Have not thought of them in years. They were fun.
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I've picked up another James Doss, one of the earlier ones. I expect to start that today. Native
religions and cultures have always fascinated me.
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I am so enjoying the third Louise Penny - The Cruellest Month - that I really don't want it to end. The setting and the characters are all so well drawn, I'm so glad there are more after this!
Rosemary
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The only other Dorothy Sayer, Wimsey free ebook I can find, so far, is Who's Body?. I downloaded it and Rafael Sabatini's Captain Blood, Scaramouche, and another of his but haven't transferred them to my Kindle yet.
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FRY: I haven't read Sabatini in decades! This kind of swashbuckling adventure goes in and out of fashion: it's "in" at the moment. I'll have to see if they "hold up".
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I am having a cant settle sort of week and I have started four different books and set them down..Sigh.. Must go rummage and see if I can find one that interests me.
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I'm about to finish my first Thomas Perry novel featuring the Butcher's Boy and titled Informant. Where have I been? This is one of the best written mystery novels I've ever read. Mr. Perry got the Edgar Award for his first Butcher's Boy novel way back in the early eighties. I shall began my attempt to catch up.
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Thanks for the tip, JIM. I'm not famiiar with Thomas Perry and I'd hate to miss a really good
one.
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Those who have "missed" Thomas Perry have really missed out on a great bunch of mysteries. I, myself, prefer his Jane Whitfield series. But he is definitely a good writer! My library doesn't have this new one, Informant, yet.
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Thomas Perry sounds like a winner, and my library has 11 titles. Now, how about a day to do nothing but read.
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If you read the "Jane Whitfield" series, start with the very first one if it is available! She is a most interesting character, and I think you will enjoy her.
He wrote a book a couple years ago, that I did not care for. I think it was the first one he penned while "taking a break from the Whitfield series" (in his words). I had emailed him and asked when the next Jane would be forthcoming. I was surprised I did get an answer back.
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I got a Thomas Perry book to try (Silence) for my Kindle at $1.99.
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My late husband loved the "butcher's boy" series and introduced me to him with the Jane Whitfield series. Wow! He is a really good writer. The butcher's boy series is too grusome/scary for me; but I love the Jane Whitfield. I agree with Tomereader, start with the first as it introduces the premise and sets the tone.
Sally
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Too bad I just came back from the library.
The first "Jane Whitfield" book by Thomas Perry is "Vanishing Act". kindle has it for $7.99. I'll get the sample (I don't let myself buy kindle books over $2,99 when I have unread library books, but this will remind me to look for him).
Got another Charlaine Harris. i tried the series with the vampires and didn't like it. Apparently I'm alone: that's mostly what my library has. But I got one other.
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"Vanishing Act" sounds so familiar; I'm wondering if perhaps I did read that one in the dim past.
Can someone tell me briefly what it's about? That might help me recall whether I did. Unfortunately, 'dim past' is beginning to encompass shorter and shorter periods of time. ;)
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I have started the 3rd C. J. Sansom - Sovereign and am finding it hard not to sit down and keep reading til I finish. I try to ration myself and mostly read in bed at night but sometimes it is hard to wait! and Matthew Shardlak is hard to leave. I looked up Thomas Perry on Kindle but he is a bit expensive like JoanK I limit myself to the cheaper books on Kindle, I do not know why, I suppose it is because you do not actually get a book, ( I do love real books) but just an extension to your PC.
Nancy
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Nancy, do you have a Half-Price Books or equivalent near you? Also, on-line, ThriftBooks, Alibris usually has great prices on older books. Even Amazon's sellers, too. Lots of choices to go to without spending the exorbitant $$
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I do thrall the charity shops for books and usually pick up something, I have a lilbrary membership but never go there, I also pick up books at car boot sales or garage sales. I buy a lot of books from Amazon but unfortunately the postage to Ireland can be very expensive.
Nancy
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got a Thomas Perry book to try (Silence) for my Kindle at $1.99
Thanks for that info, MaryZ. I just downloaded the same.
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Reading TROPIC OF NIGHT by Michael Gruber this weekend. A real enthralling page turner recommended by a beloved first cousin. Already had it on my shelves, as one of my sons gave me 5 of Gruber's books for Christmas. It is really WOW! Not a British cozy type.
Next on the list is Vendetta by Michael Dibdin, because I recently saw the film on Masterpiece Mystery. Have already read Ratking and Cabal, but thought I'd better dive into this goodie.
Too many books in my many bookshelves, and too little time. But I'm having fun!
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like JoanK I limit myself to the cheaper books on Kindle, I do not know why"
I know why. the first month I had my kindle, I spent more on books than the kindle cost. It's soooo tempting to just click and get the book.
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I'm afraid you are right Joan, sometimes if I cannot sleep I get up and come in to my computer and order a few books for my Kindle, I got Pride and Prejudice recently for nothing...brilliant.
I have tried to get Silence by Thomas Perry but Amazon does not give me the option.
Nancy
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Nancymc, are you in Ireland? Where?
Babi, Vanishing Act introduces Jane Whitfield, a native American (Indian) guide that helps people disappear by creating new identities and locations for them. All the Whitfield books are really good. It helps to start with this first one as it introduces Jane and sets the tone for others.
Sally
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I am almost finished with the first Rizzoli book--The Surgeon. It's good, but a little too bloody and gory for my taste. I probably won't read any more. I read Gerritsen's latest, The Silent Girl (it was sent to me--free!) and enjoyed it as it wasn't too graphic, but after reading this one............
Sally
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I too enjoyed the Peter Wimsey and Campion series on PBS. I can still hear in my head, the dialect that Ian Carmichael gave to the character. He ended a lot of sentences with "Don't ye know?" And I remember him calling a hand your "paddy paw." He was a strange but amusing character.
Thanks to MaryPage's recommendation, I just finished "Ratking" by Michael Dibdin -- the first in the Aurelio Zen series. I like the character. I'm going to picture him as Rufus Sewell from the PBS production even though he doesn't come across in quite the same way in the book. He seemed to be slow to take action in the beginning of the book-- reacting more than directing action. But at the end, when he was "solving" the case, he was doing amazing sleuthing and managing/manipulation of people (the bad guys). I want to see what Zen is like in the subsequent books.
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Sally
I live in Dublin, and I think Amazon do not give the same deals to overseas readers.
Nancy
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Aha! Thank you, Sally. Yes, I have read Vanishing Act, and another of the same series as
well. Really good! (You'd think I'd remember the author's name, wouldn't you? Alas, my
memory has taken on new work as a sieve.)
Was "Ratking" the first of that series, Marcie? It was third in presentation, and closed
with Zen promoted to acting chief of the department. That was definitely a step up from his
position in the two earlier episodes.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I love Thomas Perry. Have read allof the Butcher Boy ( but there is anew one out) all of Jane Whitfield and all of the standalones. He is a spectacular writer and comes up with truly strange plot twists.. There is one about an insurance investigator ( forgot the name) that will blow your mind at the end.
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I have tried to get Silence by Thomas Perry but Amazon does not give me the option.
Nancy, that's a shame. Maybe it will come up a little later.
I know why. the first month I had my kindle, I spent more on books than the kindle cost. It's soooo tempting to just click and get the book.
I told my brother, when I first got my Kindle, that it was like eating peanuts. You start with one, you just can't stop. And even with a $3 limit I'm still accumulating. I hope my kids enjoy my choices because I'll be dead before all my books are read. Am now treating the used book store and the grocery store the same -- DO NOT ENTER WITHOUT A LIST!
Inspector Lewis is on PBS Masterpiece tonight. I'm currently finishing up an old (1995) Inspector Morse -- Death is Now my Neighbor, picturing John Thaw through the whole thing.
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My PBS station must be begging for dollars again. No Masterpiece Mysteries tonight. I'll have to watch it on the computer.
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It must be begathon time for all the PBS stations, Frybabe. Both of the ones we get are doing it.
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Apparently not one of my PBS channels is doing well financially, and so the new Lewis will not be shown tonight. Maryland Public Television ( WMPT ) has an old rerun and WETA has something else entirely. Normally, they both show the latest Masterpiece at the same time. WHUT shows everything much, much later.
Ratking WAS the first book in the Aurelio Zen series that Michael Dibdin wrote. Vendetta was second, and then Cabal. Dibdin is dead now, and would not have had a hand in writing them for film. Apparently the writers preferred doing it this way. Pity. Also, they filmed them all in Rome, whereas Dibdin moves Zen all over Italy. Read the books; they are quite wonderful. There were eleven (11) Zen books altogether, and will never be more.
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At the end of the book, Ratking, Zen is promoted back to the criminal division (from "Housekeeping").
I think that the new Inspector Lewis episodes won't start until September 4. Some PBS station are starting "encore" presentations of past episodes tonight. If you don't get the episodes on TV you can view them online at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/watch/index.html.
"Don't miss the following encore presentations of Inspector Lewis: The Point of Vanishing (Aug 7), Counter Culture Blues (Aug. 14), The Dead of Winter (Aug. 21), Dark Matter (Aug. 28), Your Sudden Death Question (Sept. 11) and Falling Darkness (Oct. 2). [Note: These episodes will have limited TV airings, so check local listings. These episodes will be available to view online (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/watch/index.html) for a limited time.]"
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I wish the PBS shows were on ON DEMAND. No such luck!
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MaryPage, I'm finding the PBS shows on Demand on my Comcast. It took me a while to figure out where they were.
GET LOCAL/LOCAL TV STATIONS/ Pick the station/MASTERPIECE.
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Marcie, On Demand varies depending on which cable company is your provider - at least in our case it did. We had had Comcast, and had lots of selections from networks and cable stations. We don't have nearly as many choices from our relatively new fiberoptic provider. We love it in every other way, and we only hope their On Demand improves.
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maryz, too bad about the fewer choices with various providers. I guess there are trade-offs with every service.
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I'll have to check my On Demand PBS listing. I know they occasionally put up shows that don't get broadcast on the local station, but not always.
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No Lewis rerun this week in LA. Maybe next week.
Mathew Pearl, who has discussed several of his historical mysteries with us on Seniornet, has a new one coming out: "The Technologists" about a murder affecting the first class of students at MIT. I'm very interested to read it: I just read a book that dealt with the problems scioence had being accepted as a legitimate field of study in this country: apparantly Pearl deals with the same issue.
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If you're not getting the Inspector Lewis show, don't feel too bad because it's a repeat -- The point of vanishing. It has an atheist professor whose daughter was disabled when someone tried to kill him because of his religious beliefs.
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It's money week for both our PBS channels. I went on PBS on demand and it had Inspector Lewis so I was able to watch it anyway. I still enjoyed it even though I saw it before.
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I am st arting Odelia and the Holy Pail by Sue Ann Jaffarian.. Am sure it was recommended here. She has a nice easy lead in writing.. Hopefully will be good. Lately I have been picky as all get out and the number of books laying around with book marks that were just not what I wanted is horrid.
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Ah! That explains it, MARYPAGE. I was expecting a new Lewis episode, and was
most disappointed to find it was a re-run of one I'd already seen. I do wish
I could support our PBS. It's one of those things on the dream lists of what I
would do if a suddenly became rich!
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I recommended a Jaffarian, but I haven't read that one.
I do sometimes send money to PBS, but it's such a little amount, I still feel guilty, given the amount of pleasure I get from it. And I admit I wait til they have a (inexpensive) thank you gift I want. (I wouldn't trade my "Hummingbirds" CD for anything).
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This is the second Jaffarian in the series. I loved the first one.. Had to wait on this one since I had it on my wish list on my swap book club.
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Jaffarian (interesting name) sounds like it would be fun. I'd never heard of her; thanks for the
recommendations, Steph and Joan.
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Just finished "Blowback" by Peter May. About a Scot living in Paris. It is one of the best mystery books I've read in a while. Peter May has two series--The Enzo Files and The China Thrillers. I am definitely going to look for more of his books. I got several Dibdin books from the library and am starting on one of them next. Trying to read the earliest first but the library doesn't have them all.
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Flajean
I just this minute bought Blowback on you recommendation - look forward to reading it when I finish Sovereign by CJ Sansom - a super book - I should not be wasting time on the computer when I could be reading it.
Nancy
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I do like Sue Ann Jaffarian.. She has an interesting take on things and characters that just a bit off kilter..
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Nancy, I sure hope you like it!
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Did anyone finish Burn , which is a recent Anna Pigeon mystery. I started it, but have put it down. What is going on.. What a downer.. I used to love that author.
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the actor that played Zen's friend Francesco Quinn , 48 the son of Anthony Quinn died this week from an apparent heart attack.
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Oh, that's a shame, JERIRON. 48 seems so young to me now.
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48 is young no matter how you look at it. He looked so familiar to me but I couldn't place him.
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Steph...I'm not familiar with Anna Pigeon mysteries, but it seems some authors are into stuff that just depresses me no end...so they end up being returned to the library unfinished. For me, life and events in the world are depressing enough. I'll be darned if I'll use my free time to wallow in more horrible stuff. I don't read horror, torture, cruelty to man or beast, blood and gore. An occasional fist fight...ok...but not beating people, etc. I can see that on TV news, unfortunately.
jane
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jane, the early Nevada Barr books (Anna Pigeon is the protagonist) are quite good - all set in National Parks. The first one is set in Mesa Verde.
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Ah....now that rings a bell. I did read some Nevada Barr ones but couldn't get into her after the first one or two.
jane
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I will reiterate what I posted either here or somewhere else: "Burn" by Nevada Barr is not for the faint at heart. It's subject matter is far too awful for her to be writing about. The scene of this book is in New Orleans while Anna is on vacation, and I've heard it doesn't give too much, if any, notice to the National Parks. Don't read or recommend it to someone who can't stomach violence and perversion. I also had the misfortune of moderating our Mystery Book Club one month, and solely because of the number of available copies, we were limited to "Winter Study" by Ms. Barr. I found it terribly distasteful, and was sorry I was leading the discussion. Most of her other books are much kinder/gentler.
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I handled "Winter Study" fine, but think I will avoid "BUM". It's too bad: i really enjoyed her early books.
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"Burn"
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Tomereader, my library only had one Thomas Perry book in Jane Whitefield series. It is "Shadow Woman" and very good. Both my husband and I enjoyed it.
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I haven't read many of Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series, but have always enjoyed and learned something from the ones I read. I liked Winter Study, the way she incorporated legitimate research into the novel. But my favorite is the first one I read, can't remember the title, -- about Fort Jefferson, where Dr. Mudd and Civil War prisoners were held. Historical letters and Anna Pigeon's current mystery made it a fascinating 2 for 1er. I don't know anything about Burn.
I've just spent part of the afternoon reading an old Donna Leon that was on my shelf -- A Noble Radiance, pub. 1998. Folks there in Italy seem to be complaining about the same things we gripe about here, -- government waste, etc. although I might have a dilemma choosing between dealing with the city or a private insurance company. I do enjoy her Guido Brunetti series.
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That one was my favorite too, Pedlin. And I can't find it listed on Amazon.
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Tomereader -- I just found it. Flashback -- and it is on Amazon.
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It is worthwhile to go on a hunt for the Jane Whitfield series. It is excellent and amazing in it shows you ways to disappear.. Incredible.. Perry does great research.
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After months of a "drought" of good books, I have finished another good mystery. This one was "The Shadows in the Street, A Simon Serrailler Mystery" by Susan Hill. It is not a true police procedural in spite of the fact that the main character is a police detective. The story is set in England, and I do like most English mysteries.
I liked Colin Cotterill's Dr. Siri of Laos in his previous books, but I recently read his latest "Love Songs from a Shallow Grave". I was disappointed in it and didn't enjoy it at all.
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I just downloaded the first Kate Shugak mystery (A Cold Day for Murder) by Dana Stabenow. It was free on my Kindle. I have read some of this series, but don't remember if I read this one. I have been reading Too Big to Miss (4.99} on Kindle. It's by Sue Ann Jaffarian. Someone here recommended her. I have not read her before. So far, so good. I am also reading Devil's Food Cake mystery by Joanna Fluke. It seems that I am in a light weight mystery mode for now.....
Sally
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Kate is quite a heroine. I have read all of that series along with the Liam series by Stabenow.. Plus I subscribe to her blog on Facebook.. What fun..
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I just finished Michael Gruber's TROPIC OF NIGHT. Whew! A thriller based in Miami with some Long Island, Siberia, Nigeria and Mali thrown in. Not a British village cozy, but the writing is way above par. Jimmy Paz is the detective.
Next I am diving into another Michael Dibdin Aurelio Zen thriller. I do love Italy and the Italians, and Dibdin's books are always full of little gems of composition that make me stop, think and appreciate.
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I am happily engrossed in the latest Anne Perry, "Treason in Lisson Grove". It's
her first Charlotte and Thomas Pitt book in three years. I have some others
waiting, but can't put this one down until I've gotten these people out of trouble!
8)
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Read in two days Lisa Scottolini's "Think Twice". This is another story about Bennie's evil twin sister. It was very compelling, has a very unsettling beginning with Bennie in great peril. The only thing that takes the edge off and kept me reading was that i knew she had to survive. She is the star after all. ;)
if you like LS, i recommend it. I like them especially because of the strong female characters, but also bcs she really does know Philadelphia and includes a lot of the city geography. She has said that she started writing bcs of her strong mother and she wanted to see that kind of woman portrayed in novels. Isn't that a nice tribute?
Jean
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Babi, thanks for the info on Anne Perry. I love her series and have put this one on my tbr list.
Sally
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Looking on Amazon for Anne Perry's Pitt novel, I see she has a new Monk one as well, "Acceptabl Loss", listed as August 9th, 2011. Not clear if they have it yet, or not.
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Another mystery writer I enjoy is Rhys Bowen--the Molly Murphy series. Have any of you read these?
Sally
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FlaJean - I really like Donna Leon, and at the moment I am feeling the need for some "comfort" reading, so I think will dig out one of hers - thanks for reminding me. I love all the details of Italian life , and Brunetti is such a lovely man. He reminds me a bit of Gamache in Louise Perry's books - they are both essentially good people, don't you think? I like Ian Rankin's Rebus books, but Rebus is such a troubled sou himself that he can get a bit wearing.
This weekend daughters and I watched a Miss Marple mystery followed by a Morse episode (which turned out to be an extra-long one set in Australia - enjoyed it but wouldn't have started watching it if I'd known it would keep me up till after midnight!) After we were totally baffled by the denoument in Morse, Madeleine said that she preferred Miss Marple "because she explains it all properly at the end". Loved the scenery in the Morse episode though - I think it was New South Wales, absolutely beautiful.
Rosemary
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I don't remember ever seeing an episode of Morse where he was not in or around the Oxford area.
I bought a Rhys Bowen Constable Evans book for Mom some time back. She didn't care for it because apparently the story jumped back and forth between two different scenes. She preferred a more straight line plot. It's back in my TBR pile now.
Thanks, Salan, for the heads up on the free Shugak ebook. I also downloaded it along with another free word game.
I am, at the moment, reading a free ebook called Caravans by Night/A Romance of India by Harry Hervey. It was published in the US in 1922 so it is set between the two WWs. The plot revolves around some simultaneous jewel robberies from the treasuries of various Nabobs, Rajas, and etc. It involves a mysterious woman, spies, and infiltration into an organized gang of robbers (or are they more than this? further reading will reveal). It reminds me of Kipling, but not in the same caliber. So far, I like it.
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Rosemary
I love Donna Leon's Brunetti books Her next one comes out in April I think.
I am watching the German series (with Eng substitles)now. The scenery is fantastic. They've kept to just about all the main characters from the book. I can't say that I pictured Brunetti looking like the actor that plays him but I'm probably one of a few that takes a movie and book sparetely so I'm really enjoying them. I think they've done about 18 of them and I just received 5-8. But I must say it's costing me. This is the last ones that are on DVD with sub. so far. I know I'll be watching them over and over. I love to the watch them eat on their patio and it's up about the third floor and over looks the water. Beautiful.
I would really like to rewatch Morse but non of the DVD's have close captions.
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I read one Molly Murphy book, SALLY. As it happened, I read the first of
Victoria Thompson's series on the New York midwife at the same time, and
decided I like the latter best. I've read all of them.
Ah! "Wearing"..the perfect description for my brief experience of Ian Rankin,
ROSEMARY. I have no doubt missed some good ones, but I never bothered to go
back.
I don't remember an Australian 'Morse', either. I feel cheated! Not least
because I would love to see the scenery. Armchair travel is my only option
these days.
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I like Victoria Thompson, but I have read one of the Molly Murphy books and was not that impressed. I started another one , but have set is aside..
Started reading a Giles Blunt that I had missed somehow.. Black Fly Season.. I do like the series and have no idea how I missed this one.
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MaryPage - Michael Gruber's style, characters and themes are quite unlike any books of that genre I have ever read. Why don't you write him a fan letter? Or at least a letter of appreciation.
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I got several Michael Dibdin books from the library and I was disappointed in them. The first I read was not a Aurelio Zen book but a stand alone called "The Tryst". It was a depressing book and not that interesting. So I went on to the Aurelio Zen mystery but didn't care for them either. I might have liked the Zen books if I hadn't seen the PBS series first, but I didn't bother to finish the two that I had. It's back to the library to see if they have any more Peter May books. His Enzio series I really like and want to try his China series. He is a really good author. I have read a couple of Molly Murphy books and enjoyed them.
Jeanne Dams has an interesting series about a widow, Dorothy Martin, who moved to England after her husband died. I've read all of them except the last one which I have on reserve. It's good to start at the beginning.
I also love the Donna Leon books and always look forward to the next one.
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After I saw the Zen movies on PBS I decided to read on of the books, but not the same ones as the movies. I couldn't get into it either. The movies were so good but I
I found the good boring.
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I forgot that there was a Sargent Lewis on TV last night, and missed it. But I dont think it was a new one.
Liked the last reginald Hill I read "The Wood Beyond". Flashes back and forth between modern day and WWI.
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My PBS station was still begging for dollars last night, so no Inspector Lewis. Fortunately, they are putting the programs up on Comcast's One Demand in the Get Local folder.
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JoanK, the Seargent Lewis was not a new one -- Counter Blues or some such -- about aging rock stars. I left it to go to my Netflix DVD of Desperate Housewifes.
Jeriron, where did you get the Donna Leon DVDs with the English subtitles? Even tho they're German, they play on US players? I just finished reading her Noble Radiance. I love her books and way she speaks her mind about anything and everything. Lots of good "food talk" in this one.
I've never seen Morse away from Oxford.
Does anyone have the Zen DVDs and do you know if they have captions or subtitles. B&N has a special with Cabel/something/Ratking, but I can't find out about captions.
Whoever first mentioned Victoria Thompson, thank you. I am in the middle of Murder in Little Italy and am enjoying it so much.
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Pedlin
Amazon has 1-4 in German with English subtitles. And yes they are for region 1 so they play on us players.
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The Morse & Lewis in Australia episode actually worked quite well, IMO. I suppose it must have been some joint venture with an Australian TV company. This is some information about it:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0611647/
As you will see, the reviews are very variable - some people loathed it. I did enjoy it, but maybe that just marks me out as a cultural innocent over whose head all the alleged stereotyping blithely flew. Have any of our Australians seen it?
Rosemary
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Rosemary Here's one Aussie who didn't see the Morse episode which was set in NSW so can't comment. The link says the episode was filmed in Canowindra in central NSW - beautiful country there - a national park nearby so they may have got some of that scenery on film.
Canowindra (pronouced Ca-noun-dra - forget about the i) is famous for the bushranger Ben Hall who took over one of the pubs and held the townspeople captive for a few days while he went on a spree - this was in the 1860s I think. Ned Kelly did something similar at Jerilderie in 1879 .. both ended up dead.
As for stereotyping of Aussies- my guess would be that it was overdone in the Morse episode - it usually is. One exception is Paul Hogan's Crocodile Dundee which as everyone knows, was actually a
documentary - they breed them tough in the Top End. ;D
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Ah gumtree, you did make me laugh. I saw the very first Crocodile Dundee.. I laughed harder than I had in years.. Then he got famous and left his long married wife for his costar and I refused to go to any more of the movies. Ah fame.. Nuts.
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Crocodile Dundee which as everyone knows, was actually a
documentary
Not quite everyone, Gumtree. I checked Rodney William Ansell's (the guy the movie was based on) brief bio on Wikipedia. I guess things didn't turn out too well for him after the movie. I'd be curious to know how he went from being the inspiration for a good movie to getting shot dead by police in a shootout. Has anyone read his book, To Fight the Wild or the documentary by the same name? I assume the picture on the cover is Ansell.
http://www.amazon.com/Fight-Wild-Rod-Ansell/dp/0152890688
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ROSEMARY, I've never been greatly impressed with what the critics have to say.
Quite often they seem to me more interested in demonstrating how erudite they
are than in the book/film they are critiquing. In fact, I remember one film
ctitic that my husband and I checked out regularly; we could be reasonably
certain that if he didn't like it, we would.
Whatever you say, GUM. :D
I am currently reading C. J. Sansom's third book in the Shardlake series,
"Sovereign". I so much enjoy the skill with which he twines his fictional story
into the actual historical events of the time.
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Have you read the movie reviews in the New Yorker magazine. They can go on for 2 pages and when you're done you aren't sure if he liked the movie or didn't. : )
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Starting Patterson's Fourth of July. What a wam bam start! Boxer and Jacobi both shot!
Just finished Carol Higgins Clark's Hitched and started Popped. I like her sense of humor at making the protagonist's mother a mystery writer- Carol's mother is Mary Higgins Clark.
Jean
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"To Fight the Wild" must be some book! The new onews are $93 and the used ones start at a penny!.
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In my mail today were five notifications from Amazon that my order (with order number has been processed) has been processed WITH AN ATTACHMENT. I deleted without opening -- I've never had an attachment on a notice from Amazon, and I didn't order five books yesterday. Stupidly didn't notice if the order numbers were all the same, but I'm pretty sure it's a hacker.
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Thanks for the warning JoanK.
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Did you call Amazon and report this?
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Tried to read The Eyre Affair, but just could not get interested in it. I guess it's not my kind of book. I haven't tried any more of Fflorde's books since. I have read a few Harlan Coben books & enjoyed them.
Sally
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"Did you call Amazon and report this?"
I e-mailed them.
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I did not see the Australian episode of Morse either. I was interested to read (from Gum) that it was Ben Hall territory where the episode was made. In the dark distant past I saw a series about Ben Hall. I think the actor who played him was Jon Finch. So long ago - but Jon Finch was a dish. Actually another famous bushranger, Thunderbolt aka Fred Ward, used to hold people up at Thunderbolt's Rock on the road from Armidale (my home town) to Uralla, where I think Thunderbolt is buried. At night my ex and I would often drive out to "The Rock" and lie on the warm granite gazing up into the firmament and imagine Thunderbolt waiting for the next Cobb & Co coach.
www.bigtrip.com.au/things-to-see/australia/nsw/thunderbolts-rock.html
www.freebase.com/view/en/captain_thunderbolt
and for a pic of what it perhaps looked like to be "Bailed Up" by Tom Roberts
www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/work/833
The pic of him on freebase was obviously taken after he had been shot dead.
On freebase there is also a link in the right hand side bar to Ben Hall.
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Black Fly Season is very good, But then I think all of Blunts books are. He makes the weather part of the book and I love the idea.
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Enjoyed those links, ROSE. The painting reminds me of California in the summer,
all yellowed grass; a golden hue over everything.
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Babi - the real thing is magnificent. - I mean the 'Bailed Up' painting - the reworking Roberts did just makes it more intriguing - and it is a golden hue - I saw it as part of a touring exhibition named 'Golden Summers' which I'll not forget.
Roshanarose - Jon Finch ? or was it Peter Finch - who could act any part even if he was asleep.
I'd be curious to know how he went from being the inspiration for a good movie to getting shot dead by police in a shootout.
Frybabe
Me Too! Who knows what happens when an apparently self sufficient guy loses it and starts shooting at people and then kills a cop who was manning a roadblock - the cops were looking for him but didn't know he was anywhere near. I must say I've not read the book based on Ansell so can't really comment too much except perhaps to say that being able to live off the land is not truly exceptional here - I couldn't - but many can especially outback men (and women) who know their terrain and can adapt to circumstance - after all the aboriginal people have been doing it for tens of thousands of years.
I think it was Ansell's naive response to the city which sparked Hogan's interest - certainly Croc Dundee was not really biographical - It's intriguing to think that some believe Ansell should have profited from Hogan's enterprise. It leads me to the question of whether when I am inspired by someone to create a painting should I give them part of any profit I may make from the subsequent sale even though they have no input other than stirring my imagination?
Hogan had to raise funds to make the film - one of my son's sailing buddies risked more than he could afford to invest in the project - he was lucky it was successful - he spent part of his dividends on a new yacht which they then raced to win the Aussie National Title. Naturally he called the boat The Croc - what else?
Steph In his day Hogan the comedian was superb - he satirised all and sundry and had superb timing - he was a household name long before he made the film. Hogan the man is an entirely different matter. He was always chasing the skirts so I think Noeline? his long time wife had decided to look the other way.
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Roshanarose, I will not be writing Gruber a fan letter because, although I admit he is a brilliant writer, I do not like all that sex and violence and black magic and drinking, etc. In short, I am not truly an adventure/thriller kind of reader. Just read them because one of my sons gave me 5 of his books last Christmas and a beloved first cousin, who, come to think on it, has only shared my tastes about half the time, strongly recommended him to me. Bottom line, I would not really choose Gruber.
Dibdin can be depressing, as well and all. But he, too, is an inspired writer. I like Dibdin a whole lot better than Gruber.
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Giles Blunts form on a Canadian Indian is interesting.. Very different indeed.
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I ordered "Forty Words for Sorrow".
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Gumtree - No, I am not mistaken about Jon Finch playing Ben Hall. Many thought it a bit weird to "import" a British actor to play Ben Hall, just as they (and I) could never understand why they "imported" Mick Jagger to play Ned Kelly in one of the film versions of his story. ::)
See link re "Ben Hall" and Jon Finch.
www.imdb.com/title/tt0159850/usercomments
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Thanks Roshanarose - I just couldn't place Jon Finch at the time - senior moment? - but the name brought Peter to mind. Someone suggested they 'imported' those guys believing they would get more authentic accents etc - but of course Kelly and Hall were both born here long after the the nasal drawl had been established.
Off topic - did you happen to see in the news that an ABC film team has been killled in a helicopter crash at Lake Eyre? Paul Lockyer and his cohorts - the team who do those marvellous reports on rural and outback stuff. I'm truly shocked and felt stunned when I heard the report. They did such a great job on the Queensland floods earlier this year and Lockyer has been following the water down the country. He was just as brilliant bringing shows about the drought stricken areas and other rural issues - I've followed him for years ever since he was a youngster doing the overseas stints. Love his shows. What a loss - I feel I've lost some real friends. The ABC and its viewers will be the poorer for their loss.
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Peter Finch, I knew, but Jon Finch.. nada..
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An entire team of talented and skilled people lost; that is sad, GUM. I never think
to wonder who all those people are who go out and find, and film, the news. I'm
glad you took the time to give them some of the respect they have earned.
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Very sorry to hear about Paul Lockyer and his crew. I haven't seen a report here on our news as yet, but did do a Google to read the reports. For some reason Mr. Lockyer looks familiar as does his name, but I don't know where I might have run across him.
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A terrible tragedy, indeed, about the three ABC workers. One of my ambitions has been to fly in a helicopter, but so much can go wrong. As for ultralight aircraft, there is no way I would fly in one of those.
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I did actually take a trip in a helicopter once upon a time. We did a aerial of the Gettysburg Battlefield when I was still in high school. I wanted to learn to fly one except, I learned, that I had to learn to fly a regular plane first. Not at all something I could afford, nor would my parents approve. Of course, when I was that age there were a lot of things I wanted to do, but let others and current life circumstances intervene. I guess I just never had that inner fire that one needs to go up against the odds to do something not usual for a girl at that time. I just missed the feminine revolution by a year or so, nor was I a rebellious child.
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I wanted to learn to fly too, when I was a child, and was devastated when I learned you had to have good eyesight to be a pilot (I was horribly nearsighted).
Did anyone notice the link pedln posted in the Library of what books President Obama read in 2008-2010? One of George Pelecanos' mysteries is on it.
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That's sad about the ABC crew. This happened in Australia?
I can't stop thinking about the little 3-yr-old in SE Missouri who disappeared while riding her tricycle in front of her house. A neighbor (father of three) later confessed that he found her on the ladder to his swimming pool, brought her inside, suffocated her, stuffed her body in a plastic bag and threw it in a drainage ditch. Like the guy in Brooklyn who killed the little boy who got lost on his way home from daycamp. These people think no more of killing a child than they do a mosquito. To me they are more frightening than the most terrorizing of the terrorists. They have no purpose in their lives. They just do. And they'll do it again.
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That's horrible, Pedln.
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GUM: what a loss! And PEDLIN: how horrible!
I'm reading a book with Abagail Adams as the detective. "A Marked Man" second in a series by Barbara Hamilton. I love the portrayal of the period (10 days after the Boston tea Party -- John Adams is a lawyer up to his neck in undercover activitioes for the Sons of Liberty. Abagail is trying to get the English soldiers to cooperate in finding the murder, while not finding out about all the undercover activities going on.
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That of course is a variation on what I think happened to Cayley Anthony. I dont think her Mother deliverately murdered her, but I do think the child was inconvenient and if they had found the body right away, they could have proved more..
There is a certain type of person in the world who is terrifying.. Anything that gets in their way is destroyed, be it animal, humans , furniture, life itself..
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I see from the news that they've destroyed the car. I am surprised that the authorities have allowed evidence to be destroyed so soon.
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The trial is over. Calley cn't be retried for murder. Double jeopardy.
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I know Ursa, but I can't get it out of my head that she had help in a coverup or she was covering for someone else (her Dad?). That means someone else could be tried if not for murder than accessory after the fact, for example. I think another or other family members were involved. Even so, I didn't know they gave evidence back to the owners after a trial. I thought they kept it for a few years at least. Maybe that is only for unsolved cases. Maybe I watch too much CSI and the like where they pull old evidence from many years past out of their storage.
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My personal opinion is that Casey gave Caylee chloroform to put her to sleep while Casey went partying. She accidentally gave her too much and when Caylee did not wake; then Casey called her father to help her dispose of the body. He was a policeman and would know how to obscure evidence. I don't think her mother knew about it at first. I don't think Casey was smart enough to cover up the evidence by herself and she would need help in burying the body. It was negligent homicide, but couldn't be proven--just my opinion.....
Sally
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Finished Patterson's Fourth of July. Good one!
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I agree that Casey was involved and that somehow there was some sort of accident, but I honestly dont think that her Dad was involved. He was a policeman, but all through this ordeal, it has been Mom who is the guiding controller in the family. I think that Casey reached out and destroyed her family from spite..
But the car could be destroyed because there was nothing left in it. The evidence.. that is stored away..
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Ah, thanks Steph. You were following the case more closely than I.
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Steph, I agree. It was even proven that the mother committed perjury when she said she looked up the chloroform on the computer. I guess Casey will have to come back to Orlando to serve her year's probation on the forgery charges if her lawyer's appeal is refused.
I have read several of Peter May's China series involving an American woman pathologist and a Chinese detective. May is a good writer but his Enzo series is better, I think.
I've just started "Pumped for Murder" a cozy by Elaine Viets. She is a new author for me and not too sure I'm going to stick with this one.
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I just started a reading a new author..Connor Fitzgerald. the book is The Dogs of Rome..
So far I'm enjoying it.I'ts about an American that lives in Rome and is a policeman. This is his first book but he also has another one out.
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Elaine Viets writes several series.. Not much murder, mostly about her characters.. Nice to sort of read in an afternoon, but no substance.
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Another Charlaine Harris: "Shakespeare's Christmas". I like this series.
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The Shakespeare series is my favorite of hers. She only wrote a few, but I really like Lily.
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If you haven't tried Spycatcher by Matthew Dunn, run to the nearest bookstore, download your Kindle or order it on line. This one is a winner; well written and a suspenseful plot, a real page turner.
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The Elaine Viets book was OK but don't think I will bother with another. Albert's last Beatrix Potter book "The Tale of Castle Cottage" will be published next month. I'm No. 8 on our library's reserve list. There is something about that series that really grabbed me and I'm sorry to see it end.
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Thanks, JIM, I'll run to my kindle (about as far as I can run these days). I haven't been able to get into the beatrix Potter series: don't know why. I'll give it another try.
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Am I right in believing it is a spy book??
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Noted, JIM.
I love that Beatrix Potter series, too, FLAJEAN. I suppose it appeals to the child in me.
Thank's for letting us know there's a new one due out.
Uh, the Potter book isn't a spy story, STEPH. The Dunn book may be. ;)
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Just finished the third Louise Penny book - The Murder Stone. Enjoyed it, but not as much as the second one - I think perhaps because it was not for the most part set in Three Pines, so I missed my fix of numerous lunches at the bistro, visits to the bookshop, drinks here there and everywhere.....Looking forward to the next one though. She does write so well, and her characters are deliciously complex.
Rosemary
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I like Louise Penny very much, also Giles Blunt. There are some wonderful Canadian writers just now.
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Just realised I think I was talking about the 4th Louise Penny, not the third one ::)
I will look up Giles Blunt, thanks Steph.
Rosemary
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Just started my fourth C. J. Sansom. I've found myself happily engrossed with
every one of them. The man does know the historical background thoroughly.
I learn new things with each book.
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Just finished Harlan Coben's The Woods -- definitely a thriller, can't put it down-er. The author does a good job of weaving what could be a convoluted plot into something quite suspensful. The protagonist is a widowed prosecuting attorney who must reflect on his actions of 20 years earlier, at the same time he's involved in a complicated and frustrating court case.
It took me away from Franzen's Freedom, and forced me to stop exercising, but isn't it great every once in a while to find a book so absorbing.
I read Penney's Brutal Telling and really liked it. Would like to read some of her earlier titles now.
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Thanks for the review of The Woods, pedln. It's been in my TBR pile for some time.
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Just finished the "latest?" Jeffrey Deaver. Made it thru in just two nights. One of his usual fast-paced Lincoln Rhyme novels. It starts a teeny bit slowly, because you are being schooled in "electricity" and how it gets from the "grid" to various places. Then it starts, in earnest, and it's a horse race from that point on. Also has a really "twisty" ending!
Oops, forgot to tell the title "The Burning Wire".
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Sounds interesting. I like to learn about things I know nothing about, and the electric grid is certainly one ofthem.
Last day to vote on which classic to read next.
VOTE HERE http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=2395.80 (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=2395.80)
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I have The Woods on hand in a whole pile of Coben's books. I just love him, but you know how it is: too many books, too little time. Glad to know Pedln loved it. I'm looking forward to loving it, as well. Coben is one whose new book I buy as an automatic.
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Cobens stand alones are always intricate. I do like them very much. Yes, the fourth Louise Penny is sort of different from the first three, but I loved all of them thus far. Giles Blunt is also sequential and you really need to read in order to keep up with his detective.
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"The Woods" was the first, and only, Coben book I've read. Yes, he is undeniably a find writer.
Nevertheless, I found myself uncomfortable reading the book and completed it with very mixed
feelings. I thought I should try another one of his books, but was reluctant to do so. I've so
many authors I like better, I doubt if I'll ever get back to Coben.
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Just finished a new author - to me. Virginia Swift's "Bye, Bye Love". It was good. A group of tree huggers led by a song writer/singer has bought a property in Wyoming. That's the conflict, of course. When the songwriter/singer is killed other interesting things come to light, of course. The protagonist is a history professor, maybe that's why i liked it. Swift put in a lot of popular culture references, almost too many, but that added to the interest.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I am more than half way through THE PREACHER by Camilla Lackberg. It is really good. She is now the most profitable native author in Swedish history. Her books have been published in 35 countries.
The plot is totally different from THE ICE PRINCESS, but she does keep the town, the police force, and the principal couple. Very nice indeed!
I feel certain her books will each be made into a film.
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I finished all the Peter May "Enzo" series (5 so far). There are apparently two more coming as Enzo is supposedly solving seven cold case mysteries in this series. His China series is also interesting but the characters are not as likable IMO.
Right now I'm starting Rita Mae Brown's newest "Hiss of Death.
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I have read several of Virginia Swifts books. She did not write that many thus far.. But I do like them.. Her characters are interesting and different from me since they tend to be far West types.
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MaryPage, I've just been checking on Camilla Lackberg's books on Amazon, had not heard of her before. They do sound good. Will check the library and used book store. None are on Kindle yet.
Whoever recommended Daniel Silva, thank you. Was it Jim NT? I recently started The Rembrandt Affair, which a gather is one of his more recent ones. The trivial tidbits he includes are just as interesting as his characters, but are they true? Was the Mona Lisa really stolen once from the Louvre? And was Pable Picasso one of those arrested after the theft was discovered? Interesting.
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Pedlin - yes the Mona Lisa was stolen and yes Picasso was arrested for the theft even though he was miles away when it happened.
Hang tight those on the East Coast. I've seen what inches of water can do with out the winds. Can't imagine the combination of wind and water.
Mary
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I am reading Silva's latest: "Moscow Rules". Was awake until about 3:00 am, and didn't quite finish, but I only started it yesterday. Quick moving, and Gabriel is moving from country to country so swiftly, I don't know how he keeps up! (I know, this is just fiction, LOL)
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I put a Silva on my IPAD for the trip, so will see how I feel about him.
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I've been reading cozy mysteries one after the other - two Virginia Swift and one Margaret Moran and one Nancy Martin of the Blackbird Sisters - got my fill of sassy young women talking in witticisms, altho i really like the stories. Have to move on to some books that have real conversations. While talking w/the DH i realized that that is one of the reasons i like the tv series "The Closer". She is unintentionally humorous and all of her conversations are purposeful. On the other hand, i like Rizzoli and Isles because i like the actresses, but they tend to talk in witty, snarky comments too.
One of the reasons i like the "Miss Julie" series is there is not that witty, snarky banter written into the story. That witty conversation in small doses is fine but i've just overdosed in tbese last four books. :)
I recently found Virginia Swift and i really like her stories. The protagonist is a history professor, including teaching women's history at U of Wyoming, and an ardent feminist, issues of which get included in the story.
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I love the Miss Julia series, but I've read all that were written. I am going to start Dragon Bones by Lisa See which technically isn't a mystery but sounds as 'tho there is some mystery/adventure in it.
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I really like Virginia Swift. I have read all four of her mysteries. Dragon
Bones is a genuine mystery in some ways. It is very good indeed. I lunch at a teeny chinese restaurant maybe every two weeks. The same young woman is the only waitress and is chatty. I always have a book and she said yesterday that she had a favorite book and had read it six times.. I asked.. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, which I have read. She proclaimed it was her life as well. Interesting..
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I'm really enjoying Dragon Bones by Lisa See. Thanks for suggesting it, Steph. I'm going to be on the lookout for more of her books.
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Yes, I am hunting for the first two Red Princess books by her. I was not fond of Shanghai Girls, but after listening to my waitress, I see that she has a strong appeal to oriental women with it.
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I am reading Jacqueline Winspear's A Lesson in Secrets. It's moving slowly for me, although that may have something to do with the fine weather we were having and my need of grasping the good days while I can. Wisconsin winters come too soon. In any case, I did a little research to see how much of the setting is based on the history of WWI and the time after it, and now I found some other books that I may have to order to read up about this time in history. One of the things I like about his series is that I am compelled to read more about the setting and learn a lot that I missed in my history classes.
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nlhome - I have read some of the Maisie Dobbs books, but I always feel that they are a bit formulaic. Maisie herself just drives me nuts, with all her intuition and general perfectness. Then there is her "poor but honest" cap-doffing assistant, and her "salt of the earth" father. However, I agree that the history is interesting - much of it resonates with me as it is the background to my grandparents' lives. And I do think the books are improving as they come along - the last one I read was "Among the Mad" and that was definitely better than its predecessors.
Rosemary
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I picked up a copy of "The Thin Man" at the library at glanced into it. I realized that while I
had seen 'Thin Man' movies umpteen years ago, I didn't recall ever reading the book. The
few lines I read had me smiling, so it's now here waiting for me to finish one of the other books
I'm reading. You all remember Dashiell Hammett, right? He was one of the groundbreakers
in detective fiction.
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Rosemary, I agree to a small extent about the formula in the Winspear books, but I also wonder, as they are set in a time when roles were changing in Britain (and in the US but not quite so much) if some of that isn't just the awkwardness of the times, when people were stretching beyond their "station" in life and maybe not so comfortable.
I think in this last book I am reading that Maisie is showing more of her vulnerabilities, as she becomes more confident in her life at the same time. Maybe I like reading about her perfection because I am so far from it and would like to believe I could, or more aptly, could have done better?
In the little bit of outside reading I have done on WWI, it seems that people did have very complicated lives as a result of that war, especially in England and Belgium and France. Did your grandparents share much about that time period? They were closer to the events than my farmer grandparents were, by distance and by involvement.
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Dragon Bones by Lisa See was well written and a good story line. Now I have just finished Jeanne Dam's latest in the Dorothy Martin series. This series is about a widow from Indiana who moves to England after her husband died. It's best to start this series from the beginning, if possible, as life changes as it does with most series. It's a cozy but what I needed just now.
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Last night I watched a couple of Dalziel and Pascoe films I have on DVD, and afterwards got to thinking about Reginald Hill and this series of books. They are amusing, frivolous, gritty, gruesome, profane and profound. What leaves me thinking about each book, or film based on a book, after reading or viewing are the rather profound messages about our society deeply inserted into each story. I am left thinking Reginald Hill is someone I would love to know and have long conversations with.
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nlhome - my grandparents did not tell me too much about the first war - my grandfather died when I was 4, and although my grandmother lived on until I was in my 20s, she never mentioned it much. However, I know that my grandfather was gassed in the trenches - although he did not die, he came home a changed man and never worked again. They were grindingly poor - there were few benefits then - and my grandmother took in other people's washing and did their housework as well as looking after invalid husband and 5 children. There was huge unemployment after the war - all those men who had gone off in a wave of patriotic fervour, whipped up by people like Haig, came back to nothing.
The entire family lived in 2 rooms in Chislehurst (south London) until my grandmother went to the council offices and told them she would sit there until they gave her a house. Eventually they offered her one and asked her if she would like to view it - she said no, just give me the keys; the family lived in that house until my mother's sister, who never married, died in the late 1990s. It had 3 bedrooms, which to them was luxury.
I do think Winspear probably gets most of the background right - the book that involved the hop-picking was certainly accurate, my mother's family used to do that regularly - it's the rather cliched characters that irritate me. However, I haven't read the last 2 and I would like to - I did think she was improving, and it sounds as though this has carried through to the most recent ones.
Rosemary
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Hi…I’m a newbie here and love mysteries. I am currently reading Sacrifice by S.J. Bolton and really enjoying it. I also like Tana French’s books. I’ve read In the Woods and Faithful Place. I’m a great fan of the Lake District mysteries by Martin Edwards and the Simon Serrailler crime novels by Susan Hill. Has anyone read any of these?
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Welcome, WinchesterLady!
I am not familiar with any of those you mentioned, but I am sure there are some here who have. I am always happy to see a new face and to hear about what everyone is reading.
Right now, I am reading an oldie - a Peter Whimsey novel, Who's Body? by Dorothy Sayers. Since I got a Kindle for Christmas, I have been going nuts downloading freebie e-books from Project Gutenberg or ManyBooks.net.
BTW, you are not too far away from me - a straight shot down on 81 from the Harrisburg, PA area.
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Hello Winchesterlady and welcome!
I haven't read any of the books you mention, but they do sound interesting - I didn't even know there were mysteries set in the Lake District - and my in-laws live there :)
I'm sure someone on here will have read some of these writers - they are a well-read group.
Best wishes,
Rosemary
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Thanks Frybabe and Rosemary. For the past few years, I’ve been reading many of the on-line book blogs - - several of which are written in Great Britain. They’ve gotten me interested in a lot of the authors I read.
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Winchesterlady, I have read the Tana French books and enjoyed them. I think she has a new one out, now. Frybabe, I am also reading "Whose Body" on my Kindle!
Sally
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Hi Sally – Tana French’s latest book is In the Woods. She also wrote one other called The Likeness, which I have on my Kindle but haven’t read yet. She has a new one, Broken Harbour, which is to be published next March. I really enjoy her books.
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Welcome, Winchesterlady. I've never read any books by Tana French, but you've sent me to Amazon to do some looking, and found an interesting inview between her and Sophie Hannah, whose Wrong Mother I have read.
I thought it was interesting to learn that French is an actor as well as a writer. She even turned down an acting job (most unusual for actors) to work on one of her books.
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Rosemary, thank you for sharing the description of your grandparents' lives. I had found the descriptions of the hops picking to be interesting, and that's another thing I had to research. At the time I read that book, we were growing hops - or rather, I should say, my son had decided we would grow hops, which we did and do, for no reason now, because he says the variety he gave us is not the best for brewing beer.
But, to get back to life after the war, what you describe is what I have read in several books by other authors about post WWI, especially in England. I guess I don't notice the cliche characters because I get wrapped up in the history.
I read The Mapping of Love and Death, and now Lessons in Secrets. I think I missed one in the middle, perhaps read only part of it - that's what happens when I depend on interlibrary loan and must return books before I am finished.
Another author who write in that time period is Charles Todd. I've read a couple by him. Very dark.
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Welcome Winchesterlady. I hope you enjoy this group.
I have read one of the Simon Serrailler novels, the first, and would be interested in reading more. Have not read the others you mentioned, but I too have put them on my list and requested on by Martin Edwards from my library's interlibrary loan.
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Babi, I enjoyed reading The Thin Man and probably should reread it. I find Dashiell Hammet an interesting person and have read most of his other novels. I also read some biography of him and of Lillian Hellman, along with some of Hellman's writings.
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Pedln – I’ve also read Sophie Hannah and like her books. I think you might like Tana French.
Nlhome – I hope you can get Martin Edwards’ books from your library. I still have several more in the series to read. I googled the Lake District and it looks like a beautiful place to live. If you're interested, Martin Edwards describes this series at: http://www.martinedwardsbooks.com/lakedistrict.htm (http://www.martinedwardsbooks.com/lakedistrict.htm)
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We have surprising things in common, ROSEMARY. My grandmother lived a similar life,tho'
not due to the war. He mother died when she was< I think, eleven. Nana ended haviang to
leave school to take care of the house and her younger siblings. Her family turned away
from her when she married a 'half-breed', a man with some native American blood. My
grandfather, who died long before I was born, was an invalid from a never fully diagnosed
disease. They were also very poor, and not only did they have 4 children of their own, my
grandmother took in her sister's children when the sister died in an auto accident. She
had a hard life, but lived into her nineties, clear of mind up until the last few months.
I wish I had the skill..and the time... to write her story, but people would probably not
believe it all.
Welcome, CAROL. Thanks for that link. I was surprised to see that the first three covers
on the Martin Edward books had very similar woods backgrounds. Then the next two had
somewhat stony appearances. I guess I was expecting pictures of lakes. :)
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In the Woods was Tana French's first book. The latest is Faithful Place.
There is another due soon, Broken Harbor.
Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox
1. In the Woods (2007)
2. The Likeness (2008)
3. Faithful Place (2010)
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I have just finished reading the fifth J. C. Sansom and I feel quite sad does anyone know if there is another one in the pipeline, I must know what happened to Matthew, did he meet someone nice and get married, I feel he is such a kind person there must be someone out there for him. Oh I forgot he does not exist! However while I was reading the books he certainly existed for me. Please C. J. write another book about him.
Nancy
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Babi: Write that story about your grandmother - it doesn't have to be deathless prose - just the facts are all you need - and the little things you remember about her - the way she looked and spoke and laughed and cried - but get it down now! And don't forget everyone in the family has their story - write down everything you can remember - you won't regret it.
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Just finished Bye,Bye Love by Virginia Swift and A Crazy Little thing called Love by Nancy Martin. I talked about Swift before and this book was particularly interesting to me, talking about abused women and the issue of family planning clinics and the religious extremists. This Nancy Martin Book, about the Blackbird sisters of Philadelphia included a lot of angst about whether Nora should continue her relationship w/ the Mafia boss's son. Well-written, kept me interested.
Welcome Winchesterlady. I grew up just up the road from you, just over the Pa border.
Jean
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Babi, I second Gumtree - write it all down now. Do the fine tuning and editing later if you can, but at least get it down. I have some rough notes from my mother that I will pass on to my children - to give them a taste of what their grandmother's life was like.
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WINCHESTERLADY: WELCOME, WELCOME! I've been in Winchester many times: I envy you the lovely fall weather and leaves you'll be getting there.
Off to track down Tana french on my kindle!
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Thanks so much for alerting me to a fifth Sansom book, NANCY. I've read the first four
and loved them. The fifth hasn't turned up at my library, but I certainly intend to urge
them to get it. I begin to fear Matthew will never find a wife to end his lonelinesss,
but we can hope.
The problem is that it's not just one story, GUM, and NL. My grandmother had an incredibly
difficult life, but came through it an incredible woman. Her story would have to begin
at age eleven, and she lived a very long life.
You both have me thinking, tho', that I would hate for my children and grandchildren not
to have some of these stories. I may simply start writing down some of them and
saving them in a file here on my computer. (Hmm, I'd need to save them to a disc, too.
We have had a computer crash before.) It would surely be a more useful way to spend
my time than playing computer games.
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Babi, a friend of mine who is 85 recently showed me an article she was writing for a DAR friend about the years she spent in DC after Pearl Harbor, working as a "government girl." She was 16 years old and had just finished her sophmore year of high school.
I suggested that my brother make it in a booklet form for her (he likes to do that sort of thing) and so she's been enhancing it and adding some of the old photos from those days. And this she is doing specifically for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
You might want to put your stories on a flash drive. They'll probably outlive discs? Or at least there have more ports available.
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Babi: It doesn't need to be the whole story told from beginning to end - start wherever - add bits - start new bits - you'll surprise yourself.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Winchesterlady, thanks for suggesting a few new authors. Will look for them in my library. Evidently we have many mystery lovers at my library as there is a large selection.
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PEDLN, flash drives are foreign territory for me. But I am toying with the idea of just putting
down some of the different stories, as Gum suggested. Even that much would be something.
Hopefully Valerie and Andy have enough computer smarts to safeguard whatever I'm able to
put together. I do appreciate the encouragement. It would be a shame to lose all that heritage.
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Yes, Babi, do put those stories down.
Sometimes, especially in our local paper, there are long obituaries telling of peoples' lives, and they are so interesting. When I know some of these people, either through my work or just out and about, I am struck by how rich their lives were, yet most of us never knew more than that they were older people in seemingly limited lives, "just" grandparents or great-grandparents. These are often stories better than what we can read in books, because we know the people. Imagine how their grandchildren view them.
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Yes I so agree - when I was doing executries (probate) I used to have to delve into people's lives through their paperwork, and they were often so interesting. I remember one old lady - my fairly unpleasant boss said "oh there'll be nothing to it, she didn't do anything" - or words to that effect - but when I started looking, she had been a nursery nurse and there were newspaper clippings that she had kept of children giving her presents when she retired, - she was clearly much loved. I also worked on the estate of an elderly Polish man who had died in a nursing home. He had come here during the war, then, like many Poles, had not been allowed to return to poland. He had done all sorts of things. He was a great stalwart of the Catholic cathedral in Aberdeen, and part of the ageing Polish community living in the city, some of whom I contacted to get some more information about him - they were all very interesting people.
The cathedral used to hold Polish masses, but these had been in danger of stopping, as so many Polish residents had died. Just in time, the huge influx of young Poles to the UK brought the congregations flooding back, and the masses are now probably better supported than the ones in English.
Everyone has their story, and people who write them off as not having done "anything" are missing so much.
Rosemary
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Right on, Rosemary!
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nlhome and Rosemary, you have given me an idea. Our local paper obits are usually so bland and full of nothing -- born, lived, died, survivors. And if you had 11 children by three divorced husbands, the ex's names are never mentioned.
But, we've had some people who wrote their own before they died. I'm going to suggest to my friend Mary that she do that, with the help of her daughter. Mary, with three others -- two 16-year-olds and and two 15 year-olds went off to Washington DC in 1942 to help the war effort. They had hoped they might be sent to Hawaii or some other exotic place, but were deemed too young. In DC they lived in a boarding house run by Ma and Pa Carter, who kept an eye on the girls in their off hours. They stayed three years. Mary worked in the munitions office, one of the girls in the new Pentagon building.
My brother is putting all this in booklet form and is so impressed with her story that he's going to write a foreward about the tone of the country at that time, so her grandkids will have some background.
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Pedln - what a great idea. Although I did not live through the war, it has always seemed very real to me because it was such a recent experience for my parents, and in London there was still so much evidence of it all around us - the bomb sites, the "pre-fabs", the air-raid shelters - these were all normal sights to me as a child. (remember Mildred in Barbara Pym's "Excellent Women", attending the church service in the half of the church that hadn't been bombed, and seeing a woman making coffee on a camping stove amongst the ruins of the other half?). For my own children, however, the war is as much ancient history as the first war was to me - soon there will be no first hand witnesses to it left.
My mother wanted to join the Land Army, but was too young, although she later worked in the Arsenal at Woolwich docks. For many young women (ie those who did not have children to worry about) the war was actually a period of new experience and freedom.
Has anyone read "La's Orchestra Saves the World" by Alexander McCall Smith? It is quite different from his other books, and is about a small village in Suffolk during the war - the period detail is wonderful. Nina Bawden's "Carrie's War" is also a brilliant book - about some children being evacuated to Wales - again the evocation of the time is perfect.
Rosemary
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I've seen the Smith book mentioned more than once, but not "Carrie's War". Both
sound interesting. I'll have to look them up. Reading about the wars, I and II, esp.
in Britain, has always been somewhat distressing. The country was so ill prepared
both times, that in the beginning those young men were going off to war with much
inferior weapons, provisions, training....you name it. WWI especially turned into a
mass slaughter house in France, for both sides. At one time I very much disliked
the idea of spending huge sums on military preparedness....until I learned the too
high cost of not being prepared.
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I have been reading some of Kathy Reich's books. She is a practicing forensic anthropologist and her heroine is also in that business. Most of the titles have Bones in them. They are the only mysteries I know that are both cozy and gruesome. Not nearly so violent as Patricia Cornwell's offerings, but good stories and more believable.
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Babi - Carrie's War is about life in a village in 1940s Wales, there isn't much about the actual war in it, so far as I can recall - but it's a great book, especially for the mysterious character Hepsibah. Similarly La's Orchestra is more about life in a Suffolk village during war time than about anything happening on the front. I have read JG Ballard's autobiographical novel "Empire of the Sun", and I found that very hard to read indeed, as it gives so many terrible details about the Japanese POW camps. I know that it is really important that we learn about these things, but they are hard to take sometimes - the Nina Bawden and A McCall Smith are much easier reads.
Rosemary
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Just finished James Patterson's The Fifth Horseman. It was one of the "women's murder club" books and was a good story about unexplained deaths in hospitals. Am also reading a new author, to me. I found her while going thru my list of books set in NJ and Pa. Robin Hathaway. The protagonist is a doctor in Phila. This book has a lot about the Lenni-Lenape. The person who is killed is a woman of that tribe. The title is The Doctor Digs a Grave.
From a site about the author: "But Robin had always wanted to write, and on her 50th birthday her husband told her, "It's now or never." So she began. She wrote three mystery novels in three years featuring Dr. Andrew Fenimore, an old-fashioned cardiologist who still made house calls. Robin's amateur sleuth was patterned after her husband, who just happened to also be a cardiologist.
For the next ten years she sent her mysteries out, and for ten years they bounced back like india rubber balls. On her sixtieth birthday, Robin became very discouraged. She was ready to give up when a member of the Delaware Valley Sisters in Crime told her about a contest --the St. Martin's Malice Domestic Contest for Best Traditional Mystery. .Deciding to give it one last try, she sent in her first Fenimore novel, THE DOCTOR DIGS A GRAVE, and promptly forgot all about it. Nine months later she received a mysterious phone call from a woman who told her, "You've won!" At first Robin thought it might be the lottery, until the woman revealed her identity as a senior editor at St. Martin's Press, and told her THE DOCTOR DIGS A GRAVE had won the contest and they wanted to publish it. Robin's reaction was to get a migraine headache that lasted for three days!
In 1998, this book won an Agatha Award. Four more books followed. In THE DOCTOR MAKES A DOLLHOUSE CALL each murder is preceded by a death set up in miniature in a dollhouse. The third novel, THE DOCTOR AND THE DEAD MAN’S CHEST, involves pirate treasure on the Delaware Bay. In THE DOCTOR DINES IN PRAGUE, the doctor solves a mystery in his mother's homeland, the Czech Republic. The fifth Fenimore mystery, THE DOCTOR ROCKS THE BOAT, is set on Philadelphia's famous Boathouse Row. Fenimore's effort to relax on the river results in murder and mayhem. To be released in June 2006."
Nice story about the author.
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Gosh Jean, they sound really interesting - and it's so encouraging to hear of someone who made it after 50! Though of course Mary Wesley - whose books I don't like, but lots of people do - didn't start writing till she was at least 70.
I will look out for those books, and write them in my overflowing TBR book.
Thanks,
Rosemary
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I just finished Dorothy Sayers, Whose Body? I had not read Sayers in years. I found the book to be very dated and almost didn't finish it. Why is it that some authors we enjoyed in earlier years don't seem to hold up in time? I also finished Anne Perry's latest, Murder at Lisson Square. It was tedious and I almost didn't finish it, either. Ummm, perhaps it is the mood I am in........
Sa;;u
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I enjoyed Whose Body. Too bad only two of the Sayers books so far are up on Project Gutenberg. However, I have tons of other things to read including several Ann Perry books that have been sitting in my TBR pile.
I am just a few chapters into Carol Goodman's The Ghost Orchid. At the outset it seems a little spooky. The character from the past was a clairvoyant. It looks like the narrator also has some unrecognized tendencies in that direction. The setting is a rundown estate that is a long time artist's retreat. Already there is some professional jealousy showing up. So far, there isn't much "parallel life" narration between the narrator and the prime character in the past.
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Was able to get "The Doctor Digs a grave for 1 cent plus shipping. The Author is Robin hathaway.
I have read "LAs Orchestra" and loved it. don't remember if there's a mystery in it or not. some of his mysteries are so slight, you forget they're there.
Reading a non-fiction "heist" book. Get ready for this title -- "Sex on the Moon". It's not about sex: it's about a young NASA employee who's in love. He wants to give his beloved the moon! So he steals a bag of moon rocks from NASA.
I'm curious to know how he pulled it off, and what happened to him, but so far, the background is not holding my interest.
Meanwhile, Jaffarian who wrote "Too big to Miss" has a new series about ghosts. This seems to be the "in" thing these days: mostly, I don't care for them, but "Ghost ala Mode", the first, was all right.
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Just notices that FRY was reading about ghosts, too. Looks like we're in for a lot of them. Maybe now, all the authors will have to write a Halloween ghost mystery as well as a Christmas mystery.
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Thanks, ROSEMARY. I do enjoy the kind of book that gives you the flavor of another time
time and place.
Okay, JEAN, I'm hooked. That story about the deaths depicted in miniature in a dollhouse,
I think CSI borrowed that story line. They had a series of stories with that feature. I do
hope they credited Ms. Hathaway.
That definitely happens, SALLY. There are times when nothing suits me. Just a sign of
cranky old age creeping in, I suppose. That applies to things other than books, too. There
are times when I want something to eat, and absolutely nothing in the house appeals at all.
There' bound to be a connection, FRYBABE. Why else would the past character be appearing?
You've definitely got me intrigued. ANOTHER book on my list. This is turning out to be
a record morning for new authors/titles. (Thanks so much,guys. ::) )
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Babi - i had to laugh at your comment about food, just last week my husband and i were saying that we were hungry for something and nothing in the house was satisfying! Is it just because we are not as busy w/ children and jobs and other things that books and food take on a greater importance?
"The Doctor Digs a Grave" has slowed in its interest to me. Maybe it's her dependence on stereotypes, a teenage African American who teaches the doctor some "street smarts"; stoic, dignified, quiet Native Americans. In fact, as i write this, i realize that all of her characters are kind of charicatures rather one-dimensional, maybe that's why she got turned down by publishers for ten yrs. Of course, there is enough story to finally win the prize!
Jean
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Babi, I suspect it is going to turn out that the narrator of The Ghost Orchid has some undeveloped psychic abilities of her own. She mentions hearing voices, but thinks she is just hearing the wind in the trees. She mentions that this has happened to her occasionally since childhood. Something catches her eye, but when she looks again, it is nothing. She gets the feeling someone is watching her when she is sitting somewhere in the gardens.
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I couldn't find any books by Robin Hathaway in my library. Perhaps the lady's success
in the contest was mostly due to the quality of the other books offered. Still, if
this was a first book, perhaps later books were less stereotyped. If you read another,
do let me know what you think, JEAN.
FRYBABE, over the years I have come to suspect that all of us could potentially
have some 'psychic' abilities. We know so little yet about the capabilities of the
mind, and think how much of our brain is 'unused'. Then I have the stories of people
I know to be truthful, as well as experiences of my own, that tell me that this whole
thing cannot be simply dismissed out-of-hand.
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I agree about Psychic connections. My grandfather and I definately had one. The night he had a massive heart attack I dreamed he had been run over by a train and woke sobbing in the early hours of the morning. Shortly after I woke the phone rang and my mother was told he was in ICU. The night he died I was violently ill all night for no apparent reason. The phone rang in the remote farmhouse where we were holidaying and it was a call to tell me he had died. Before my husband gave me the message I knew. I said to him "Grandpa is dead." My grandfather and I were extremely close for my entire life.
Carolyn
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Doesn't surprise me at all, CAROLYN. These things happen more often than people realize.
Those who have never had such an experience, tho', oten tend to dismiss them as imagination,
or coincidence, or chemicals in the brain, ::) ...anything but the simple truth.
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For all those of you who kindly encouraged me, I have started the task of getting Nana's
stories on the computer. Most discouraging are the points on which my memory fails, (like
certain names) and the fact that the 'free' access to vital statistics records isn't free at all.
At least none of those I've pulled up on Explorer so far have been.
Right now I'm just trying to get the bare stories down. Dry reading. Hopefully, if I make it
to later drafts readibility will improve.
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That's wonderful, Babi, that you are preserving those stories.
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Babi: Good for you! I've been into family history on and off for years and find it so rewarding to get a story down however sketchy and maybe inaccurate - at least it's a start - and you can build on it as you go - and once you get going you might find that the facts come to you from unexpected sources. Have fun!
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That's true, GUM. My older daughter remembered Nana's birthdate exactly, including the
year, because their birthdays came close together.
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The library had Donna Andrews new book, and I snatched it up (something about a Macaw). In the last one, eight months pregnant with twins, Meg just managed to catch the muderer before her water broke. Now she's nursing twins, and has a new collection of orphaned animals in her livingroom/ in an earlier book, she played hostess to the animals from the local zoo. In this one, from the local animal shelter. I'm sure she'll nurse the twins, take care of her animals, return to her blacksmithing, AND catch a murderer. I love these books, but they do leave me feeling a little tired!
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Just finished the latest Dennis Lehane.. He is an old favorite of mine and this is a Kenzey and Gennaro mystery. It is really a coda from an earlier book about them and the four year old they save years ago. The query is did they really save her.. Excellent book, but somewhat violent.. The Russian mob is involved and they are portrayed as close to beasts.. Oh well.
Good book.
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Yes, some of these heroines do leave us feeling terribly inadequate, don't they? Really
unbelievable, but shucks; I don't have to believe a story to enjoy it. 8)
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I loved the Donna Andrews series.. Meg is a hoot. I would run away in real life if I were her, but it is fun to read about her and her outrageous relatives.
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MIA - had a lot of problems withPC - but now back - use to be JoHanz4 but now JoLew - don't go to CompUSA for repairs - deleted everything on PC hence new Name.
just want to say i am now reading Amanda Quick 'Lie by Moonlight' - i always enjoy her books and also books by her other names.
will check in again JoLew
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WELCOME BACK JOLEW!
you are welcome by any name!
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Found a couple of Marcia Mullers older books at library book sale and snapped them up. I do like her and forget until I see her name on a book..
Her Sharon makes so much more sense than most female detectives.
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It's hard to find a genre slot for Carol Goodman's "Ghost Orchid". I'm nearing the end now,
but she still has me guessing. There is certainly a mystery to be solved,....in both time periods.
There is a strong suggestion of descendents of former protagonists, there are elements of
horror. There is a psychic, or medium, both then and now. It's as though many of the souls
involved in the first events have returned to resolve matters and expose the truth...all
unknowing, of course. So, ..is it fantasy as well? Whatever it is, it's written with Carol Goodman's usual fine touch.
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I just took back 6 books to the library and only finished one of them. I guess I'm just getting more picky in my old age and no longer waste time on a book that doesn't interest me. Someone mentioned Dorothy Sayers, and I looked in my bookcase for an old Dorothy Sayers book (Clouds of Witness) I had bought from a library sale. I know Sayers is "outdated" but I'm enjoying it nonetheless.
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I've got less than a quarter to go on The Ghost Orchid. I'm not into ghosts and paranormal activities, but CG writes so well that it carries me along so well that I must finish it and find out "who done it". One thing I am finding with this one, but not the other Goodman's I've read, is that I am have to keep reminding myself which characters are in the real/now world and which are part of the story being written by our heroine.
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Steph, just finished Marcia Muller's "Locked In". Great book, and there is a follow up to it, which I hope to get from the library soon.
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Just finished Gillian Roberts "i'd rather be in Philadelphia" and a Lisa Scottolini, also set in Phila. Those are fun because i know the environment, but i also love the way LS writes and i like her characters very mich. This was a Mary Dinunzio story and i like the female law firm books the best. Roberts' protagomist is an English teacher in a private school in Philly, so i get the enviroment thingy and her complaints about the students, but also like her bits about the literature she's "teaching". In this book a female student takes issue w/ "Taming of the Shrew" saying it's condoning domestic abuse and bullying..........yeah.....i'd say that was a good discussion starter.
Jean
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Won't y'all share - even if you do not stay around to chat in Talking Heads it would be so great to have as many of us as possible list our favorites in 20 Questions - it really is a way we get to know each other a bit better -
Here we are http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=2510.msg129764#msg129764
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Jean: two of my favorite authors. Usually, the plots in Gillian's books reflect whatever her students are reading. Is that the case in this one.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I just received my copy of Lee Slonimsky's (husband of Carol Goodman) book of poems, Pythagoras in Love. What a slim volume it is, only 64 pages.
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What an interesting title!
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I have read all of Scottoline including the recent essays one.. Roberts.. Hmm, I read maybe three and like her, but not insanely.
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Steph, have you seen Hardcover Mysteries? The ID Channel ran four (I think it was only four) programs last year where they interviewed authors, Scottoline among them, about the real life inspirations for their novels. Each program focused on one crime, one author and the book the crime inspired. I've been looking for more, but so far none. Too bad. I really enjoyed the programs.
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I just finished "Ghost Orchid", FRYBABE. Goodman is endlessly surprising; I
can't begin to outguess her! She introduces her bits of revelation and weaves the
two stories together so flawlessly. Most impressive!
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I have been watching Inspector Lewis, and am enthralled by this program. I don't know how I managed to miss it in its earlier permutations, but I am now a "fan".
Can hardly wait for Downton Abbey to begin! Did you all get your Masterpiece notifications?
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Yes, Babi, and did you notice how at the very end she leaves a smidgen of doubt or a hint as to the real fate of Corinth?
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FlaJean....Me, too...on checking out books and then being disappointed when they don't hold my interest. I'm too old to read stuff that doesn't appeal to me.
JoLew...you don't have to change your username here because of your computer thing. The username and password remain here at this site, not on your computer. So, if you recall your old password, you can use the other username, if you wish.
If you need help, email me at the email under my name here.
jane
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Tomereader - we had the first episode of the second series on Sunday night and it was GREAT :) :)
Rosemary
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What is an ID channel. I do love things on mysteries. Finished off the Marcia Muller.. Sharon is an interesting human being. One of the very few fictional female detectives, that I think I would like as a person.
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Steph, the ID channel is mostly real life crime investigations. ID stands for Investigative Discovery. http://investigation.discovery.com/
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Just finished Jane Haddam's And One to Die For. It was terrible and yet i kept reading hoping against hope that it would get better. The conclusions of how the murders were committed were just too convoluted. Her physical descriptions of the house which figured prominently in the story were very confusing. The whole story was just too fantastic and unbelievable. The first one i read of Haddam's was o.k., but not great. I think i'll give up on her.
Jean
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For Jane Austen fanatics, only! I'm reading "Murder at Mansfield Park" by Lynn Shepherd. It's written for those who can't stand the heroine of Austen's "Mansfield Park", Fanny Price (I remember when we reaed MP on Senioprnet, that was about half of us).
I'll read anything that imitates Austen. It has A's style, minus her sense of humor, so it's a little stodgy.
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Last week we had a talk at one of our branch libraries by the author of a new book, "My Jane Austen Summer - A Season in Mansfield Park" by Cindy S. Jones. She gave a wonderful talk, and I think all of us bought the book (got it autographed). So for all you Austenites, you might want to look for this one! Her website is www.cindysjones.com
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Masterpiece Theatre presented two of the new Lewis series, then went off in
other directions. So annoying! I'm still waiting for them to come back and finish.
I received the first show of "Midsomer Murders" from Netflix and was quite pleased.
Now that I've checked it out, I'll be putting more of them on the queue. I love
most of the English mystery series; so much more laid back. Of course I have any
number of American favorites as well.
Thanks for the review on Haddam, JEAN. Save me some time. :)
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I missed the one on Sunday, but it's being broadcast on a different station tonight.
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Babi
Did the first shows of Midsomer Murders have close captions? I didn't think they did that!s why I never rented them.
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Tomereader - I had a look at Cindy Jones' site - the book looks good. Let us know how you find it.
Rosemary
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Babi, Do you have a DVR or capability to record tv shows? My PBS station (out of Austin) also went on another tangent; but I found that a new Inspector Lewis is coming on this Monday at 3 a.m., so I've recorded it. It usually comes on at 8 p.m on Sundays. I don't know why PBS is doing this; but it's most aggravating!
Sally
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J ust finished the latest Kathy Reichs in paperback. I think a bit more scientific than I really was interested in. Chimeras?? and lots of DNA stuff. Oh well. The plot was interesting.
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JERIRON, the old discs that my library carried did not. But these from Netflix
do. I assume they were re-issued, with the more considerate closed captioning.
I do record shows, SALLY. I'll check to see if my station is going to put out
a 3a.m. that I haven't seen, but it does seem a silly way to go about anything.
The early a.m. shows are usually repeats. Thanks for the tip.
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According to Netflix these are the Midsomer Murders that have SDH -- English subtitles. The ones that came out in 2005 do not have them. Babi, I'm glad you mentioned them because like Jeriron, I'd pretty much given up on them. Hopefully now all of the new productions will have them.
Midsomer Murders: The Creeper 2009 NR 100 minutes
Midsomer Murders: Midsomer Life 2008 NR 100 minutes
Midsomer Murders: The Glitch 2009 NR 100 minutes
Midsomer Murders: Shot at Dawn 2008 NR 100 minutes
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I've seen all the newer ones that have SDH or CC. The older ones from when it first started do not have either one. I bought series 17 and 18.
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I've just started Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers. What is especially interesting is that it was published in 1903, way before WWI. Wikipedia says that it is one of the early invasion novels. So, as early as that people were worrying about Germany invading Britain. Like I said interesting. I'll let you know how I like it when I get into it farther.
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I take it back about "Murder in Mansfield Park" being stodgy. By the end, i was really into it. For those who have read the original, which character would you turn into a murderer?
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Frybabe: Yes, do let's know - I read it years ago about the time they made a film of it - Michael York I think...
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I was just checking out what new books Henning Mankell has out and discovered that he has several new books out for young adults now. My latest acquisition from Mankell is The Troubled Man.
Just learned a new word from Riddle of the Sands: portmanteau, meaning a large suitcase. The story is coming along fine, but I did notice a rather derogatory description of a "Hebrew" merchant and his wares. Of course, the author could have been trying to convey how dirty and smelly were the dockside workshop shacks. Mr. Carruthers appears to be a bit snooty and fussy about appearances and proper protocol.
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I think that one of the classifications for Anne Rice's recent "angel" series is suspense fiction, so it seems to fit here.
I've just finished reading "Angel Time" and "Of Love and Evil" by Anne Rice about an assassin who is turning his life around and is visited by an angel (seraphim to be exact) who sends him on missions to the past (13th Century England and 15 Century Rome) to solve mysteries relating to specific people and work out his repentance using all his knowledge and skills). The books aren't as extensive as her vampire novels but they are interestingly written in her detailed, sensuous style, embedded in various locations. I've enjoyed the two books and look forward to reading more in the series. I hope she finishes the next one soon.
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Just learned a new word from Riddle of the Sands: portmanteau, meaning a large suitcase
Frybabe: Well before my time portmanteau was in common usage here - in the Eastern States they shortened the word to 'port' and still use that to mean suitcase. Here in the civilised west we've used 'suitcase' or just 'case' for as long as I can remember - these days one hears 'trolly' or 'trolley case' more and more - so it's changing again to reflect the modern suitcase. Language is just so interesting - sometimes I wish I'd studied it.
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Just finished my very first Daniel Silva. It was an early one and has Michael Osbourne as the hero. I did like it very much, looked him up on my swap club and ordered two more. I also have his lates on my IPAD..But did not want to try it until I had read some earlier ones.. Good author and I am not a fan of spies..
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'Portmanteau' always sounds very old-fashioned to me, perhaps because I seem to link
it with Hercule Poirot. I seem to remember he used a portmanteau on his travels, but
I could be wrong.
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Babi : I think you're right !
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We're going back and re-reading the Kate Shugak mysteries by Dana Stabenow on our Kindles. We do enjoy them - and have forgotten enough that they seem "new".
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I'm reading a book that has a feisty 30ish woman, who has a tendancy to find trouble, as the protagonist. She has two very attentive, protective men in her life, one is a good-looking cop the other is an ex navy SEAL, an action man who dresses in black. In the first scene her car is destroyed and she next drives a big honkin 1996 Crown Victoria.
Sound familiar?
Wanna guess what it is?
No, it's not Evanovich or Stephanie Plum! But JE may have a spawn.
This is a book written by Susan Warren in 2009. The. main character is an apprentice PI, her boss is the ex SEAL and her "boyfriend" is the cop. There's no Grandma Maser, but there is a couple of Russian emigres who speak little English who are the in-laws of her sister who provide the same comic relief.
I'll keep reading to see if it becomes orginal or keeps copying JE.
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I'll have to look Susan Warren up. Clearly a plum imitater, but why not? I'm surprised there aren't more.
On Stabenow, I keep looking for one of my old copies, and not finding it. It's the one where she goes fishing on a crab boat. At the time I read it, I had trouble understanding some of her descriptions. But now that I've become a fan of "Deadliest Catch", the DiscoveryTV program about Alaskan crab fishermen, I realize it was all in Stabenow's book: the waves, the ice, the close quarters and quarrels, etc. and I want to reread the book.
Guess I'll have to get it on my kindle.
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There are a number of Plum imitators.. Mostly not as good as Janet E, but still some are fun.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_female_detective_characters
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Interested in true crime? There was a lot of talk about the Anthony trial in Florida. This isn't a trial, but about a family all wound up in a crime. And the mother seems to be the instigator of it all. The son went in to hold up a pawn shop in Chattanooga last April. A cop got there while it was in progress, and the son gunned him down with an automatic weapon. The son was caught within a week (I think - we were out of town).
As the story progresses, his mother, father, sister, and her boyfriend were all arrested and held on various charges. All except the son have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. There's a long article in this morning's Chattanooga Times Free Press (http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/25/kathleen-matthews-deadly-influence-over-family/) about the saga of the family. Mom seems to be a 21th century version of Ma Barker.
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Aren't they a good lookin' trio there, Mary Z. I'd sure hate to meet up with Mama on a dark and stormy night. I'm glad some of her children have managed to leave the nest forever.
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At least with their pleading guilty (and in federal court), they'll be off the streets for a while.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Seems they were in Florida for a while. I dont remember reading anything about them here however. I get the feeling that we are about to be plowed under with Casey Anthony books.. But she better not try to write one.. They have her owing a whole lot of money thus far and two trials coming up.
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A dear, dear friend has just done me the favor of giving me the name of a new (to me) mystery author: Rhys Bowen.
Elaine has now read a number of her books, and adores them. I have just ordered 5 from Barnes & Noble on line, so I cannot give a first hand report as yet. Anyone else know her books?
http://www.rhysbowen.com/
I ordered the Royal Spyness series, but she has written a number of others. All sound good.
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I read one of the Molly Malone series and have another I started and then set aside. No idea why, but I find it hard to get into them..Hopefully you will do better.
I am reading an old Marcia Muller, not Sharon, but another protagonist. This one is about art mostly and is set in England although she is an American.
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I bought Mom a Constable Evans a while back, but she didn't care for the story bouncing back and forth between two different things going on. I haven't read it yet.
Well, my book inventory system doesn't work if I don't check it. I just discovered last night that I now have two copies of Lindsey Davis's Alexandria. Now, what to do with the spare copy.
Great! Another thunderstorm. Nice flash of near by lightning.
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I would be delighted to see another thunderstorm. We had one lovely soaker last week, but
not a drop since.
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I wish i could send you some Babi, we're soaked!
Jean
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Downloaded a new game on my IPAD and have been struggling with it ever since.. Lots of levels and a new activity entered as you do up.. Fun and addictive.. So reading suffered yesterday.
Also took a new class at the gym..Called Body Flow.. It is a mix of yogo, tai chi and pilates..
Whew.. I kept up mostly, but even after a hot shower and rest, i ache today..But it was great fun and stretched parts of me, that I did not consider stretchable.
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I've read many of the Molly Malone series by Rhys Bowen. I finally stopped because I was burning myself out. It's been a while; so think I will pick up where I left. I did enjoy them.
Start with the first as it sets the tone of books to follow. Enjoy! It's fun to have a new series to enjoy.
Sally
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Amazing how a new activity will find unused muscles, STEPH. Actually, it sounds like it would
be very graceful, once you get the hang of it. Me, I scarcely have a muscle left worthy of the
name.
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Steph - what's the game?
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The Susan May Warren (akaEvanovich copy cat) book "Double Trouble" was entertaining, but not great, especially when compared to Evanovich, but a lot of the same kind of story. There even turns out to be a feisty old woman, not a grandmother, but a neighbor.
Jean
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The new class sounds like a good one, Steph. Good girl!
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When I get down to getting better in the class, it will be graceful. The Instructer ( Mae) looks like a cat when she moves. All of that instinctive grace.. I just mostly bend and mutter under my breath,but I do love it and plan on continuing it. I know from experience, it will take me a while before my muscles stop complaining.
IPAD It is one of the Playrix games..I have several now. They let you try them free generally, but then charge for the whole game, but they are all continuing adventures and I do enjoy that type.
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Fl Jean,, The IPAD games.
Royal Envoy, Rise of Atlantis and Call of Atlantis. All are multi level type games and great fun. I am working on the Royal Envoy and on level 12 just now.. Good luck, they are addictive.
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STEPH: the class sounds great. I have a chair Yoga class I do, which I'll bet is similar. Even though I've been doing it a while, after the Summer break, I was really stiff after the first class. It finds muscles I didn't know I had.
My problem is I don't practise between classes, and once a week isn't enough.
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I do agree, when I get back from my journey late in the month, I will start with the class again, suffer again, but hopefully can learn enough to practice at least once more each week.
Oh,, oh, wrong discussion, but I just finished
Run by Ann Patchett. I loved Patron Saint of Liars, medium liked Bel Canto, but I adored this last one.. What a wild ride.. The story had me carrying the book all day yesterday and reading inbetween appointments, etc.. I loved it..
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My reception of Bel Canto was also somewhat lukewarm, STEPH. Mostly, I suspect, because I
was unhappy withthe ending. But reading your post, I think I'll give Ms. Patchett another try.
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Thanks for the info, Steph. I have book marked the title on my library page. I am getting ready to pick up 2 books I had on reserve that are now waiting for me, Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins and The Three Wiseman's of Westport by Cathline Schine. I am still waiting for Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks.
I just finished the 2nd book in the Ivy Malone series (In Plain Sight) by Lorene McCourtney. I thoroughly enjoyed the first one, Invisible; but this second one was so poorly done, that I won't read any more. The author got too religious, quoting the Bible on every other page; plus she made Ivy too unbelievable. aargh!
Sally
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Tom Robbins. I have not read him in years. Used to devour every single book. Must reaquaint myself with whatever he has new..But I have already read that one..Also the Three Weissman,, which I did not like as much as I had hoped.
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I recently finished "Caleb's Crossing', SALLY, and it was excellent. But of course, all of Miss
Brook's work is excellent. Her research is marvelous. I was totally taken aback to learn that
the early settlers there referred to the natives as 'salvages', not savages.
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Picked up a Minette Walters that I had missed somehow. Just really starting it. The man has a serious injury from Iraq or Afghanistan. He is in the hospital recovering, but has a mild form of amnesia and some very serious problems. Loss of an eye, etc. He has so much anger at this point, am not sure if I will go on. I dont think I want to read a book about anger..but I do like Minette's books..
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Minette Walters has written some excellent books. She has also written some that made me,
figuratively, take a step backward, so I understand what you mean, STEPH. It's as though the
author's output was influenced by different emotional states. Does that make sense?
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I think Minette Walters has no peer in this genre of writing. Everything she has done deserves an A+ in my figuring. About 5 of her books have been made into films in Great Britain and later shown on our PBS channels. The films have been good, but, as is usually the case, I have preferred the books. Each book stands alone and is quite different from every other.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/668473.The_Chameleon_s_Shadow
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minette_Walters
http://www.minettewalters.co.uk/books/index.htm
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I agree, Walters stands out in a field where the level of writing is not always the best. Quite dark for light reading though.
On a lighter note, some of you probably saw the movie "Erin Brockowitz (sp?) with julia roberts about a young single mother who becomes an environmental activist? The real Brockowitz has written a mystery story! The begining is clearly autobiographical, about what happens to her after the period in the movie. So far, so good --- I'll keep you posted.
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I was drawn in as usual with Minette.. The Book is called.. The Chamelon -----. Truly a fascinating story and as usual with her, you are left with a decision at the end that could go either way.. She is truly an unusual writer and a favorite of mine.
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I picked up a Janet Dailey book at the library thinking i had read some good fiction by her in the past, this turned out to be a story of a woman private investigator and is pretty good. The book is upstairs so i can't give you either the title or the name if the PI. It was just a surprise and by the looks of the titles of previous books, many are mysteries.
Oh yeah, the ones i read before were about the Calders, historical fiction......just came to me.
Jean
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Finished the Erin Brockovich (think I have the spelling right this time) mystery "Rock Bottom". It's pretty good. A murder with a background of an environmental problem. She says she decided that mystery fiction is a good way to reach a lot of people and get them thinking about those problems. Good for her. I'll look for more.
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Sounds good, i'll look for it
Jean
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M y early Daniel Silvas came in the mail. Will take them with me when I go up to North Carolina this next week. Doing everything by phone is interesting.. The accents sometimes throw me.
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The accents sometimes throw me.
I was surprised to discover, when I started
reading lips (to the best of my ability) that I could recognize when someone was speaking with
an accent by the way their lips formed the words. Unfortunately, other than the English accent,
I'm usually unable to 'read' those speakers. And of course, so many people speak too rapidly
to be 'read'. The words run together.
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" The words run together." I'm guilty of running my words together and slurring them, as several friends have told me.
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My bigger problem, even with my hearing aids are the number of people who cover their mouth when they talk.. sigh.. it does muffle everything..
I am not fond of books with a serious dialect.. Hard to figure.. Actually better to listen to than read.
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Actually, I enjoy reading the dialects, even if it does include words I don't understand. I can
generally get the drift, and it does so much to identify and 'fill out' a particular character. I can
always go luck up any word that really piques my curiosity.
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I read Irivine Welsh's Trainspotting a few years ago - it is set amongst drug takers in Edinburgh - and I found the dialect almost impenetrable. I prefer to read plain English really.
Rosemary
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I have been using an excellent retail book site lately :
www.thebookdepository.co.uk
It seems odd but the books are much cheaper than Australia, and it has free shipping also ebooks, but not for Kindle (I don't think). Fast and efficient. I think their office is in Guernsey, which may be the reason the books are so cheap, as I think it is a tax haven. Rosemary is that correct?
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Started Silvas.. The English -----. I really like the way he writes..
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I checked out the Book Depository. I am impressed - so far. It has an agreement with ABeBooks for it's used and out-of-print books. Most importantly, it was bought by Amazon this summer. I wonder how long until it's free shipping, always, and current pricing will last. Here is a news article pertinent to Australia regarding the acquisition: http://www.smh.com.au/business/amazon-swallows-the-book-depository-20110705-1h00b.html and here is the Guardian's take: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jul/05/amazon-the-book-depository
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Roshanarose, Jersey is definitely a tax haven, so I imagine that Guernsey is too as they are both part of the Channel Islands. Often when we order something on the Amazon UK website it is despatched from Jersey. Our governments keep saying they are going to Do Something about these tax havens, but of course they never do - presumably because so many of their rich friends live there.
Does anyone remember Bergerac, the detective series set in Jersey? - John Nettles was the star, he who has only recently given up Midomer Murders.
Rosemary
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Frybabe - Thanks for that article from The Sydney Morning Herald. Rather ironic that a friend from the US should alert me to it. I think I will start spending a bit more at the book depository. I want to get in before they change their policy and costs to reflect Amazon's. I don't have a Kindle.
Rosemary - Yep. Lots of rich Brit kiddies in those havens. I wonder how much you have to pay to live there?
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The Silva races along. I am really busy with this week with a number of committments, but I am carrying the book with me, since I really like it.. Must check out my paperback swap to see how many of his older ones, I can get.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Several years ago I learned about the only "working" tea plantation in the US while reading one of Laura Childs's tea shop mysteries. It is the Charleston Tea Plantation and I've wanted to visit there since reading about it. My husband and I stopped to visit it Monday on the way home from Maryland and it was well worth the stop--so interesting. You can learn a lot by even reading a cozy.
(Hope it is all right to post this here.) I did a short 2 minute video for our forum in Seniors & Friends. In case anyone would like to see it, click on http://vimeo.com/30164926
Just completed a good English mystery "Aftermath" by Peter Turnbull. It kept my interest from the very first pages.
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Thanks for the Tea Plantation video. I looked at some of your others too. I was not aware of the Paso Fino breed until last year when I watched an episode of Anthony Bourdain in the Caribbean somewhere (Puerto Rico maybe?).
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Very nicely done, Flajean. I'm impressed with your production skills. Now, if you ever get that way again, I hope you'll go to Sea Grove, NC and make a video of the pottery places there. I learned about it from a mystery. Isn't it fun the things you can pick up reading mysteries.
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Thanks Frybabe & Pedln, I would love to see the pottery places also and remember reading about them also in a mystery (maybe the Deborah Knott series?). You do learn a lot from reading books by a good author--even if they are cozies. :)
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Flajean - I love Anthony Bourdain :-*
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There are a good number of pottery places in both North Carolina and the Georgia mountains.. Can I reccomend John Campbell Folk School in Brasstown,NC if you like crafts of all types. A great place to video how much fun you can have learning a new school. MDH and I went every year to learn something new and have donated to them.
Finished the Daniel Silva. What a wild ride. A new author, I always get so excited when I find a new author I like..
I also watched the trailer for One for the Money.. Kathryn Heigl just does not make a Stephanie Plum and Debbie Reynolds is too pretty for Grandma.. and the black lady is simply not fat enough. Darn darn darn.
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Just finished Louise Penny's "Bury Your Dead" - absolutely fantastic. The series really has developed so well. This book manages to weave together two complicated plot lines - I usually enjoy her writing more for the atmosphere and the details of Quebec life, but in this one I was also on the edge of my seat to see what happened. And still lots of questions waiting to be answered in the next novel - can't wait to find out what happens to Inspector Beauvoir (if anyone's read the new one, please don't tell me!)
Rosemary
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I got four more Peter Turnbull English mysteries from the library. He is a very good author. My husband has already finished three of them and I am just getting started (had to finish what I was already reading). Some of them have the same main characters, but the books don't have to be read in sequence which is nice.
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Sounds great, Jean. I find that if I read too many of the same author at once, I get tired of them, no matter how good they are. So I try to mix them up.
Read the latest (I think) Anne Perry Monk book. I like Perry, but she WILL have a trial in each book, and her trials are pathetic. As the daughter of a lawyer, I just cringe. No sense of standards of proof. This one hinges on a note scrawled on the back of a shopping list written by the accused's daughter. They argue the daughter might have gone to his house, left the paper there, the father picked it up and written on the back. The daughter is right there, but no one ever askes her where she left the shopping list. No one ever looks at something the accused wrote to see if the handwriting is similiar. The Defense lawyer never points out that there is NO evidence he wrote the note. The verdict depends on which of the witnesses the jury likes. AAAARRRGH
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I just finished Illusions by Janet Dailey. It was a good read, not a great one, but enjoyable, like most books. Delaney Wescott is a security expert who is hired to protect people who have been threatened. This time it was a rock star. Interesting twist at the end that didn't see coming. My problem was that Delaney had three guys hitting on her thruout the book. Most of us are lucky to have one "eligible" person interested in us at a time and i get bored w/ "romance" going on too much in too many "mysteries". I did enjoy the logistics of protecting someone, learned some things i didn't know.
Jean
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Just finished The Riddle of the Sands. I decided to not read the rather lengthy Epilogue, which appears to have to do with England's coastal defenses or lack there of and the possibility of a real invasion rather than tying up any loose ends in the story itself. The plot itself was simple, but wrapped up in lots of details involving sailing in coastal areas with lots of hidden sand bars and the need to sound and map them.
Next up is probably going to be Lindsey Davis' Alexandria which I started for a second time, got into it a chapter or two and stopped both times. It's been too long a break between Didius Falco stories. My interest appears to be flagging.
Nasty bit of weather, yesterday, in DC. I didn't hear of any injuries. It could have been worse what with it being rush hour when the "suspected" tornado struck. Hope everyone is okay.
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I have that problem with a lot of TV shows,JOANK. "Ah, come on!" is a typical cry of
an evening of TV. Still, it's entertaining, and I simply try to 'go with the flow' and
pretend it's all perfectly reasonable.
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A book I am currently reading, that was recommended by one of our f2f book group members, is "Shadow Divers" by Robert Curson. This is a book that will teach you "things you didn't know" about deep shipwreck diving (as totally opposed to regular scuba diving), and the divers that participate in this. Subtitled "The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II". They discovered a U-boat that was sunk off the coast of New Jersey. The book is 348 pages but is such an interesting read, it's not seeming that long. There are a few pictures/photographs in the book. For those who really like to discover a new world through reading, this is great. The person who recommended it (a woman) said all her reading friends had passed it around among them until it was threadbare! Another great sea-going book is "Might Fitz", which I may have mentioned here before. If you've heard the song about the Edmund Fitzgerald, you will know what this book is about. It is well written, and was an awesome read.
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There are several "Riddle of the Sands" available on kindle.
"Shadow Divers" is there too, and i mean to get a sample.
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Shadow Divers sounds most interesting. I forgot about the Mighty Fitz, that is one that was supposed to get onto my to get list but was forgotten. It is now officially on the list is is Shadow Divers. My list is getting as long as my physical piles of books and e-book collection.
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I asked for a sample of "Shadow Divers", twice on my kindle yesterday. They said they were sending it, and it never came! First time that's happened.
But I got "The Riddle of the Sands", and so far, I love it, even though i don't understand most of the sailing manuevers. There were two versions: The $11 version, and the $1 version. I got the latter, no maps so far. But I don't care.
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I am also reading "Riddle of the Sands" on my Kindle, the $1 version. So far it is very interesting.
i am going to look up "Shadow Divers" and get a sample of it. I usually like stories about deep sea diving.
Evelyn
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The heros are trying to expose a conspiracy. At the same time, we're readfing in Plutarch about the conspiracy to murder Julius Caesar. It's my conspiracy week, I guess.
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I am reading Albert's latest and last book in the Beatrix Potter series "The Tale of Castle Cottage". Sometimes this series is a little too "wordy" but I have enjoyed them, especially the first several. So far I have never tired of the China Bayles series but I believe Albert is smart to end this one with Beatrix's marriage. However, Albert is a thoughtful author who treats her geographical areas honestly and her protagonists are realistic enough without being too realistic LOL. I once read a book by an author who described a tall mountain in Florida--too much fiction there. I never read another of her books.
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I'm reading a funny mystery by Ralph McInerny, Infra Dig. I have no idea what that title means, but the story is funny. A widowed young woman has inherited the responsibility of her croachety, almost-wheel-chair-bound father-in-law. Recently he has tried to show off for a wpman friend by using his crutches more often. While preparing for a dr's appointment, the DIL inadvertantly runs over him and kills him. She has complained about him so much that she irrationally attempts to hide the body for fear of being suspected of having killed him deliberately, and presents a story of his having just disappeared. The rest of the book, at least to this point, has been various people trying to get rid of the body.
Could be depressing and ghastly, but it's not, it's funny. This is my weel for humorous books. I'm also reading Better Than Chocolate, a novel about what happens to a couple when the husband has invented a no-calorie chocolate and the company takes over their lives.......see more detail in "Library"...... Jean
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Jean, the Infra Dig has an imaginative plot. It does sound like it could be quite funny.
I just finished the latest Preston & Child book featuring Agent Pendergast, COLD VENGEANCE. It ends with a cliff-hanger so I'll have to wait for the next one in the series. Pendergast is more of an action hero in this one, shooting his gun and killing bad guys, than he's been in the previous books. I'm not sure what to think. I'm still attached to his character.
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I was watching an old John Wayne movie the other day, FLAJEAN, and saw a mountain
scene I could swear I've seen in other old movies as well. I begin to wonder if
it's a well-used studio setup. Since it was supposed to be in Texas, I'm fairly
confident it wasn't filmed on site.
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In "All the President's Men", supposedly occuring in Washington DC, There is a brief shot of a palm tree in one scene.
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Just finished an odd book by Simon Brett in the "Blotto and Twinks" series. He's trying to imitate P.G.Wodehouse: Blotto is a Bertie Wooster character, twinks his flapper sister with the brains. Somehow, the humor didn't come off for me, although it was funny that cricket saved the day. Do any of you know the series.
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No, but I read every single Wodehouse book back when I was a teenager and in my twenties. How I laughed!
I don't think I'll try a copy cat.
It is a scream about that palm tree! Wowzer! We sure DO NOT have those in these parts! I am so near Washington, D.C. that I read their newspaper and watch their television channels and listen to their radio stations. Well, anyway, we do not have a national newspaper here in Annapolis, just a very local one. We have no TV channel operating from here, and only 1 radio station: WNAV. I guess you can guess the NAV stands for Navy! It is a very, very local station!
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Babi, there has to be mountains. How can the good guys and bad guys hide from each other if there aren't any high up big rocks?
I tuned into Morning Joe this morning in the middle of their interview with John Grisham about his new book -- The Litigators, taking on the pharmaceutical industry. Sounds like one for the TBR list.
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I watch Morning Joe first thing every weekday morning.
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Yes, PEDLN, there are mountains in Texas. They're all found in Big Bend and
along the border with New Mexico. I haven't visited them, but I understand some of them are quite beautiful.
Somehow, tho', I don't think they would match up with the scene I think I saw in a couple of John Wayne movies. Maybe I can find out where most of his outdoor/Western mountain scenes were filmed.
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Read a nice mystery.. The Doublet Affair by Fiona something.. Am looking for more of hers. Also a brand new author for me. Sarah Shaber. Her protagonists is a man.. A very very nice bright professor of history. What a change. Not many women have males for the heros.. But he is truly nice guy..
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I just picked up a light mystery by an author who is apparently being re-issued. Her pen name
is Catherine Aird, but her real name is Kinn Hamilton McIntosh. Unusual name. I'm reading her
first book, "The Religious Body", set in an English convent with the death of a nun. Not what
you would call deep, but a pleasant read.
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The Doublet Affair sounds interesting. Just finished my library book so will look for that in my library.
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I remember Catherine Aird.. Wow, that was years ago. Not sure how many books she wrote.
It is Fiona Buckley and she wrote a bunch about the lady in waiting.. I enjoyed the one I read, which is the second of the series. I have found the first and will read that as well.
Daniel
Silva is a compelling writer. He pulls me in and that is the first spy guy for years that does.
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I guess I really am going to have to take a closer look at Daniel Silva. I have a vague impression
of having read one of his books, and found it okay but not esp. memorable. I'd hate to have to
rely very much on that "vague impression", tho'.
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Silva.. He has some stand alones, but mostly they are about Gabriel
Allon, who is quite a complicated human. Silva has wonderful continuing characters and you find yourself mentally saying, oh now he must bring in and naming some of the characters yourself. Plus of course many european cities are characters in the books.. Venice is a real star in at least two books and I will never feel the same about Switzerland.
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"..never feel the same about Switzerland"? Is that good or bad? I know so little, really, about
the country. It is very mountainous, stays neutral in war, thrives on banking...that's about it.
And of course, was the beautiful background for the Heidi stories.
Oh, yes! Forgot. Cheese, watches and CHOCOLATE!
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But I believe it didn't allow women the vote till something like 1972, and for a western country, its approach to women's rights is, I have heard, pretty poor.
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" "..never feel the same about Switzerland"? Is that good or bad? I know so little, really, about
the country. "
To me, it will qalways been the country where I fell off a bus.
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Actually Silva is writing about Switzerlands role in hiding the money that the Nazis accumulated and also not giving Jews the money that their ancestors hid before the war. Also the Swiss are very very nosy neighbors so to speak. It is considered good in Switzerland to keep a firm eye on the neighborhood..My husbands grandparents came from a tiny town in Switzerland and when we visited years ago. The whole town knew who we were within 20 minutes. Amazing.
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Why, JOANK, was it because the bus was in an incline? I do hope you had some better
memories from a trip to gorgeous mountain scenery.
I read a book that had a good deal to say about that same subject, STEPH. I don't recall which
book it was, tho'. Possibly it was the Silva book.
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My husbands grandparents came from a tiny town in Switzerland and when we visited years ago. The whole town knew who we were within 20 minutes.
Steph, that could probably be said for a lot of close knit towns, especially smaller ones. When we visited with my Grandmother in Mom's home town in Wales strangers would call to us from across the street and welcome us. Yes, it was amazing and surprising. I suppose that if the strangers weren't thus accounted for, they would be watched with some curiosity and suspicion.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Like Babi, I will have to take another look at Daniel Silva. I know a lot of people rave about his books. I read 100 pages of his The Messenger a while back, and did not finish it. Too many difficult Arab names to keep track of and the plot was not that interesting.
The last good mystery I read was Silent Girl by Tess Gerrison, the first I'd read of hers.
Marj
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I've been reading Kindle e-book mysteries. There is an endless supply of them for $2.99 apiece, and some of them are quite good.
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I just finished Anne Perry's Christmas Odyssey. It wasn't very "Christmassy" and it wasn't up to her usual standards. Very disappointing.
Sally
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The Silva book reminded us that neutral does not necessarily mean good.. I found it interesting indeed. There is another Silva about the Vaticans role in WWII.. again, it is perception but fascinating to read.
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A 'Christmassy' story would be a huge departure from Anne Perry's usual
genre. I can imagine she would find it a bit awkward. I'll bet it was her
publishers' idea, aiming for the holiday market.
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See "The Library" discussion for 12 "horror" books for free from LearnOutLoud.com and a statement about edgar allen poe.
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Steph, I read the same Silva that you speak of -- The Rembrandt Affair -- which is either his latest or one of his latest Gabriel Allon books. It's the only Silva I've read and was a hard one to put down.
Loved Switzerland, traveled all over by bus, train, and boat.
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I just finished THE MOONLIT EARTH by Christopher Rice, son of Anne Rice. It's a fast-paced mystery that had me turning the pages quickly. It's the latest book he's written but my first introduction to him. I'm going to look for his other four books. I think that his characters are written interestingly and I liked the relationship between the brother and sister in this book.
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MARCIE: I love that title: "the Moonlit Earth". I'll have to try him. And Silva.
SALAN: Ane Perry puts out a short "Christmas" mystery every year. Each features as a detective one of the ongoing minor characters from the regular series. They vary a lot in quality: often not too good. I think I've read them all, but can never remember which is which. Who was the detective in the one you read?
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JoanK, I have also read most of Anne Perry's Christmas books and agree with you. Not much to them, but a light & easy read for a busy time of the year. However, this book did not have any of the usual detectives and the only thing that was Christmas like was the time of the year.
Sally
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Christmas mysteries. I dont generally read them.. However there is an author ( and I have forgotten her name) who writes about a detective named possibly Gregor. I think Armenian,, and all of the books are about holidays.. or centered around them.. Good, now if I could just remember the womans name.
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Thanks for introducing Christopher Rice, MARCIE. He sounds like an author worth reading. Hope
my library has him.
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STEPH: it's driving me crazy: I know that author. Someone help us out.
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SALAN: I looked up "A Christmas Oddesey". The character from the other series is Henry Rathbone, a minor character in the Monk series. Henry isthe father of Oliver Rathbone, the lawyer who is one of the main characters in that series.
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Steph - Leslie Meier writes the Lucy Stone series that have all the holiday titles. I'm reading the halloween one now, the Wicked Witch Murders.
Here's the list
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/leslie-meier/
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No.. The main character is an Armenian Gregor Kerk----. He lives in an area that is all Armenian and all nosy neighbors. He is some sort of retired detective,, is in love with a very unusual woman and has a dear dear friend who is an orthodox priest and loves books and has thousands.. The author writes under her own name and then another name for two differeent types of books.
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The tv series, Bones, has its season premier tonight. I haven't read any of the books, but I really enjoy the series. Have any of you read the books?
Sally
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Ihave read and loved the books. They have absolutely nothing to do with the series, other than the author. Both are good, but in very very different ways. Tempe in the books is a very very complicated character.. In the TV, not so much.
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I agree with Steph about Bones. We enjoy both series. But don't try to compare them - it doesn't work that way.
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I just finished a very entertaining mystery, "Too Big Too Miss" by Sue Ann Jaffarian. The author is a large woman and writes large women and their feelings, good and bad, about that into her characters. In this book she also included a man who was wheelchair bound, a man who owned his own business and was very successful. The story was about the apparent suicide of the protagonist's friend, which was caught on a webcam tape, so, of course, the mission was to prove that she didn't commit suicide.
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Steph, Jane Haddam writes about an Armenian detective named Gregor Demarkian. Could this be the one? Sounds interesting.
MaryH
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MAEVE: THAT'S IT! I've read several of hers, but because I'm so bad at remembering names, I'm always "losing" authors.
JEAN: I like Jaffarian, too. Especially, since I'm in a wheelchair, I appreciate her portrayal of a wheelchair-bound person who has a life (and a brain!). Too often, handicapped people in mysteries are either victems or murderers, warped by their experience.
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Read a promising second book: "Killer Routine" by Alan Orloff. The "detective" runs a comedy club, and all the characters are comics. A lot about the lifestyle of comics (which is very sad. I love to make people laugh, but after reading this, thank goodness I never thought to become a comic).
His first book is on a different topic "Diamonds for the Dead". I'll try to get it.
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Yes, yes, Jane Haddam writes about
Gregor and I do like the series.. She also writes under her real name psychological thrillers, not so much fun, but sometimes interesting.
I like Sue Ann Jaffarian and just finished her second book.. Ophelia and the Holy Pail.. Fun and interesting..
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I just finished a Tess Gerritson book that turned out to be a Rizzoli and Isles
story. One of the later ones, well ahead of where the TV series is now. I
was quite impressed with the book. The only first person narrator is a middle-
aged Chinese woman, master of a dojo, who is the descendent of female
warriors. Chinese legend is woven into the story beautifully.
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For a list of Jane Haddam's Gregor Demarkian books, click on the link. http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/H_Authors/Haddam_Jane.html
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Babi - How are you? I have been a fan of Gerritsen's books for a while now. I prefer her earlier books. As for the Chinese connection in the book you have just read, that makes sense. A photo of Gerritsen reveals she has Asian (possibly Chinese) blood. I just not so long ago finished "The Killing Place". Parts of it were good but to me it wasn't as cohesive and suspenseful as her earlier books.
What is the name of the book you just finished?
You might also enjoy Mo Hayder. She writes in a similar vein (pardon the pun) to Gerritsen.
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I l ike Rizzoli and Isles.. Have been watching the netflix of the first year. I tried Gerritsen early on and did not care for her, but since I like the series, will try one of her books on them.
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The Gerritsen book I just finished was "The Silent Girl", ROSE. There was a photo of
the author on the back, and she looked surprisingly young to have written so many
books. Perhaps it was an earlier photo. Seeing that she was Asian, I was also somewhat
surprised that more Asian characters had not turned up in the series.
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I love the Rizzoli and Isles series. I read The Silent Girl and really liked it. Then I read The Surgeon. It was too bloody and gory for me; so I don't know if I will read any more.
Sally
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I found a Laura Littman that I had not read at the book sale in the neighboring town yesterday. I do like her. This is not a Tess book, but one of her stand alones. It is about an author who is researching a childhood friend who was in jail for seven years for not telling what happened to her three month old baby.
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I like the TV series too. But thanks for the warning: I was going to get "The Surgeon": now I won't.
I p[icked up and oput down three mysteries yesterday. I don't know if it's me or the mysteries.
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I tried the Surgeon and did not get past 50 pages.. Not for me.. The TV is much lighter.
Finished my Lumby Bounty book last night. Must pick a new bedbook tonight.
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To anyone who has read the John Sandford "Lucas Davenport" books, I just want to say that if you were expecting last nights TV presentation of his "Certain Prey" with Mark Harmon to carry even a smidgen of the books, surprise. This show was, IMHO, awful. It was overly violent (but it was about a hit-woman), it was filled with obscenities, which I did not expect on the USA Network, and was so bad, after I watched the first 30-35 minutes of it, I switched back to the football game! Who knows how it ended, and as for me, who cares. Even Mark Harmon was not good in this role, the gal who played the "heavy" was over the top, but by George, I kinda liked the "hit woman". She didn't chew the scenery and went about her "work" in a determined manner, although 5 or 6 or 8 shots with a pistol, close-up, for me, that was overkill. As you can tell, I don't recommend this movie, and don't let it chase you away from the actual books if you haven't read 'em!
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I just finished a fun book, The Blight Way by Patrick McNanus. The protagonist is a 40yish county sheriff in Idaho who has a 75 yr old crochety, funny father, who was the previous sheriff and much feared - in a funny way - for his reputation of not necessarily following the law when dealing w/ potential/real criminals. It was a good mystery, altho, as w/ most light mysteries, i had to suspend reality in the way they solved the crime. While reading it i could see Paul Newman in the father role, couchy, witty, smart. Alas that won't happen.
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The two episodes featuring the 'Surgeon' in the series were also the most horrifying.
Hopefully, none of the others...series episodes or books...will be that hard to read or watch.
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I like the Rizzoli and Isles television series, as well.
I do not think I have ever read a whole long series of murder mysteries without feeling the author peters out toward the end and just does not deliver the freshness and thrills of the earlier books.
Which is why Harper Lee refused to ever write another novel. She repeatedly said she could not equal or better her first effort!
And you know what? I just bet she was RIGHT!
Mebbe. Mebbe not. I know about a bazillion people would have rushed to their book store to find out.
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How true, Mary Page. I used to devour Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand series, but then they just got so cutesly I couldn't stand them. Likewise for Diane Mott Davidson, too much Arch and the Jerk.
But I've not yet tired of Margaret Maron, all of hers are still refreshing. Not so sure about this new one due out this month -- the second series protagonist (Deborah Knott) gets together in New York with the first series protagonist (Sigrid H).
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We had such a treat tonight. I happened to see in the paper that our local Friends of Moccasin Bend (http://www.moccasinbendpark.org/) (a section of the Chickamauga National Military Park was having the last of its fall lecture series tonight, and the speaker was to be Nevada Barr. Wow, what a treat that was. She's an incredibly entertaining speaker and kept us laughing through the whole hour and Q&A session. If you ever get a chance to hear her speak, take advantage of it.
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Ijust got the Christmas one of Margaret Maron. I agree that Judge Knott.. stays fresh and relevant. Could be the large complicated family and townspeople.
I dont read Carolyn Hart any more.. sometimes Diane Mott Davidson.. But I dislike Arch a lot..
I still like Janet Evanovich and she is doing a new series with Diesel?? and a witch.. The first one based in Salem was neat.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I finally have C. J. Sansom's latest in the Matthew Shardlake series. "The Heartstone", tho' I
haven't discovered yet what the significance is of the title. Fascinating how he weaves in
authentic scenes from the historical events of the times. It was borne in on me for the first
time how much trouble it can cause when the everyday currency is devalued. And what it
meant to draft and march thousands of soldiers and supply carts through a countryside with no paved roads and plenty of rain. Or dust. One or the other.
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Pedln, I have yet to read a Margaret Maron, but I now own the first one because you praised her so highly and you and I often like the same things.
Don't know when I'll get around to reading it, as there are stacks and stacks of books to get to first.
At present, I am reading Michael Dibdin's A RICH FULL DEATH. It is not an Aurelio Zen, but a stand alone. It takes place in Florence, Italy in 1855 and Robert Browning, the famous poet, who lived there at the time with Elizabeth Barrett Browning, his wife who was even more famous, more or less takes the role of detective in a case concerning several murders.
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I'm in total agreement with Pedln and Steph on Arch and the Jrk...and on Death on Demand...just too, too much. I also found that with Maron. I did enjoy the quirky Joan Hess series, but I haven't seen anything in either series...the bookseller one or the female sheriff of Maggody, Arkansas, lately. I should go check her website. I may have missed a new on of these light, quirky mysteries.
jane
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I just finished James Lee Burke's FEAST DAY OF FOOLS. This was my first of his books, and I loved it. He's a very good writer. Don't read it if the only mysteries you enjoy are cozies. But I found it hard to put down and will definitely read more of his books.
Marj
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I've read all of Maron's books (both series) and never tired of them. I'm on the reserve list for her latest and am looking forward to her meeting up with Sigrid in New York.
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Last night, Nevada Barr was asked if she liked to read James Lee Burke. She said she didn't "read" his books, but always listened to them. Interesting.
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I love James Lee, but he is over the top with violence and I must be careful when I read it.. His Buddy however drives me nuts..What a horrible example of a human.
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I guess I haven't read enough of James Lee Burke, Steph, to know who his "buddy" character is. In Feast Day of Fools, the sheriff's deputy is a female, and she's a real kick, altho' he is always admonishing her for her use of rather colorful language.
Marj
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That must have been a good evening, MaryZ, hearing Neveda Barr speak and answer questions. I've only read about three or four of her books, but enjoyed them all, especially an earlier one, Flashback, which is set in Dry Tortugas National Park, home of Fort Jefferson, which was used as a prison during the Civil War. Dr. Mudd was kept there.
I think I'd like to read the one set in New York city -- Liberty something?. After looking at the Amazon reviews of Burn I think I'll pass on that one, too. She has a new one coming out in January -- sounds like kind of prequel, as it's about Anna Pigeon's first case.
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That's correct, pedln. Barr said her publisher wished she'd quit aging Anna so quickly. So Barr took her back in time before the first book.
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Oh good. Anna was more fun when slightly younger.. NOw like all of us, she is quieter.
Clete is the buddy in James Lee Burkes books.. He has everything wrong with him you can imagine, but is convinced he is the worlds perfect avenger.. I just cannot warm up to him.. Dave is more human in many ways. Although the three wives in serial is sort of silly at times. No idea why he wants to keep changing wives and why he aged dave so that the daughter is a grownup, although James Lees daughter is an author in her own right.
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Are any of you familiar with BAS BLEU, the blue stocking book sellers? They are on line at www.basbleu.com and they have a wonderful catalog. The thing about them and mysteries is this: any mystery they have recommended has turned out to be just great! That being said, here are some from their latest list:
"A Dark Dividing" by Sarah Rayne
"A Bitter Truth" by Charles Todd
"The Alienist" by Caleb Carr
"A Broken Vessel" by Kate Ross
"In The Woods" by Tana French
"The Unfinished Clue" by Georgette Heyer
and for those who want a CHRISTMAS mystery:
"Envious Casca" by Georgette Heyer
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MARY PAGE: I'm so glad you said that series always decrease in quality! I always feel that way: never sure whether it's the author, or me getting tired of him/her.
MARYZ: I envy you. With all her National Park experioence, I imagine Barr could be fascinating. Does she still work for the parks? Some of her criticisms in her books could have made her unpopular. I'm still shocked at how little they are paid!
I'm ashamed to say I've only read one of the Bas Bleu books: "The Alienist". It's not a new book by any means.
Just picked up a new Susan Conant mystery, and am remembering why she irritates me so much. Someone is killed at the beginning: I am now 3/4 of the way through, and the murder (I assume) has hardly been mentioned. Conant is too busy telling us endlessly how much she loves her dogs. Well, of course she does: we'd all like a chance to babble on endlessly about our animal friends. But not to listen to others babblle about their (clearly inferior) ones.
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JoanK, Barr's first and only job with the nat'l parks was at Natchez Trace. Her first book while she was working there, and then she decided to write full time.
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Loved JoanK's comments about Conant's babble about her (clearly inferior) dogs.
I have just finished reading a murder mystery 'Unknown" by a Scandinavian writer (Swedish I think) by the name of Mari Jungstedt, and I am wondering if any of you have hearf of her. The book. The theme of the book is what drew me to it - Viking mythology and rites. I enjoyed this book, but it ended a bit too abruptly, or was she close to the end all the way through? Lots of characters (red herrings). It is set on the island of Gotland.
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Thank You MaryPage - I like to think that I am now a Bas Bleu in training - thanks to you for that wonderful link 8)
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Checked in bKindle. they have one by Jungstedt called "Unseen", but not "Unknown". Are they the same?
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I love Bas Blue.. They have so many things that noone else seems to carry or care about. I buy from them a couple of times a year.. Good company. I am also doing ebay just now since one of my daughter in laws wants a corgi.. Tasha Tudor and I did find two on ebay for her.. Will ssave them for Christmas at this point.
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I think I've read something by Caleb Carr, MARYPAGE. I'll be interested
to see if any of the other authors are in my local library.
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Steph, Dave Robicheaux's firt two wives died. In Tin Roof Blowdown he is so despairing after the death of his second wife Bootsie that it is depressing to read. He is dealing with the aftermath of Katrina, Alafair has left for college, he has sold his fishing camp and he seems to have little left to live for. I haven't read the latest books as I am no longer able to cope with some of the stories that are so sordid and ugly.
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I picked up a book by Carol Higgens Clark, daughter of mary Higgens Clark. I've read her before, and liked her. But this one introduces so many characters so fast, with my problem with names, I'm already lost as to who is who.
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I like her too, Joan. What's the title?....... Jean
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JoanK - There are three books she has written with somewhat confusing names "Unseen" and "Unspoken" and the one I just read, "Unknown".
I haven't read "Unseen" and "Unspoken" by Mari Jungstedt, but I intend to.
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Yes, I knew the three wives of Dave.. The last one is a former nun and considerably tougher than the first two.
Alafair,, he grew her up so fast.. No idea why.. The raccoon has been around forever though. I like him, but dislike Clete enormously.
But his real daughter is Alafair. He has at least one other child in real life, but he only uses Alafair. Who writes now and I like her books..
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I find that a bit confusing, but then, I have not read and am completely unknowing about the books. Can you give me a sketch meant for someone totally ignorant?
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James lee Burke has several series, but the main one is about
Dave Robichaix.. He is a policeman in a small Louisiana town, used to be a policeman in New Orleans.. Dave is very small town, very oriented toward honesty and fairness. His books are mysteries, but more than that social history. He tells you so much about Louisiana, the cajuns and the culture involved in politics in Louisiana. He has had three wives. His first along with an unborn baby were murdered by criminals who were seeking to kill him. His second
Bootsie, he had known when young and then remet as an adult in one of the mysteries. She had lupus and eventually died from a complication. He is now married to a ex nun.. Who is quite a tough minded woman.
Alafair his only child in the books ( James Lee does actually have a daughter named Alafair), was rescued from a plane that went down in the swamps. He was out in a boat, saw the baby and rescued her. All of the others were dead. She is actually South American. They live on a bayou for many years and he runs a bait and rental boat business. His best friend is a man named Clete, who is now a private detective, but who was originally a policeman. Clete is drunk.. violent and given to falling in love with some really unusual women. He hates the mob and tends to react violently about them.. Sometimes funny, sometimes not.. Does this help>>
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Helped me, STEPH. If I'm remembering correctly, I have read some James
Lee Burke, but they were from a different series that I could take or leave.
Dave Robichaux sounds better, esp. the social history, but I think I would
just as soon skip the first two wives. Sounds like a bit too much tragedy.
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Thank you, Steph: I can follow it now.
Well, sounds interesting and good, but too much tragedy. I love, love, love that part of the country. In fact, when I lived in Louisiana and knew those bayous so well, it truly seemed like a foreign country. I loved the people and the music and the black waters and the whole thing.
But that was long ago and far away, in 1945. I was 15 and 16 years old.
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I went to a teeny little libraries used book sale and found a Gregor Demarkian book. She has now stopped holidays and is doing locations.. Gregor is not even there yet.. But I will keep on..
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This coming Saturday night the LIFE channel is going to show a movie of a Jodie Picoult book called Salem Falls.
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James Lee Burke's daughter Alafair writes mysteries too. The aren't like his: more police procedurals. I've read a couple, and they aren't bad.
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Yes, Alafair is not a bad writer and not nearly as violent as her Dad.. Her first two were based on the west coast, where she lived at the time. Now they are eastern and I think either NY or Boston. I suspect she has moved herself.
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Our f2f Mystery Book Club, which meets tonight, has been reading "Medicus" by Ruth Downie. It is a mystery set in Roman occupied Britain. The main character is Gaius Petreius Ruso, a Roman Army doctor. The book has humor, is informative about that period in history and speaks to the skills of Roman medical practitioners.
It is rather a CSI-Brittania! But as I said, a lot of humor within. This was the first book in the series by Downie. She is, or was, a part-time librarian in England.
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My sister gave me Medicus for my birthday several years ago. It is still on my TBR pile.
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Frybabe, do advance Medicus on your TBR pile! Think you will enjoy it.
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will try for Downie on my swap club. Sounds neat and I love Lindsey Davis, so like to read about that sort of history.
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I am in the middle of reading Lindsey Davis's Alexandria. Of course the main action is set in the Great Library. Unfortuately, I think it is rather bland so far. It won't be bumping anything out of my top three Didius Falco faves. I haven't learned much new except one or two of the rules/policies at the Great Library and that there was more than one library in Alexandria. At the moment Falco and wife are viewing a temple to a "synthetic" god, Serapis, who was a replacement husband for Osiris in non-Egyptian temples. Courtesy of Ptolemy I, it was an attempt to replace Egyptian gods by an integration of Greek and Egyptian gods. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serapis
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"Medicus" sounds interesting, TOME. I'll see if my library has it. Is this
Downie's first book, or just the first in this series?
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I just checked my library for Downie, apparently all of her books that they have are set in the Roman Empire. Interesting. I wonder what would lead a mystery author to think of that setting and then to concentrate on it. Of course, if you've done a lot of research on a period or a place, i guess it shortens the task to continue w/ that subject.
Reading a Sharone McCone. This one is set in Idaho(?) or whereever up there where her husband lives, not San Fran. I can't get the sequence straight from the other book i read of her because she wasn't married in the first book, but i seem to remember that she was wudowed, so i can't decide if it's before or after this book. Guess i need to take a "trip" to Fantastic Fiction and get the sequence of books - that makes sense doesn't it? ???
Jeanh
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Babi, Medicus is the first book in the series by Ruth Downie. There are three others currently in print, with a fifth one coming out "soon".
We did our book group bit about it last night, and had a really good time with it. One reviewer (in the U.K I think) gave her a non-positive review! There are a couple of places where the research could've been a bit more careful, but all in all, hey, we read these things for enjoyment, right? LOL.
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| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I'm hooked on the "Medicus" series: I've read the first three.
There was a similiar series started about Greece, that I mentioned here, and forgot to write down the author. Does anyone remember?
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Sharon McCone.. She is married to Hy..Ripinsky, I think is his last name.. I dont think he died?? although I may not be up to the current books..
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TOME, I checked, and my library doesn't have "Medicus". Neither does the
pb swap club. I'll need to widen my search.
I did see a Sharon McCone book. I'd like to know more about what type of
stories she writes before I tackle her. She seems to have written several.
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Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone series has been translated into eight languages and there are 2 million copies in print. Recipient of the Private Eye Writers of America Life Achievement Award, she lives in northern California. The Women's Press has 16 Marcia Muller titles in print, including Listen to the Silence, A Wild and Lonely Place and Ask the Cards a Question.
Muller is married to mystery author, Bill Pronzini. Her detective, Sharon McCone, is not a "hard-boiled detective", but gets herself embroiled in some tight spots. She solves murders, and other crimes. Not cozies by any means, but exceptionally readable mysteries.
Try one, preferably an "early" one, so you know where she's coming from. I think you'll like them.
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I like the early ones a lot better than the later ones, some of which I find unreadable. But muller is really the "founding mother" of the "tough gal" mystery genre: adapting the "tough guy" style of Dashill Hammit and others to women detectives. Grafton, Paretsky, and the many others have followed. I'm very grateful to Muller.
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It's interesting to me that a difference between the "tough guys" and the "tough gals" is that the tough gals always have some sort of family. They may have as much trouble with romamtic relationships as the tough guys but there is always someone, friends, neighbors, or co-workers, who cares about them while the "tough guys" always end up alone.
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Ilike Marcia Muller.. Sharon is an interesting quite complicated woman.. It is best to start with early ones and work forward, since she does have a continuing story line.. There is a basic honestly about Sharon that makes her very human.
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I see that Marcia Muller has written so many books, I'm surprised I don't remember
having read one of hers. I did read a book called "Vanishing Point", but since there
are a number of books with that title I don't know whether it was hers I read.
My library has a lot of the books, I see, including some of the earliest ones. I'll
certainly be checking her out.
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I have a humongous library of books collected over the years. Once I have read them, I give all of the fiction and some of the history and biography and other stuff away. Some nonfiction and all reference materials I keep.
I have stored hundreds and hundreds of paperback mysteries purchased because I wanted to read them, but unread for the most part simply because I buy them faster than any human COULD read them.
Thus your continued conversation about Marcia Muller made me wonder if I could possibly NOT have at least one, if she has been around for so long. I keep these books alphabetically by author, or I would go mad. The paperback mysteries take up 2 shelves of very large bookcases, and they are 3 volumes deep in each shelf. I found a Marcia Muller! It was published in 1990 and is titled: "Trophies and Dead Things." I have taken it into my bedroom and placed it on the revolving stack of the next to be reads. Will let you know what I think of her.
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Ah, yes,, the "I like the author, therefore I want the book" syndrome.. I have more books than I will ever read, but it makes me happy to see them.. Like you, I go digging for a specific person or author now and then..
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I'm convinced it's an addiction. Aside from all the physical TBR piles, I now have 14 pages of books listed on my Kindle. My newest Kindle acquisitions are The Mill House, a fiction/mystery, and a non-fiction called The Ripple Effect which is about our growing water supply problems. There is another one, too, but I have forgotten the name, off-hand.
Has anyone noticed that some of the Kindle e-books are costing more than the new paperback editions? The only reason I shelled out for The Ripple Effect was because I didn't want to wait for the paperback to come out. I wonder if I downloaded the Kindle app for the computer and burned it and the new books to a DVD or CD if they would work. I don't completely trust the Internet to keep my paid for books from disappearing eventually. I am guessing the coding in the books will prevent making a personal copy for backup.
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Really, you guys are beginning to remind me of those women with a thousand pairs
of shoes. A fortune invested in those shoes, and no way on earth they are being worn.
If you lived in a small town with no library, what a boon you would be as a lending
library. ::)
Book junkies? Bookies? What would be a good name for a book addict, FRYBABE?
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And here my Dad joked that I would grow up to be a bookie. Not because I loved to read, but because when I was younger I loved horses and was really into my bookkeeping classes at school. (Yes, I know. Bookies were definitely illegal back then.) ;D Kindle makes it way too easy to download all those old classics and lesser knowns that I previously missed reading. With the advent of online bookstores and e-readers, George can no longer drag me out of the "store" before I get too carried away. I have yet to try the e-library feature at my Library.
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The ebook prices seem to be set by the Agency of 5 publishers who have control over the price they're sold for. At least on the Nook, they're cheaper than a hardcover, so tend to be in the $9.99 - $14.95 range when brand new and then the price may lower when the paperback is available.
The Nook price for that book is $12.99
so would guess that's close to the Kindle price as well.
http://www.macrumors.com/2011/08/09/class-action-suit-filed-against-apple-and-5-book-publishers-over-e-book-pricing/
If you're interested, do a google on Agency5 and ebook pricing and you'll find lots of info.
jane
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We are each and every one of us wired just a wee bit differently from every other one of us. I am convinced the whole thing is in the brain wiring, some of which is genetic and prenatal and some of which is laid down by trails of experience.
I have considered myself extremely fortunate in that I have not been burdened with destructive addictions on my own part in my life. No drugs (actually, have never so much as tried one), no alcohol (not ideology, but personal taste; I have 1 eggnog at Christmas, 1 Mimosa on special occasions, that sort of thing), no tobacco (smoked lightly for 40 years. Gave it up for the last time in 1983.), and not a shopper or spendthrift.
There has always been a huge problem of a very demanding sweet tooth; thus a very slender girl has been overweight since age 35. Never obese, but I am ashamed of my weight which is 30 pounds over the desired.
But books are my comfort, my first necessity, my fire wall of safety, my everything. I mean that quite literally. I would give up all I own, including my books and my health, for my family. I do love them sooooo very much. But I have to tell you the truth, I prefer to see them and catch up with them briefly and then, well, then be left alone with my books. I swear. This is who I am.
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I was an only child until I was 15. Also, a very neglected child. Oh, I had a good home (lots of them!) and clothes and food and always someone to look after my needs. But I was pretty much left to myself. Hours upon hours alone in my room; especially in bad weather. So I read. I read everything I was ever given and everything in the house, even a World War One encyclopedia that was over 20 volumes! My dad had inherited it from his dad, and hey, there was nothing else to hand some days!
I would go from door to door in the neighborhood; I most specially remember doing this that long summer of 1940 in Fort Knox, Kentucky. Have you any books I can borrow? I will bring them RIGHT BACK!
I must have been a dreadful nuisance. But they loaned them to me, three and four books at a time. And I always returned them within a day or two.
I expect it was that deep sense of neediness that burned trails of need in my brain wiring. I think that is why I will need these walls of books around me until I take my last breath. Panic sets in at the thought of being left without something to read!
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MaryPage - I am exactly the same, I was and still am an only child and I read like fury all through the holidays, evenings, etc. Your description of your little self doing the rounds of the town asking for books to read reminds me so much of Matilda in the Roald Dahl book - in the film she comes home from the library every day with her little truckload of books, and as Dahl so beautifully says 'these books sent her a hopeful and comforting message; "You are not alone".'
I also feel the same about people. I would move heaven and earth for my beloved family, but I still treasure the hours that they are all out of the house, when I can read and write in the silence.
Frybabe, I think it must be an addiction. I know I would need a dozen lifetimes to read all the books I already have, but I rarely come back from a sale or a trip to the charity shops without one - or several - books hidden in my bag.
My MIL has just sent me Death Comes to Pemberley for my birthday. I haven't started it yet but it's had very good reviews.
Rosemary
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I suspect most of us that frequent this web site are "bookaholics". I think I must have been born reading because I can't remember learning to read! I keep promising myself that I will not buy anymore books until I make a dent in my TBR pile, but........My mother was an elementary school teacher who also loved to read. We lived in the country and during the summer she would take us to the library in town once a week to check out books. There was a 2 book rule; but the librarian knew how much I loved reading, so she allowed me to check out as many as I wanted.
There was a book that I checked out several times each summer (unfortunately, I can't remember the name--something about grandmother's rocking chair). Imagine my grief when I went to check it out only to discover that it had worn out and the librarian disposed of it and didn't replace it. I wish I could remember the name as I would love to read it now and discover what it was about that particular book that spoke to me.
Sally
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Mary Page: I think you have described all of us: no alcohol, drugs, only two pairs of shoes, but books.....
It doesn't matter if you're an only child or not. My twin (PatH) and I spent our childhood reading, along with our librarian mother and bookaholic father. In our house, you had to clear the books off a chair before you could sit down. When mom called "dinner", everyone ran for a book to read at the table.
We also played: there were lots of kids in the neighborhood. But I was often seen walking along reading a book while going to a friends house to ask if she could play.
I gave away a lot of my books when I moved. And I love my kindle: in less than a year, I've accumulated 200 books, along with about 5 books a week from the library. I just started a book about a woman who vowed to read a book each day for a year. If you count e-books, I'll bet I'm not too far behind.
I watch the prices on the kindle books. The first month I had my kindle, I spent more than the kindle cost on books. Now I really ration myself. But there are a lot of cheap e-book mystery series. They are cheap (3-5$) but short -- I can read two in a night if I have trouble sleeping.
Other mysteries you can often get cheaper used on Amazon, even with the shipping.
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I grew up in the country, so my pony , dogs and cats, sheep,goats,rabbits were my first friends.. But I read from the age of four and loved books. There was always a book in my saddlebag when I went out in the summer. A sandwich, a piece of fruit, water and a book..
As an adult, we moved and moved and moved.. Somewhere I lost my ability to simply step into a new group of friends and now struggle with my hermit tendency..My books are my treasures. My sons tell me, that their most vivid memories of their Mom was with a book in my hand.. They knew it was safe to ask for risky stuff if I was deep in a book.. Oh well. they survived and so do I.
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At our age, MARYPAGE, I think we should be allowed. Books are so restful, and surely
we have earned some rest!
I was not neglected, but we moved so frequently that I never had a long-time friend.
I'd meet new friends, and then move away and never see them again. So I, too, became something of a loner. I never learned the art of fostering friendships, so you may imagine how much the 'friends' I have made here mean to me. We had close relatives, for which I am grateful. But any lasting relationship I had was with people who were very outgoing and friendly, making up for my solitary habits.
Have any of you ever spent time up a tree, stretched out on a limb and reading
happily? The best of two of my favorite things...books and trees.
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Yes, I have had that great experience, Babi. My dad was stationed on River & Harbor Duty 1938-1940 in Jacksonville, Florida. We rented a large home in the Ortega section there, right on the St. John's River. We had several very large Live Oak trees in the side and back yards, and one of them was perfect for climbing up and reading in. It had such a meeting of the huge limbs up there aways that it was almost like a bumpy table, and quite cozy for my nine to eleven year old little body to be comfy in to read.
I am grateful for the 2 years of tropical experience I had in Florida, but have never wanted to retire there, as have so many of my friends. My dear friend Sue, who had brittle diabetes and was cold all the time, insisted she and Himself leave the West Virginia mountains he loved so much and move to Ft. Myers, which they did. After 10 years there ended in her death, he was more than happy to be back here in 4-season country.
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oh, dear! Reading in a tree! I did that so awfully much when I was very young. I was even known (in later years, about teens) to go from tree limb to roof top and read there, if it wasn't too hot. (basically flat roof, mind you on one-story house) Also, any little "cubby-like" place, say an opening to a rear door in the old apts.which were accessed only thru inside entry (old fashioned apts.)
Usually no light bulb there, but a flashlight sufficed! Whee, bringin' back those memories.
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We lived in the country and I had a ''pesky" younger sister. I frequently climbed trees so I could read in peace and quiet! Thanks for bringing back the memories, Babi. I must call my little sister and remind her!
Sally
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My "outside" reading spots were in the porch swing either at my house or at my sister's (she's 15 yrs older than me, so she was married when i was five). My other two siblings were 8 and 11 yrs older than me so i was like an only child and got to spend a lot of time reading.
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Trees.. reading...
Oh yes, we lived in the country and had a wide variety of trees. We also had mulberry trees, no reading in them, but oh m,e an afternoon of hiding in the mulberry tree, coming down basically purple from head and foot and then trying to figure out how my mother knew where I had been..
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Yeah, STEPH,.. go figure. :D
I've started the first Julian Kestrel book, a series someone here suggested.
I'm enjoying the period setting in Georgian England; I always do like a good
historical background. I was amused by the 11-yr. old girl who deplores the
loss of royal dignity and dash, now that England had the 'dull, fat Germans'
ruling. Oh,yes, ..the title of the first book is "Cut to the Quick".
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I'll give Kate Ross's Julian Keshel mystery, Cut to the Quick, a try. Sounds good, Babi.
I recently finished FEAST DAY OF FOOLS by James Lee Burke, my first by him. Best mystery I've read in a long time. Excellent writer.
Am currently reading a terrific mystery, THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES by Jussi Adlelr-Olsen, a Danish author. Great hard-to-put-down book. Love his dry humor. This book will be discussed in December in the Yahoo group, 4_Mystery_Adicts, my favorite group for finding good mysteries to read.
Marj
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I like historical mysteries. Will look up Julian Kestral..
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Oh, great, MARJ. Now, with a book Ella just mentioned elsewhere, I
have THREE new books for my book list. (Just what I needed.) :-\ ;D
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Well, Christmas IS coming. And what is Christmas for, if not to exchange books?
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slowly it turns.. Wow.. I cannot believe how slow the site is today.
I take my read books down to one of my dil's.. She has several sisters and they share them out.. I always laugh at the requests of.. do you ever read//// The answer for the youngest sister. is NO.. I really never read romance novels.. She adores them..
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The 18th Stephanie Plum book is out. My kids and I are making our usual pact to share the cost of one copy and pass it around. Thet aren't as good as they used to be, but we're still loyal.
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I don't know what happened, but the site is now moving along for me. Whatever it is, I hope it continues!!
jane
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Oh my, yes, the site is now a speedy one again.Thank heaven.. I am reading a true crime just ow.. It is the one written by the prosecuter of the Casey Anthony thing.. Imperfect Justice.. Interesting..
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Steph, I am about 54 on the reserve list for "Imperfect Justice". I am so looking forward to reading it.
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I am thoroughly enjoying Patrick McManus' series on Sheriff Bo Tully. I am reading my second one "Avalanche". There are only four, i think this will be a series i will be sorry to have come to an end.
P. Mc has been a humorist, writing columns for Outdoor Life Mag for years. His writing puts me right into the story. I can hear the midwestern twang - Idaho. The dialogue is funny, particularly between son Bo and his father who was the previous sheriff and had few boundaries in his dealing w/ "criminals", a trait that can be funny when it's fiction.
I just had a thought - these books are sort of a male, rural version of Evavovich's Stephanie Plum series. That might be a stretch, but it came to mind that i laugh outloud while reading both series.
He has a lot of non-fiction listed in Fantasy Fiction. I suppose some are collections of his columns. I have to check that out.
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Yes, some are McManus' columns, but others seem to be stand alone, funny books about camping, hunting and other outdoor events.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/patrick-f-mcmanus/
Jean
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Patrick McManus' books about the outdoors are filled with humor and were great for getting teenage boys who weren't great readers to find something that wasn't too long to be intimidating and was filled with humor about "male stuff"...outdoors, camping, etc.
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The McManus mysteries sound fun. I tried one of the collected columns books years ago, but am not into hunting fishing etc.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I read and enjoyed a couple of 'Bo' Tully books. Thanks for reminding me;
I'd like to read some more.
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I finished Imperfect Justice and enjoyed it.. He had a lot of things to explain and did a good job. I still feel that if she had not been young, pretty and of the drama, she would have been judged guilty. She is one of those rare humans, who cannot tell the truth. I c annot imagine her life to be anything like what she wanted.. I hope she remembers to the end of her days, the little girl she threw away..
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steph
I want to get the book. Did you get in on your IPAD or hardcover?
I also think without reading the book and there probably is more to it.. that they made a mistake buy asking for the death penalty.
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She is one of those rare humans, who cannot tell the truth.
It is a puzzle, isn't it, STEPH. Such people seem to lie even when there is
no earthly reason to lie. My folks were greatly stunned, years ago, when
it became apparent that their pastor was such a person. I would be interested
to know if there is any explanation for this; if there have been any studies.
I'm going to have plenty of time on my hands today; I think I'll do some
exploring on that topic.
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I juar fininshed Medicus. My marathon read today has left my eyes quite fuzzy. It took me a little while to warm to the story, but at some point I realized I didn't want to put the book down.
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Idid a rare thing for me and actually bought Imperfect Justice, since I wanted to support him. I am sure it is on Kindle as well..
Liars.. My brother was one of those people.. He would lie when it would have been easier to tell the truth. I t was like he lived in an alternate world and had his own version of what must be the truth ..
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Almost finished the new Evanovitch.It's very funny, but the mystery plot is so slight as to be almost invisable. She's getting lazy: she knows fans like me will read her anyways. But I think they'll be a kicker at the end.
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A dear friend who usually likes the same things I do, but sometimes likes some things I do not care for, has emailed me she just read a book called A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch and enjoyed it very much. It is the first of a series.
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It seems with this busy season I haven't been able to bury myself in a book. But I have several books on reserve and, hopefully, by the time my turn comes things will have settled down. Always have time to read the posts and enjoy "hearing" about the books everyone is reading.
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Yes, FLAJEAN, it seems like the holidays take longer and longer. Just like the elections, that seem to start right after the last election is over, soon we will start preparing for Christmas on December 26 of the year before.
Didn't get the zinger I expected at the end of the Evanovitch book, but it was funny.
read a first mystery "The broken token" by Chris Nickson. About a policeman in Leeds in 1715. I liked it, and "pre-ordered" the second one on my kindle.
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I am reading "Woman with Birthmark" byHakan Nesser. This is the 2nd book by him I have read - someone must have donated the whole series to our library. Different sort of police procedural, set in Sweden. Dark, though.
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Last night I started the first of a series about a homicide policeman in an Eastern Block country. This is the first of a series that spans his the character's beginning in 1948. The Bridge of Sighs by Olen Steinhauer.
Finished in one blurry eyed day the rest of Medicus by Ruth Downie. This is also the first of a series (I only just found that out last week). It was okay, but I am not likely to read the rest.
I am going to look up "Woman with Birthmark". Dark seems to be a common theme with Swedish mystery writers. I wonder if there are any that actually write anything upbeat? Looked him up. Here is a website to peruse. http://www.hakannesser.com/ Nesser has won several awards, he is apparently up there with Beck and Mankell in popularity, and some of his works have been made into TV movies, but only one in English apparently.
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Iam reading the latest Paretsky in paperback. V.I. seems to be a sucker for her cousin.. Who really needs to have someone say the word No.. at the top of their lungs.
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I enjoy most things set in other times, JOANK. I'll have to see if
my library has Chris Nickson. Leeds, in the early 18th century? That
could be most interesting.
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Checked out the Paretsky. Is the one you read "Body Work"? I missed that one.
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Yes, BodyWork is odd , but a good one. Paretsky loves to attack various targets and this one is about the continual war and the civilian contractors.. Only in Chicago of course. I loved it.
I just started a second Elvis ( who is a basset hound) series. Light and funny.
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Pathological lying IS, in fact, a way the brain is wired in some people. For 100 years or so, ever since we as a species became aware enough of our bodies and started looking into human beings who behaved in a manner outside of what we consider normal as perhaps not insane or "mad," and needing incarceration in an insane asylum, but lacking something, one of the illnesses described is this pathological lying and so it got its name.
One of our major problems has been that we, again as a species, have tended to think of our body as one thing and our mind as another. This is false. The brain contains and operates the mind. Our minds are just as much a part of our bodies as are our arms or legs. Our minds are physical. You know the newer question: Nature or nurture? Well, yeah, how we were raised CAN affect our behavior, as can what we eat and drink. Look at what alcohol and drugs do! But nurture, as in alcohol, drugs, food, environment and homelife are as fleas to dogs compared with the genes we inherit and the environment when we are in the womb. What we are when we are born is most of what we will be. Look what is happening with autism being so on the rise, for instance.
We can try, as I am sure that young woman's parents tried, to guide our little pathological liars. We can get them counseling, if we can afford it. But Science has yet to find the cure. Medications presently in use may help for now, but we need to put money into Research to get to the bottom of what is a PHYSICAL problem.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudologia_fantastica
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Fascinating!
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I understand where you are coming from on the lying, but having had a brother who was like that, I agree that he needed some sort of psychological help.. As far as can be determined , he was the only one like this. I know it scared me to the point of being very very careful with my sons to make sure they did not have this problem.
Casey Anthony.. I suspect her parents have tried, but her Mother seems to have decided that she must save her child no matter what. She lost a grandchild and also her child as far as I can see. Bad decision on her part.
Going through counseling for Traumatic Grief, the counselor told me some interesting things about how your brain responds to certain stimuli.. She explained to me that my calm in the accident was my midbrain responding with protection to keep me from falling to pieces.. Now it still protects me in that no matter how hard I try, a good deal of the first two weeks are still a blur..
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Um, maybe, MARYPAGE, but to me the 'brain' is physical, while 'mind' is
something more than that, functioning through the medium of the brain.
And, of course, there is the continuing puzzle that siblings with the
same genes and the same environment can still take very different paths.
I have to think, from all the evidence, that enough poison in our system
and abuse from those who should nurture us must make a difference for the
worse in the use we make of our genetic inheritance.
What your therapist said makes good sense to me, STEPH. I have generally
tended to become very calm in a crisis. I can start shaking later!
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Steph
I just finished reading "Imperfect Justice" which I ended up getting on IPad. I thought it was interesting as you said although if you watched the trial most of it was in the book.
I would have liked to have read what he felt about the juries verdict. I think he was confused about it the way everyone else was. Although I'm not really sure what she should have been convicted of. I would think manslaughter. I hadn't realised that there was 2 holdouts for awhile. Ashton opinion of Baez was spot on. He came across as a jerk but in the end he won his case.
As Ashton said even after the trial was over Cindy was still in denial. It's hard to give up on your child. But what Casey said about her father and brother would be very hard to forgive in my opinion.
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Very interesting forum, especially what you said Babi "but to me the 'brain' is physical, while 'mind' is
something more than that, functioning through the medium of the brain.."
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I agree, FLAJEAN.
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I am slowly learning that the brain does very very strange things all on its own. There are times you just think you are in control..But parts of your brain will actually shut down and refuse to work..
Casey.. the thing is when you dont get punished, you dont learnt.. She is not working.. hated by all, hiding out.. and I am sure is busy justifying her life. I would bet that her Mother would open her arms and take her back if she wanted her to.. But not her Dad.. Strangely enough, I dont think Casey fells anything but contempt for her parents and brother. I dont understand the jury. Manslaughter was perfect as far as I was concerned.. Baez was a horrible person, but I would guess the jury liked him, which is sort of scary..
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When I was in labor with my 5th child, they gave me what was then a new kind of pain killer, consisting of a needle in my left hand. A "cocktail" of drugs, they called it. This was in 1964 and prior to the popularity of "natural" childbirth. I was completely knocked out with anesthesia with my first 4.
For a while, I was up in a corner of the room looking down at myself screaming in a bed with the railings up on the sides. My doctor, OB, was standing with her back to me looking out the window of the hospital room. I was SO angry looking down on this, all of which I could see clearly.
Later, going back on a check up visit, I told her of my memory. She replied that it was most unusual for the memory blocking portion of the "cocktail" to fail to do its duty; that the vast majority of patients had no memory whatsoever of their hours of labor. I described to her exactly what the room looked like and what she was doing and who came in and what was said. She was amazed, but unfazed.
Later in life, when having various surgeries such as a hysterectomy and thyroidectomy, etc., the anesthesiologists always come in and ask your history and I always tell them about this. They always know exactly what happened to me.
Several years ago I had cataract surgery. The young woman who came into the surgery and introduced herself and asked about previous history immediately, I mean IMMEDIATELY, named the drug I had been given when I had the episode of looking down upon myself.
So you see, doctors trained in this field are well aware of the brain's ability to hallucinate and the various triggers for this. We can "see" all sorts of things, depending upon the condition of our body.
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MaryPage: What you've described sounds like a phenomenon I read about years ago called astral projection (out-of-body experience). Some people have actually try to do this on purpose. Wikipedia does a credible job of explaining it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astral_projection
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Steph
I agree about Casey Anthony. There are a lot of parents that can't seem to "punish" their children when they do wrong so they never really learn right from wrong. and with Casey the jury just reenforced that and she was found not guilty. I wonder where she is living and on what money if she still isn't working which she is supposed to be according to her probation. So there again she is still getting away with what she does.
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I think of Casey as being a throw back to what we were tens of thousands of years ago. No sense of being a part of a pack and needing to contribute to the well-being of that pack, Casey is totally self-absorbed and interested only in what gives pleasure to herself. Consequences of her actions is not something she is capable of adding up, measuring, thinking ahead about. The fallout on those she "loves" matters not a whit, because she is basically incapable of love. People are good or bad depending upon how well they serve what she desires. No sense of right or wrong, only self. Self preservation.
She has never loved her parents. Her little girl was a toy. Her own pleasure is paramount. Period. Perhaps there was never any hope for her, given we as a people have not yet funded the research that might find cures for this condition.
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On more than one occasion, I have wanted to ask a parent which they would
prefer. To teach a child early on that wrong behavior has consequences, or
to wait until they are grown and have the police and a judge do it for them?
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Someday I want to read Imperfect Justice, but I'll wait until I don't have to stand in line. Since I didn't watch a lot of the goings on in court, most of it will be like reading new material.
Right now I'm involved with another criminal -- a serial imposter. Does the name Clark Rockefeller ring any bells. It didn't for me even though he was very much in the news in 20008, 2009. It's true, a fascinating story about the various personas taken on by a young (17 year-old) German immigrant who arrived in this country with a 6-month tourist visa, stayed on with many different names, finally caught 30 some years later. The book is The Man in the Rockefeller Suit by Mark Seal.
Here's a list of best mysteries by Adam Woog in the Seattle Times. Some familiar, some not so.
Best Mysteries of 2011 (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/books/2016960561_bestmysteries11.html)
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Yes, I remember the news stories about Clark Rockefeller. Sad person. Obviously mentally ill.
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Pedlin: I've got to get busy. Five of the eight authors are ones I read, but I've only read one of the books. I get my "nrw books" from "new books at the library == I'm too cheap to pay new book prices on kindle. But I'm always behind.
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Oh me too Joan - and apart from the financial considerations, there's the not having shelf room for any more books, not wanting to be responsible for the cutting down of any more trees, etc (but with me I have to admit it's mainly just tight-fistedness.... ;D)
Rosemary
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I get books from everywhere. I love to hold them in my hands, but I prefer paperback to hardback.. I love my IPAD. For IPAD lovers.. try solar walk.. It is 3D, costs 2.99 and is spectacular. You are in space.Whew..
To go back to books, I swap for them on line.. buy at used book sales, stop at any garage sale that mentions books.. and whew.. even buy them new. My favorite gifts are books.. and I ran out of space a long time ago. doesnt even slow me down..
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I ran out of space a long time ago. doesnt even slow me down..
Steph
;D You go, girl!!
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Thanks for the list, Pedln. I have on my TBR list I AM HALF-SICK OF SHADOWS by Alan Bradley (Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie).
The reviewer should have mentioned THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES by Jussi Adler-Olson -- my favorite of the year.
My other favorite mysteries and mystery/thrillers of 2011:
A DROP OF THE HARD STUFF - Lawrence Block
THE FRANCHISE AFFAIR - Josephine Tey
THE SILENT GIRL - Tess Gerritson
FAMILY VAULT - Charlotte MacLeod
WHY SHOOT A BUTLER - Georgette Heyer
DESTINATION UNKNOWN - Agatha Christie
WHY DIDN'T THEY ASK EVANS - Agatha Christie
DECEPTION POINT - Dan Brown
Marj
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Pedln - I meant to say, thank you for posting that list. the only two authors on it that I have read are Louise Penny and Jacqueline Winspear, and I find Winspear a bit too self-conscious and cliched sometimes, although I do think her later books have improved, so I will look out for both of these.
Louise Penny praises 'I am half-sick of shadows' on her blog.
Marjifay - I love The Franchise Affair.
Rosemary
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Good list, MARJ. I assume you meant books you read in 2011, not new books
available in 2011 I especially like McLeod. I'll have to look for 'Family
Vault'. Tey is a favorite, too; I may have read 'The Franchise Affair'.
Kate Ross is a new writer (to me) that I am enjoying. The first two, tho',
do have some strong similarities. I do hope she will break the 'mysterious
woman victim' mode in the next one.
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Four of the best books i read this year were mysteries, altho i have to say i didn't feel as though i read any five star books this year, but a book has got to be REALLY good to get five stars from me.
Evanovich's Smokin Seventeen - voted the best mystery of 2011 by Goodread's 600,000 voters.
Margit Liesche - Hollywood Buzz, about a woman pilot, one of the "WASPs" of WWII.
Patricia O'Brien - The Ladies Lunch, five professional women in Wash D.C., one of them dies.
Lisa Scottoline - Think Twice, one of the best of hers about twin sisters, one ethical, one evil.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I haven't read any Kate Ross, Babi, altho' I have her CUT TO THE QUICK on my TBR mystery list. Will give it a read.
Thanx
Marj
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I liked Evanovich, Smoking Seventeen, but dont think it was her best by far. Too much Lula.. I really am tired of the bursting out of clothes, screaming and acting like some sort of maniac mode of hers.. Bring back Albert Klown.. and a few others. A lot less mooning over Ranger would be helpful as well.
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Am I the only one that thought Evanovitch would end the book by Steph finding she was pregnant and not know which one was the father? Didn't happen.
I agree with you, Steph. E. has found she doesn't have to work on the plot -- just put Lula through her paces enough times for a book.
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Evanovich is one of those authors many seem to rave about and somebody I just couldn't get into. My neighbor thinks she's wonderful. The neighbor also loves Jodi Picoult (or however that's spelled), but I can't get into her either--too many of the same "issues" I hear on the news and read about in the paper. Good thing there are a lot of books published and none of us has to read somebody else's "list."
jane
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I used to read Evanovich--don't remember which number I stopped at; but kind of burned myself out on her. Maybe I'll start again if I can figure which book I need to read next. Jodi Picoult is a good writer; but I also got tired of all her "issues" and found her books rather depressing. I now avoid her writings.
Sally
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It's a ritual at our beach week (family & friends) - everybody shares the latest Evanovich. Except me. She never caught my fancy, either. It's just a chocolate and vanilla thing, I guess.
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Well gollee. After hearing all of you, what's a poor girl to do?
I've yet to read one of hers, simply because I just haven't gotten around to it.
Do you have more than one copy, MaryZ, or does everyone sign up for a designated time? :D
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I like Evanovich for a laugh, but if i was voting for the best mystery, i'd put Scottoline before Evanovich, or Jms Patterson, oh, i didn't mention him did i? Yeah, i read #s 4 & 5 this year, they should be on my list also....... Jean
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pedln, usually just one copy - sometimes two. Each one is a fast reader, so the book can make the rounds quickly. So far, there haven't been any fights for position in line. ::)
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Early Evanovich is hysterically funny. The one that started us being introduced to Mooner was wonderful.When Ranger was simply an impressive example of how to catch bail skippers, he was fun.. But she put herself in the romantic, will she or wont she.. and that is getting old. I dislike all of the rest of her stuff.
Dislike James Patterson now. Loved his early work, but now he is like a farm team.. Authors..hmm, James Lee Burke, John Sandford,Louise Penney,Minette Walters,, there are some incredible authors out there. I like Scottoline. Jodi Picoult makes a living using current things and writing a book about them. I have read some of hers. The endings tend to drive me nuts though.. It s like.. Oh, I have written enough words, just stop..
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Steph, i have on a few readings thought the author couldn't figure out how to end the story. I thought that about "The Notebook" - if i'm remembering the book and not the movie, correctly- and some others..... Jean
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My copy of the latest Evanovitch is on its fourth reader. Only one of them has paid her share of the price, though. Oh, well, it's Christmas, and how petty can I get?
I complain about Evanovitch, but I wouldn't think of not reading one of hers. Which was the one where she introduced Mooner?
A few years ago, a bunch of us had an Evanovitch dinner (pot roast and pinapple upside-down cake for dessert. We did Evanovitch quizzes (How many of Stephanie's cars have blown up throughout the series?)
PEDLIN: you have to read her just to join the discussion. But which one to recommend first? I liked two (where grandma mazur set fire to the funeral home). One is kind of bloody.
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If i read it right, Goodreads says Jms Patterson has THREE books coming out this month! You must be right, Steph, about his having a farm team of writers.
If any of you is a reader and a scrapbooker, you may like Laura Childs series about a woman who owns a "scrapbooking store". I'm reading "Bound for Murder". I'm not a scrapebooker, so i'm skimmimg past a lot of those descriptions, but the story is good. I think there are three in the series. I had read several of her "teashop" series. It's pretty light, but enjoyable reading.
Joan, the Evanovich dinner sounds like a good idea, maybe i'll suggest it to some friends, it could be a good intergenerational get together, all ages like her, especially here in NJ...... One is kind of bloody, but i thought it was the funniest, altho that may have been because i was just learning her style and the characters. I can remember laughing out loud many times while reading it. I also thought Four was really funny, don't remember why :-\
Steph, i'm also a little tired of the Joe and Ranger battle, but as i said once before, i can understand why JE doesn't want to resolve it, it would turn the story in a whole new direction, no matter which one Stephanie choose. That could be a good thing, but more work for JE and possibly the loss of a good character. Could she choose one and still have the other in her life?
Jean
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I understand why she does not resolve Ranger and Joe, but I guess it makes her stuck somehow. I am not looking forward to the movie, because I do not consider Kathryn Heigl as a good actress.. Not a Jersey girl.. And the fact that Lula is a not that heavy sexy girl will mess it up further. Debbie Reynolds. Now that sounds funny..Oh well. I really dont think I will try the movie.
Mooner.. Hmm.I have all of them, maybe I can find a mention.
I also used to get the tapes and listen. The first several were done by a perfect North Joisey accent. Then they changed to another reader.. They are fun in the gym.. Everyone looks at me weird, I am rowing or biking and laughing like a hyena.. Oh well.
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I'd like to see that myself, STEPH. You in the gym, I mean. ;D
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I am a gym rat..Three times a week.. lifting one day, cardio one day and Body Flow one day.. Keeps me moving..and hopefully the Body Flow will improve my balance. It is Tai Chi, Yoga and Pilates.. My body does not flow quite as well as the teachers and the young ones, but I keep trying.
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Good girl, Steph. I'm at the Y three days a week, too - but only in the water. I do a deep-water interval class - part cardio and part movement/stretch/stuff like that. It definitely keeps us moving.
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I try to swim at least twice a week, although the last couple of weeks have been a bit of a challenge, mostly thanks to the weather. I also go for long walks when I can. I'm not very good at gym classes, I can never understand what you're supposed to do ???
Rosemary
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Iwalk every single morning of life.. Started 25 years ago and walk about 2 miles just now. Started at 3, but get slower as I age.
The walking is good for not only my body, but my head.. Clears out the bad stuff, brings in the good..
Adult exercise classes are a bit different in most gyms.. I did yoga for years, but really do not enjoy the head standing stuff now.
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I am reading her "Smoking Seventeen" at the moment. Use to enjoy her books but so far in this one it is just to much into Sex. One Night its one man and next night the other. Looks like even the men would get tired of that. The Cop man is in her appt at this time I am at and now she comes in after being all night with the other Ranger. Ready to go to bed with Joe again. Guess she did shower at Rangers.
Lulu one never knows about her. Sort of like she is still acting like a prostitute.
This may be the last one for awhile.
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Y es, Evanovich started as a romance writer and essentially seems to be bored enough with Stephanie to make t he sex into a big part of all of the plots. Wish she would go back to funnier stories.. Maybe a new character would help.
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My sister was just burning my ear about James Patterson's Women's Murder Club series. She and her husband listened to books 1 thru 6 on their Christmas trip to Atlantic City.
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James Patterson's books are the only fiction books that my husband and i have both read. He doesn't read much fiction and no historical fiction, i read very little of the spy-thrillers that he reads. That's indicative of many interests in our lives, but here we are married almost 44 yrs, known each other for over 50 yrs! Lots of compromising went on on both sides. :)
Jean
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I've started Ann Patchett's "Run"; not far enough into it to know where it's headed. PB, so I
will use it for wakeful bedtime reading, and continue with "Night Circus" for my 'day' book.
"Night Circus" didn't grab me in the first pages, but as I got into it I'm finding it as 'magical' as everyone had said. It's a fairy tale for grown-ups.
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I love Patchett and have read all of hers. I still like The Patron Saint of Liars, the most, but she is consistantly able to surprise me.
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FRY: my son reads James Patterson, when he won't read other fiction books. he gave me some "Womens murder Club" books and gives the grandkids Patterson's childrens books. Patterson seems to be someone who everyone can enjoy reading.
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My name finally came up on the reserve list and I just picked up Laura Childs' Scones & Bones and Margaret Maron's Three-Day Town. I will start that one first as I am anxious to see what she does with Sigrid. Her first series with Sigrid (NY detective) was my favorite.
Sad to admit but since we got Netflix my reading has gone by the wayside. I have been enjoying some English mysteries that were produced a few years ago.
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Just checking in. I am reading "In The Bleak Midwinter", by Julia Spencer Fleming. So far, it is interesting and entertaining. I have not read any of her other books, but plan to do so.
I have fallen a dozen times this year, and several of those falls, resulted in a concussion. As a result, I now have some problems concentrating. So, I have trouble staying interested.
Sheila
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Sheila, I love Julia Spencer Fleming and have read all of her books. Matter of fact, I want to check to see if she has a new one out.. I am reading a silly mystery, because it has a corgi on the cover.. All about a dog trainer who has decidedly odd ideas about training.. No idea of it is a true book or not.
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SHEILA, I do hope you are using a walker or some other type of support
while walking. All these falls are just disaster on the horizon. Personally, I'm
afraid a few knocks on the head would be all I need to lose what little mind I have left. ???
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Sheila, it is important to read the Spencer-Fleming books in order. There is a continuing plot involving the romance between Clare and the sheriff. There is a new one due in February, I think.
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Tell me about the Spencer Fleming books.
I finished Laura Lippman's Charm City, which of course is Baltimore, MA. It was fun, easy reading, not compulsive to get back to. If you are a dog lover, especially a greyhound rescue advocate, you will probably enjoy it. The protagonist is an ex-newspaper reporter turned private eye.
Picked up Margaret Moran's Home Fires. It's about my 6th or 7th of hers.
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Put me down as another who loves the Spencer-Fleming books! Do begin at the first one, though.
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SHEILA: so sorry to hear about your falls. I agree about your walker: I resisted getting one, but felt so much more secure when I did.
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With my bad memory for names, I didn't recognize Spencer-Fleming. But when I looked her up, realized I'd read "In the Bleak Midwinter", liked it, and meant to read more, but forgot the name.
Here is the FF page:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/julia-spencer-fleming/ (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/julia-spencer-fleming/)
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I'm doomed! I thought you couldn't get the free samples for the kindle from the computer, but you can. I ordered a sample, not only of Spenmcer-fleming's second book (Fountain of Blood), but 4 other books as well.
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I am thoroughly enjoying "In The Bleak Midwinter". I don't remember ever hearing the author's name, before I bought this one. Can one of you tell me the name of her first mystery?
As for a walker, I bought one about six weeks ago. It is one which I can use to walk, and can also be used so that someone can push me. I feel so much more safe and staple, since I got it. It is a bit heavy, and I do not think that I can lift it, to put it in my car. But, I seldom drive myself. I have a helper who drives me whether I need to go.
Thanks for all of your concern about my safety.
Sheila
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Reverend Clare Fergusson
1. In the Bleak Midwinter (2002)
2. A Fountain Filled with Blood (2003)
3. Out of the Deep I Cry (2004)
4. To Darkness and to Death (2005)
5. All Mortal Flesh (2006)
6. I Shall Not Want (2008)
7. One Was a Soldier (2009)
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I just ordered One was a Soldier , since I am current except for that one.She is a really good writer with a complicated subplots. They really must be read in order, but are really interesting.
I bought Louise Penneys latest since it is now in trade size paperback.. Another author who needs to be read in order.. Again a really good one.She is Canadian and this last one is mostly in Quebec City.. I was there once and fell in love. It is beautfiul and funny and inspiring all at once.
Laura Lippman.. I love her. She writes a whole series about Tess, who turns herself into a detective.. and also writes stand alones. The stand alones are darker than the Tess ones.
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Hmmm, I do like Ms. Spencer-Fleming's choice of titles. What kind of books
does she write? I see from the FF site that she is a 'Reverend'. Do her
books reflect that at all? I am assuming they are mysteries, since they
turned up here.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Tomereader, thanks for that list. They sound like my type of mysteries. I just finished Margaret Maron's latest Deborah Knott series Three-Day Town. I really enjoyed it. Maron's story endings are always satisfying to me. Hate books that leave you puzzled or wondering what happened. Next on my list is Laura Child's latest tea shop mystery.
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She is a minister( late in life) and a retired chopper pilot from the service and altogether a fascinating complicated human.They are mysteries, yes and also life lessons..A very good writer.
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Better and better, STEPH. I'll definitely want to hunt out some of her books.
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The Spencer-Fleming books also contain a bang-up love story, enhanced by the fact that the characters don't jump directly into bed in the second chapter. I think it is probably the best mystery series I know, although I truly admire the Kate Shugak series by Dana Stabenow . No hesitation about jumping in bed in those.
Spencer Fleming emailed me in 2010 that she was working on an 8th Ferguson mystery. It should be very different from the others judging by the events in One was a soldier.
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I didn't know all that about Spencer-Fleming. Interesting. I'll start :Fountains" when I've worked through my library books.
If you like Stabenow's books about Alaska, I just read one of another Alaska series by Stan Jones. He is Alaska-born, by his picture doesn't look native, although his detective is. The one i read is "Village of the Ghost bears", but that's late in the series.
Nathan Active Mysteries by Stan Jones
1. White Sky, Black Ice (1999)
2. Shaman Pass (2003)
3. Frozen Sun (2008)
4. Village of the Ghost Bears (2009)
If any of you watch the reality show "Flying Wild Alaska" on the Discovery Channel, you are watching the real life model (Jim Tweeto) for the bush pilot in the Stabenow books (she calls him "George" if I remember right). The same character shows up in the stan Jones series, named "cowboy" this time, and another character that I think must be based on Tweeto's real-life wife, Ferno, although she's not his wife in the book. They aren't treated as sympathetically by Jones as they are by Stabenow: I wonder if Jones has trouble getting plane leases.
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TOMEREADER, thank you for the list of books, by Spenser-Fleming. I am delighted to know that I am reading her first book in this series.
BABI, there are some refrences to religion/spirituality, so far. The woman, Episcable Priest, Clare, teams up with the local sheriff, who does not believe in God. If you will give me your address, I will send you this first book, as soon as I finish it.
I began reading, "Ship of Fools", today. I hope that it is not as pessimistic as the movie was, for me. The author is not a simplistic writer. She is very into detail, so it may be slow going.
Sheila
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I am reading the Louise Penney.. Bury your dead?? The first one of is that is slow slow going.. I guess I dont really understand Quebec and the french english hatred.. Seems to be part of the point of this book however, so I am struggling through. For some reason she has rethought her previous book and I gather is about to prove that the murderer in the last book wasnt.. Not sure I like this one a whole lot.
Spencer Fleming.. This is a woman who thinks out her characters. Her priest has reservations about various things. Her sheriff has self doubts. I do like her.
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I wonder if Jones has trouble getting plane leases. (JoanK) ;D
That's very sweet of you, SHEILA. Fortunately, my library does have that
book and it's on my list of books to pick up next time I'm there. I greatly
appreciate the offer, tho'.
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Steph - I have read Bury Your Dead and I enjoyed it - I didn't know anything about the French/English thing in Quebec, but I found that interesting. However, I'm with you about changing the outcome of the last book - I think it's meant to read as though that was what she always intended to happen, but the impression one gets is that she did indeed change her mind. Not altogether satisfactory.
On her website, Penny says that she now knows what is going to happen two books ahead of what she is writing. She wants to cover all sorts of themes - art, music, loyalty, etc - within the mystery genre. I don't know how she keeps it all in her head.
Rosemary
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Thanks to whoever listed the Spencer-Fleming books. I had not heard of or read any of her books, but the Kindle price for the first one was quite reasonable, so I downloaded it. Another church woman, whose writing isn't churchy at all, is Patricia Sprinkle -- from Georgia? Alabama? I really enjoyed her When Did We Lose Harriet. Her protagonist is a woman of several years, which seems fitting, as Sprinkle wrote in Pres. Today several years ago, an article entitled "You're never too old to learn something new." I take my saved copy and read it every now and then.
So glad to hear there is another Margaret Maron out. She is definitely my favorite in this genre. Now to see if the library has it.
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I finished Bury Your Dead and am sort of half like and half not about it. It is definitely my least favorite book of hers. The telegraphing of the young policeman was a hard hard thing.. You knew he was dead,,,Quebec.. I have been to the city several times, stayed in the Chateau, went up and down on the elevator to the lower area. It is truly beautiful,, very french in many many ways. I remember the 60's and the horrors that went on.. Separatist defeat me.. I know in Sco0tland, our guide and our bus driver seem to regard it as face that they should be a separate country. That amazed me.. I simply dont see much difference ther and Ireland.. whew..
I know from American History that the french in Canada used the Indians to make guerilla war on the the Americans.. How is that different from what they accuse the Brits of doing.. All in all, not my favorite book..
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I read Spencer-Fleming's In the Bleak Midwinter a couple of years ago. Did not enjoy it enough to read any more. My notes say, " Too much religion for my taste and wasn't interested in the potential romance between the priest and the chief of police, a married man."
Marj
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I was thinking of getting that one for my Kindle because it was cheap but now I'm glad I read your post and I won't bother.
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I read In the Bleak Midwinter also a couple of years ago, and then One was a Soldier. I did like both, but they are not cheerful books.
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I understand that "One Was a Soldier" was not in the Clare Fergusson series. It was a "stand alone".
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Thats funny. I read Midwinter and fell in love with the author. I liked the idea of the woman Priest who questioned her faith.. It is also important that I add, that although they were attracted. As long as he is married ,, they do nothing..
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One was a Soldier is most assuredly part of the Clare Ferguson series. There is a real surprise at the end in regard to the relationship between Clare and Russ. The book's main theme is the problems of service people who return from war and must readjust to society. It is indeed not a cheerful book but I think addresses a very real problem that our society needs to acknowledge.
An Episcopalian will notice that the title comes from a hymn sung for All Saint's Day about the saints of God.... "One was a soldier/ and one was a priest/ and one was slain/ by a fierce wild beast..."
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Well, Ursa, my bad. I was led to believe that One Was A Solder did not form a part of the Clare/Russ series. I think I read that in some book review or blog (back when the book first came out). But anyway...I am glad to know it is a part of the series.
As soon as I can get my TBR stack down a foot or so (LOL) I will certainly check this one out. I have so much stuff on my Kindle that I'm having to read about 3 books at a time, doing one or two chapters from each, just to make some headway. BTW, most on Kindle are all mysteries!
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While looking for Spencer-Fleming books at the library i saw mysteries written by "Sally Spencer", aka Jim Rustage, who has written a couple series of books. I got started on it last night and it has,what appears to be, a very good mystery. It's set in NYC in the early 20th century. A well- known rich man who has not been seen for 7 yrs is kidnapped from a one-way-in "study" from which he has never exited in 7 yrs. His 2 Pinkerton bodyguards had their throats cut inside the "study" altho his guards typucally did not enter the study. It is a Blackstone mystery - B is a Scotland Yard detective, in th U.S. to assist in a previous story.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/alan-rustage/
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/sally-spencer/
Notice in the Sally Spencer site they go w/ "her" as the pronoun about the writer ::)
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Sound interesting.
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The current Kate Shugak has lots of Alaskan history in it and I am enjoying it quite a lot.
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We've been awfully quiet lately! PatH just told me that there is a Stephanie Barron Jane Austen mystery out that I haven't read yet: "Jane and the Canterbury Tale". Has anyone read it?
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I've been trying to keep up with the Ship of Fools discussion, but today I had some time to relax and enjoy a beautiful day. We live in a small town with a friendly coffee shop, and I walked to the library to find a book, but nothing appealed. So, I picked up The Hireling's Tale by Jo Bannister for a quarter at the Friends' table, then joined my husband at the coffee shop. What a relief to read a (relatively) fast-moving mystery for a change. We sat in the sun and read while we enjoyed a couple of cups of coffee. I am thinking I have not read any of Jo Bannister's books before, but I see she wrote several.
I'll go back to the ship tomorrow.
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What a perfect day nlhome. Sometimes you really do have to seize the moment.
We had wonderful weather here yesterday; I walked for the first time to the top of the ridge between here and Athelstaneford - wonderful views, and not a soul in site. Should have been doing laundry. Oh well!
Rosemary
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And I've just looked up Jo Bannister on our library catalogue - we seem to have lots of her books for once! At least half of them are large print editions, which to me indicates (even though I don't actually need it yet) that they're likely to be my kind of book :)
R
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Jo Bannister.. hmm, will write that one down to check.
Today is body Flow exercise class. I find that in just 5 weeks, I can at least stand very still on one leg, now to get to the point, where I can swing the leg out.. Hmm..
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Good for you, STEPH! Sounds like you're doing great. I'm doing well to
stand very still on two feet! :D
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"wonderful views, and not a soul in site. Should have been doing laundry." No you shouldn't! you were doing exactly right.
Today my chairyoga class is resuming after semester break. I've really missed it. The best part is that my son picks me up afterward, and we go, sit quietly, and look at the ocean. I don't think i'll ever get over the thrill of living near the ocean for the first time in my life.
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It seems that Jo Bannister has written 34 books: in many series: which series are you reading?
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/jo-bannister/ (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/jo-bannister/)
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I started reading Evanovich's Explosive Eighteen and have been laughing outloud everytime i pick it up. Evanovich seems to be coming to the point of resolving the Morelli/Ranger dilemma. Maybe there are only going to be 20 books. I see she's got another non- Stephanie book out. There's a lot of slapstick comedy in this one. You just have to suspend reality, and that's fine w/ me. I need some reality-suspension right now. I'm thoroughly enjoying it in the way i enjoyed the first one.
With the movie One for the Money coming out - it's about 6 months late, or more, that worries me - i've been thinking about the actors playing the parts. I realized that Flip Wilson's "Gearldine" has been the character i've had in mind when hearing and seeing Lulu. LOL Yes, a truly fictional, reality suspended character. I'm curious to see Heigl as Stephanie, i can't put her in the role in my mind.
Have any of you seen it?
Jean
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I'm reading the Castlemere series, and towards the end as well, by Jo Bannister. However, I believe I've read one of the earlier books, just not sure which one.
I'm definitely getting my 25 cents worth.
But I'll need to get back to Ship of Fools. I've renewed it twice - I only have two more weeks to finish it.
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I looked up Jo Bannister in my bookswap club.. Ordered the first one in one of her series. I think she has several. I am working on Lit by Mary Karr(?). Excellent. I had read her first two and never gotten around to the third in her memoirs.. She is an interesting writer, although I cannot share her obsession with poetry..But then she is a poet..She is also over the top occasioinally. Just finished reading about the birth of her son and it does seem overwritten.
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Has anyone read any mysteries by GM Malliet? I've just seen them recommended on another site, and they look like my kind of thing (ie "cosies"). Our library service has a couple, though not in my branches, so would have to go further or request them. I think the first series was called 'St Just' and she has just written the first in a different series, 'Wicked Autumn'.
Rosemary
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Such a prolific writer, yet I don't believe I've read any of Bannister's
books. Anyone care to critique her for me? I note several of you have read
some of her work.
G. M. Malliet is a new name to me, too. I'll check and see if my library has
any of those books. I like a good cozy, too.
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I tried reading one of Malliet's books, and wasn't able to do so. Death and the Lit Chick. Not my cup of tea. It's the only one our library had, and may not be representative.
I'm still working on the Bannister book I have. It moves along quite well, but again, it's mostly that bed time reading that slows me down.
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Never head of Malliot either. I got out of my author list.. Needs retyping and putting in on my computer as well. I scribble names as I find them, and then need to get them in some sort of order.. Hmm.
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Me, too, STEPH. I jot down titles, authors, movies that sound interesting. I
even check on-line to identify which ones my library has. All I have to do then
is not lose the scribbles before I can get them into the little notebook in my
purse. ::)
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I keep a desktop sticky note with the list of authors and books I am interested in. I printed the last list out to take to the used book store. If I happen to be on Amazon, I put them in my wish list too.
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I'm don'tknow Malliot either. But if she's making fun of the term "chick lit", I'm for her. I hate that term. What is the male equvelant. I can think of one, but it's not printable on a family site.
I was REALLY tempted to buy the latest Stephanie Barron on kindle. Good thing I didn't -- I dropped by my daughters, and she said "here, I've finished this" and handed it to me. She says its not as good. We'll see, I just started it.
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I am reading THE HIDDEN CHILD by Camilla Lackberg. I like her a lot. This is the third book of hers I have read. She is Swedish.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I am reading another first novel, that is older.. A black female detective. I am not sure I will get all the way through.. It is seriously overwritten.. Shame, since the premise is good. I am also still on Lit by Mary Karr.. This is a memoir and the third by her. She is or was a serious drinker and this part of the book centers on drinking and how at the time she thought it solved her problems. Interesting although the appeal of alcohol has always escaped me.
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Speaking of terms that annoy me, JOANK, I really dislike the idea of grown
men and women referring to each other as 'girlfriend' and 'boyfriend'. They
are no longer boys and girls, and certainly more than friends. I've been
trying to think of a more suitable term to promote, but haven't come up
with one. I may have to invent one. Any ideas out there?
"Man friend" doesn't work either; it sounds like that's the only male friend
the woman has.
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Well here they seem to call one another 'partner', but are you necessarily a 'partner' when you have only met a few weeks before?
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I referred to my daughter's special other (the same age as my husband and I) as her manfriend. Now he is her husband, but he hasn't gotten a bit younger.
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ursa :)
Well, in answer to the question, Mrs Ali (Major Pettigrew) cut right to the quick and referred to the Major as "lover," but I don't see us doing that. "Significant other?" "Good friend?" I sometimes hear "ladyfriend," but never "manfriend."
Boyfriend, girlfriend does have that younger connotation, doesn't it.
The other day one of my friends was telling me about a mutual friend of ours, has always been single -- "She has a FRIEND and they are going everywhere together." I knew she wasn't referring to another one of us old gals.
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I often call George my best friend and mentor. A little longish, but it is appropriate.
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FRY: sounds great to me.
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And from "olden days" - my Gentleman friend.
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That is "olden". I like it.
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My mother always called her female friends "Ladyfriends".
I'm afraid I use the more modern "girlfriends", even though most of us don't qualify as "girls" anymore, LOL!
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I was brought up not to use boyfriend but to say friend or, in the case of a close romantic friendship with a courting male, say "beau." I like beau. I like beaux even more!
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Beau has a lovely ring to it.. Mostly you hear "Friend" in widowed circlea which tends to mean a bit more than that.
Hmm, a new donation to our library, when I was sorting.. is a whole book about the accident of Princess Diana and tha Arab.. A whole book... Whew..
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'Good' friend does sound better, and usually gets the message across. Of course,
it can be ambiguous. People do refer to friends of the same gender as "my good friend' ____.
I, too, like the terms 'gentleman friend' and 'beau', but I doubt if we will be able to revive that usage. 8)
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It does seem sort of funny when you hear people now in their 60s.70s called their Steady's My Boyfriend or My Girlfriend. I don't think I have ever use that term,even when younger. They would go from Acquaintances to friend to good friends. I don't care for the term "Lover" either. What bothers me is when you read in the news about Movie stars, Politicions, Business men who have these sort of one night stands or maybe a little longer and they are called "Mistresses" That term is not right at all.
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My mother would have thought boyfriend was "common". The boy who came to see me (now my husband of 59 years) was my beau. You know, you never believe you will be old, until one day you are.
Has anybody here moved into a retirement community? We are considering that - I can't bear to give up my big windows.
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I've just started an Ella Chah story, "The Shooting Chant". I've read one of this
series before, but this one appears to be the first. After I've read this one, I'll
have a better idea of whether I like them well enough to pursue the series.
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ursa, we haven't moved into a retirement community. I think I'm ready, but John isn't - and it's not the best time to think about selling a house. Keep us posted on your search and progress.
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I now live in a retirement community, and I like it a lot. I've made friends here of my own age. I had already sold my house and moved for other reasons, though, so it wasn't such a big decision for me.
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I heard someone today say "my companion", which i thought was very nice.
Jean
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I know that Judy Laird moved into a retirement community, but then moved out.She had kept her house.
I like the ones with individual type houses.. I always have at least one dog, so would not want to give that up. I also would like options on meals. I still like to cook a bit, just now every day. We have a lot of 55+ communities in Florida, but they are not anything but compounds where you buy your house, pay large fees for programs and live quite separately. I assume we are talking of the independent, assisted living type of retirement communitites??
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The place we are looking has cottages (about 1500 SQ feet), beautiful brand-new apartments,
an assisted living unit, and a nursing home (God forbid). One entry fee, different monthly rates for levels of care. Big entry fee, but 90 per cent comes back to heirs if you die or to you if you leave. There is a standard meal allowance of $180 per month per person, which can be applied to any meal in one of two eating areas. Obviously you would need to opt for a more expensive plan if you didn't cook. The units have real kitchens, so I could continue to cook as I do now. They do allow pets, at least in the independent living facilities.
I would particularly like to hear from both those who are satisfied and those who are not. Thanks.
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Ursa, that sounds like the kind of place we'd like to find - one with all levels of care plus the independent. My aunt who died last year had moved into that type of facility. She originally was in an independent living apartment, but in her last months had moved into an assisted living room. She was very happy with the arrangement. Is the one you're looking at part of a "chain" or just local to your area?
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Susan Wittig Albert has a new China Bayles mystery coming in March named "Cat's Claw". I know many of you like the China Bayles series so thought I would mention it. Our library already has a reserve list going so I'm #14 and looking forward to one of my favorite mystery series.
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URSA: the place I live is not like that: it is just condo's that are restricted in who can buy or rent to those 55 or older. A companion must be 45 or older. So it is just like a regular apartment, but all my neighbors are seniors. There is a central clubhouse, and activities orgganized by the residents. The condo is run by the residents.
My parents at one time moved into a place like you mentioned to see if they liked it, but kept their house. They didn't like it, and moved back. Of course, many couldn't afford financially to do that.
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Here's a link to what is called Continuing Care Communities.
Continuing Care (http://www.caring.com/local/continuing-care-retirement-communities)
We have two such in my small city, where they have cottages or duplexes, independent apartments, assisted living, and skilled nursing care, all with varying fees. They are both "buy-ins" with varying amounts refundable to your heirs, from $0 to about 50%. The larger the refundable amount, the more you pay upon buying-in. At least one meal is provided each day. The older one here, about 30 years, the monthly fee for ONE in a basic 2-bedroom apt is approx $1600.
A friend of mine moved into one in Springfield, MO that is set up a little differently. It's rental, rather than a buy-in. She pays so much a month for her unit, which is in a group of 8 attached. But at first she paid a non-refundable $2500 "move-in" type fee.
Three of my relatives moved into one in Wisconsin that didn't have the one-meal a day requirement, they just had special dinners on occasion. It was apartments with common areas, alert-cords in the bathrooms to pull for help, a manager and small staff. No assisted or skilled. When my aunt had to go to a nursing home, she was able to sell her apartment.
I may be ready some day, but right now I like my own cooking too much, and like keeping unconventional hours. And at times there's too much chatter about who uses rubber sheets, etc.
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I read and corresponded with one in Western Virginia.. As I remember it is called Kendall. It is run according to the Quaker community. Sounds heavenly to me, but way too far north. They have a chain, but mostly in Ohio,Virginia, etc. I dont think I am ready for that.But I am now beginning to realize that an over 55 might suit me. The little manufactured house in Franklin is one.. We will see how I like it this summer.
Found a new series that sounded interesting. Written by Fern Michaels.. about a band of women called The Sisterhood. I listened to an audio book and liked it.. Am going to try one of the books.
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What is the 'Sisterhood' about, STEPH. I'm not familiar with Fern Michaels, but had a vague
idea she worked primarily in the romance genre.
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Here is FF on Fern Michaels. Wow, she's written a lot of books, and I'd never heard of her.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/fern-michaels/ (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/fern-michaels/)
The first in the "sisterhood"series is "Weekend Warriors". I ordered a sample for my kindle.
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Oh my gosh! Looks like Fern Michaels has a factory of bookwriters also. Four books in some years? Having said that, the few books of hers i have read, i liked, and will read more.
I finished Margaret Moran's High Country Fall, a Judge Knott book. It wasn't as good a story as some of the previous ones. She is engaged to long-time friend and having angst about it, altho he comes thru in the end. Just not a very interesting mystery story..........maybe she needs a "factory" ;D ;D
Jean
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YEs, I thought that Fern was strictly romance. Someone gave me the audio tape for the car of one of the sisterhood books and while it is certainly not great literature, it was a fun ride all the way.. So I thought I would go back and see how the sisterhood began.. The one I listened to was maybe the 12th or so in the series.. And yes, she does seem to write a lot.. I will have to check the copyright.
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I have totally lost my memory this morning - help me! Who is the author who wrote a series about a woman sheriff whose husband is an FBI agent. They are someplace in the west or midwest? I would like to get another of that series, but my mind is blank....... Jean
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Doesn't ring a bell with me.
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Is it Joanna Brady, sheriff in Arizona? Written by J. A. Jance?
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I thought of her, too, Tome, but John says her husband isn't an FBI agent. Good stories in any case.
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I didn't think he was FBI, thought he was a writer (?) I think I remember seeing somewhere that there is another Western Female Sheriff, but my mind is also blank. (I need a nap!)
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::)
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Does Brady have a friend who is an agent? It may be Jance, but my "read" list says i've only read one of hers and i know that i read at least two in the series. I'll keep going thru my list to see if something strikes a cord.......too many books in my "computer" brain. ;D
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I may be thinking of Cathetine Coulter's FBI series and confusing two stories. In Blindside the setting is in the Smokey Mts, which was the setting i was thinking of.
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The Catherine Coulter FBI Series features two (2) FBI agents out of Washington, DC. They are a "team" but doesn't say anything about them being married. I've tried searching FantasticFiction and StopYou'reKillingMe, but obviously my "search" entries are not pushing the right buttons! I tried western/female/sheriff w/FBI husband. No matches. Now you've got me wondering!
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Senior learn is doing its imitation of not wanting to let me reply this am.. JOanna Bradys husband is a writer.. I like J.A. Jance and read both of her series, although I am not fond of her stand alones.
There are several woman sheriffs.. One at least in North Carolina, I think.. Also maybe Arkansas.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
One in Arkansas is Arly Hanks (Joan Hess is the author), but the last time I read her, Arly was still divorced.
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Thanks for all your help in trying to resolve my quandry. I do think i am combining two different stories in my head, or i misremembered the husband being an agent. I was thinking that the protagonist father had been sheriff and she had been elected to take his place and i picture her in NC or that vicinity. I'll get one of Coulter's books today at the library and maybe that will settle it for me.
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I'm reading John Grisham's THE LITIGATORS, and really enjoying it. Interesting and has me laughing. The last few of Grisham's books I found boring and were DNF, but this one has me turning pages as I did with his earlier good ones.
Marj
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" but my mind is also blank. (I need a nap!)"
A nap won't do it for me. I need a brain transplant! Anyone got one they aren't using?
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DNF. Did not finish?
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mable, isn't there a mystery web site where you can put in a protagonist and find out who it is? I haven't used it, but seems to me I've heard of one.
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MARYZ: "Stop You're Killing Me" has an index of characters. Look near the top of the page. I don't know how complete it is:
http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/ (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/)
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I checked that, carefully, I think, and didn't find a match-up!
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Thanks for the help, Joan. Mable was looking for a specific character, and I thought that site might help her. She can try that link.
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Joanna Bradys first husband was a sheriff and was killed by the bad guys.. Her current husband writes novels, but I think when she first met him, he did something in law enforcement.
I am reading the newest J.D.Robb.. A priest murdered at the altar.. I think this is an older one I missed, not sure.
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JOAN, I suspect that there are a lot of people out there who aren't using
their brains. They would insist on keeping tho', I'm sure. :(
I was looking for something light and humorous as a counterpoint to
re-reading Bleak House. The librarian recommended a book she liked, "A Good
Thief's Guide to Amsterdam", by Chris Ewan. I think it will do nicely. The
protagonist combines two careers...writer and burglar.
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Thanks, Babi, for telling us about The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterday. I added it to my list. Sounds good, and I like humor in my mysteries. (Keeper of Lost Causes had wry humor, and John Grisham's The Litigators of which I'm in the 12th chapter, has my sides aching from laughing.)
Marj
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Since I have always liked Bernie , who is a burglar and a bookseller, I put the Thief on my list to find..
Today One for the Money is out in movies. I wish I liked Kathryn Heigl.. But I suspect I will break down and see the movie, since I love Evanovich books.
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I had stopped reading Grisham, MARJ, but I think I will give 'The Litigators'
a try.
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Yes, Babi, I, too, had almost given up on Grisham, as the last couple I looked at were so boring I could not finish them. But THE LITIGATORS has me turning pages like I did with some of his early ones.
Marj
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I haven't read enough Grisham to get burned out on him yet, but am glad to hear you like The Litigators so much, Marjifay. That's one I'd like to read. The last one I read and liked was The Appeal -- about buying and/or getting rid of state judges in order to get the "right" ruling.
Last week I finished Killerwatt by Sharon Woods Hopkins, which is apparently the first by the author, and the beginning of a series. The author is regional, lives in Marble Hill, MO where her husband is a judge. Her protagonist manages a mortgage and insurance business. Killerwatt focuses on transformers and utility electric substations, how abusing them can cause a ton of trouble. I enjoyed it, it wasn't cutesly or smart-alecy, maybe a few too many regionalisms. Can someone define "schematic" for me. That word appeared a lot.
Both author and protagonist maintain a Camaro from the 1970's.
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Pedln, schematic to me means a diagram that is kind of a map of how electronic parts are all hooked together. It shows the parts and how they are wired together, so you can follow the electron flow through the circuit. It is a very handy thing to have if you work with electric or electronics. Wired the wrong way, a poorly designed circuit can create havoc or just plain not work. It also helps to narrow down where a problem is located more quickly. I've read several books where things were rewired or reworked so that they looked like, when switched in the off position showed it was off when in fact it was on - sabotage or attempts to kill someone. Schematics can can show where all the sewer lines, utility lines, and etc are for a specific area. A maintenance office for a large building might have whole building schematics for their HVAC systems, the wiring and the plumbing as well as schematics for office equipment and appliances, for example.
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I ordered "killerwatt" for my kindle. It is only $2.99.
I'm reading a book about a falconer who was killed (can't remember the name -- I'll report it if the book is good.. I wish it had more about the falconers, I wanted to learn about them. But it's turning into a book about terrorists.
It's also an inexpensive kindle book. There are a lot of inexpensive mysteries on kindle, and some of them are quite good.
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Thank you, Frybabe. That sounds pretty much like what was in Killerwatt. JoanK, take note before you read it. I felt a little guilty buying it for my Kindle because Friends of the Library had an event this week and all proceeds from Killerwatt there were going to the Friends, but then I didn't get to the event anyway.
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Finished Laura Lippman's In a Strange City. Her books are set in Baltimore and if you are a fan of Lippman, or Baltimore, or Edgar A. Poe, you will probably enjoy this book. It's about the yearly visitor to the Poe grave and, of course, someone gets killed this year. She really saturated this book w/ Baltimore lore. She also throws in a lot of other book and author bits and pieces, fun to read.
I haven't been to the library, so haven't solved my own mystery about the woman sheriff. :D
Jean
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Ilove schematics and once got to look at the underside of NYC in many many schematics. It was a special showing to illustrate how hard it is to build in a large city.. Wow..It was hard to believe how interwoven all of the utilities are and the old subway stations.. Neat..
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It occurs to me that all those inexpensive mysteries, etc., available for Kindle, et al, are one way
for a new author to get read and develop fans. Of course, it can also be a way to dump books
no one is buying. ;)
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Our library just got a collection of Colin Cotterill's books, and I had trouble finding them before. These are about the Laotian national coroner, set in the 1970's. So of course I picked on up that I hadn't read, The Merry Misogynist. As usual I am engrossed in the humor/seriousness/history. I look forward to a cup of tea and the book this winter afternoon. (or, if our tasks keep us too busy, a glass of wine before dinner while I relax.)
Unfortunately, Ship of Fools is not put aside, again.
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Laura Lippman really loves Baltimore, and it shows. Everyone I ever met from Baltimore really loves it.
And they love the fact that Poe is buried there (hence the Ravens football team). Have you read Mathew Pearl's mystery about Poe in Baltimore? We discussed it here in Seniorlearn.
NLHOME: thanks for reminding me about Colin Cotterill and the Laotian national coroner. I've enjoyed the ones I've read a lot, but there are some I haven't.
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I love Lippman and have read both her series and her stand alones.. Her stand alones are a bit more grisly,,but all are good.. Baltimore is an interesting city in many ways.. Richmond also adores Poe and has a small museum devoted to him. or at least they used to.
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Babi...I think a lot of new writers are selling first novels for B&N or Amazon ereaders to introduce their works to audiences. It's working for me. I've found several authors I wouldn't know otherwise, and I also go to B&N bookclubs
http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/
where people post what they're reading, what they like, etc. There are the other sites where free/inexpensive ebooks are listed, too, that have been mentioned on sites here before:
http://www.epubbooks.com/buy-epub-books
is one.
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I have a feeling that now Millions of the E-readers have been sold that we will see a lot of books out that they know are not really worth going to print but people will want to have many to download. specially if for free or a dollar. (Everybody wants a bargain). Will be the upcoming thing.
I have noticed already that many books in the library written by first time writers. Lot not very good. Going to be now that the good writers who we have enjoyed for years will not be getting paid the big dollars as in the past.
Time will tell. Sometimes Tech. things are a ruination of something that was good. If a person has never been one for reading then being able to download on to a IPAD is not going to make them one.
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I have read in Writing Magazine that uploading your own novel onto Amazon is a way to try to break into the market - I can see that this will mean that a lot of rubbish is out there, but from what I have read it is becoming almost impossible for a new writer to get published in the traditional way - unless you are a celebrity or something already - so at least this does give people a chance. I've certainly read books on Kindle that I never would have read otherwise - some were dreadful and I stopped, but I have enjoyed some of them. I've seen Amazon reviews of Kindle free books in which the reviewer says that they will now look for and even buy (!) more novels by the same writer, so maybe it can work.
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Yes, just recently I downloaded for.99.. a mystery where one of the protagonists is a Bassett Hound named Elvis, who thinks he is the reincarnation of Presley.. His mistress is a sassy sort of southern woman .. It was good enough that I recently bought another in the series..She is not a spectacular writer, but they are fun.
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I wonder, ROSEMARY, if it is a cost-cutting measure for today's poor
economy? Promoting a new author must be fairly expensive. It's safer and
cheaper to stick with those aready known to sell.
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Yes Babi, I'm sure it is that - although apparently many of the 'dead cert' celebrity books released for the Christmas market did not end up selling too well.
Rosemary
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The readers sort of bother me. I feel that it will stop the ones who in time would become known as a GREAT WRITER.. We have them now going back 40 years and will be around for a long time.
What will happen to the ones that in the past have written such good Historical books. Such as Wives of Henry Eighth for instance.and that Period of History. What will be in our libraries . I like some changes but don't think this is a good one. Are writers going to put in so much time in research before writing a book? Then picture people just downloading it to a Reader. How are people going to have a bookshelf in their home for people to read years later.. I have some on mine going back 40 years and feel like I can just pull them off a shelf anytime I want to read it.
Then, I have been wrong before. I think Mobile phones have ruined many things along with good letter writing. Now people E-M. I like them but miss lot of things we did.
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JeanneP - I do still write letters, but I would be glad if my teenagers could even be bothered to email. Even a text is too much trouble half the time! Email is seen by them as something middle aged women do (guilty). They IM their friends on Facebook so that we can't see what they're saying, and as for making a phone call, forget it!
The attention span of my son in particular is almost non-existent (although he can of course concentrate on X-box games and DVDs for hours). He can lead people on mountain walks, abseil with them down cliffs, kayak with them down rapids, but nothing else holds his attention for more than a couple of minutes.
Rosemary
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I love books.. but I also love my IPAD and my computers in general. I dont miss writing letters.. My handwriting is truly awful and the convenience of email is great.. IM is a younger thing, I think.. Texting for me is few and far between.. I think that important books will always be published, but that the ebooks have opened the field enormously. I know on the tour I took ( buses) at least half of the bus had some form of IPAD or ebook.. Amazing.. A lot of them had put tour guides in them and were busy prompting us all to look at things..
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Ah, ROSEMARY, some people are just more active by nature. I do hope he
will find a career that allows him to be outdoors and active. I, and my
family, would doubtless be healthier if we had been somewhat less sedentary.
Actually, I can see where I might someday want to get into texting. It would
certainly be easier to keep in touch with people, now that a phone is useless
to me. The only drawback, of course, is that the people I want to contact
would need to have 'text' gadgets as well.
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Now that I'm alone I especially love my IPad and computer and also my Kindle. Without them I think I would go and jump in front of a fast moving car. I text very little and really prefer that my children call me because I get tired of talking to myself or my dog Missy. God what would I do without Missy.
Now Grandchildren send thank yous on Facebook. That is why I belong to Facebook. I get to see pictures they post etc.
I don't think many people write letters anymore. After all even bills can be paid on line.
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I do sometimes miss the long letters, JERIRON, especially since my son wrote
such great ones. I tried to save those, but apparently they got lost in the
shuffle, somewhere. I know I could write legibly once upon a time...like college.
But once I learned to type I lost that art. Now I have difficulty reading my own
shopping lists!
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No wonder I couldn't find them. I just picked up three Daniel Silva, Gabriel Allon series, books at the local used book emporium. The owner moved the spy thrillers from her Mystery shelves to the Adventure section. Now all I have to do is see where they are in the sequence and get the rest. My library only as one or two of them, and newer ones at that. The used book store is less expensive than the Kindle version. Oh, it didn't hurt to have a coupon for a free book, either.
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Rosemary.
I think that most parents are now saying the same thing. My 2 girls married now and not in the same town. Even their children are out of Schools. I was so close to my one grandson but he is always on the go. If I call he will call me back either from airport or his office. Parents say same with them. Daughter wants her son and daughter to talk to her everyday. They do have camera on computer or fancy Mobiles. She contacts them daily. Me I have given up. they know where I am if needed.
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Frybabe, I am getting my Gabriel fix from my paperback swap club.. I have skipped around so much in the series, but I do feel as if they are all my old and good friends.. Reading Rembrandt just now.. It is a bit different at this point, more pictures, less spy, but I think that is about to change. They are in Holland.. I really like the series..
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Steph, I have my list together now, so I know which books I still need. I have Death in Vienna, The Messenger, and Moscow Rules (4,6 & 8 in the series). There appear to be 11 in all. Is it best to start at the beginning? Silva has written several other spy novels as well, has anyone read any of the non-Gabriel Allon books?
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Much as I would like to blame the lack of communication from the younger generation on the busy-busy technology, I blush to say I can't. I remember when I was a young mother, I was so caught up in the everyday rush and demands, that I neglected to contact my parents and grandparent, too. Mea culpa. I'm afraid it's a natural and normal transition phase that each 'older' generation has to recognize and accept.
I'm very grateful that now that they are mature adults and I'm an
old lady, my kids are in frequent contact.
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Good point Babi - although I was always too scared of the consequences not to contact my mother. So at least I can comfort myself with the thought that when they do contact me it's because they actually want to (or at least, want money ;D)
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Mea culpa, too. I'm lucky that my daughter is a better daughter than I was.(as is my son).
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Actually the first Silva I read was a non Gabriel.. He has writiten two that are not. I have been reading them out of sequence, but it is probably a good thing to do it in order. I dont mind and know enough to recognize all of his teams and wives by now.
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Rosemary - I hope that you haven't been "snowed in" over there. The weather sounds ghastly. Thinking of you and yours. Take care.
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Thanks Roshanarose - but I am looking out of the window on a fine sunny day and not a snowflake in sight! I think there has been a lot elsewhere - my mother has snow in London (always a Major Event, thanks to the TV), but we had a cold and frosty morning that has turned into a beautiful afternoon. East Lothian often seems to have its own microclimate.
Thanks for your concern though, much appreciated.
Rosemary
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Rosemary - The town where I grew up, Armidale, in New South Wales was on the tablelands and it was a cold place. We too had those beautiful clear winter days when one could drive out to visit beautiful waterfalls and stunning gorges. I remember those happy days when I start to perspire profusely, as I am now, in Brisbane's sub tropical heat.
Glad that you and kin are not being inconvenienced by the snow.
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Finished James Patterson's Eighth Confession. It was o.k. Jumped around thru 2cases and a scenario w/ the ADA. I just realized that i have no idea what the title meant. I missed that all together.
Jean
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Igave Patterson up.. Just too many authors involved.
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I see we have just lost Dorothy Gilman, author of the Mrs. Pollifax spy stories. She was 88. There were 14 Mrs. Pollifax books, and looking them up in Fantastic Fiction, I see I haven't read the last one. Must fix that. FF has already noted that she's gone--fast work.
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I have just finished Alexander McCall Smith's latest Isobel Dalhousie book, 'The Forgotten Affairs of Youth', and I am sorry to say it was not very good. I know some of you don't like him anyway, but for those of us who do this book is a bit of a let down - very formulaic, and I am getting so fed up with Isobel and her life of privilege that I am ashamed of the evil thoughts I have about what should really be happening to her... ;D
Rosemary
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Forgot to mention that last night I went to a talk at our library by a thriller writer called Caro Ramsay. I had never heard of her and when I requested the ticket I must admit I thought she was actually Caro Fraser, who writes detective stories set in and around a barristers' chambers in London. I did, however, realise the error of my ways before I went along!
Turns out Caro Ramsay is a native Glaswegian. The evening was OK, but boy did she like the sound of her own voice - and dropping the names of all the much better known writers (Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, etc) that she is apparently best friends with.
However, one interesting thing I gleaned is that Ian Rankin is being hugely pressured by his publishers to write another Rebus - you may recall that Rebus was retired some time ago. Since then Rankin has written other fiction, but it seems that we are all such stick in the muds (I include myself in that) that his sales have fallen through the floor, so they want him to bring Rebus back to investigate a 'cold case'. Ms Ramsay said that was one of the pitfalls of starting your series with a late middle-age detective - the end up too old when you still need to write books about them. Not that I should think Rankin is remotely bothered about making more money - he's a very ordinary person, reputed to be extremely nice, and he will already have made a fair few bob, as they say, out of all the books and TV adaptations - I'm sure it's all the hangers-on who want to resurrect the gravy train. Be good if he did write another Rebus though!
Another thing Ms Ramsay said was that publishers insist on a murder within the first 4 pages of the book, although Rankin sometimes gets away with not doing that because he is so popular.
Came home late (as Ms Ramsay could talk for Scotland) only to find that Madeleine had forgotten to put the oven on (despite verbal instructions and a back-up note in LARGE letters), so the meal I was eagerly anticipating was not there >:(
Oh well, I'm glad I went as the audience was pretty small (it was a freezing cold night), and I'm hoping that the library will arrange some more of these sessions.
Rosemary
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Ah, the joys of teens and their inability to see anything not related to them. Val McDermod.. I do like the books. Just finished listening to one...Nice intricate book with a double back at the very end.
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Rosemary, I too sometimes go to library presentations that are not well attended, and I'm glad I go, too, if only to show support. We have a faithful core of people, and then a few others, but many stay inside in the winter especially. Our library serves coffee and cookies after them, a way of encouraging discussion (and attendance - I've found the sure way to get people to listen to my own work presentations is the lure of a snack.) Anyway, I've learned some very interesting things that way, even, as you say, some people who love to hear themselves talk. Unfortunately, I seem to be working when the best discussions come up. Recently they have been showing a series of Agatha Christie movies and having tea - those would have been fun.
I remember those days of leaving notes for my teens - they would come home from school and put their book bags on the table on top of the notes and then say "what note?" when I came home to nothing for supper.
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nlhome - I so agree about the refreshments. I have just emailed the library lady who organised last night, saying thank you very much and had she thought about providing snacks? I offered to provide them if that would help - if only 10 people turn up, that's only a couple of cakes or a batch of biscuits after all. An American librarian whose book blog I follow holds what she calls 'brown bag lunches' once a month, at which she talks about new books in the library. She provides coffee and cookies, the people bring their own sandwiches. I believe they are immensely popular, but I imagine that is partly because she seems to be such an interesting person.
Those Agatha Christie afternoons sound absolutely lovely - what a great idea!
As for notes - I have run out of places to put them where they will actually read them. Have tried sticking them to their doors, the fridge, the front door, everywhere - nothing so oblivious as a self-absorbed teenager!
Rosemary
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I used to stick them on the fridge so they poked out beyond the edge of the door and whacked you in the face when you opened it.
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;D
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ROSEMARY, I confess to having murderous thoughts about certain really nasty characters in my
reading. I mean, they so-o-o deserve it! >:(
In real life, I'm very mild, honestly, and wouldn't harm a living thing....well, except roaches and
ants. :P
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There was once a woman who told her kids they could eat anything in the fridge except those things that had a note. She fixed a plate of chicken legs for dinner that evening, stuck a note on a toothpick on a leg, and came home to find the ONE LEG left on the plate.
nlhome, I agree. Agatha Christie and tea sounds delightful.
I just looked up Scottish writer Caro Ramsay. She has two books for Kindle, but they're both in German.
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How weird - she did say her books had been translated into German, Norwegian, Turkish, etc - but you'd think they'd have the original versions.
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I'm so sorry to hear about Dorothy Gilman -- one of my favorite writers. Her Mrs. Polifax is the person I would like to be when I grow up (although at 78, I'm beginning to think that there's no use growing up now!) Unfortunately, her last books were not good, I probably won't try to read the last one.
Agatha Christie and tea sounds perfect!
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I, too, am sorry to hear Dorothy Gilman is gone. Her books rank way up there in my small, all-time favorite mystery adventures. I flat out adored Mrs. Emily Pollifax. Rosiland Russell, remember her? Well, she adored Mrs. Pollifax as well and all, and she caused a movie to be made with herself playing Mrs. Pollifax. It was not very good; especially as Russell did not fit the part at all.
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Having spent a weekend being Nana to Grandchildren..If they are teens, the answer is to text them.. It is the only thing they seem to pay attention to. I found when I told Kait to text me,by text of course, it got done..
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If any of you are keen on Catriona MacPherson's mystery novels about Dandy Gilver:
http://www.dandygilver.com/
I thought I would just tell you that today my son, elder daughter and I walked from the village of East Linton to the foot of Traprain Law, the huge Bronze/Iron Age burial mound that features in the book 'Bury Her Deep'. A massive stash of Roman silverware was also unearthed there in 1919.
I'm afraid that by the time we got to the foot of the Law we were too tired to climb it - will have to go back another day and park there instead of miles away (we did have a lovely walk along the river bank to get there), but it was so impressive, and even from the foot you have a wonderful view of the coast, Bass Rock and the Isle of May:
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/eastlinton/traprainlaw/index.html
It was such a beautiful day today; blue skies, birds singing, daffodils about to open, snowdrops all along the river banks. Perfect.
Rosemary
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Here is a list of dandy Gilver books:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/catriona-mcpherson/ (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/catriona-mcpherson/)
Got a sample of the first one on my kindle.
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Fabulous site, Rosemarykaye. We loved all the prehistoric sites in the Highlands and the Orkneys when we were there.
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My favorite was in the Orkneys.. Scarra Brae.. I could have spent all day there.. I loved The Orkneys. Beautiful territory. But I would suspect really really cold in the winter.
Off to set up for the book sale on Saturday.
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ROSEMARY, it is apparent that the British still do a great deal of walking. Happily,
you have some beautiful countryside to do it in. Americans (esp. me) don't do
nearly enough. We have some beautiful country, of course, but much of it is so
huge we are for more likely 'go for a drive' to enjoy it.
I'll have to check and see if my library has any MacPherson books. It's a new name to me.
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Babi - I have to say that many British people do absolutely no walking! This county, East Lothian (formerly Haddingtonshire) probably has a higher number of walkers than elsewhere because it has beautiful countryside, the hills aren't too steep, and it has a huge number of young retired people who are very 'outdoorsy' - in fact, almost the whole population could be described as that. I think if you looked at any of our major cities you would find that most people there are couch potatoes.
You're also absolutely right in saying that our countryside is more 'manageable' than yours - we can go for short-ish walks and see quite a lot, especially down here in the Central Belt. In Aberdeenshire, where I used to live, there are longer distances between places - though walking is still popular - and on the north west coast the mountains are, by our low standards, huge; you can't just potter up them in your trainers, they are for serious hill walkers (like my son) and proper climbers.
There are a lot of walking clubs in the UK - the Ramblers Association is the best known and very well supported.
I like walking because you can do it at your own pace, it isn't competitive, and you get to see the countryside whilst you're doing it. Although I do also swim, I don't like most other sports, and I really loathe the gym - I just can't see any pleasure in running on a machine in a hot sweaty room. I also like walking in cities - I have walked around most of Edinburgh, large parts of London, bits of Birmingham and Manchester, and so on - you see so much more that way. My parents-in-law live in the Lake District, so we have done quite a bit of walking there, but it is always so busy compared to Scotland, you sometimes feel like you're in the Piccadilly Circus of hill walking - and the towns, like Ambleside and Windermere, are constantly over-run with visitors. Parents-in-law chose to live outside the national park partly for cost reasons but also to get away from the seething hoards.
Today I was driving back from Haddington in glorious sunshine, the sea in the Firth was blue, everything felt so springlike, and I knew exactly why so many people like living here and so few move away - we have all the joys of the countryside but are only 25 minutes from central Edinburgh - how good is that?
I hope you have good weather where you are,
Rosemary
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"we have all the joys of the countryside but are only 25 minutes from central Edinburgh - how good is that?"
great!
I think you Brits have a different definition of walking than we Americans. When I was in London, we would ask for direction. "You can walk it" seemed to mean about three miles. Here it means about three blocks!
Three blocks is an accomplishment for me now with my walker. But I try to do it often.
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Steph, Scara Brae was my second favorite. My favorite was the Ring of Brodgar - John had to drag me away. ::)
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Joan K, the same is true is Paris. When my sisters and I were there & asked for directions; we were always told that it was just a 15 min. walk. After the second "15 min. walk", we decided that they either walked very fast or that was just another way of saying "not very far".
Sally
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Now when I go back to visit UK I still find people doing a lot of walking. I think that the younger people do not do as much as was done 20. 30 years ago. All own cars now at a early age. Seniors seem to walk more that the seniors here in USA. Areas are so close together up in Lancashire, Yorkshire. Family live in village foot of the moors and go up into the Lake district often. I walk everywhere when there. My aunts both, now passed last 4 years. Late 80s and still took off for the close three villages every day to do their shopping. Every senior seems to own a dog and see them out walking them.
There still are lots of walking clubs I notice. Ramblers have something going every weekend. I don't see the Gym like we have here in my town in USA. I don't like them.
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I live on a bike,walk,run trail, so I see lots of activities. The huge percentage of walkers are older..bikes,, mostly 30's or so and the runners, hmm, all ages. My neighbor who is early 60's ios a dedicated runner. I love walking, do it every morning when everythin is fresh and clean. My dogs get walked first and then I generally walk another mile by myself, so I can go faster. Corgi simply do not have long enough legs to really move fast.
I have walked most of the european cities and some of the country side.. I loved river boats because they stopped mostly in towns and you could get up early and take a nice walk in the villages.. Holland was great for that and the scenery was so very lovely.
But I do agree, most of my friends tend to be couch potatos..
But Rosemary,,, the gym,,, you dont have to do treadmills. There are wonderful classes at most gyms.. I take several classes a week. The Body Flow is slowly restoring my ability to stand on one leg and bend..etc.
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"potter up them" That sounds so English! There are hikers here, of course, who spend
their vacations traveling by foot through scenic country. Bike clubs, motorcycle clubs,
etc. These are the more athletic among us, of which, unfortunately, I was never one. I
did join a gym once...lifetime membership...until it changed hands a couple of times
and I discovered 'lifetime' can get dropped by the wayside. I didn't particularly
enjoy it, but I felt very virtuous!
Weather? It's almost spring here. We have had the shortest, mildest winter in a very
long time. Perhaps it was nature's way of atoning for the drought and fires of summer.
MARYZ, is Scara Brae an author's name?
Oh, as a side note, Detective Bucket of Dickens' "Bleak House" is one of the most
surprising characters, and a really sharp detective. If I were an actor, I'd consider him the
best role to play in the book.
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Skara Brae (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skara_Brae) is a Neolithic village. Read about it - way too complicated for me to get into.
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Finished a very disappointing Catherine Coulter book, Riptide. Had a good premise. The dgt of a high level CIA man was led to believe he had died when she was very small, but it was to protect her and her mother from a man whose wife her father had accidently killed. Now they think that man is stalking her. Some of it was good.
But in the last fifty pages the editor must have gone to sleep. There were disjunctions of activities in the story.....the gun was knocked out of her hand/ she's shooting the gun, the bad guy explains his story, then the sheriff's car is heard pulling up, then the sheriff arrests the guy for what he said BEFORE the sheriff got there and the sheriff had no way of knowing he did what he did. Coulter must be farming out her writing, and the editor was missing in action too.
Jean
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Jean - I hate it when that happens. I got one book where the author (or somebody) had written two different endings, and they put them both in the book. ??? Just plain sloppy! And obviously, nobody cares.
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What a fascinating site, Rosemary. I hope you get a chance really soon to walk up this Law. (I'm not sure what a "law" is. Are there "laws" in other parts of the UK. And what is a "trig point?" An interesting tale about the princess who was launched from there, but managed to survive.
A clever site for the Dandy Gilver books. Her CV makes me think of the current TV ad about the librarian who lived through 180 years of exciting adventures, made possible by the careful planning of some financial company.
I have the new Margaret Maron -- Three Day City -- from the library. Am caught up in so many other books right now I hope I have a chance to get to it.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Jean said, "Finished a very disappointing Catherine Coulter book, Riptide."
Not long ago I read Coulter's book, THE MAZE. Awful writing! I thought it was a wonder she found a publisher. I'll read no more by her.
Marj
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Since worker bees get first pick, I have selected a couple of mysteries that I have never heard of the author.. Will let you know how good or bad they are in a bit. Today is the actual beginning of the sale and it is bedlam all day. Sigh.
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I obviously lost track of the flow there, MARYZ. I did think Skara Brae a most unusual
name. ???
Maybe we ought to start taking note of which publishers turn out the mishmashes. If they
make it a habit, warn them they're about to get dumped!
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Just read a pizza-lovers book: "A Pizza to Die For". Light, and a quick read. Full of descriptions of pizza, unfortunately, since I've eaten something that didn't agree with me and reading about food was NOT what I needed. Should have put it down for later.
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JoanK
Hope yours is just the 24 hour one. Mine lasted 2 weeks. Finely got it over with. Going to stop eating a few things from now on.
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Who was the detective in a Pizza lovers book??
I like to keep track of cozies. Sometimes I am in the exact right mood for them.
Came home from the book sale with a box of books, because I am down to maybe six boxes of tbr... Oh for more will power where books are concerned.
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Steph - have you tried this book blog:
http://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com/
Lesa is a US librarian and reviews a new book each day, many of which are 'cozies'. I really enjoy her site.
Rosemary
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Rosemary: that's great: I'm tempted to try to win "The Diva haunts the House".
Well, I finally got everyone to agree to see "One for the Money" today, and the theaters had taken it off!! So we went shopping instead. We'll get a copy when it comes out in DVD and watch it at my place, fortified with plenty of chocolate!
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Joan - go for it! I'm not allowed to enter as you have to be in the US (which I completely understand given the postal costs).
BTW, does anyone on here live in Philadelphia? That is where I am going next month, and as my hostess may be busy the first day, I was wondering what you would recommend for me to go and see (although I'm sure she'll be able to point me in the right direction - haven't asked yet).
Rosemary
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Rosemary..Do you like U.S. History..Philadelphia has a lovely historical section. The Libery Bell is there and all sorts of small museums. Also Philadelphia has wonderful Museum of Science and Industry and a very nice ARt Museum. All downtown..
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Philadelphia? Right across from the Liberty Bell/Independence Hall is the Constitution Center w/ its very interesting permanent exhibit "We the People", and of course there is the fabulous Phila Art Museum and the Rodin Museum.
Franklin Square on the 300 block of Market St shows you the brilliance and enveloping mind of Ben Franklin, he was interested in everything and invented or organized the fire company, musical instruments, a trading of books that became the P Library, street lighting, an insurance company, ran the post office for the colonies, started the U of Pennsylvania, the only ivy league college not started by or related too a church and dozens more.
If you like weird stuff, check out the Mutter Museum which is the history of medical services & operations.
If you are going betwn Mar 4-12, there's the biggest flower show in the world - or so they bill themselves.....
http://www.theflowershow.com/home/index.html
http://www.visitphilly.com/
Check out the Phila Tourist Center on line, it's also next to the Const Center, easy to get to and provides tickets to places where you need them.
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Oh, you're coming to the US! Are you going anywhere else? I wish I weren't 3000 miles on the other side of the country.
Philadelphia was the first capital of the US, before Washington DC was built it's where the constitution was written, where many of the events of the revolution and early days of the Republic happened, and many of its heros lived. A wonderful place to learn about US history. I don't know details, but you could find them online.
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Thank you for all these suggestions, which I will make a note of.
JoanK - I am going to Philadelphia and then to Boston for the US Barbara Pym conference. I won't have time to go anywhere else; I leave here on 14th March and return on 20th. I am quite nervous about the whole thing - I used to travel on my own all the time but for the past 20 odd years I think I've only been to France alone (and that was to stay with an old friend from here). I am not yet sure if I am going to be met at the airport or not, and that is worrying me as I have no sense of direction and never understand which bus/train to get. Hopefully I won't have to work this out!
Rosemary
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I hope you have a wonderful time. At least, they speak the same language, although sometimes it doesn't seem so. There should be someone at the airport counter to help you. Usually, there will be relatively inexpensive airport limousine services to take you where you want to go.
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I just finished Evavovich's new co-written book, In a Nutshell. It was o.k., i chuckeled a few times, but no lol's like in the Plum books. It has a very light mystery and a very light romance. It is set in northern Michigan. It was entertaining. If you are looking for something light w/ a little entertainment of the Plum books, you'll probably like it.
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Rosemary, I have never been to Philadelphia, although I have been to Pennsylvania a couple of times. I'm sure that you'll do fine at the airport and will be helped with whatever you need. Don't let that worry you.
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Rosemary.
I thought that the Barbara Pym Conference would be held in March 16-18 at Harvard University, Cambridge. Ma. Is someone driving you up from Philadelphia.?
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Rosemary - I was fortunate enough to visit Philadelphia in 1995. The old part is just beautiful. I did a very touristy thing and hired a horse carriage and driver to show me around and explain places of interest. It was all interesting to me! I noted at the time that there were many ornamental pineapples atop gates, fences etc. Evidently they are a sign of hospitality. I also noticed that on many of the fences/walls there were bronze plaques. I was told that unless you had one of those plaques the fire brigade would not come and put your fire out if you were unfortunate enough to have one.
I stayed in a B&B on Chestnut Street? It was in an old house and I had an attic type bedroom. So charming. The best thing about it though was discovering potato skins. I ordered a plate and this immense platter of potato skins with blue-cheese dressing was put in front of me. I asked the waiter if he had made a mistake because the platter looked much too much for one person. He told me to just try them out. I left very few. In the evening I ordered a margarita (I LOVE margaritas) and was presented with a pitcher of that fabulous nectar. Once again I queried the quantity. Once again I was asked to just try it out. The potato skins and margarita pitcher were very inexpensive. I was fortunate that all I had to do was climb some stairs to get to my room. It was a pretty wobbly ascent.
Have a great time - don't bother with the new town, it is just like any other.
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For those who enjoy the Phryne Fisher books by Kerry Greenwood a TV series is about to begin.
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries is an Australian television drama series of thirteen one-hour episodes, scheduled for airing on ABC1 on 24 February 2012. It is based on Australian author Kerry Greenwood's series of Phryne Fisher detective novels.[1]
ABC1 is our equivalent of the BBC UK, so you may get the series as well.
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Jeanne - yes, that's right - a friend who is a member of the BP society is kindly having me to stay in Philadelphia, then we are going up to Cambridge for the conference - we are going on the train.
Roshanarose - thanks for all that information, it sounds lovely.
I'll let you all know how I get on!
Rosemary
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Rosemary, there is a train at the airport that goes directly to downtown Philadelphia,, Very easy to use and convenient..
I lived three years on the New Jersey side. My husband worked in Philadelphia, but the taxes were more reasonable on the Jersey side.
It is a walkable city with so much to do..I loved the Mutter Museum, although when I lived there, you needed a pass to get in. A neighbor taught at the medical school and got me in. Gruesome but fun.
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Thanks Steph, that's good to know.
Rosemary
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Rosemary.
You will find Public Transportation to be Almost as good as UK in Both Boston and Phily. Great cities to be on foot.
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Not read any of Kerry Greenwood. Just checked what library have in. On his Phryne Fisher they have 26 but only one in LP. I will read it. As I read so much I prefer the Large Print books. Getting to be more and more all the time, specially the new ones coming in.
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JeanneP - Kerry is a "she". ;) The name can be given to either a boy or a girl.
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I found an old Minette Walters in the book sale. Written in 95 and I sure dont remember it.. Hooray. I do like her. She is so different in many ways.. It is always amazing the number of authors who never show up in the book sale.. On the other hand, John Grisham, and all of James Patterson are all over the place..
We get very few westerns.. A couple of the men were lamenting.. Some science fiction, but not any of my favorite authors. lots of Star Trek type.
Two Daniel Silva in the whole sale.. Tells you what people get rid of and what they keep.
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I was startled to learn my library has 27 titles under 'Kerry Greenwood'. How have I
managed to miss all those? I'll start with the oldest one I can find.
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Thanks, Roshanarose, for the recommendation of the Phryne Fisher series. I'd not heard of the author Kerry Greenwood, but this series sounds very good.
I just finished a very interesting historical mystery, A BURIAL AT SEA by Charles Finch, a British author. Excellent writing and research. Set in 1873. The protagonist, Charles Lenox, formerly a detective, now a member of Parliament, is sent by his brother at the request of the PM, on one of Her Majesty's ships to Egypt. Officially, he is to meet with the new leader of Egypt, but the real reason is to spy and find out France's intentions toward England (they suspect France is planning to attack England without warning).
On board the ship, the second lieutenant is murdered. The captain, knowing of Lenox's background, asks his help to find the murderer. As you read the book, you feel as it you are actually aboard ship. So many fascinating historical details, i.e., how a burial at sea is conducted, and much more. I will read more of this series.
Marj
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I love Kerry Greenwood! I hope the series makes it to the US. If she were not too old, it would be a perfect part for Diana Riggs: the detective is a 20s "swinger (is that the right term?) in Australia, sometimes Sydney, sometimes Melbourne.
One of the Grrenwood books featured cricket, and I hoped reading it would enable me to finally understand the game. No such luck. It's hopeless!
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Read in one sitting "Death, Taxes and a French manicure" by Diane Kelly. A first detective novel by a romance writer, an Evanovitch wannabe. Awkward writing, lots of sex, and not as funny as the author thinks it will be, but there's potential -- I'll read the next one when it comes out. Narrator is a Stephanie Plum type Tax "cop" for the IRS, it made me examine my past to see if I have any tax transgressions there. I THINK I'm clean (why does the IRS make everyone feel so guilty?)
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I have enjoyed Phryne Fisher also. Love the setting. The books are hard to find around here, though. I have had to buy some because the libraries don't carry them.
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Am reading a book by Irene Marcuse.. Set in NYC.. The heroine is Anita Servi.. she lives in lower Manhattan, works in her husbands woodworking shop, since she is burned out as a social worker. Very ethnic and sort of aging hippie type, but interesting.
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JoanK - I think the term is more likely to be "flapper". "Swinger" has an altogether different meaning.
Ahhhh cricket - a most arcane sport. ??? I have been watching cricket since I was a child, and expected to play it as well. Girls were not given any special treatment. The terminology and meaning of obscure terms in cricket is no less mysterious than Greek. e.g. "silly mid off";"in the gully"; "no ball"; lbw etc. I still watch it though hoping to gain more insight into the game which is, regrettably, at times, just as the game is, very slow in emerging.
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Thanks, ladies. Two new authors to look up, and one to avoid. :)
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JoanK, I don't think I'll avoid Diane Kelly -- just looked up the book on Amazon. Kelly's a tax attorney by day. The Kindle price is right, so I just might download. Can't say that I like taxes, but the first thing I did after retirement was to take the H&R Block tax prep course, then worked there parttime one season. After that, did volunteer tax prep for about five or six years. So, am curious about a mystery about taxes.
Actually, I like mysteries about money and finance. Remember Emma Lathen -- a composite author made up of a lawyer and a banker, who wrote a series about the banker detective. I think they've both died, but am not sure. There haven't been any recently.
Roshanarose -- have you seen that Indian film about cricket -- Lagaan? Is that the name of it?
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Pedln...I loved Emma Lathen's books about John Putnam Thatcher and the Sloan Guarantee Bank and those other two VPs (?) the cranky Gabler and the ladies man, Charlie, and Thatcher's secretary...Rose(?). I'd read that one half of the writing duo had died back in the late 90s.
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I used to read all the Emma Lathan mysteries -- haven't thought about her for years.
i didn't mean to put anyone off "Death, Taxes --- ". these are taxes on steroids, nothing like what you probably met at H & R Block. I enjoyed that aspect, too. Don't tell me it's cheap on kindle? I actually bought it at barnes and Noble. I was in there with my son, and wanted an excuse to sit at the coffeeshop and eat their cheesecake-factory cheesecake (sigh: death, taxes, and extra pounds).
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JoanK -- $2.99. Moral of the story is to carry your Kindle with you when you go out. I'm sure B&N's wifi would connect you with Amazon. 8)
I had a bowl of chili at B&N on Sunday, and am excited about the book I bought there -- for the discussion with my f2f group. Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein. Harry Bernstein is portrayed in Bruce Frankel's What Should I do With the Rest of my Life -- "A Ruby of a Writer." He started writing when in his 90's. Celebrated his 100th in 2010 (I think Bruce was there) and died this past June, 2011.
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pedln - No. I have never seen a film about cricket, probably because I have seen endless hours of it on TV ::).
I found this site for you, JoanK/pedln. Please don't be insulted by the term "basic", it is no slur 8)
http://angielski.co.uk/cricket_rules.htm
Cricket terms have come into everyday parlance in Australian, and probably also UK English. Expressions such as "It's a sticky wicket" means It's a bit wet outside; "bowled a maiden over" (a cricketing term) means just that in every day English; and It's not cricket means "It's not fair". Cricketers now wear helmets to protect their heads and some padding to protect their boy bits, due to a game that will go in down in infamy, when the "body line" was introduced. Ouch! Body line is when the bowler deliberately bowls at the body of the batsman. Cricket in the past was very much a gentleman's game played on the hallowed turf of the great GPS schools in Britain, and here also. Now it can be almost as gladiatorial as rugby league, and may attract similar spectators. It is amazing what harm and aggression can be caused by a small ball.
I am sure that baseball has its own vocabulary as well.
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All sports have their own vocabulary.. I love ice hockey and used to have season tickets.. So those terms I am familiar with.. The tshirts at a hockey game are always fun.... a favorite was"Give Blood... Play Hockey"..
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
When my two sons were young, I thought it might be fun to take them to see a hockey game. After the playing started, people around us were screaming "Kill him, kill him,"
(and worse.) After about 30 minutes of this, I got up and took them home. My sons never became sports fans -- they loved music -- one played drums and both played and wrote for the guitar.
Later someone from my office talked myself and another friend into going to a hockey game. It was so boring my friend and I left half-way through.
Marj
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Roshanarose, thanks for the cricket rules. Here's the skinny on Lagaan film. It was an Oscar nominee for best foreign about 10 years ago.
In a remarkable story about the triumph of the ordinary, set in 1890s India, the ruling British have imposed a harsh tax (lagaan) on the farmers, prompting the villagers of Champaner to plead for a waiver. In response, an arrogant and capricious British commander challenges the villagers to a cricket match: If the villagers win, they'll avoid taxation for three years; if they lose, they'll pay the tax thrice over.
I've been to one hockey game in my life -- over 50 years ago in Boston. Someone threw a lit firecracker and it hit me. I was pregnant at the time, but there was no damage except a run in my hose. Later in the week an insurance man came to the school where I was teaching and offered me a check for $30 for my ruined stockings. What did I know? I signed off. Later my FIL wrote and said "don't sign anything until we know you and the baby are ok." Everything was fine, but I've had a low opinion of that ins. company ever since.
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Steph, there is just no one at all who is a better mystery writer than Minette Walters. I think that is why so many films have been made from her books.
Of course, my favorite is still Reginald Hill, and I am reading his Midnight Fugue as we speak here.
His books have been made into a mystery series in Great Britain. Some of Walters and some of Hill have been on PBS channels here.
Both are extremely intelligent people and their books are for the intellectual who loves a clever who done it.
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When I was in England in 1971, I bought a children's picture book All About Cricket. It told exactly how to play the game and what all the terms meant and was a real winner! I, of course, pretended it was for my young son, but read it avidly and now feel I have enough understanding to follow a game. I could not sit for hours and hours, though.
Finally passed the book on to my First Grade teacher daughter in Missouri for her schoolroom library. The little boys eat it up. Well, not literally, of course.
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I knew the Reginald Hill name was familiar, but it appears that the only books
of his that I've read are some Dalziel and Pascoe. I see he also writes under
the names Dick Morland, Patrick Ruell, Charles Underhill. Did you know about
those, MARYPAGE?
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Nothing whatsoever. Was totally unaware. Will check them out. Thanks!
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I got five series of Absolutely Fab. 2 discs in each.running 3 hours. They are funny but I think that 2 will be enough for me. Get sort of repetitious after a while. Little loud.
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I like Reginald Hill: had no idea he also wrote under other names. Are the stories similiar?
Jeanne: What is Absolutely Fab? It sounds fab!
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I find that watching a number of shows in a row of anything (unless it is something like "The Tudors") can be a bit much. Ab Fab (Absolutely Fabulous) in its earlier incarnation was truly funny, but it was only on TV once a week. That was sufficient.
I have a friend who is devoted to all Sci Fi TV series. I went to visit him and his wife one weekend and we stayed home because of the heavy rain. Dieter wasn't phased, he brought out his complete series of "Red Dwarf" about 12 episodes and we watched them from beginning to end. Turned me off the series completely ::)
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Ifind that most tv series are best watched one episode at a time.. I loved Star Trek, but dont think I could sit through hours or it..
I know people hate the violence of hockey.. For some reason I adore the games. Learned all the rules, yell at the Ref.. Boo the other team and generally act disgracefully. Love every moment of it. My sons loved hockey, still do, but just to watch.. There is a certain almost dance in the game when you watch an intuitive player, who always ends up where the puck is, not where he wants it to be. Ah well. Football is incredibly boring and silly to me and basketball even worse. I do like a good baseball game however.
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Bless me, I couldn't sit through hours of anything! I admire your courteous patience, ROSE.
I think I would have had to find a way, courteous, of course, to excuse myself after a while.
We all need an outlet, STEPH. ;D
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Sometimes memories are sooo tricky.. I saw where the last Star Trek movie was on last night. Turned it on and boom.... started to cry. I realized that the last movie, MDH and I saw in Portland Oregon the last year of his life. We had been out on the west coast, went to the gardens in Portland and some other things and it rained and rained and rained. We finally just gave it up, found a nice motel.. and looked for a movie.The Star Trek was right down the street, so went to see it.. So Ihad flashed to the motel lobby and the movie and laughing at being on the other side of the state and seeing a movie in the rain.. Oh me..
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Odd how these past moments flash up, STEPH. I remember going into a barbecue place once,
a new one to me, and suddenly thinking very strongly and poignantly of how much my father
would have liked it.
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I agree Babi, I find myself often thinking that he would have loved various things..This was closer to a flashback with the mental image of the hotel lobby..Oh well. all things pass.. slowly, but they do pass. I rewarded myself since this was a stupid day today with starting a new Daniel Silva.. not new published, just one I had not read.. Excellent opening..
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Steph, I agree, you have to be good to yourself at these times - a novel, a film, a muffin, a glass of wine - whatever you find comforting and distracting - is always a little help. I have recently borrowed a meditation DVD from our library. My daughters think it is hilarious, but I find it soothing at times of stress/insomnia - in fact, I think I will buy it.
Take care,
Rosemary
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For years I spent some time daily in meditation. It really was helpful in maintaining my serenity and keeping me centered. That, and prayer. I have tried to resume it, but I can't seem to maintain the stillness needed anymore. My body is not nearly as compliant as it once was. :(
No surprise there. ;)
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I have my body flow class on Tuesdays, so with the combination of tai chi, yoga and pilates and 15 minutes at the end of meditation, I find that I feel much better physically and mentally after the class. I am still the oldest by far in the class and not very good at it, but I do love it.
I have been told often enough by my counselor that I will probably always have a certain amount of flashbacks and the way to handle it is to quickly push for a good memory and I am getting some better at that.
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That sounds like a lovely class Steph. I like that it combines the four elements you listed. Most of the classes around here are one or the other, not combos.
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Has anyone read any books by John le Carre? I have been trying to read his Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy before I see the movie. I don't think I'll be able to finish the book. Hard to understand what he is talking about either because of his style of writing, or the many English terms and the terms from his Intelligence days, most of which are not explained.
Marj
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Marj...I read Le Carre many years ago. I recall loving Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy but I think there was a PBS series on these George Smiley books that may have helped.
I found this that may help:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinker,_Tailor,_Soldier,_Spy
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I used to love LeCarre and read all of the
Smiley books, but he is hard to get into. Once you sink deeply enough into George Smiley, you begin to see where he is going.
The TV films would help if they are still available.
Dont like the current LeCarre. He has just gotten way past my ability to keep up.
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I didn't even know LeCarre was still writing, STEPH. Can you tell me some of his recent books?
I may want to see if he's gotten too obscure for me, too.
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my computer has been down since Sunday. Today my wonderful neighbor came and fixed it, but I've missed you all. Thanks and hugs to PatH who kept an eye on you all while I was gone (not that you need it).
Read an interesting Historical: "Tom Wasp and the Newgate Knocker". The detective is a chimney sweep in Victorian London. overdoes te analogies between solving mysteres and sweeping chimneys (of course, you realized how similiar they are) but fun.
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Babi - here is a link:
http://www.johnlecarre.com/books
I haven't read any of his recent ones. I loved Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy and Smiley's People, but as I read them many years ago, I am wondering if I actually understood them. The original TV series with Alec Guinness was wonderful beyond words, but it seems that people think Gary Oldman has done a pretty good job with the new film. I would like to see it.
I also read LeCarre's "A Murder of Quality" years ago - it's a slim little book, doesn't take long - I loved that too, but my mother thought it was rubbish, so there you go :D
Rosemary
Rosemary
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L eCarre now writes about Africa or Panama.. I simply could not get into them. I loved the original spy stories.. His spies are not what you expect, but I liked Smiley so very much.. Some of the people he surrounded himself with were interesting as well.
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Thanks for the link, ROSEMARY. They don't give publication dates, tho', so I have no
idea which are the recent books. I'll take a look at Fantastic Ficion, hopefully
before I go to the library this morning. I'm down to one book, a re-read, and
definitely need to lay in two or three more.
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Sorry Babi - I didn't notice that ::)
This is a link to an interesting little snippet, although unfortunately I can't get any of the other options down the side of the page to work:
http://www.randomhouse.com/features/lecarre/author.html
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Rosemary: how interesting! A real curmudgeon, who washes elephants (or perhaps sees pink elephants?)
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The very first LeCarre was The Spy..something or another.. It was about the Berlin Wall way back in the time it was a huge problem.. Interesting..
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In the old days it was convenient to bill me a s a spy turned writer. I was nothing
of the kind. I am a writer who, when I was very young, spent a few ineffectual but
extremely formative years in British Intelligence.
I loved that quote from LeCarre, ROSEMARY. Actually, I looked at a few of his books
at the library yesterday. They all seemed to feature betrayal, disloyalty, mistrust..
I simply wasn't in the mood. Of course one must expect that sort of thing in spy
novels, but the overall impression was of a dreary, depressing gray! Maybe another
time.
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The Spy Who Came In From the Cold - perhaps?
Thanks Rosemary for that link. I can't help but think that Mr le Carre is not at all what he seems ??? And is there a space between le and Carre?
I liked this quote:
A good writer is an expert on nothing except himself. And on that subject, if he is wise, he holds his tongue.
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L eCarre.. Actually gray is very good indeed. He says in several of the books or actually Smiley says.. that being a spy is all grays..and hours of boredom..
I like Daniel Silva, who is something of a natural heir of his, but a lot more action.. In my current one, the Russians are again the villains, but not because of communism, but because of money.. Ceara has been kidnapped in this one. Gabriel is not amused.
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I suspect being a spy is very much like being royalty, in that it is not at all as exciting a job as
one might imagine.
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BABI: being royalty always seems deadly dull to me. You not only have to listen to endless speeches, ceremonies, and small talk, you have to look interested! They should give Queen Elizabeth an Academy Award.
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I think that Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and Now Charles make a sincere effort to have a life outside of the royalty thing.. I know the Queen is never happier than being with her dogs and horses and once remarked that she could have been a countrywoman and been happy.
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Help! The honor of we mystery fans is at stake. There's a mystery book proposed to guess in author, author -- the author is a Virginia Woolf scholar. Do any of you know? Come check it out.
http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=467.msg149752;topicseen#new (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=467.msg149752;topicseen#new)
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Finished the Silva I was reading. I only have two Silva that I have not read. I do have both of them in my TBR , but I am rationing them.
I picked up and am reading a Barbara Hambly... Wet Graves.. Good.. She does such a nice job of taking you back to New Orleans in a bad bad period.
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Reading the second in the Athenian Mysteries by Gary Corby, "The Ionian Sanction". A fun, painless way to learn ancient Greek history.
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In case you thought that mysteries started with Poe
"The oldest drama extant in English was a “mystery” - a dramatic representation of a religious story - performed in the Midlands about 1350, under the title of “The Harrowing of Hell ,” which staged a duel in words, at the mouth of hell, between Satan and Christ." Durant
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Wow.. Now that is a surprise, but I think that the saying is that Poe was the first American mystery writer.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Thanks for that author, JOANK. I do enjoy learning ancient history painlessly.
'Mystery' meant something different in medieval times. It referred to the 'mysteries' of religion
and was a popular way of teaching them to the general populace. I don't know enough about
the development of the modern 'mystery', but must be among the earliest.
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Right, Bab and JoanK. The earliest mention of "modern" mystery fiction (e.g. detective/crime novels) I found was an article that stated the earliest of this genre, in English, was about 1790. The author of the paper neither listed authors nor titles to corroborate his statement. He simply said that these were little read now. I saw a mention of a 1819 novel (French title, if I remember correctly), but it appears that Poe was the catalyst for most if not all of what followed.
It appears that to many people the mystery novel is synonymous with detective/crime. Too bad. I consider novels such as Carol Goodman's writings to be mysteries. They are puzzles to be unraveled. Yes, sometimes with a long hidden, unsuspected crime, but crime solving isn't the primary motivation for the hero or heroine. Steve Berry's books are mysteries which involve rediscovering long missing artifacts or solving long held mysteries about past events or people.
Oh that reminds me, for a long time I couldn't find any Daniel Silva books in my local used bookstore. I finally mentioned it to the proprietor's husband. He pointed me to the adventure section. She had reclassified the spy genre as adventure rather than mystery.
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Actually, I think they are using "mystery" in a different sense than we do: "a dramatic representation of a religious story ".
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I agree Frybabe, i always thought Mary Alice Monroe's books were "mysterious" even tho noone dies in them, but they sure keep me reading to find out how the problems will get solved.
Just finished Shelly Freydont's Halloween Murder. She's one of the authors i found when i started reading "mysteries" set in New Jersey or Pa. She was a dancer with Twyla Tharp's troop and her lead character is an ex-dancer and now directs various kinds of shows. It makes interesting reading for me. It's a subject i know little about. She has a series that relate to the various holidays. This one was o.k., but not engrossing.
Jean
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I didn't notice there was a new page, and didn't see Babi's post before I posted. Dickens' "Bleak house" is also now being claimed as an early mystery.
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I remember Twyla Tharp. Shelley Freymont also has written several romance novels under using the name Gemma Bruce.
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Yes, I had honestly forgotten, that in several religons, they have Sacred Mysteries.. Hmm..
But our current take on mysteries can be wide. Daniel Silva does spy and adventures, but I think of him as a mystery writer. Likewise for Mary Alice Monroe..
I simply love books.. Started a fun new one yesterday.. Lee Smith.. On Agate Hill.. She does do the south so well.
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I think your bookstore owner had the right idea, FRYBABE. Spy novels are not mysteries,
and I agree adventure is the logical genre for them.
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Steph, I read and enjoyed "On Agate Hill". I like Lee Smith & have read most of her books. She does the south well, doesn't she?
Sally
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Ihave always liked Lee Smith and read most of her stuff. I did not know until now, that she had a son with major mental problems and that he had died.. I read the afterward and the book is really a way for her mental health to improve.. A writer writes as she says..
The book is great so far.
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I have read most of the Silva books and given up on them. Too many corpses.
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I just finished Donna Andrews "Murder w/ Puffins" it was o.k. It was set on an island off the coast of Maine in the middle of a hurricane.....way to much rain, the characters were soaked thru the whole book, way too grey, everything was grey, the weather, the sky, the houses. Her first one about Peacocks sounds like it will be better and funnier. I'll try that one before i give up on her.
I got my husband a deSilva book at the library. He 's reading it first, then i'll give it a shot.
Jean
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Just finished the newest book by William Tapply "Overcoming trolls". It's also the last, of more than 40 since the author has died. I hadn't read any earlier ones, but will look for more. The detective is a lawyer, and the jacket calls it a "legal beagle", but that's a bit misleading: it doesn't have the courtroom battles of most of those.
The plot is simple: I admit I liked it because the author (who also writes books about the outdoors) is careful to identify every bird he comes across. Any friend of Evening Grosbeaks is a friend of mine!
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I like Donna Andrews, but oh my she really is put upon by her family. Still most of the series are fun.
These themed mysteries are getting way out of hand. I picked up one at the book sale that is taking place in a farmers market and the protagonists runs a small farm and sells preserves.. Thats a living??? Whew.
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Oh, don't give up on Donna Andrews, JEAN. I find her books so humorous. As I
recall, "Murder With Puffins" was not one of her best.
I am currently reading Reginald Hill's "Dialogues of the Dead". Interesting and
unusual premise. I did not realize it was a Dalziel and Pascoe book until I got into
it. Usually the jackets make a point of including that info on the jackets.
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Yes, some of Donna Andrews are a lot more fun than others. Do try another.
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As a member of two mystery book clubs, I read a lot of mysteries. In one we only read books by women writers; the other, by both men and women writers, but they tend to be on the softer or cozy side. Several years ago I bought The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl and finally got around to reading it last night. Have only read one chapter, but what a fascinating book. Don't know whether this book is classified in the mystery or fiction genre, but since its about Edgar Allan Poe, I would have to guess mystery. I understand Pearl has a new book.
I read a Donna Andrews book years ago, don't remember the title, but it did not make me want to read more books by her. One of my book clubs read a Lisa See book about a year ago and members rated it very good. I had forgotten the definition of "a shadow son."
For J.A. Jance fans, there is an interesting interview of her in the lastest issue of The Strand magazine
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Thanks, Dean, for mentioning that Matthew Pearl has a new book out. I checked, and it is THE TECHNOLOGISTS. The book description says, "Set in 1868 Boston, studded wtih suspense and soaking in the rich historical atmosphere for which Pearl is renowned..." Sounds good.
I really liked Pearl's THE LAST DICKENS. Very interesting story about Dicken's visit to the United States to advertise his books and read to large audiences from them. Also about his publisher's efforts to try to find out what Dickens may have intended for the last unfinished part of his The Mystery of Edwin Drood. I've meant to read his book on Poe, but haven't got to it. Will move it further up on my TBR list.
Marj
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I just finished THE TECHNOLOGISTS by Matthew Pearl. I enjoyed it. There is a mystery component and it tells a lot about the early days of MIT and the Boston area and includes MIT rivalry with Harvard.
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DEAN: you are lucky to have two mystery book clubs in your neighborhood. Keep us informed of good ones you find.
We have read several Pearl books here, including "the Poe Shadow" with the author in the discussion. It was great -- he really shared a lot of his research with us. Now that he is better known, I don't know if he has time for us --- sigh.
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JoanK, I checked the archived discussions and yes, you did discuss The Poe Shadow in 2006. One of the first things that caught my eye was the question, if anyone had written to a writer as Quentin Clark did to Poe. Well, I did. I wrote to Ann Cleeves about one of books in her Shetland Quartet series and she wrote back in detail. Needless to say, I was impressed.
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Dean, I don't know whether your book clubs are ones online or face to face. But my favorite online book group is the Yahoo group, 4_Mystery_Addicts. I get a lot of good suggestions for mysteries there. (But they don't read cozy mysteries, nor for the most part do I)
Marj
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Two mystery book clubs. I would be in heaven. Are they online or in person. We have two in person around me. One reads nothing but their version of classic.. and the other picks all the books a year in advance.. only books the library can get for them... and really reviews by who the author is and the backhistory. I tried, but just could not get into stuff, I had already read a year or two before.
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DEAN: wow! I would have been impressed, too!
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just marking.
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Present.
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:)
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Someone in here said they liked Margaret Maron, whom I had never read. So I asked for her first Deborah Knott, Bootlegger's Daughter, for Christmas. Just got around to reading it, and loved her native down home take on northern North Carolina. I mean, she is SPOT ON; but then, she would be, wouldn't she!
So I tried to order all of the others in her Deborah Knott series. Some are out of print (but will probably be brought back eventually, as #1 was), but I did manage to obtain nine (9) of them. Yummy!
Thank you, Someone!
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I love Margaret Maron's Deborah Knott books. I have read all of them. Maron never disappoints.
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I liked Maron's first couple of the Knott series, very much, then, like many series writers, the last two i read were not as good, but i'm only 2/3rds of the way thru the series and will continue reading them.
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I adore Maron and have heard she does a lot of signings in her native state.. So all summer, I will keep track. Would love to hear her speak..She is so true to North Carolina..So is Sharon McCrumb who also lives there.
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I LOVE Sharon McCrumb!
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I loved Sharon McCrumb too until she starting writing about auto racing.
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McCrumb is wonderful. I don't do auto racing, either, but it certainly is part of North Carolina culture.
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Do you like the "Ballad" series or the "Mcpherson" series?
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I've liked all of McCrumb's books that I've read - haven't read nearly all of them. I had some communication with her a few years ago, looking into the possibility of getting her to come speak at our Friends of the Library annual meeting. She sounded like a very nice lady. It didn't work out, unfortunately, but I'm sure she'd do a great program.
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Hello,
I am just back from the Pym conference in Cambridge, Mass. Whilst I was away I read some of the stuff backed up on my Kindle - the first was Blue Murder at Kudu by Daniel Edmondson, which I knew nothing about, although on looking at the Amazon reviews it seems to be quite well known. It's all set in a remote part of British Africa in the 1920s and is fascinating just for the social details - the British camp, the hierarchy, the wagoneer who drives oxen thousands of miles, the local shopkeepers, the indigent tribes. There is also a travelling freak show, and quite a lot about the wildlife. The murder itself seemed almost secondary to all the back story - I really enjoyed it, and would never have read it had it not been free for Kindle.
The second one was Tea is for Terror by Gayle Wigglesworth: I haven't finished it yet but I have to say that so far it is so bad as to be laughable. It features a group of Americans on a coach tour of the UK, led by the owner of a travel bookshop from California. The characters are all complete stereotypes, but what irks me the most is the terrible dialogue. For example, the tour guide is supposed to be an English cockney; he starts of calling people "Luv" but after a few pages he reverts to West Coast American, saying things like "I'll need to review my papers", or "Only if you are comfortable with that" - ie things that no Cockney would ever say. The travel details are clearly designed to appeal to Americans who have never been to the UK, and sound as though they have been copied straight from a tourist board brochure - if you just read this book you would think that we all spend our time in cosy pubs with roaring fires drinking ye olde English ale. I could go on.
There are also numerous mistakes - apostrophes in the wrong place, etc - and can you believe this one:
"Jack told them lots of antidotes to keep them entertained."
Honestly, as one of my mother's friends used to say, I kid you not.
Has anyone ever read any of this writer's work? I'd be interested to hear an American view of it.
I'll try to write a bit about the Pym conference over the weekend. It was certainly an experience!
Rosemary
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Wigglesworth sounds like one to avoid.
I ordered "Blue Murder" for my Kindle. I had to pay $0.99, since I don't belong to something called "Prime". I'll have to find out what that is.
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Wigglesworth sounds almost like a pseudonym, however she is real. Retired banker. Tea is for Terror was her first book;she has written eleven. I've never heard of her.
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Through my face-to-face Mystery Book Club, I just learned of a book that sound extraordinary! It is titled "The Time In Between" by Maria Duenas. A hit in Europe, and just now gotten here to U.S., translated from the Spanish. I will try to put a link here to get you to Simon*Schuster's website, with details about her, the book, with a wonderful gallery of pictures with information about the places and people in the novel. www.TheTimeInBetweenBook.com
And I hope that works for you all. I have it on reserve and shall be reading it soon. It is quite long 600+ pages.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
WOW that sounds like something! Let us know what you think when you read it.
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I read a review of The Time in Between. It sounded interesting. Our library has 5 copies, but I didn't place a hold, since I can't get to it until I finish the books I have on hand. It is definitely on my TBR list though.
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Looks like another mystery in BLANKO, but I don't know it!
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A 600 page mystery??Whew..Not sure that makes any sense. Tell us if you like it.
Dont think I will try Wigglesworth.
MCCrumb. I read all of her stuff, but love the Ballads. The others tend to get a bit cute for me.
I liked the racing and I have no interest at all in seeing a race.
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Sorry, ROSEMARY, but I will definitely avoid "Tea is For Terror". My American view is that
is sounds awful. :P
The other book sounds good, tho'. I haven't heard of Daniel Edmondson before either, but
I'm delighted to hear of another author who gives us great background.
TOMEREADER has another great-sounding book. I'll hope to find the Maria Duenas book, as
well. A most profitable morning here.
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Thanks, Tomereader, for mentioning the book THE TIME IN BETWEEN. That sounds very good.
I don't mind 600+ page books when they are good. I'm reading BELIEVING THE LIE by Elizabeth George, another 600+ pager. Her later books have gotten pretty wordy - but this one is holding my interest very well. I had to return Stephen King's 11/22/63 to the library because it was overdue, but I've got it on hold again -- another very good biggie, at 800+ pp.
Marj
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I wasn't sure I was going to like Margaret Maron's latest -- Three Day Town -- because it sounded a little gimmicky. Deborah Knott and Maron's other series character, Sigrid Harold, are together in this one. But it was well-done, worked out fine and I enjoyed it. Of course, I most always enjoy a New York setting.
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I'm enjoying the Daniel Edmondson very much. I was looking for information on the author: afraid that I'm reading the African equivelant of Wigglesworth, since i know so little about Africa. But I couldn't find any biuographical details.
He is very funny, though.
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What I'm reading while I await "The Time in Between": I started on Ann Patchett's "State of Wonder". I'm sure many of you have read it. I am liking it very much, but it is moving a bit slower than "Bel Canto" which is my favorite Patchett book. No spoilers, but tell me how you liked/disliked the book.
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It must be over 40 years since I read "A tree grows in Brooklyn" I just picked it up to read again. Got it in LP now.
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My favorite Ann Patchett is Patron Saint of Liars.. Oh how I loved that one. I like Bel Canto.. and another one I cannot remember the title of. Have not read the latest yet.
I am reading one of Rita Mae Browns hounds series..About fox hunting and Sister and Virginia.. Rita Mae has lived in the area she is writing about for many many years now and loves it very much. She uses it on all of her books.
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I have been remiss in finding more of the cat series Rita Mae Brown wrote. She always brings some of the history of the area into her books as well as a wonderful country feel. I have not read any of her fox and hound books.
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Uh, MARJ. I've got to ask. Is 11/22/63 the date the book was due?
My library, alas, does not have a single Daniel Edmondson. Nor Marie Duenas. I shall look
elsewhere.
TOME, I though "Bel Canto" was well-written, but I found the ending most upsetting. It
almost prevented me from ever reading another Ann Patchett.
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I finished Susan Wittig Albert's Mourning Gloria. One of the few of the China Bayles series i hadn't read. It was entertaining. I like her portrayal of Bayles and company. I would like all of them as friends, which is why i've kept reading the series. Smart Cookie's reluctance to marry Blacke is a refreshing change from female characters who are dying to get married. Ruby is excentric, but in another way very real w/ her lesbian-single-mother dgt. China's inheriting a son and a dgt makes the story have continuing change and freshness, unlike Stephanie Plum's life that just is more of the same in each book.
Jean
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JEAN: good point. And China moves her life along, too. Evanovitch sticks like glue to the formula that got her there.
Finished "Blue Murder" and ordered another in the series (also $0.99). I'm always eager to read another when I read a book I like. But I make myself wait til i've read a couuple of different books. Otherwise, I get tired of the author.
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Babi asked, "Uh, MARJ. I've got to ask. Is 11/22/63 the date the book was due?"
Funny, Babi. (BTW, have you read it? Good time-travel book; not the usual Stephen King's horror stories, altho' I've liked a few of them, i.e. THE STAND.)
Marj
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Because I had loved Ann Patchett's THE MAGICIAN'S ASSISTANT, I picked up her STATE OF WONDER. I read about half of State of Wonder, but it was a DNF for me -- just did not keep my interest.
Marj
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Joan - so glad you enjoyed Blue Murder, it seems to be one of those little gems that no-one (inc me) has ever heard of. I too tried to find some information about the author, but there was absolutely nothing - strange in these days of too much information about everyone/thing.
I hadn't found anyone who had read any Wigglesworth, which made me wonder how she had managed to publish so many books, so I looked up her publisher, "koenisha publications". It seems to be a very small outfit attached to a church in Hamilton, MI. Their logo is "Books to sink your mind into" ::)
Rosemary
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I have been reading the Aurora Teagarden mysteries by Charlaine Harris. Someone here recommended them. Easy, light reads. I am enjoying them. What is the last one in the series? Does anyone here know?
Sally
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I have read all of the Aurora books.. The last one I remember is after her husband died. She was still trying to figure out what he did..Charlaine Harris has several small series. She is simply an interesting writer. I try to read everything she writes.. The SmallShakespeare series is a delight. Shows what the human spirit can do when given the chance. I think there are five books in the series.. It has a nice arc..
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Haven't read it, MARJ. I swore off the Stephen King horror books after reading two of
them. His horror struck way too close to home for my comfort. His time-travel book, was
that "The Time in Between" mentioned earlier? I might be interested in that.
I can't find "Blue Murder.." or it's author anywhere over here, ROSEMARY. Amazon apparently
has it available, but only for Kindle. Hopefully, Edmondson's will make it to the States
before too long and I'll get a chance to read it.
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Stephen King's 11/22/63, Babi, is about a man going back in time to try to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I'm finding it very interesting, because I remember the events so well-- that awful time when for several days everything was closed and everyone was so sad and gloomy. Everyone was just glued to the TV, when there were only about three TV stations, all showing the same depressing thing. King's story is a good one.
Marj
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Salen: Here is a list of all Charlene Harris's books. Lookws like thee last Aurora teagarten one was "Poppy Done to Death" in 2003. I guess there won't be any more.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/charlaine-harris/ (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/charlaine-harris/)
I like all her series except the one with vampires (Sookie Stackhose). Unfortunately, that seems to be the one everyone else likes: it's what she's writing now and it's all my library carries!
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Oh my yes, I was very very pregnant during the Kennedy assasination.. I remember sitting glued to the tv for days.. I also remember going off to church and coming home to my husband saying. They killed Oswald.. That seemed to make it worse. As if we were back in the wild wild west.. A really hard time for the US
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A book title that is a date. I'd never heard of it, so you can imagine my confusion, MARJ. ???
I would imagine all of us remember the Kennedy assassination vividly, and painfully. I'll probably
skip reading that book. I'd just as soon not revive those memories, esp. when I know how it
all ended.
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The Time in Between book, which I mentioned much earlier is by Maria Duenas, not stephen king.
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I am toying with reading it.. I am not fond of Stephen King.. He is very depressing most of the time.
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I would like to read the Maria Duenas book, but I can't find it locally anywhere. :(
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It was published in Europe, and only recently was translated into English and published here by Simon & Schuster. You might try their website: Simon & Schuster.com
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Finished the Rita Mae Brown HOunds book.. NOt much of a mystery but great for descriptions, plus a really unusual motive.. Have you ever heard of a cancer doctor who pursuaded patients that they had cancer and needed incredibly expensive treatments. They were fine and they split the insurance money as it came in..Now thats just flat out horrible.
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Thanks, TOME. I'll try that.
I'm thoroughly enjoying Reginald Hill's "Dialogues of the Dead". The man truly has a way with
words and he has some most enjoyable characters.
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I finally found Susan Albert's Darling Dahlias on the shelf. It's been on hold lists since it came out. I think i'm going to love this group of women and the descriptions of the time are very interesting. I know some of you read it, what did you think? Another North Carolina setting! What is it about that state? ???
Jean
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Just finished Elizabeth George's BELIEVING THE LIE. I was surprized that this long book kept up my interest all the way to the end. One reviewer called it a "melodrama" and I guess it was, but a very interesting one. Her latest mystery with Inspector Lynley and Detective Sgt. Barbara Havers (my favorite character). Haver's T-Shirt that she wears into Scotland Yard on her day ofF has a slogan printed on it that almost put me on the floor laughing. Lynley is asked by a wealthy baron to help him prove that his son is not a murderer. This brings about a look into the baron's family secrets, with a juicy twist near the end. Good read.
Marj
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Babi: Reginald Hill is interesting. The ones I've read start out noir, but end up with happy endings. What is that --- semi - noir?
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Ilove Elizabeth George ( except for the one about the murderer) and will certainly read the new one. She is always a bit longwinded, but always interesting.
Reginald Hill never seems to hold my interest. I know most people love him, but alas, not me. On the other hand.. Daniel Silvas latest just came out in Paperback. Hooray. I am saving it for when I am down.
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JOAN, there are a good many deaths in "Dialogues of the Dead" and a very clever, if nutso,
serial killer. I can't call it 'noir', as there is so much good, humorous dialogue.
Actually, a very clever and readable mix. About the ending, I can't say. I'm hopeful, but
not there yet.
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Got in interesting (I hope) book from the library: "Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making" by John Curran. According to the blurb, it's notes from her notebooks, and is a sequal to an earlier such book. Dopes anyone know anything about it?
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Joan - I haven't heard of that book, let us know how you get on.
I've just finished another 'free for Kindle' - "Death by a Honeybee" (I think I mentioned it on the Library or somewhere) by Abigail Keam. I enjoyed it - it's set in Kentucky, so lots of local interest, plus some good mystery threads and colourful, well drawn characters (IMO!).
My cats are moulting like crazy (thank goodness I don't have Persians) and the keyboard is covered in floating hair. Need to do something about that before this evening, as Anna's friend is coming to stay and she's asthmatic.....
Rosemary
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My new long haired ( called a fluffy) Corgi rescue is shedding. I had him groomed and the undercoat removed, but long long haired finish coat is shedding as well. Drifts of hair all over.. Whew..
Went to the library for an author lecture yesterday. This week is our library system festival.
This man is a sort of fantasy-horror writer for young adults.. But I thought I would listen anyway..
There were seven people there and three were employees of the library. Me as an adult and three giggly girls. ( He is young and not bad looking).Sigh.. Not a success.
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Steph - that is just what it was like at the last author event I attended (except the few of us there were adults) - it's so depressing when people don't support these things.
Rosemary
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I have felt that in an entirely different area, ROSEMARY. We have had a couple of small restaurants open up that served really great food. Unfortunately, they wound up closing for lack of enough patronage. I wished I could have gone more often; it might have helped them stay in business.
Our library doesn't hold lectures, ..much too small a town, I guess. There is a local mystery
club, but a f-to-f club won't work for me. I couldn't begin to follow the discussion trying to read
everybody's lips! :P
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Our library is run by the county and that means no money for any publicity, etc. When a county commissioner proudly announces that he has not read a book since high school graduation, you cant expect anything good to happen to the libraries. Sigh.
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Too bad the commissioner did not make that statement before he was elected. He might not have been. :P
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Oh, dear, Steph - it sounds like you live in OUR county. :'(
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Rosemary.
Make sure that your visitor takes her medication before she stays in your home. I have friends with cats. Home spotless but I can be in the house for about 10 minutes and have to leave. So embarrasing at time.
Picked a friends cat up from the Vet last week. (He doesn't drive anymore). We live just 10 min. away but took hours of nose spraying. Pill before feeling good again. Had to leave car windows down until it aired out after getting home. Had this one problem since a child.
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How sad.. I am glad I have never been allergic. I have had dogs and cats most of my life.. No cats just now, but know I will have another , sooner or later.
Abandoned another mystery last night. These are mostly the ones I picked up at our book sale. They are total unknowns to me. This one is Grave Misgivings by Kate Gallison.. Mother Lavinia..not interesting at all.
But I did just finish up The girls of Riadh months ago and just finished it on CD in the car.. I gather it was a huge scandal in Saudi Arabia, but it is amazing to me.. If you see it, try it.. I loved the CD;s
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I just looked up Girls of Riyahd on wiki and Amazon, Steph. Sounds interesting. And banned in Saudi Arabia. Whenever I hear of young women in Saudi Arabia I'm reminded of the book ???? by a young Saudi royal. Personal narritive. One event described -- a group of teen-aged girls went out and met boys, just hung out. One father punished his daughter by drowning her in the family swimming pool.
Yesterday I spent the better part of the day Kindle reading Dangerous Talent by Aaron and Charlotte Elkins, a book that made no demands on me. It is the first in their Alix London series, and like other Elkins' novels, focuses on the art crime scene. Hope to finish the remaining 20% today. It's been a long time since I've done that, and it felt good.
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Finished Susan Wittig Albert's Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree. It was o.k. Set in the 1930s giving it an interesting framework, different from her China Bayles series and just as much attention to detail. There are a host of characters, maybe too many for the beginning of a new series. I had to keep checking to see how this person now being discussed fit in. Maybe because of so many characters i didn't think Albert did as good a job of making me like the characters as she did in the CB series. Their personalities were not as clear to me. That may come w/ future books. The best thing about the book was the flavor of the time. She uses the "party-line telephone", small-town experience, very well, something that under 60s readers wouldn't have experienced. The fact that not everyone had a car is a part of the story. The fear of the bank closing, etc. all put to good use by Albert.
Now i have a questeion for those of you who have lived in the South. She called the trees "cucumber trees" but gave the Latin name as "magnolia (something)". Is the cucumber and the magnolia tree the same plant?
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I remember the "party line telephone" from my aunt and uncle. They were convinced the other "party" listened in on their calls, and it made them furious.
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Jean, I am under 60 but in my childhood home we had no phone - my aunt and uncle, who considered themselves a cut above the rest of the family, had a party line -I think you had to click the little switch under the receiver up and down to see if the line was free or something. We did not have a car till I was about 5, then my father died when I was 8 - my mother did not know how to drive then and has never learned, so the car was sold and we were car-less until I finally bought my own. We also did not have central heating or a washing machine, although the latter was sheer obstinacy on my mother's part - my father offered to buy one, but she was convinced it wouldn't get the clothes clean. She didn't have a machine until long after I'd left home, and even now she doesn't really trust them. As for a dishwasher - heavens no!
Returning to the car and phone issues, I saw a programme a few years ago about the terrible floods that devastated the east coast of the UK in the early 1950s (?1953?) - the people living in the little coastal villages in Norfolk and Essex had no phones and no cars - the village policemen had to cycle from one house to the next to alert them of the coming dangers. Many people died.
Rosemary
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jean, I've lived in the south all my life, and have never heard of a "cucumber tree". Oh, well.....
This is a wikipedia link to "cucumber tree"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumber_tree
and it says one version called magnolia something is native to NE North America.
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In my part of the North of England one didn't need a phone, all one had to do was tell one person anything and it was all around the area in short time.
I think that my mother was in her 60s when she learned to drive. I didn't learn until I came over to the US. Was 24 years old. Had many friends here who never learned. Still have a few. Do have good bus service though and at the price showing today for gas I do believe I am going to be busing some days. $4.23 cents gal.
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Ilived in the country, but my Mother drove always.. But when I was little, we did not have two cars, so even though we lived a mile from town, My Mother and I walked it every single day. She went to a little old fashioned grocery and had her cocacola in a bottle.. and then we walked home.. Funny the memories that pop up..
We did have a party line.. You could mostly tell when someone was listening by how far away the voice you were talking to would drop..
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I remember party lines. I'm glad they disappeared. But oh, when we were kids, we walked all over town - mostly to the candy store (remember penny candy?), the little general store where we got our soda and sometimes candy, and the playground. On the way to the store, we'd pick up stray returnable bottles to pay for the candy and soda. Little did our parents know just how much candy and soda we downed at the playground before heading home. On the weekends, it was the Saturday matinée. We also had a real butcher shop nearby.
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Oh, dear, ROSEMARY, your mother does seem to be making things hard on herself. But then,
it is all only what she is used to, so she wouldn't feel any lack there. I can remember
when the 'ice box' was literally that. The top was a space for a large block of ice,
delivered regularly by an 'ice man', and that is what cooled the space below. Every home
had an ice-pick; now it's rare to see one.
I was surprised that the villages had no alarm system, being so vulnerable. Usually
there was at least a bell to ring loudly and urgently, or perhaps a siren. Probably a
bit too damp for signal fires there on the coast.
I had never heard of a cucumber tree, either. If it is native to the NE, I suppose
these ladies were trying to introduce it to the Carolinas. I'm going to see if I can
find a picture of it.
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Babi, there's a picture on the link I posted, I think.
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Here's a link telling one that 'magnolia acuminata' is also called 'cucumber tree' and it is sometimes made into one word as 'cucumbertree'. This link takes you to many pictures. I was surprised to see that it is common to the NE United States and the south of Canada.
We had one growing in our front yard in southern California.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_acuminata (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_acuminata)
I didn't know where to post about a spy book but it is covered in our header so I am reading John LaCarre's book, "The Mission Song" which is ok, not spectacular. And last night, on tv-on-demand, we watched "Tinker, Tailor,Soldier, Spy" by the same author. What a disappointment! Worst spy type of movie we've seen ever. Very peculiar take by the writer who wrote the script. Oh,well, not everything LaCarre writes is good.
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AdoAnnie - was that the new one with Gary Oldman? The original TV series with Alec Guinness was absolutely wonderful - I think you can get it on DVD. And I loved the books - Tinker Tailor and Smiley's People.
Rosemary
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Thanks for the info on the cucumbertree. I figured there had to be something about it that was cucumber-like, otherwise??? Interesting that it grows thru the Appalachians.
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I agree with Rosemary.. His older books are wonderful.. The TV version of Tinker.etc. was great.. I may even see if NetFlix has it somewhere.
I am reading a new to me author.. Paul Christopher.. I am in the mood for dirty deeds and old mysteries.. It suits the bill. It is my bed book.. as long as it doesnt get too gory.
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Nope, MARY. Looked again, to be sure. but not there. ANNIE has one for us. That is a
HUGE tree. You would need plenty of room for that one.
Oh, dear, ANNIE. We have "Tinker, Tailor, etc." on our queue. I was hoping for good
things from it. I'll pass on your warning to Val. But then, it wouldn't be the first
film we agreed wasn't worth finishing.
ROSEMARY, that's good news. I love everything Alec Guinness does. I'll see if we can
get his version of TTSS.
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About the movie with Gary Oldman, "Tinker, Tailoretc", two things were making it boring to me. The camera man must have also had some power in making the movie; strange scenes of actors across the street in background with trucks, buses and cars in the foreground. When they spoke there was often an overlay of sound such as the traffic in the scene. Lots of darkness. Too much darkness! Everything in the movie was acted in a downplayed mode. I found the actors hard to understand and I am an English TV frequent watcher.
Wasn't "The Constant Gardener" a made for TV movie? I know that I saw it and liked it lot.
I guess I should have prefaced this post with the fact that I have read many of John Lecarre's books starting with "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold". His writing is superb. One of my favorites was "The Perfect Spy". I also have many of his books in my library(read stacks).
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About The Constant Gardener, it seems that it was a movie which came out in 2005 with Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz. Its about the Aids epidemic in Africa and dishonest pharmaceutical companies.
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I just finished a good mystery/thriller, THE FEAR INDEX, by Robert Harris. Very
good. About a brilliant man, Dr. Alex Hoffman, a scientist and mathmatician,
who has visions of perfecting artificial intelligence. He and a friend go into
an investment business and he programs a computer to do investing and they make
billions. But odd things begin happening to him, making him think someone is
stalking him and for some unknown reason is out to ruin him. A chilling story.
Harris also wrote THE GHOST WRITER, another thriller, made into a good movie.
I've given up on LeCarre. Couldn't understand much of the British English in the films or what he is talking about in his books. The only film I've seen from his book was Constant Gardener, and the only part of it I enjoyed was the beautiful scenery of Kenya.
Marj
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Looks like Tinker,Tailor has been make into a movie 3 times. Finely found the one with Alec Guiness. It goes back a few years.
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" strange scenes of actors across the street in background with trucks, buses and cars in the foreground. When they spoke there was often an overlay of sound such as the traffic in the scene. Lots of darkness. "
I often find that with movies. makes it difficult to hear what people are saying. And if it's difficult to see, as well. there's not much left!
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I have noticed on tv and movies, that the current trend is to overlay the music to the point of not being able to hear what is being said.. and in movies especially,, they do handheld cameras and everything becomes blurry and jolted.. That in turn makes me neasuous..(hmm, spelling) The first of the two Sherlock Holmes that are recent had that problem.. Ugh.
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Sound like shoestring productions, don't they? Low on funds, and cutting corners everywhere?
If the producers are using this kind of camera and sound work because they think it is 'rad', ...or
whatever the current slang is... I hope a poor public response them will disabuse them of the
notion.
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Re the current movies - dark, loud, mumbling, jerky, violent - John and I have come to the conclusion that we are definitely not the target audience. ::)
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Nor am I!
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Same here! What ever happened to good enunciation? When I was in drama classes, we were instructed to project our voices so the audience could hear us. Now it seems like lots of actors are "low" talkers, and the background music is loud and intrusive!
Sally
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Yes, I do think that I am not their target audience. My younger son will often say,, not a picture you would like MOM.. since he knows I hate the jerky handheld cameras..
I tend to be picky about movies.. I do want to try and see the newest Julia Roberts. She sounds perfect as the wicked stepmother queen.
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I can only suppose the low voices are intended to convey intimacy. A 'you are right there' sort of thing. If so, it doesn't work. :(
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I am having one of those.. cant be pleased days.
Rooting through three boxes of books to find one that I want to read. Sigh.. Picky picky picky. But I do think I have hidden away a Daniel Silva somewhere. Time to dig it out and vicariouisly beat up the world.
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I have those days too -- keep picking up books and putting them down. Frustrating!
Found a series where the detective is a math teacher ("The Square Root of Death"). With some light math factoids. As an ex-math major, I enjoy it.
She teaches a class to help people overcome "math anxiety". What a wonderful idea. Math anxiety can start anywhere, including things that have nothing to do with math. (being embarrassed by putting prroblems on the board, for example). And it's socially acceptable. Having done some math tutoring, I notice that many students, when they hear "math" just blank out, and don't even try things they would automatically do in another course (like reading the book. Or taking notes in class).
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I am reading Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon. I have not read this author before, and I see that she has written many in this series. I suppose I'll have to read a second one to decide if it's good.The setting is unfamiliar - Venice. This is the first in the series, written in 1992.
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I love the Donna Leon books, and I think that the early ones are the best. The descriptions of Venetian everyday life are fascinating, and Brunetti is such a good character.
Rosemary
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For some reason I cannot get into Donna Leon, but she is enormously popular.
I just stopped on the Paul Robinson.. He is simply not doing a good job. Indiana jones, he is not.
Finished the Sookie book.. Started a new author that wrote a mystery around a FArmers Market.. Hmm.. we will see.
Happy Easter to all.
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STEPH, ever wonder why you picked up those books in the first place? I do understand, tho';
sometimes nothing seems to be just what you want.
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Has anyone here ever read books about a book store owner in Denver? I believe he specialized in certain genre of antique books? Can't even bring up the author on my brain pad. Would that be my "iPad"? No. Don't own one of those.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I just finished the latest Donna Leon book "beastly Things". I think it is one of her best. Someone is finally going to get their just due. Leon, an American, has lived in Venice for 30 years and (from what I have read) loves it there, but still writes honestly about environmental concerns and Italian gov. Corruption. I love Paola (Brunetti's wife) and how she serves her family all those delicious meals while I'm reading and eating potato chips. Oh, well.
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That's my only quarrel with Leon: Paola is supposed to be a serious professional scholar, yet she has time and energy to cook and serve these incredible meals twice a day. Trying to make the rest of us mere humans feel bad?
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Has anyone here ever read books about a book store owner in Denver? I believe he specialized in certain genre of antique books? Can't even bring up the author on my brain pad. Would that be my "iPad"? No. Don't own one of those.
Are you thinking of John Dunning? Booked to Die; The Bookman's Wake, etc.?
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I love John Dunning . Have read every single one of the books and treasured them. They teach you so much about books and values.. The stories are great. All in all, a good writer, who does not write many books..
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Actually, that is what I found so unrealistic about the Donna Leon
books,...a supposedly busy professional woman cooking chef-style meals
twice a day. Come on!!
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Well i know what you mean, but maybe that is what they do in Italy? I don't think they work nearly such long hours as we do here in the UK. More Quality of Life.
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From what I've read Italians have their big meal at lunch time and most leave work and go home for that time and usually don't go back to work again until midafternoon and come home later in the evening then we do do here in the states.
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I suppose that must be true - but when I went to Siena, whole families seemed to be doing the traditional after dinner walk around the town (often with ice cream) by 8-9pm, so presumably they don't work that late (though shops are open very late after an afternoon closing).
When my friend's son was at a local primary school in the south of France, he always got 2 hours for lunch - our children get about 45 mins I think - in fact it was shortened at my son's town primary school to try to stop all he trouble in the playground.
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This long lunch break is traditional in many countries with a hot climate: and makes a lot of sense-- rest during the hottest part of the day. It was still being observed when I lived in israel during the 60s but was already disappearing. It depends on workers being able to go home and come back easily, as in a small town, and is less practical in a city. And air conditioning does away with a lot of the need.
But if Leon tells us that they still do it in Venice, I believe her.
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When we were touring in Italy, we found that most of the towns ( not Rome and Florence,etc), but the smaller areas had a long long lunch and then the shops remained closed until perhaps 3 or 4.. Then back open for the evenings. Gelato in the mid evenings seemed to be universal and I have no idea how they keep their figures.. Although gelato is great and the most beautiful flavors and colors.
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That's how it was when we were in Italy. Also we were told when we were booking that a lot of the shops close in Aug. when most people go on vacation. That was why we changed our trip to Oct.
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We have the real Italian gelato here in Annapolis, and I adore the hazelnut and the chocolate hazelnut and the caramel and the tiramisu and, oh dear, so many other wonderful flavors and I have had to give it all up! Sob!
Well, it was all great while it lasted!
The Michael Dibdin murder mysteries set in Italy are great. Aurelio Zen is the dectective, and I adored Rufus Sewell playing Zen on Masterpiece Mystery.
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The Italian gelato sounds wonderful. I love anything with hazelnuts.
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Gelato is absolutely great, but oh me,, the calories involved. I love a little shop in one of of the Italian Hill towns, that said.....Second Best Gelato in all of Italy.. Made us laugh on the tour and dutifully troop in to see what it was.. Absolutely spectacular was the answer.. Had to be 30 flavors.. but I too love the Chocolate Hazelnut.
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I really must try to find and taste some gelato. My husband had a chance to enjoy it, and my
daughter on her trip, and both said it was wonderful. I've lost so much weight I can afford to
eat anything I can digest. ;)
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Gelato will definitely be one of the things we'll look for when we get to Italy next month. (Not hazelnut for me, though. ::) )
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Mary, how exciting - where are you going?
Rosemary
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I agree ,, MaryZ. where are you going?? in Italy that is.. Is it a Road Scholar,, tour or just on yourselves?? Italy has lovely small towns and superhighways to get there, but lunatic drivers.. We loved the Lakes area in the far norht and then way down the boot in Pompeii.. I want to go back to Pompeii, but am not quite sure how to do it alone..
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I decided not to finish my Ruth Rendell book. I found myself reluctant to
pick it up, and realized I really didn't care for any of the characters, so
why would I want to spend time with them? ???
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It's a Road Scholar program afloat - Voyage to Antiquities. We start in Venice. Then to Ravenna, Split (Croatia), one of the Greek islands, around the "boot", don't remember about Sicily, Rome, Pompeii, Nice, Marseilles?, end up in Cannes. I don't have the itinerary in front of me, but it's on their web site. A two-week trip at the end of May/first of June. We're excited.
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Mary, that sounds great. The only one I've been to is Pompeii, which was fascinating (take good shoes and water...). Where would you dock for that? Naples?
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Rosemarykaye, here's the itinerary from the web site.
http://www.roadscholar.org/n/program/dailySchedule.aspx?dID=1-5ROARX
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Mary, it looks absolutely wonderful. I see you go to Sorrento (which I have been to) and also to Venice (ditto). I would love to see all those other places - then you have the added advantage of being able to go back to the ship at night and just relax, not worry about moving on to different hotels.
Have you been to Pompeii before? I'm sure Ginny can give you much more advice than I could, but I seem to remember that you can go in a cable car up the side of Vesuvius if you have time (we didn't as it was quite cloudy and also I don't like cable cars).
Have a great time!
Rosemary
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That does sound wonderful!
BABI: good decision. I'm not that smart. I'm reading the latest Diane Mott Davidson (Crunch Time) and it's sooooo long -- it goes on and on. It has one good character in it, a feisty senior, but it is full of other minor characters that don't do much: I'll bet she promised to put all her friends in this one!
Well, I'm almost finished, and it did put me to sleep last night.
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We've not been anywhere in that area before, so it'll all be new to us. I have been told that the walking in Pompeii can be difficult - and I'm not the steadiest person in the world ::), so I will be taking a cane. I have no idea what sort of time we'll be given. John might do a cable car - not my favorite thing, either.
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Mary - Pompeii is not hilly, just a bit uneven - a cane is probably a good idea. There are some cafes but they are not particularly nice or cheap, I think we took a picnic. And a sun hat might be a good idea (let's hope). Venice is much easier to walk around and of course there are no cars to worry about. The cafes there are unbelievably expensive - take supplies if possible!
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On river cruises we've taken, there are usually tours, then back to the boat for midday meal. I'm sure there will be some free time when we can look for places on our own, though. We love finding little out-of-the-way/local places to eat or snack. When we travel on our own, we tend to skip lunch for maybe coffee and a pastry, then have an early evening meal. We'll see.
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I managed to get a chapter of homework read while waiting during George's surgery. Hurray for me! It wasn't easy with all the noise in the room. Sad to say lots of babies in for surgery today.
Anyhow, I also got a lot read from Return of the Dancing Master. It has similarities to his Wallander series, but not quite as good, I think. What surprised me though, was that Mankell managed to tie a Wallander case to the one in this book. One of the characters in this one was related to one of the characters in Faceless Killers, or whichever one set the initial murder at a house at the beach. A number of the characters in Return are/were Nazi sympathizers, some of whom joined the German Army during WWII. This is a tale of long awaited revenge and a police detective dealing with his fear of death after finding out he has cancer.
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MaryZ - I have always wanted to go on one of those cruises. Your destinations sound fantastic. Many of those cities have had several different countries influence their architecture and customs. For me that is what makes them so fascinating. The Venetian influence is all over the Aegean Sea. They built their forts as far north as Thessaloniki, Alexander the Great country. I took a photo of that fort and it now hangs oversized in canvas on my kitchen wall.
I noted that the Greek island you are visiting is Corfu (Korkyra). I have not been there but I believe it is very beautiful with a striking Italian influence, from the Venetians and later Italians.
I know that you are going to have a fabulous time. In case I forget let me say:
ΚΑΛΟ ΤΑΞΙΔΙ. Good Trip
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The trip sounds wonderful. Have a great time. I loved Pompeii.. I want to go back.. Just cannot figure out how to do it alone.. Venice.. Is beautiful and full of people. Everything is a line to go to.. The Greek Islands intrigue me and I may do them some day on a cruise type.. Just remember in Italy.. Standing and getting a coffee, etc. is one price..Sitting in one of the chairs and having a coffee is a much much higher price. No idea why..
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Something that can put one to sleep can be most invaluable at times, JOANK.
Might be worth keeping about just fot that. ;)
You need a traveling buddy, STEPH. A good friend who enjoys traveling, too. Then the
both of you would have someone to talk with about all you're doing and seeing, and trade
reminiscences later.
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Steph,
Maybe there's a chair rental fee??? :D
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Mary.
You trip sounds fantastic. covering everything. No repacking, changing hotels and great places. Never taken one where stay with the ship. Now I don't even check them out anymore. Having to do single as very few have where one doesn't have to pay a supplement if just to expensive. No friends left now who want to go anyplace.
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No, there is some sort of Tax law, that taxes sit down food, but not takeout.. Weird but true.
Reading an old Daniel Silva that I had missed. The Confessor. He meets Chiara in this one. Who knew.. He is really raking over the Vatican. Not the pope, but some priests. But he did quite a speach about Pius.. and I agree with every word.
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I was interested to find a mystery writer appearing as a contestant on Jeopardy the last two
days. She won the first day. Her name is Judy Nichols, and apparently wrote a couple of books
based in Connecticut. I was amused when she was telling Trebek about a writer's get-together
to compare info/ideas. As she pointed out, "You really can't call a poison control center and ask
them to tell you a poison that can't be detected on autopsy." :D
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Here she is in Fantastic Fiction. Sounds interesting.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/n/judy-nichols/ (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/n/judy-nichols/)
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I looked for her, too. Will see if I can get something of hers from our library. The recommended booksellers for her books were all in England. Hope I can fine her here.
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judy Nichols mysteries aren't on kindle, but a book called "building a log cabin between meals" is for $0.99. I got the free sample (too cheap to spend even a dollar without looking first).
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JoanK..What a neat title. Not that I want to build a log cabin..
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I see that Atria's Great Mystery Bus Tour is coming to a city near me - have any of you heard about it? I can't get there Tuesday, but it sure sounds like it would be fun. Authors are John Connolly, William Kent Krueger, Liza Marklund & M.J. Rose. I have one of Krueger's books on my "to be read" pile, so it's moving to the top and will be next up - just to see what I think.
Right now I am reading another Donna Leon book, but
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
but - ? what a cliffhanger!
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"Building a Log Cabin between Meals" turns out to be non-fiction. her husband has diabetes, and keeps himself active by ---- guess what? Building a log cabin with her (while carefully planning out what he should eat). Quickly got too technical for me.
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I am really late with this comment. Have been away from the forum. I have a cucumber tree in my yard (in east Tennessee). It has just finished blooming. One or two blooms today. It is a deciduous magnolia. The squirrel really likes the magnolia cones that follow the blossoms.
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these are the things that look like cucumbers, I assume.
my magnolia trees are just finished blooming, too. but they don't get the cones.
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Ursa - do they look like magnolia trees and do the flowers smell as good as magnolias?
I'm just finishing "Laced" by Carol Higgins Clark. I've enjoyed all her books w/ Regan Reilly. She and Jack are in Ireland on their honeymoon in this one. There are actually 2 mysteries going on simultaniously in this one. It was a good read.
jean
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I 'll bite.. what is Atria's bus tour about? Almost done with The Confessor.. Ah the intricate plot..and Chiara..
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I am close to being done with Return of the Dancing Master. The lead character is a policeman, like Wallander, but is much more morose and eratic. The driving force for his behavior apparently is that he has cancer and is very much afraid that he will die. So, he is doing risky and eratic things, constantly changes his mind, and then broods over it while waiting for his first radiation treatment. The initial murder and the subsequent copy cat murder are interesting, though, so I am finishing the book to find out who did the second murder.
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Steph, I'm guessing it's a marketing tool - bringing the authors out to the readers? It's mostly going to independent book stores, although I see one B&N store on the list. Started in NY and ends up in MO. There are two stops in Wisconsin, Milwaukee and Madison. See http://mysterybustour.tumblr.com/where
I just thought it was interesting and would have been fun to attend, had either stop fit in my schedule. I enjoy meeting authors, even those whose books I haven't read.
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The flowers on my cucumber tree are similar to those of the southern magnolia but about one tenth the size. They only last one day, but smell very sweet. My tree bloomed over a period of about two weeks, few flowers each day.
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Found the Elizabeth Peters published in 2010 and paper in 2011. Had not read it. Instead of going forward in time, she has gone backward. Hmm.. Oh well, Amelia makes me laugh and generally learn things I did not know about archeology.
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Off Topic - re Steph's post about paying for seats in Venice/Italy.
You shouldn't have to pay a penny for a chair in Greece. How undemocratic is that? On the contrary I have sat for hours in tavernas just chatting to the locals trying to improve my Greek, chatting to charming tourists from all over the world etc. Greece is very laid back. I did however have to pay for a beach lounger but it wasn't a lot. Just order something to eat with your coffee. A simple and common meal is grilled freshly caught fish, greek salad (the real thing), a small baugette, and a small bottle of Greek beer. And if possible find a taverna overlooking the habour (limani) or sea (thalassa), complete a book or two by Lawrence Durrell (no one writes about Greek atmosphere like Durrell) and buy a stack of postcards to complete and send home. Whhat I have written is about some another happy experiences I have had Greece. Both times I went solo. The only way to travel for me. You will be surprised by how many people you meet..
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Roshanarose, I really admire you for travelling solo. I absolutely agree that you meet far more people that way, but having recently travelled to the US alone (and for me it was only the actual travelling that was solo) I don't think I would do it again - I just worry too much.
Rosemary
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I dont mind the actual travel alone, but I dislike going out alone to eat at dinner, etc. And I want to know that the hotels are safe and that can be aproblem if you dont know the area. As much as I love London, will never go alone, just too too big a problem for me.
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Roshanarose, I envy you Greece!
I shall never get there now, to those isles of Sappho. I should like to have stood behind Xerxes on his throne and watched the Battle of Salamis. I would have liked to have seen the three hundred Spartans at Thermopylea. I named a teddy Leonidas when I was in high school. Always the romantic, I.
In my fantasies I have traveled by schooner from isle to isle covered with shining white houses with bright blue doors.
I own the wonderful DVDs of Visions of Greece. Sigh!
How did they EVER build those monestaries on top of those towers of stone in the mountains?
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MaryPage - I loved the story about calling your teddy Leonidas. I am sure that the name was entirely appropriate. Some of my pets and animal acquaintances have also had classical names. I had a budgerigar called Icarus; a possum called Persephone; a cat called Oedipuss; a cat called Fengari (Modern Greek for moon - Selene is the Ancient Greek word); a Siamese cat called Seti (Egyptian Pharaoh's name); and a beautiful Abyssinian cat called Zenobia. I remember them all - I am inclined to get a bit teary when I think about pets who have passed over. My present cat is called Roxana Taj which is also Greek-related. Roxane was the wife of Megalexander, he met her while he was travelling across the top of Afghanistan, specifically Bactria. Taj is a common Afghan name. All the Afghans I have spoken to know about and admire Alexander, but some countries' inhabitants are not so fond of him, even to this day.
Steph - A good trick about dining alone and not feeling sociable is to have a late (substantial breakfast) and a sort of lunch/dinner meal about fiveish and then adjourn to your room with a good bottle of Macedonian wine. This should lay you out until about nine when you can make your shaky way to the closest beach. Have some grapes and vegetables to tide you over until lunch time. This arrangement has worked well for me in the past.
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I have always traveled alone for the past 40 years. Enjoy it as one does meet such interesting people. And a few crazies. Many people travel by themselves. Not quite as safe as it use to be but if one is aware of what is going on around them will be fine.
Places have changed a lot. Specially Europe. Many more different Nationalities one never use to see. Lots of pickpocketing goes on now everywhere it seems. Have to put things in safe places.
I don't travel by driving in late night anymore. Use to enjoy it when traffic not to heavy. Not the safest thing now.
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I would guess that a good deal of my problem is 51 years of traveling with my love. I miss his comments on the world over my shoulder and laughing at the oddest things..So possibly t some point, I will be willing to try again alone..Who knows.. I travel in the US by myself..Dont drive much at night, but love to drive.
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I know. Dick and I used to love to travel together.
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Steph, I don't mind eating alone when I'm travelling and don't know anyone. Usually I'll take a book along, or now my Kindle. What I don't do, is eat dinner out by myself when I'm home. Breakfast and lunch are fine, lots of people do that, but I think I'd feel awkward if I was eating dinner alone and people I knew came in to eat. Silly, but . . . .
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I have no problem with the eating out, it's all the travel things that worry me, like what if I lose my passport? what if the plane crashes and my children are left motherless? - as you can see, I'm totally rational...
I agree Pedln, during the day is a lot easier - I positively enjoy taking myself out for coffee, usually take a magazine or my writing, depending on what the place is like. At my favourite place, Smeaton Nursery Tea Room, you can sit on the sofa for hours and no-one minds in the least. The coffee shops in North Berwick have a faster turnover, so I don't feel able to hang around so long in those. Am now waiting for summer so I can sit on the beach and write. This morning we are having an absolute deluge; took large umbrella to station to try to keep Madeleine and all her art work dry (it would be the day that that all has to go in) - managed to turn it completely inside out (it wasn't the wind, there isn't any - just my total incompetence) and had to abandon it at the end of the lane and pick it up on the way back. Bodes well for the rest of the day!
Rosemary
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Ah Rosemary,, your image is wonderful. I have a Winnie the Poo book where Christopher Robin gets his umbrella inside out and loved the picture..
I dont mind eating alone. like Ann for Breakfast or Lunch.. Once in a very great while, when I am home, I go for an early dinner on Sunday.. Generally eat in the bar at a nicer restaurant. That of course is what I miss.. Nice restaurants.. I do every day type places, but not any special one. Just cannot bear being alone in places that he and I loved.. When traveling in Europe, I just hesitate to eat alone at night because if my uncertainty of what is around me. If there are nice places either in the hotel or in the same block, then I am OK.. but not if I feel I would need to walk by myself at night.
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Very sensible, STEPH. A strange area is no place to be out walking after dark. A well-lit, pleasant park would be nice, but not that many hotels are parkside. I don't travel anymore (sigh), but when I did I also found it prudent to keep emergency rations available. Nothing
like cheese and crackers when you're tired and want to collapse, quietly.
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Yes, and isn't it great to lie on your hotel bed, eating delicious nibbles from a deli, watching TV and knowing that you don't have to go anywhere - you can just curl up and go to sleep afterwards? I know you wouldn't want to do that every night, but when you have had a hard day's sightseeing it can be bliss.
Rosemary
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There's a nice used bookstore/cafe here where you can go and sit for hours drinking coffee and reading. Too bad it's not near me.
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Joan, that sounds like my kind of place!
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JoanK,
Did you ever get to Acres of Books before they closed their doors? Fun place to spend a whole day or week but no coffee.
Powels, in Portland, OR, has a lovely cafe within their walls. We spent some time there with our granddaughter 6 yrs ago.
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We have lost 3 large bookstores in my town. 2 of them with comfy chairs, Coffee shops and Internet connection. Could stay all day if needed to. Would have book signings, poetry readings and Music by groups on weekends. Also lots of classes for children. We have 2 great libraries that do just about the same thing but lots of people liked the book stores better. Just so sad to see them go.
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PatH says she goes to Portland to see her daughters and grandchildren, but I know it's really to go to Powells! She always comes back with stacks of books. ;)
No, I hadn't heard of Acres of Books.
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When we were traveling in the RV, we always looked up used book stores in each area. I have visited some of the lovliest places and found local books especially that were wonderful.. Dont much care about the coffee.. Just a nice stool to sit on and something to hold my collection to buy.. Sigh.. we have one used book store quite close, but she is seriously into romance, so the selection is always sparse in mysteries.. My paperback swap on line is my best source of used books, but it is so much fun to browse.. Franklin has several used book places..So I am excited about that.
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Steph, How does your on line paperback swap club work? It sounds like something I would be interested in? What is the web site?
Sally
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www.paperbackswapclub.com
or www. paperbackswap.com
I have been in it forever. You have to put up books to swap ( paper,hardback,CD,Tape, large print) I think they wanted 12 to begin. They gave you 3 free credits.. Then from there you are on your own. You pay when someone asks for a book to ship it. In return when you ask for a book, they pay for the shipping. They have literally everything.. You can also wish for a book.. and get put on a list.. and chat ( I never do) put up boxes of books, etc.. Fun and it is amazing the variety. I like science fiction and fantasy and that is a category that is snapped up right away when you put it up.. I have 40 credits just now.. one credit for each book and two credits for CD.
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Only thing is that Postage is so expensive anymore. I use to send copies of Magazine to friend. Now cost almost as much as buying it.
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Costs me around 3.00 per book and nowadays you cant buy many used books this cheap any more.
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And what's with the insured packages now? It used to be that for a small sum you could insure
a package against loss or damage. The other day I needed to mail a package that I valued at
$40.00, and found that put the package in a category that raised my mailing costs another
$15.00. $15. for $40. coverage?? I didn't insure it, and I can only pray it arrives safely.
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I just gave up on Reginald Hill's DIALOGUES OF THE DEAD.. Someone here recommended it (Babi, I think) and I appreciate that. This was the first of his Dalziel and Pascoe books I've read. I liked the humor and very clever writing in parts, but it had too many characters to keep track of and the author just got too long-winded for me to want to read the rest of the 424 pages to find out who dunit. I think I'll try one of the early, shorter ones one of these days.
Right now I'm reading a couple of stand-alones by John D. MacDonald, KEY TO THE SUITE and THE EXECUTIONERS (made into the movie Cape Fear). I like MacDonald's humor,
i.e. "He marched with the others down the endless corridor from the plane into the airport, thinking that the air age is turning us into a race of pedestrians."
Marj
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I'm always disappointed if someone does not get as tickled by Reginald Hill as I do. He is one of my top ten favorite mystery writers. I find him just terribly clever.
But different strokes for different folks! That's a Good Thing, too!
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Marjifay - So true - on the rare occasions that I have had to negotiate Schipol, I've always felt that I'd had a week's exercise just getting to the plane. Then there's all those motorised carts transporting those who can't walk - I'm amazed I haven't been flattened by one of those en route.
Rosemary
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I love Schipol because of the polite ladies who examined my suitcases. They are always so pleasant and smiling.. Upstairs the men who question you are police, but sort of stone faced..
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I finished Cat's Claw by Albert. It is her latest and is more about her friend, the police chief, than about China Bales, but I really enjoyed it (although a little slow in the beginning).
I don't remember in which forum the discussion concerned Miss Read, but I got several of her books from the library and thoroughly enjoyed them. The last one I read she has just retired from teaching. Am looking forward to reading more of her good fiction.
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I gave up on Lisa Lutz' The Curse of the Spellman's. She kept saying things like "i'll explain why John is sleeping in my apartment latr," "i'll tell you more about that later." Geeze, just get on with the story.
I picked up a Margaret Moran that turns out not to be a Judge Knott book. I just looked at the cover flap and it's set in the 19th century. Haven't read any of it yet, but curious.
Jean
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Moran has written several books not about Judge Knott. I think I have read at least two.
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I did find one book by Miss Read that I had not read. Finished it in one night. Will miss reading here books. Think now read them all. One day I will start over again.
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I read several of Miss Reid, but not that thrilled with her. I am reading a Sparkle Hayter book about Robin. She is funny, sarcastic,, very very New York..But kind of fun.
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Steph. On such books as Miss Read. One has to have lived in English Village and know a little about the lives there. I live part of time growing up in large town and then most of from 1939 to 1945 In a Village with others in my Family. Just loved it. Miss that time still today. Our home is still standing up on a Hill there but the rest of the village was flooded in order to build 2 big reservoirs. If the water low they say that on can see the top of the Church Steeple if looking down. All the cottages, school, etc where not knocked down. just sunk. Breaks my heart as I think about it. Progress they call it.
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I know Jeanne, it is so sad that they did that in many places. We were driving past a reservoir in the Borders just yesterday, and I said to my husband, 'I wonder if there's a village under there?' I recall reading one of those picture stories in June & School Friend when I was a child, in which the reservoir is flooded before the people have moved out, and the heroine saves them all by ringing the church bells - of course she drowns, but is forever remembered as the saviour of the community. I must have been quite impressionable at that age!
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There are villages in the US as well that are drowned villages. The Corps of Engineers has a lot of answers that are not valid any more.. We have a semi canal in
Florida that is totally worthless.. Some resevoirs are necessary, but not all.
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Forgive my cynical mind, but when I read about things like worthless canals my first thought
is that some senator pulled strings to bring in funds for his supporters. All the money that is
thrown away every year in just such a way is enough to make a taxpayer weep. I wish,wish,
wish! there were more controls and checks on Congressional abuse of power. #1: They would
not have the power to grant themselves salary increases, bonuses and perks whenever they pleased.
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Same here Babi - our politicians fix their own salaries at a level that is apparently 'necessary' (just like bankers' bonuses). I'd love to have been able to fix my salary like that!
Rosemary
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Next time home in England I want to take a walk around the area of our Village. People who lived there at same time have sent me many photo's of before it was flooded and so I have things to look at for memories. Someone living in the House now has added additions to it sort of like the Tudor look. Not even stone. Looks awful as the houses, cottages . Church's, Schools and one Mill that was at the end of the village. All the same Stone that goes back Centuries.
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Floridas mid canal was supposed to make it a short cut through. Did not work.. ever, but was built years and years ago. Of course now we are spending a lot of money to erase it and to also restore a lake and river down a bit further back to it original twisting form, since the corps of engineers made it into a straight line and destroyed more than they fixed.
We reelect these people..That is the problem.. Washington is full of people who assume they have to be important. After all they are reelected all the time. Sigh.
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Speaking of mysteries, I just read that someone, somehow, stole a 10-ton Czech bridge!!
Surely that's not possible. ??? On the other hand, the only alternative I can imagine is aliens
with weapons that will dematerialize anything. ;D
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As long as they don't dematerialize US!
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The question from me is why would you want to steal a bridge??? Possibly for salvage. It could be a bridge way out somewhere that was dismantled for the steel???
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No idea, STEPH. I'm hoping to see more on that story eventually. Who wants to leave a
mystery unsolved and dangling?
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How will the thieves hide something as big as a bridge?
Sheila ::)
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Maybe, like a car, they strip it down on site and haul away the parts in a large semi?
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The story on the stolen bridge: http://www.webpronews.com/thieves-snatch-a-10-ton-bridge-in-czech-republic-2012-05
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That's a riot.
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10 Ton is not a very big bridge. if taken down little by little should be able to move it by a stuck. I doubt they get enough for it if selling for scrap to have made it worth while. Lot of work. Maybe it was famous for some reason and wanted for a trophy. someone building a Miniture Railway on his land.. Have a couple of people done that over here.
Look how much some crazy state paid for the Middle part only of the "Tower Bridge" in UK. Isn't it in Arizona?. Did not get the 2 end buildings. they are still there in London
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Ah the joys of saying.. Come see my bridge.. Just a tiny thing I wanted..
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;D
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Yes, I often say that about the Mount Rushmore in my back yard!
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I suspect there is nothing that people wont steal if given the chance..
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You are so right, Steph. Remember when there was a rash of thefts of people's hanging baskets from their front porches? We had that here. And the strangest one I can think of, that is very personal to me, someone stole all the bricks I had as edging around my front porch flower bed. All 37 of them. And even stranger, why anyone would want them, as they are what we call "pink" brick. It's not red brick. Not a lot of houses in this neighborhood who would have that color brick. And, there were no teenagers living in the direct area, so I'm sure it wasn't just a teen prank. They came sometime in the night, and how they dug them up and hauled them off without waking either of us is still a mystery.
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Just came back from the library with a haul of mysteries, including an Ann Perry I (think I) haven't read.
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I owned a Hallmark Gift shop for 10 years; and had a few thefts; but there are 2 that really stand out. One was when someone dug up one of my small succulents in my front flower bed and drove off with it. All I know was that it was there when I opened my shop in the morning and gone at 5:30 when I left. I was indignant! Somehow, I just couldn't imagine a gardener/plant lover to be a thief.
Every year the town had a scarecrow decorating contest in October. I made a cowboy scarecrow and dressed him in some old worn out cowboy boots and an old western hat of my husband's. Someone stole the hat and boots in the night.
Sally
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We lived in a victorian house in New Hampshire in the early 80's.. Had a long long drive with young evergreens every 3'... The first Christmas, someone came in the night and sawed down the one by our mailbox.. My husband and I were amazed, It was nowhere big enough to be a Christmas tree.. People are strange in the stealing. I have heard many times of plant thieves.. Seems if you have something rare or beautiful where people can get it, it will get stolen.. I guess tall fences are a super idea.
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A couple of years ago we had deep snow and I put some metal garden ornaments - a penguin and a snowman - out in one of my plant tubs. They disappeared. I sounded off long and loud to my daughters about how could anyone be so petty. Then the snow melted, and guess what was underneath? ;D ;D
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Well, SALLY, we can hope that at least they were stolen by some homeless guy who
really needed them. Stealing a plant right out of your front flower bed is pretty
brash. I suspect people don't often think of plants in such locations as being
private property. They act as if any public place is as free as a country meadow.
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Our local gardening show, while discussing a certain kind of palm tree, warned that they were often stolen because they were valuable. Is there a black market in palm trees? I guess so.
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My Friend had a beautiful front Garden. She had 2 deer and 2 baby ones. It took 3 men to set them up as so heavy. Someone stole them.
This is a University town and lots of things go missing. specially Street signs that are different. Christmas decorations at Christmas time are things that will go fast.
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I lived at the beach for four years. At the beach, people assume that anywhere is public.. Your porches, your picnic tables, etc. Drove me nuts.
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I started a pb mystery last night, and soon realized I was now reading two mysteries. Both
involve the death of a young woman, one set in Regency England and one set in modern times.
And in both, the hero is dealing with tensions in his love life as well. But then, we always knew
the same stories are basically told over and over again, and it's the skill of the writer that makes
a difference. The books, by the way, are "When Maidens Mourn" and "Silent Partner". I'll
let you guess which is the Regency. ;)
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;D
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Thanks FlaJean for the head's up that Susan Albert's new Cat's Claw was out. I read it this week and enjoyed it very much. She writes so well.
Mary
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In Australia people love to steal Garden Gnomes. These tiny kidnapped chaps often turn up at University Orientations in their hundreds, solemnly listening to the speeches. Then there is another rash of kidnaps before Graduation, and you have even more gnomes listening in. They do make such a strange sight.
Every time I see them I think of Basil Fawlty grasping a garden gnome and setting out in search of his Irish carpenter. ;D
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Ah College pranks.. All in good form however. When my older engineer son got his Bachelors, some professor in the Engish department did not get tenure. All of the liberal arts majors brought in a coffin during the march in for graduation. The engineers were horrified, but I thought it was funny.
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Have any of you read "Sacre Bleu" by Moore. I just heard of it -- a baker and others teem up with Toulous-Loutrec to solve the mystery of Van Gogh's death. I got a sample on my kindle -- I'll let you know. I don't think the author is a mystery writer, so it might be a good book, but not a good mystery (if you know what i mean}.
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Sacre Bleu sounds interesting.. I like books that include well known other authors or artists..
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I know some of you have read the Dorothy Martin series by Jeanne Dams. I was afraid she had stopped writing them, but she has a new out named The Evil That Men Do. Dorothy moved to England after her husband died and is now married to a retired policeman. Amazon has it for kindle, by the way.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I didn't even finish the sample of Sacre Blue. Sniggering jokes about prostitutes aren't my thing! Oh, well.
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I'm not familiar with Jeanne Dams. Looks like she wrote a lot of books:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/jeanne-m-dams/
(and a new one coming out in October).
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Thanks for that link, Joan. I didn't realize Dams had another Dorothy Martin book coming out this year. Her series about the Swedish maid are also interesting.
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"Sand Sharks" by Margaret Maron was just o.k. IMO
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I have read a few of the Jeanne Dams series. Quite good, but I forget to check for them..Will do.
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Just finished two stand-alones by John D. MacDonald who wrote the Travis McGee series: A KEY TO THE SUITE and THE EXECUTIONERS. Very good. Liked them more than the Travis McGees. The Excutioners was made into the (two) Cape Fear movies, but I liked the book better.
Also finally read John LeCarre's THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD. First LeCarre novel I could finish. Very good. Now I want to see the film with Richard Burton.
Marj
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Early LeCarre is great.. Current, not so much.,
I loved John McDonald and it is amazing how much he is read to this day. I used to sell a lot of his stuff in the used book store. A nice straightforward story teller. That is getting to be a lost art.
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I didn't know you had a used book store. my favorite places!
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No more used book store. Between the fact we wanted to travel more and our lease being doubled, I got out of the business.. It was fun though. You never make money in a used book store, but oh the customers.. Makes your day such a joy..
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Last Lessons of Summer by Margaret Maron. This was the first non-judge Knott book of Maron's that i have read. I thought it was a good read. There's a little mystery w/ some surprising twists and turns. It's an easy read. It's another North Carolina book??? A granddaughter returns to her grandmother's house to "clean out" after the grandmother's death. Of course, she learns more family secrets than she ever imagined. Good beach read, which is where i am at the moment. Love the Jersey shore in the off-season!
Jean
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Read the latest of the books about the eleven year old girl who is a chemist and solves murdrs: "I'm Almost Tired of Shadows". Another good one.
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The "Flavia De Luce" series?
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Yes:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/alan-bradley/
I see there is one I missed in the series, and a fifth one coming out.
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The "Flavia De Luce" series looks interesting. Do you think that it might be of interest to a 12 year old girl?
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I do like Flavia..She has great charm.
Just finished Explosive Eighteen.. Evanovich is stuck in the Plum series. She needs to stop falling back on Lula.. and bring back some of the more interesting characters. She also needs to stop turning Stephanie into a sleep with both men sort of person. Oh my.. Another author hits the floor on a series.
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"Do you think that it might be of interest to a 12 year old girl?" I'm not sure. It's really written for adults. And I'm not sure I'd want a daughter of mine identifying with Flavia and her love of poisons.
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Linda Fairstein is among my favorite mystery writers.
She was for many years until retirement the Chief of the Special Victims Unit
in New York City . She focuses her stories on Special Victims in the New York City
setting. She is a lawyer . She always includes historical content in her novels.
I have read a number of her novels and enjoyed them all .
I am a Native of New York City. So the historical content in each novel awakens
memories .
Members of Senior Net who have visited New York City would also enjoy the
Historical content .
She has just published a 2012 novel.
Try one of her novels . I believe you would enjoy the read .
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I like Linda Fairstein, too. And I learn a lot from her books.
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I don't think I've read Fairstein. I've just gotten one of her books for my kindle. Thanks for the recommendation.
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Alan Bradley is a new name to me. My eyebrows go up at the idea of an 11-year old girl
chemist and mystery solver, but it sounds like it might be fun. Are you sure its' not
kid lit?
I'm sure I've read something by Linda Fairstein. I just don't remember what. :-[
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definitely not "Kid Lit" - - the Flavia deLuce books.
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I've read two Fairstein books. Lethal Legacy was an interesting story about rare books and the NYC library. Cold Hit was o.k., apparently one of a series abt a woman detective in NYC.
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I have read all of Fairstein and like her. She gives you so much information on various places in the city.. Flavia is more of a grown up sort of book. I like her very much though.
I am reading one of Ayelet Waldmans detective stories.. They are fun, altough the woman writes of a Mommy who carries being Mommy way too far.. Ayelet is married to Michael Chabon and has set off storms at one point with her essays on how much more her love for her husband is than her children.. Weird sort of lady, I suspect in read life. He is also a writer, but I truly dont like his style.
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I've never read Linda Fairsteins books . Should the Alex Cooper series be read in order or can I start with anyone that I find.
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I started the first Flavia de Luce book and just couldn't get on with it. Maybe I was just in the wrong mood and should try it again.
This morning I finished 'The Darling Dahlias & the Cucumber Tree' by Susan Wittig Albert. I really enjoyed it, mostly for the characters, and also for the wonderful small town Alabama setting. As a non-American (you can all correct me if I'm wrong!), it seemed to me that Wittig fed in details about Southern life in the 1930s really well - at no point did I feel 'lectured', but I picked up a lot of fascinating background about the era and the way people lived then.
For those who haven't read it, the Dahlias are the members of a gardening club in the town of Darling. They have inherited a small house from a deceased member, and are going to use it as their HQ, but they need money to do it up, and nobody has any. Most of the members work in various small businesses in the town, many of which are struggling in the dire economic times. When a girl who works in the local drugstore dies in the wreck of a stolen car, Lizzy and Verna, two of the club members, can't believe that Bunny caused her own death, and decide to do a bit of investigating of their own. Their enquiries lead them to unearth various other goings-on in the town before the mystery is finally unravelled.
Loved it, and hope Albert is going to write more in this series.
Rosemary
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Rosemarykaye, Albert has three listed on her website.
1. The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree
2. The Darling Dahlias and the Naked Ladies
3. The Darling Dahlias and the Confederate Rose (coming in Sep. 2012)
I've read the first two and am looking forward to her third. I was born and raised in the south (1936) and I would say she is "right on" in her 30s portrait of the south because it is so much like the early 40s which I remember so well.
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Rosemarykaye: you aren't the only one who is learning from the "darling dahlias". As a Northerner who always lived in cities or suburbs, I'm learning about life in the small town South, too.
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I liked DD and the Cucumber Tree also and am looking forward to the other two.
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I have the Dahlias in my TBR file. I love her China Bayles series, hated the rabbit ones and dont like the series she and her husband do, so have not picked it up just yet.
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Now that I read of Susan Wittig Albert being from just a few miles from me. (7) Bismark, Illinois. I will read her books. Never heard it mentioned. She was raised on a small farm and went to a smaller school than my 2 daughters did.
Always glad to see locals do well.
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I loved regional authors. When we went to Alaska all those years ago, I stumbled on John Strahle.. Wow.. I fell in love. He lives in Alaska and writes to well about the area as does Dana Stabenow, but she is a national figure..Linda Barnes does Boston so well and of course Sharon McCrumb owns those mountains in North Carolina.. Fun to read for sure.
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Thanks for all of the comments about the Flavia deLuce books.
I've seen a lot of Linda Fairstein books in thrift stores but haven't read any. Now I'll have to try one.
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I too have started the Darling book - the first one - but got waylaid by obligations. Hope to finish it before it's due at the library - I had to use inter-library loan, so it can't be renewed. I enjoy reading about that era.
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I think I've read about three or four of Linda Fairstein's books. All enjoyable, with lots of information about New York City. While searching to see which of hers I've read, in addition to Final Jeopardy, I came across this Ben Stein eulogy of Fairstein's husband, Justin Feldman. While it focuses on her husband, the article also has much of Fairstein's background.
Fairstein and Feldman (http://spectator.org/archives/2011/09/26/justin-feldman-rip)
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Now started The Retribution by Val McDermid. I've never read any of hers before, they are not at all 'cosy'. I thought I would give her a try as she is on Twitter (my new fad...) and she is a genuinely friendly and funny person. So far I am enjoying the book, it's very well written and fast moving. It's about a special police unit set up to track serial killers. There are so far two plot lines - one, a suspected serial killer who has murdered three prostitutes, and two, an escaped prisoner who is a violent but charismatic ex TV star killer of young girls (and anyone else who stands in his way.) I am wondering if this is a follow-up to another one of her books, as the second killer is seeking revenge on the people who put him away in the first place - but it certainly reads fine as a stand-alone too.
McDermid does a lot of the book festivals here; I have seen her on TV but I would be interested to hear her speak live.
Am burying myself in mysteries partly as an escape from Anna's exams, which otherwise threaten to engulf the entire household in gloom and doom :) Also, Madeleine is away in France for 5 weeks (she chose a good time), but she has been very homesick and we have had some tearful phone calls, I worry about her a lot, so I need something to take my mind off it. They will spend the last week (first week of June) in Paris as a class with their teacher, so I think she will enjoy that more - it's the living with the French host family that she finds difficult as she is so shy.
Rosemary
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It looks like "The retribution is the seventh in a series: the first is "The Mermaids Singing. And she wrote other series as well. if you like her, looks like you've got lots of reading ahead.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/val-mcdermid/
Sounds like your daughter's host family doesn't know how to make her feel at home. It's a shame.
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Hadn't read any Mary Higgins Clarke for awhile, so picked up The Nighttime is My Time, a pretty good mystery. It has a interesting collection of characters, four of whom might be the murderer and she keeps you guessing til the end.
Jean
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Thanks Joan. I don't think I would read all the McDermids without a break - i am enjoying this one but it's a bit gruesome for me, think I need a few cosies in between!
As for Madeleine, i think it's partly the French family and partly her. She's very shy and finds it hard to fit in - and the family has a teenager + two very young children, who no doubt take up a huge amount of their time. The mother speaks no English, the father does but is away a lot for work. I imagine they may think that M is being a sulky 14 year old, but as her mother I know she is just mortified by the whole thing - she is in fact the only one of my 3 who does not sulk! When I went to France at the same age I was living with a family who spoke no English at all, and I was not with my school - it was a private exchange arranged through a work colleague of my mother. Although i was v homesick, I was good at languages and loved French and the French way of life. I came back fluent (sadly that's long gone...). I think M has just hidden away and tried to say as little as possible. Her father is cross with her for 'not making an effort' but I know she just won't be able to bring herself to socialise. Oh well - at least she is seeing her school friends each weekday, and she does get on well with the other girls, so that's something. I'll be glad to see her back.
Rosemary
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I'm sure she'll be glad to be back, ROSEMARY. Madeleine will find her stride in her own
time. Be sure and tell her so. (And maybe her father, too. :)
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I was never very good at staying away from Home. Parents tried. Went to camps 3 times during summer break. First one . Was up in the Yorkshire moors. Was fine until time to put PJs on. In the Dark. all asleep I snook away. Walked the way I though was home. Next morning Police found me after parents were called. Was about 9. Next I stayed a few days and parents came to get me. 3rd they tried me at same one as Elder brother. That was by the Sea which I love. Did stay 2 weeks but had my Aunt not lived close I don't think would have done it. They Quit trying. I couldn't even as a teenager stay overnight at girlfriends. Sort of got out of it at about age 20. I still don't care to stay long even with family. However I have traveled a lot, many hotels and that I am fine with.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Thanks Babi. Jeanne, I am similar - would really rather stay in a hotel if I have to stay anywhere, and always glad to come home! Hated Brownie camp when I was about 10. Did enjoy the 2 French exchanges I went on, but more for the language, food and culture - still looked forward to being back home really. My mother says my father was the same, so I suppose I have inherited it from him and Madeleine has taken on the mantle.
The only exceptions I can think of would be a couple of self-catering holiday homes I have stayed in over the years - my favourite is a fisherman's cottage in Crail, a tiny village on the Fife coast (actually opposite us here, across the Firth). Also when we were staying in my friend Heather's flat last year it really did feel like our own home and was a lovely interlude.
College was of course quite different and I had an absolute ball there for 3 years. These days I think students have to work a lot harder, although my friend's daughter who has just finished first year at St Andrew's seems to have managed to party loads and still pass everything.
Only 10 days now till M returns.
Rosemary
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Note: Looks like we are only two "reads" away from reaching 100,000 views on this discussion!!!
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Rosemary. My father was just like yours. Would never go away on a holiday or stay away from home. Now mother, she would go anywhere at the drop of a hot. Use to like to take me with her but after the age of 14 I would rather say home with my father. We always had a good time doing things we enjoyed doing.
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WOW! 100,000 views! There are a lotof mystery lovers out there. I hope you lurkers are enjoying the site. Come in and tell us if we can do anything to make it more fun/useful.
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Picked up a Victoria Thompson that I THINK I haven't read (more and more it's hard to remember) "Murder on Fifth Avenue".
And tonight, I'll finally get to see the movie version of "One for the Money" by Janet Evanovitch. Friends are coming over with popcorn and the DVD.
I don't expect to like it. I'll take a vote first on whether we sit politely, or boo and hiss and throw popcorn at the screen. I vote for the latter.
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I've heard that if you love the S. Plum books, you will be throwing popcorn or couch cushions at the screen! But that's just what I've heard. Let us know!
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I love Stephanie Plum, but oh the movie.. Why oh why do people like Katherine Hegl think she can do jersey. Terrible movie, way too glamerous, etc.. Sigh.. and Debbie Reynolds as Grandma Mazur.. Never going to happen.. I vote for throwing popcorn at a minimum.
I love Val McDermid, but she is heavy going.. I just listened to one of her books. That ws fun.
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I would think that all of us have a picture in our minds of Stephanie and the other characters, based on our own experiences and impressions. Hard to match up with what the producers think the public wants to see. I'm interested in Joan's perspective.
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Hope it's not buttered popcorn, JOAN. Definitely hard on the carpet. But then, you may not have carpet, so just pop enough for eating and throwing. ;D
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I have read too much, and I dislike hotels now because I think of all the skin mites and bacteria and other leftovers from previous travelers and it makes me feel creepy.
When I was younger and did not "know" so much, I thought it was the greatest of adventures and the utmost fun to stay in hotels and/or motels. Also with family and friends.
Now, in my 84th year, I crave my own bed in my own room in my own home.
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Mary.
Yes, the Bed Bug scare has gotten to me also. Seems to be that even the better hotels could have them. I have always been one for checking things but not that much.
They have been found in 2 of ours here in town and 2 Senior Appt. buildings had to close for a few weeks.
I remember bringing Roaches of a kind back from Florida in my luggage one time. Awful.....
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Well, the movie night was a hoot! We voted against throwing, but for booing and hissing. But two minutes into the movie, all the lights went out. A power failure in my whole neiborhood. We decide to wait ten minutes, then go to my friend's house. But then we discovered that without power, we couldn't get the DVD out of the TV.
We didn't know what to do. So we kinda-sorta sat around in the dark, having a good time, hoping the power would go back on (we had called and reported it to a computer). Fortunately, after about an hour, it did.
That hour in the dark was more fun than the movie. The actors weren't quite as bad as I'd feared, but the movie never came together. The actors voices were low and the sound affects high, so we had to choose between not hearing what was said or hearing the actors but being blasted out of our seats. Heigl and Reynolds tried hard, but couldn't pull it off. Morelli and Ranger were both ugly, and looked alike: they could have made ONE of them cute! Lula was good, but not brassy enough, and had only a bit part.
But we still had a good time. The sad part is, the movie didn't do well, so there probably won't be a sequal. Done right, the books could have been blockbuster movies.
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Mary Page:Every word in your Post #1059 applies to me "to the teeth".
I am 83 and get worse every day. I even will not go to the movies because
of the lice problem on the seat headrest. I just wait for the DVD. My children think I am "crazy", and I probably am, but I have become obsessed about germs. Is that a problem of old age?
JOY
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I think as we grow older, we tend to obsess a bit over various things. Mine is dirty bathrooms in public areas.. I will leave the restaurant if I walk into the bathroom and it is a pig sty.. Our library shares public bathrooms with the community college and by 2 pm, it is horrible beyond belief.. That age group seems to love throwing around paper towells smeared with makeup and a lot of the student bring babies to the nursery on ground and seemto change them here , so the diaper smell is overwhelming.. Ugh.
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Our son went to Gettysburg College and played football there. One of the impressive things - among many, it's a fabulous college - was how clean the stadium bathrooms were AT ALL TIMES. They must have had someone, probably students, cleaning them thru the day, or they preached to the student body about keeping the campus clean. Even more interesting was that almost every other school we went to for games - Dickinson, F & M, James Madison, Swarthmore, Lafayette, etc. - were also very clean. what a pleasant surprise.
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A number of years ago my ddh and I were travelling thru the English countryside with an English couple friend of ours. Whenever it was time to stop for food, The Englishman would send one of us in as a "sniffer" (their term!). It seems that a sniffer refers to a person who goes inside and checks the place out--restrooms & all; then comes back and reports the findings to the rest of the group. My husband and I loved that expression and adopted it as our own when we got back home.
Sally
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What a good idea. I'll never forget the time my husband and I were travelling. I announced I was tired of eating at chain restaurants, and insisted on eating at the cute local restaurant down the road. All went well, til I went to the bathroom. The whole bathroom floor was covered with cockroaches!
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JoanK....EEEEEEKKKKKKK!!!! AAAAAACCCCKKKKKK! Did they hear you scream all throughout the place.
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Most of my experiences with public bathrooms have been quite good, especially in Great Britain, where I often had to "pay a penny" (or more!) for the privilege of getting some relief.
But there have been mebbe a dozen times in my life, mostly, if not always, here in the States, when I have entered to find the toilet or toilets full of crap and paper and urine, and the floors smeared with it as well. It is so hard to really "need to go," and yet have to turn around and spurn the only place around!
But here at the tail end of my life, I prefer to travel not at all and to enjoy the comforts of my own place. Such a consolation to me that I even HAVE this cosy nest!
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One of the best things about our rv.. Our own bathroom all the time. What a joy..
In Paris bathrooms are guarded by dragons of a certain age and always a small tv.. You put money or get a glare beyond belief..
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I've finished my first Imogen Robertson book, "Instruments of Darkness". I thought at first it
was going to be very simplistic, but far from it. Ms Robertson writes very well, and you become
very involved with the characters. Only two complaints; the guilty could be identifed well before
the climax, which some readers would not appreciate. And I really did not like the addition of
the 'Epilogue'. It was totally unnecessary. The story had ended with appropriate notes of both
sadness and gladness. The epilogue contributed nothing but an unpleasant note of sourness. I
do hope that gets edited out of any future printings.
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Oh yes Steph, I have been chased by French loo ladies when I forgot to put the money into their little dishes. Scary.
My friends and I all know the shops that have the best loos. John Lewis is top by far. Harvey Nichols here in Edinburgh is also very smart. Some of the shops are dire, and although I know they don't have to provide them, since they have done so you'd think they'd maintain them a bit better (I'm talking about you, Debenhams, Marks & Spencers and Costa Coffee/Starbucks.)
I have to say that our local council here - East Lothian - is fantastic in providing good, well maintained, public lavatories. In Haddington, North Berwick, Port Seton and all along this end of the coast, the provision is really excellent. In Aberdeen it was appalling/non-existent.
Rosemary
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MaryPage - I just saw this and I think it is you who likes Reginald Hill's books? -
http://crimewritingmonth2012.wordpress.com/
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Thank you, Rosemary. Yes, I adored Reginald Hill. There was never a more clever writer.
http://crimewritingmonth2012.wordpress.com/about-reginald-hill/
I did not know he had died. Thank you. I have read every single Dalziel and Pascoe book and passed them on to my namesake granddaughter, who loves them, too. And I bought all the DVDs of the series and watched them each several times and passed them on to Paige, as well. We shall mourn him.
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I've read several of the books, but didn't know there was a TV series.
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Rosemary, I was so impressed in Scotland when we were up north in the wilds and there were always bathrooms, sinks and in at least one small town, showers ( that defeated me, do the houses not have hot water or something).
But they were sparkling clean and a welcome thing on a bus trip.
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I haven't read everything David McCullough wrote, but I've really liked everything
of his I did read.
The Reginald Hill site looks like the perfect way for people who appreciated
Mr. Hill to remember him and celebrate his career. It's a great idea.
STEPH, I'll bet the summer hikers and bikers who are camping out really appreciate
those showers. I know I would!
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I'm glad you found good facilities Steph. I think our loos here in North Berwick also have a shower, I suppose it's for people coming off the beach who want to wash the sand off before they go home (day trippers or, as Babi says, maybe cyclists, etc). There are notices up saying 'Please do not wash your feet in the basins'! Beaches in France and Spain usually have taps and sometimes showers on the sand - just sprinkler things, not cubicles. We don't seem to do that here, I imagine that they wouldn't be used nearly as much as out weather is so unreliable, plus they might freeze up in winter.
I don't think there would be many homes without bathrooms and hot water these days, not even in the remote north west!
When I was a child, the swimming pool in Lewisham (in those days a pretty dire London suburb) used to have 'slipper baths' - cubicles where you could pay a small charge and take a bath. My father's mother used to go there before she got a bathroom.
Rosemary
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" Beaches in France and Spain usually have taps and sometimes showers on the sand".
The beaches here in Southern California have those, and people wash the sand off before putting their shoes back on.
I'm really behind on Sue Grafton: I got tired of her for awhile, but picked up V for Vengence. About shoplifting as an organized crime. It was interesting, but introduced a "lovable" gangsta. The murders that happened all around him weren't his fault. Ughhhh!
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Many Florida public beaches have a spray type shower to wash off sand and then you go into the changing area..No hot water or soap, but the sand is gone.
I found an older Minete Walters in my TBR that I brought up here. The Breakers.. hmm, starts sort of grim
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Rosemary. Not heard the town Lewisham mentioned in years. My mother use to spend most of the Winter there in the 1960/70s. Lived up in Lancashire rest of time. I loved to visit when she was down South. Liked Lewisham
We had Slipper baths in Rochdale also. I believe we didn't have a bathroom before the WW2 ended. Mother use to go there with her women friends. They had what called a Turkish Bath also. 2 big swimming pools. We got the Tub of the wall in Grandmothers house.
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I am almost finished with Julia spencer fleming's To Darkness and To Death. I think it is the fifth in the series featuring a police chief and a female Episcopal Priest. This one is proving very tedious to me. I enjoyed the others in this series; but after this one I am not sure that I care to read any more.
Have any of you read the Aunt Dimity series by Nancy Atherton? I have enjoyed this series and I notice that she has a new one out. Those of you that like cosy mysteries would probably enjoy this series. You must start with the first..Aunt Dimity's Death as it sets up the premise for the entire series.
Sally
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I have "To darkness and to death on my kindle waiting. I'm disappointed to hear it's not good --I like the series.
Aunt Dimiy's Death" sounds awfully familiar.
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I love Julia and loved To Darkness and to Death. It is a bit darker than the earlier ones, but good..
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I have enjoyed all of Spencer-Fleming's books. I love the setting she uses--in the Catskills. That's an area that I am familiar with so I like reading about it. However, I agree that To Darkness and Death is not as intriguing as the earlier books in this series. I wonder if she hasn't written all she wants to about these characters?
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Reading a good, suspenseful Nora Roberts' book, High Noon. It's set in Savannah, but the city is not really a factor. The protagonist is a police detective trained in hostage negotiation. One of the police officers who she's traning isn't happy having a woman as a superior and may be stalking and harrassing her. Half-way thru it, i'd recommend it.
Jean
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Jean...you may want to try her newest, The Witness I thought it was one of her best...right up there, for me, with Northern Lights.
I read a number of Aunt Dimity titles, but the series seemed to wane in quality for me. But, I tend to get tired of series before the author ends them. The same thing happened to me with the Diane Mott Davidson and Joanne Fluke mysteries. The first ones were enjoyable; the latter ones not so, for me.
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I've found that with a number of authors. Don't know how much is me getting tired of them, and how much them running out of steam.
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Joan K and Jane, I feel the same way. Maybe it's better for an author to end a series with the readers wanting more! I think the thing that bothered me about To Darkness and To Death was the fact that Clare and Russ didn't play as much of a role. It was full of characters that I couldn't seem to get involved with and it all took place in a couple of days with an hour by hour detail (some of which were rather unbelievable). Ah well, on to something new...
Sally
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I so agree about authors running out of steam, or being pressurised by publishers to churn out far too much. Even my beloved Alexander McCall Smith is showing signs of idea-fatigue, especially in his Isobel Dalhousie books. Jennifer Chiavernini went right downhill after the first few quilting books. Some of them do pick up again - maybe if there are some lukewarm reviews they realise that they need to pull their socks up.
Rosemary
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Sadly, I must agree with you, Rosemary. I started The Charming Quirks of Others but have laid it down to read a new (to me) Charles Todd with Bess Crawford as the central character, A Bitter Truth. I'm finding the Todd book much more interesting than Isabel Dalhousie. I haven't read his latest in the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. Is he showing signs of running out of steam in those books, too?
I haven't read Nora Roberts in years. On the recommendation of you, Jean and Jane, I'll have to pick up one of her latest and try it.
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I had rather dropped Nora Roberts, but when someone (like Jane) identifies a book as one to
used as a measuring line, I have to be inerested. I'll have a look at the three JEAN & JANE
recommend.
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Publishers adore continuing characters, so authors are encouraged to continue characters.. I think they run out of ideas.. The next book of Spencer Fleming is the Soldier one and it is magnificent..
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I have never liked Nora Roberts at all, at all; and refuse to buy her books now.
But Nancy Atherton's AUNT DIMITY, I adore. I own all 17 and pass them on and through my daughters and then send them to my granddaughters. We all love Aunt Dimity. Silly, fun summer beach reading, if you like. Certainly not intellectual. But sweet and funny and cosy and fantastical and dreamy and; well, I love Aunt Dimity. Try one! It may not be your thing, or you may enjoy going along for the ride.
I tend to sandwich an Aunt Dimity between the larger, darker tomes I read. Sort of the creme brulee at the end of a heavy meal. Cleans the palette, or something.
Just yesterday I received DVDs of COMMISSARIO BRUNETTI Episodes 1 and 2 by Donna Leon and CASE HISTORIES, a mish mash of the books about Jackson Brodie by Kate Atkinson. I find Kate Atkinson a really, really, really good fine writer. Amazing, actually.
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Marypage - i don't enjoy Roberts "romance" novels, but i do like her mysteries, altho she does combine the two frequently, then i just skim thru the romance.
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I use to Enjoy book written about the Amish way of life. For years there were 2 good Authors who really did their research. Now must be 50 of them. Tried a couple and not very good at all. Seem to just be guessing what being Amish was like. Throwing in a little Sex along the way. They seem to be able to put out quite a few books a year.
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Phyll - I have only read the first one of the No1 Ladies Detective Agency series, so I don't know about those, but even his Scotland Street series, which has always been my absolute favourite, isn't half as good as it used to be. He also started a London-based series - Corduroy Mansions - but I couldn't really get into that, possibly because he doesn't know London nearly so well as he knows Edinburgh (where he lives), so there was a notable lack of local detail - without that the characters just didn't come alive so well.
Shame really, but I don't think we need to worry too much about his bank balance!
Rosemary
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I'm sure he is well set for life, Rosemary, so I'm not hurting him too much if I don't read something he wrote. ;) The Corduroy Mansions was the least favorite of all his books, IMO. I couldn't get into it either.
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I've started to read "Aunt Dimity's Death", and am enjoying it a lot.
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Joan, I'm #1 on the waiting list for Aunt Dimity. I'm looking forward to a light fun read!
Sally
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I could not get into the
African stories of Alexander Mccall.. liked one or two of the Edinburgh ones though. Still not an author I look for though.
There is a number of authors who write about Edinburgh. I used to read a police detective who worked there,, wish I could remember the authors name..
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Ian Rankin - Inspector Rebus?
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Rankin is the exact opposite of McCall Smith. Hard to believe they're talking about the same city. The dark side and the light side. But any city has them.
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Does Rebus have a problem of some sort?? It seems to me that the detective had some sort of continuing problem.The books are dark, but good.
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Depression, alcoholism, driving everyone away, etc. etc.
Finished "Aunt Dimity's Death" and bought the next one reading a very different book about Hawaii and surfers. The title next time.
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Yes Steph, he's a big drinker and total misery guts - bit like Inspector Morse but not quite so highbrow! He's into old rock music - not surprising, as Ian Rankin is a huge fan and great supporter of vinyl record shops (which are of course now becoming trendy again.) I think Rankin is quite a jolly soul though - he's always speaking at some book festival or other, or on TV/radio, and he seems to have a good sense of humour.
Rosemary
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Chief Insp. Lewis on our PBS tonight. Sounds like a repeat. Still they are asking for donations. Been doing it all weekend. Spoils it for me. People only want to send in once in awhile not every 3 months.
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I use Gmail.com for my E-Mailing. Is there anyone else on here using it. Problems last few weeks with them having you change your Password every week.
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Reading Aunt Dimity books is like eating peanuts: you cannot read just one.
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Yes I have read Rebus then. I think just a few books as you have to be in the right mood.
I am stil working on the Darling Dahlias.. Not sure how I feel other than I like her herb books better.
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STEPH: I agree.
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Jeanne... I've managed several email accounts at gmail for years and none has ever asked me to change my password.
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Could this be a hacker, trying to get your password? I got messages from my e-mail account, asking me to change my password, saying they were going to cut off my account from lack of use. I deleted the message, but made sure I e-mailed someone, in case it was genuine, and I haven't had any trouble.
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I recently had the same thing with Facebook and I just ignored it.
Rosemary
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The hackers are out in full force. I am getting dozens of emails from an acquaintence, who has never emailed me and they are all something to click on. No thanks.. And Bankof America ( not the real one) keeps telling me I have to change my password. I just forward those onto Bank of America to grab.
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I got one from the US Postal Service a few weeks back saying I owed shipping on a package I didn't send. A good place to check on these emails if you are not sure is www.snopes.com. They are pretty good about keeping up with the scams, phishing, and other bogus emails that people send.
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Rizzoli and isles marathon on TNT all day today!
Jean
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Thanks for that link, FRYBABE. I gave the e-mail 'phishing' listing a quick
scan and found it most interesting. There were a couple in there that might have
caught me without the warning.
I was so glad Rizzoli and Isles opened their new season last night. The gap
between the end of the regular seasons and the opening of the summer shows is
always so boring!
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Since I am an early to bed person, I get things like Rizzoli and Isles in Newflix.. My kids laugh, but it works for me. Just now I am in the middle of In Plain Sight, which I really like..Leslie Ann Warren is old now and looks s sleezy as always.
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Gee, Steph, you don't have to wait for Netflix to get the Rizzoli & Isles episodes. They usually run them later on that same week, or just before a new epi the next week. That is the way I'm having to DVR a bunch of my faves, because on Sunday night, the cable networks tend to run everything at the same time period, or such. Last Sunday is a good example: "The Killing" at 8:00; the new show "Longmire" at 9:00; "Mad Men" at 9:00; the Borgias at 9:00. Thankfully, I DVR'd The Killing at 9:00; the Borgias at its 11:00 repeat and MadMen at its 1:00 AM repeat. So I was able to get everything I wanted on DVR.
The Borgias even ran again yesterday evening, but I already had it.
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I was able to catch up with Drop dead Diva last night. missed it Sunday.
Reading a Victoria Thompson "Murder on Fifth Avenue". Not as rich in atmosphere as her earlier, and I think the "surprise ending" is obvious (we'll see if I'm right). Hope she's not running out of material.
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Leslie Ann Warren. Now didn't she win the Miss America years ago. Married a Singer who was well known back then. Can't remember his name. Divorced him I believe.
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We've got it made, TOME. Our vcr will record four shows simultaneously. Even
with that many, Valerie sometimes has to got looking for a different time slot.
She follows a good many more shows than I do.
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I am not a fan of taping anything. I know toomany people who have whole libaries of things they intend to see sometimes..
Leslie Ann Warren was a Cinderella out of the blue years ago.. Dont honestly know who she married. She did a lot more B movies than anything. My husband was a huge fan.. I always regarded her as not very talented and a good example of why did she get the chance.. She does sleezy very well hwever as she gets older.
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I am with you, Steph. Wish I had known in the beginning, though!
I was so excited by the brand new (to me) technology of taping television programs that I practically bought out the store of blank VHS tapes and taped everything I was going to miss and some of what I loved and wanted to see again.
I forgot about that great enemy of ours, TIME. Never had the time to watch most of 'em. When I had two huge bookshelves full, and 2 rows DEEP, at that, I finally cracked recently and dumped most of them in our dumpster. One of my daughters took a few off my hands. Now SHE can hoard them until she sees the light!
Nope, I DO NOT RECORD any longer! Hey, nowadays we can also see it all over again on ON DEMAND, and there are other options, as well.
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I have VHS tapes. And I hang on to an old, small TV, instead of getting one where I can actually SEE with my failing eyesight because I can play my tapes on it. But I never DO!
I was right about the "surprizes" in the Victoria Thopson, but the ending was more complex and interesting than I thought it would be. And some interesting "New Yorkcana" (if that's a word) at the end.
Now I'm reading "Sticks and Stones" by Karianne Larsen, the author of "Liar, Liar". The detective runs the "Pants on Fire" detective agency, speciallizing in (you guessed it) tracking down unfaithful spouses (after having divorced an unfaithful spouse of her own). She's chanelling Evanovitch, with dark lovers, zany family, zanier sidekick, culprits getting away in funny ways. But fun, good laughs. Sticks is better than Liar.
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Oh, heavens, STEPH & MARYPAGE. I don't record things on VHS tapes to keep. I
record the shows on my vcr, then erase them after I've watched them. I have enough
trouble finding a place for books; forget about tapes!
I very much enjoyed Victoria Thompson, JOAN. I read all of her New York 'society' midwife
series. It was a very interesting insight into what the police departments were like in those days.
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I like Victoria Thompson. She gives such a true feeling to the period and the problems involved.
Will look for Karianne..Sound like fun.
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I finished Nora Roberts' High Noon - a very good story, a bit gruesome in parts, a typical stalking/harrassment story w/ some romance. But there was an interesting bit of the mother being agoraphobic. I thought Roberts was going to do more w/ that than she did, and there was a piece of the story that she emphasized sev'l times about the protagonist having to live in the house w/ the mother, but i never got a detailed answer as to why that had to happen. There was a superficial story about a mean cousin leaving them the house, but it wasn't clear, or i missed the point, as to exactly the legal ramifications of what would happen if she moved out.
I'm just thinking that Roberts' mysteries do tend toward the gruesome, i.e. the J.D. Robb stories. I like mysteries that are more subtle and complex and less based on grotesque crimes. But, i think Roberts is a good storyteller, whether she writes them all or not - as we've discussed before.
Jean
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I haven't read any Nora Roberts' mysteries, mainly because I've heard they are romance/mysteries. I don't like romance novels, and don't like romance mixed up in mysteries.
Marj
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I am currently reading " Defending Jacob" by William Landay . A 2012 publication.
A legal thriller and a murder trial and how it shatters a family.
The author is an award winning mystery writer . A lawyer and a former District Attorney .
If you enjoy Legal thrillers I recommend this Mystery novel.
It is a real page turner and is keeping me awake reading in the wee hours of the night.
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I like her J.D Robb series, but not so much the others. and yes, she is a romance writer and cannot resist several sexual encounters, I skip over them myself.
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I stopped reading the J. D. Robb books years ago. A couple of recommendations here
of books I assumed were outside that series looked good, so I'll probably give them
a try.
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Hi, RETIRED! I ordered a sample of "Defending Jacob" for my kindle. (It's $12.99, so if I like the sample, I'll see if my library has it. unless it's the middle of the night and I HAVE to find out what happens. Oh, this instant gratification).
This happened with an e-book series I was reading. the first in the series is $3.99. Each one is a little more expensive. The newest one is $12.99. It's a good series, but I WON'T recommend it.
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Some tiimes if you go on the authors site,, they will give up an upfront on free or inexpensive ebooks. I know that Dana Stabenow does. and so does Lauri King
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Read a new (to me) series: "Bound for Eternity" by Wisseman. Detective is a curator at a museum preparing an exhibit about Egyptian mummies. I like to learn weird things, and there's a lot about how museums work and mummies.
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I love museums and mummies, so I will try and find the book.
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I just finished a really great book: "Started Early, Took My Dog," by Kate Atkinson. She is my new favorite, now that my dear Reginald Hill has died and will write no more of his delightful Dalziel & Pascoe series.
If you have never read any of Atkinson's Jackson Brodie series, you might want to start with the first one, which was "Case Histories."
BBC did a short season of 6 episodes of Jackson Brodie which comprised the first 3 books in the written series. This TV series was titled "Case Histories," and was excellent. If your Public Television stations list it, do try to catch it if you have not already done so. I bought the DVDs after viewing it on the telly, and have rewatched them with great enjoyment.
Started Early, Took My Dog is the 4th in the Jackson Brodie series and has not been filmed.
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I ordered a sample.
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Was bored and wanted something very very light.. So I picked up Scuse me while I kill this guy. by Leslie Langtree It is funny, weird and sort of stupid and much much more of a romance thanI like.. I will try to finish, but the premise of a whole family of funny assassins, who are also deadly is not ringing any bells.. Anyone else ever heard of her??
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Nope. I have trouble with that premise!
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Yeah.. I gave it up yesterday. It kept getting dumber and dumber and true to romance traditions threw in lots of sexual episodes. So I junked it.. Ugh..
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Okay, forewarned is forearmed! I am reading one of the best psychological thrillers that I have read in years! Some of you Mystery hounds will remember "Suspect" by Michael Robotham. It was his debut thriller. (He lives in Sydney, Australia) This latest book is titled "Bleed For Me" and is a story about a young teenager accused of killing her father, who was an ex-cop. There are multiple, peripheral but pertinent, characters of interest here, well-drawn, some sympathetic, some definitely not. The main character is Joseph O'Loughlin, a psychologist, with a teen daughter who is best friends with the accused. The book has a lot of real and implied violence, which will be a turn-off for a lot, if not most, of you. I stayed up until 2:00 AM reading this, and am 250 pages into it (just started it at 10:00 PM bedtime). Anyone who has read & enjoyed early Jonothan Kellerman will appreciate this book.
Yes, it is grim, but besides dealing with the crime/suspect, Joe is dealing with his own family problems, very nicely and sensitively handled by the author. Set in or around Bath, England. At one point, Joe travels to Edinburg to meet with an investigator, Ruiz. Ruiz says at one point:..."The Scots get more of our taxes than anyone else. They've got better health care, free prescriptions and no student fees. "I could be a Jock (I assume this is nickname for Scots)as long as I didn't have to eat sheep's guts and support the Scottish rugby team". (I guess our rosemarykaye could comment as to whether any of that is true! LOL)
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OK.. sounds like a good book.. On the Scot situation, all I know is when I toured last September, both our guide and our bus driver were very anti english and kept insisting that Scotland plans on pulling out the union with GB.. Who knows.
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When we were in Wales a few years ago we were told that Wales was on the verge of pulling out of the United Kingdom. Haven't heard anything since. Both the Welsh and the Scots have long-standing grudges against the English.
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Those Rumors have been going around since I was young growing up. Never happen, places are not big enough. England no bigger that my State of Illinois and other about the same. Always will be Eng. Ireland Scotland and Wales. (Unless China rules the world one day.) They are beginning to own lot of the USA now.
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I always laugh in London.. Talk to people in pubs and they blame everything wrong in london on the G.D.Arabs... We actually went into a pub that had a large sign outside.. English owned,, and proud of it.. So the London areas doesnt think about Wales or Scotland as enemies.. Irish,, possibly
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Some years ago we were concerned that Japan was buying up too much of the USA. They
went bust, as you'll recall. America is rich enough that it is always going to attract
investors, but in the long run I doubt American financiers are going to let someone else
take over.
No one likes being the 'poor relation', which I suspect is the root of much of the Welsh and
Scots disgruntlement. But what do I know? My most pleasant memory of my one visit to
London was the wonderful cabbie who helped me into the cab with the words, "Where to, Luv?"
I still smile at the memory. Well, the Tate and the British Museum were great, too. And the
pub that served us grilled mutton and gooseberry tart. :)
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As an English woman living in Scotland, I would say that a large part of the problem stems from the very fact that London doesn't even think about Scotland. Our newspapers and TV news are all unbelievably London-centric. The move towards independence is very real in Scotland now. Alex Salmond (leader of the SNP) is very popular and has a huge amount of support. The technicalities of how an independent Scotland would work are baffling, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a Yes vote in 2013, which is I think when they plan to hold the ballot. The oil revenue in particular is a very thorny issue - Cameron is only too keen to point out that Scotland gets more than its fair share of benefits, etc from the central purse, but he never mentions the fact that all of the oilfields are off Scottish coasts, and all of the tax revenue goes to London.
Scottish people - especially outside Edinburgh - feel ignored and patronised by Westminster, and this government certainly isn't doing anything to improve the situation.
Rosemary
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Not much ours anymore. Getting Worse . Was just talking to people in UK and tracking one store they were researching.
Primark is a clothing retailer, operating 237 stores in Ireland (where it is branded as Penneys), the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal and now looks like it owns our Penney's
If you research will fine that our Interstates are owned by another country. All the toll booths. In Illinois our Water Company owned by Germany. Power and Gas is Swiss. Most of out bigger hotels in USA owned by UK or China now. The smaller Motel chains by Asia. Our biggest Old Hotel from 1890s now being all redone here in town. Owned now by Korean's All or most of Illinois best farm land by A south American Conglomerate.
Its something to think that we supposed to have won the Wars against Germany, Japan, and yet they now own a large part of our country.
Are our kids now taught all this in School? Do we read about it in the papers? Now way.
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One of the arguements i've heard over the deades is that when countries' economies are intertwined they are less likely to go to war w/ each other. I first heard David Rockefeller saying it when his bank was loaning money to the Soviets. His contention was that they wanted our money,so would be more malleable with us diplomatically and militarily. I recently heard someone say it about the European Union, and i suppose the arguement would be that countries who hold assets in the U.S. would have influence on their govt's, not wanting to have those assets cnfiscated by our govt if there was a conflict.
♪♫♪•*¨•.¸¸♪♫ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪Look for the silver lining♪♫♪•*¨•.¸¸♪♫ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ ;)
Jean
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That seems to be a long-standing attitude with the London government, ROSEMARY. Part
of our quarrel with them, back nearly 150 years ago, was the assumption that any Englishman
(meaning the lawmakers in London) was perfectly able to decide what was best for all other
'Englishmen'. Therefore, they required no input from the colonies to tell them what the
colonies needed. Obviously, they needed to pay taxes and generate an income for the
government in London!
JEAN, ;D Love the lyrical art work.
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Reading a nice cozy. the Heroine is a book restorer and binder by trade. Her parents and family have belonged to a commune for many years. San Francisco oriented.Homicide in Hard Cover by Kate Carlisle. like it..
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I'm ready to read my fifth or sixth Kate Carlisle book. I like them too. They're on kindle for not too much.
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Just finished my first Charlaine Harris Aurora Teagarden book - 'Real Murders'. I enjoyed it a lot and thought the characters were very well drawn and intriguing - she's good at hinting at things without telling you too much (this was something I liked in the new author I recently discovered, Abigail Keam - 'Death by a Honey Bee', which is not nearly as twee as it sounds). I thought Aurora had great potential as a heroine. The only thing I didn't like was the ending - I felt that Aurora identified the murderer very suddenly, as if Harris had decided she needed to stop right there; I didn't find Aurora's thought process at this point credible.
Has anyone else read it? What did you think?
Rosemary
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Rosemary, I have read the first 5 Aurora Teagarden books. I enjoyed them; although after the last one, I decided that I needed a break. I've just finished the latest Aunt Dimity, Aunt Dimity and the village witch by Nancy Atherton. Have you read this series? I think you would enjoy them. However, you must start with the first: Aunt Dimity's Death. It sets up the story. They are light cozy mysteries.
Sally
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Harriss writes so many different series. I love them all, but Aurora ( I think) was her first books and therefore not quite as complicated as her later heroines.
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I love Aunt Dimity!
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I am reading an older herb mystery.. Mostly about Rubys daughter, but interesting.. The Pickle Queen is a real pain as far as I can see.
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Just finished Agatha Christie's DEATH ON THE NILE. I do love her mysteries, especially those with Hercule Poirot, that egotistical little detective. This was one of her best.
Next up: WHITE HEAT by M. J. McGrath. Set in the Arctic tundra of Canada with an Inuit/Canadian heroine. Can't wait.
Also have waiting: THE ALBUM by Mary Roberts Rinehart, to be discussed in another mystery group. The couple of Rinehart mysteries I've tried to read have been DNF's--pretty awful IMO, but this one looks better. We'll see...
Marj
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White Heat sounds awfully familiar. Have to check it out. Do you read Dana Stabinow (sp?) who writes about an Inuit woman?
There was a special on PBS about the Alaska wildlife area that Stabinow writes about. It made a lot of her writing clearer, to see the places she writes about. I lap up anything on TV about Alaska. I think I'm channeling my husband, who always wanted to go there, and never had a chance.
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No, I haven't read any Dana Stabenow, but looking at Amazon her books sound good. I'll have to give them a try.
White Heat will be discussed in 4_Mystery_Addicts, a Yahoo group, June 20-30. Good group. I get a lot of mystery recommendations from them. (They don't read cozies, which is fine with me)
Marj
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Marjifay, we've read and obviously enjoy the Dana Stabenow books (both series). They are stand-alones, but are written in sequence with the characters progressing from one to another. If you enjoy the one you read, you'll probably want to go back to the first ones about Kate. Her other series is about a trooper in Alaska named Liam Campbell.
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I like Dana Stabenow - I've only read some of the Kate books so far, and I like them as much for the details of Alaskan park life as for the actual plots. Fascinating - I'd love to go there too.
Rosemary
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Reading James Patterson's 7th Heaven. Has started out o.k. They're always a little more gory than i like, but i like the four women.
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Rinehart is quite dated. She is from the era where the servants were always the
prime suspects, as, of course, one couldn't possibly think respectable society would do
such things.
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Babi wrote: "Rinehart is quite dated. She is from the era where the servants were always the prime suspects, as, of course, one couldn't possibly think respectable society would do
such things. "
It wasn't the fact that her books were dated that put me off. I knew that going in, as I was reading them with a group who liked vintage mysteries. What I didn't like, especially in The Yellow Room was that a lot of the plot made no logical sense. Someone (not a servant) was blamed for the murder by the police with no evidence, no motive. Poor writing.
Marj
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I like Stabenow..Have read most of her books..She also blogs and is on facebook and communicaes the most interesting things in creation.She is eternaly curious and encourages her followers to be as well.
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I haven't read "Yellow Room", MARJ, but I'm not surprised. When I went back and read one of
Rineharts books many years later, I decided she wasn't nearly as good as I thought she was
when I was, uh, much less mature. ;)
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Thanks, Maryz, for mentioning the Dana Stabenow series with Liam Campbell. I've read several of the Kate Shugak series but none of Liam C. I just downloaded Fire and Ice to my Nook from Barnes & Noble for the stupendous price of $0.99!
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Kate is mo complex, but Liam is interesting too.. I do feel with Kate.She is best read in sequence. So much of how she reacts now depends on past books.
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Don't you love cheap kindle books?
I recommended Ely griffith to a friend with a kindle several days ago. She called me last night: well, I've been reading all day and read all three of her books. And the next one isn't out until july. What other author can you recommend?
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Whew.. I just read an article on Slate yesterday on the Kindle.It talked of how much the publisheres charge libraries to have ebooks.. Wow.. Libraries who have their budgets cut struggle with the charges. Both sides have issues, but still over 100.00 for a book that might cost my as an ebook .99 doesnt sound fair.
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I enjoyed Ely Griffiths' THE JANUS STONE, a Ruth Galloway novel. Interesting story, and had a lot about Greek and Roman mythology.
Marj
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I think libraries must have special licenses or rules to allow e-books to be loaned out.
Someone mentioned Rinehart - I enjoy reading her books because they are so "old-fashioned." Sometimes that is relaxing - and there's all this "had I but known" and stereotypes and impossible plots and foolish characters, and setting in the past.
Of course, some of those comments could refer to some of the "mysteries" cranked out today, too.
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Our small library just got ebooks a couple of months ago. They had a training session to show those of us with e readers (kindle, etc) how to access the books. Our head librarian encouraged us to make use of this feature. It had something to do with a grant being issued. She said this feature was very expensive & the library had to show that it was used enough to warrent the grant.
Sally
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Yes, there are grants available for the ebooks. Here in Franklin, Macon county just got a grant to help the library use the ebooks.
Had fun yesterday. Read Hot and Bothered by ane Isenberg. I have read a few of her books about Bel..This one was interesting since she placed it just after 9-11..
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I like Isenberg's books, having been a prof in a NJ community college adds an additional interest for me, plus i'm familiar w/ the geographic area she talks about.
I finished the Patterson book. A good read, not engrossing, but as i said, i like the 4 women and there friendships. I don't undderstand why the tv show didn't make it.
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Our library is part of a consortium of small libraries here in Iowa that share a collection of ebooks. The publishers are trying hard to get a lot of $$ for these...by trying first to not sell to libraries and then by limiting the number of times each ebook can be loaned out (26 was the last figure I heard) before a new license must be purchased. Although many think libraries get items cheaper than the public; that was not the case when I was working as a librarian. Some things, like periodicals, were more expensive if they went to a library simply because the publisher knew he was losing individual buying with a lib. subscription.
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Just finished "Wicked business" by janet Evanovitch. the second in the "Luizzie and Diesel" series. Light, but funny and enjoyable. She uses the series to give a tour of the Boston area.
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Janet Evanovich Aapparently has a non-Stephanie Plum mystery series that i just heard about. They are called the "wicked" series and there are two so far. Sounds interesting.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12275680-wicked-business
Oh, i "modified" my msg while you were writing Joan......teehee
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I read the first Wicked.. Diesel has also been in a few short stories with Stephanie..
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I also liked James Patterson's Women's Murder Club series, Jean.
Have you read Pattersn's ALEX CROSS'S TRIAL? That's my favorite of the ones I've read by him. Not the usual Patterson fare. Historical novel, about one of Alex Cross's ancestors who lived in a small town in Missippippi during the early 1900s when lynching was still prevalent there. Good writing and characterization. Not only suspenseful, but it really gave me the feeling of what it must have been like to live there at that awful time.
Marj
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JEAN: great readers think alike! I like the "Wicked" series: it's fresher than the Plum books, which have been kind of mined out.
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I like the Wicked, but confess that although Stephanie is running on neutral, I keep hoping that Evanovich will move her ahead in her life. And for heavens sakes,, knock off with the Lula, who is getting really really old.
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Charlaine Harris's REAL MURDERS was a DNF for me. I thought the writing was awful -- too many nonsequiturs, illogical assumptions. I remember Aurora remembering she'd seen the detective's picture in the newspaper after he arrested a drug dealer. My ex was a drug enforcement detective, and a sane detective would never let himself be identified by a photo in a newspaper!
Marj
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I have the same problem with many police and medical dramas on TV, MARJ. How
often I find myself crying out, "Aw, come on! They'd never do that!" Or just as bad,
totally overlooking something that's perfectly obvious to the viewer.
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I do agree, I have a son involved in law enforcement and he would never have his picture in a public place. Just like when he was doing some parole stuff, he never had pictures of his kids in his office.
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I have a SIL who as been a Investigator with the Sheriff dept. for 28 years. come to think of it I have never seen his picture in the paper or on the Local TV. Even when he is giving talks or working on a case.
I suppose the reason being. They dress as civilians and would not help to have faces so well known when out on the job.
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Just received a new mystery book order that will be perfect reading for the next few hot days while it's too uncomfortable to do anything else. When possible I'll be out in my swing with a glass of lemonade. The alternative is being shut inside with air conditioning. Didn't get anything very deep so I don't overtax my mind either. The titles this round are: Nashvlle Noir (Jessical Fletcher), The LIes That Bind (book binder), Exit Lines (new author for me) Threadbare (needlecraft), and Death, Taxes, and Extra-hold Hairspray (IRS agent).
Stay cool everyone.
Mary
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Let me know what you think of "The Lies That Bind" Cubfan. I wasn't that impressed with it.
Haven't read any of the others, but looking forward to hearing your opinions of them.
Rosemary
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Just finished a book about a tattoo artist who investigates crime.. Think I wont pursue the series. Just way too many coincidences and her forging ahead and interfering with the investigation.
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I've just started the second Imogen Robertson book, "Anatomy of a Murder". It's the Harriet
Westerman and Crowther series (new). The first one was "Instruments of Darkness". There
are other books by that title, so take notice of the author. Historical setting, mid-19th century
England; still fighting the American rebels and fending off the opportunist French. So we step
aside from that to distract ourselves with a mystery. ;)
I tried a Kate Atkinson, and found I was too impatient with it to want to continue. We just
did not connect.
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I agree about Kate Atkinson. I tried three times to read her and simply lose patience each time.Probaby me..
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Babi and Steph, I agree about Kate Atkinson....just couldn't keep interested.
Sally
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Well it was me too Steph. Got bored.
Rosemary
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Well I'm another one who, after reading a Kate Atkinson book (Case Histories) would not bother with any more of hers.
Imogen Robertson's Instruments of Darkness sounds good, Babi. Put it on my list.
What's the title of the book you read about the tattoo artist, Steph? Just curious.
The best mystery I've read recently is White Heat by M.J. McGrath. What great research she did on the Arctic region! Now I've got Dana Stabenow's Restless in the Grave waiting to see how they compare.
Marj
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Rosemary - Finished both Death Taxes & Extra Hold Hairspray & The Lies That Bind. Both are pretty much the same - no substance - pretty girl, macho man, quirky friends/family, and unrealistic situations. I'm always looking for different settings thinking that they will include new story lines. I do find the information on book binding/book restoration interesting. I think that some of the mystery topics that are now out there - museums, libraries, rare book collecting, book binding, IRS collection agent (Death Taxes ...) have the potential for good stories but these authors lack imagination and quality writing ability. Oh well - a bit fluff reading is just like an occasional junk food meal - helps us appreciate quality. The new Louise Penny will be out the end of August & followed the next week by a Susan Albert. Then reading will be a pleasure.
Mary
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Mary - I feel just the same about a lot of these 'themed' mysteries. The backgrounds are interesting and have a lot of potential, but the writing lets them down time after time. I don't really know how some of them get published.
I am so looking forward to Louise Penny's latest. I haven't read any Susan Albert, but she is on my TBR list.
Has anyone read Victoria Hamilton's mystery 'A Deadly Grind'? I've read some good reviews.
Did I mention 'Blue Murder at Kudu' by Daniel Edmondson? It's a book I got free on Kindle, and IMO it was far superior to the usual offerings. I put a review on Amazon UK. It has three 5 star reviews. It's not exactly a cosy but it's certainly not 'blood and guts' either - it's quite quirky and I enjoyed it.
Rosemary
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We had a new and terrible kind of storm called a derecho and were without phone or TV or on line service for a couple of days. Five people dead here and thousands without power still and cars and homes crushed by trees.
What is the MATTER with me? I adore Kate Atkinson; just cannot get enough of her. She is so deeply into character and knows so much about how people think.
Well, mebbe I'm a square peg.
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Driven to Ink by Karen E. Olson was the tattoo book. She writes two different series. Will try her other, but found the tattoo as interestin about tattoos, but not interesting about plot.. Hmm.. I know Picky..
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Rosemary, I always love your comments on authors/books here. I am wondering how the book offerings in the U.K. differ from those in the U.S., and do you get the same stuff we do, only later?
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Tome, I think it just depends where the book originated - Louise Penny is of course Canadian, so I presume her books are published in N America first (not exactly sure why.)
I think far more of the 'cosy' mysteries originate from the US. Some are written here (Hazel Holt, for example) but these themed ones seem to be a N American fashion at the moment.
Thank you so much for your comments. I always feel very poorly read compared to the many accomplished and educated women on our wonderful site.
Rosemary
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And my thoughts are that the "cosies" are all from U.K. authors. Our mystery writers seem to be all "hard-boiled" even the women authors lately. I think Louise Penney's are released in U.K. first, but usually (I believe) under different titles than we get here in U.S.
Oh, don't feel "poorly read". You seem every bit as accomplished and educated as some others. It is amazing though how far the pendulum swings in what some of us like and some don't. Takes all kinds to make a world, right?
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Speaking of different tastes.........
I'm reading my 3rd Sue Grafton book and none of them have grabbed me, even tho i know some of you really like her. I read "A", "N" and "S". I think i'll give up on her.
I just finished a good Lisa Scottoline, Running from the Law.
Jean
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Lucky that we like different things. Wouldn't it be boring if we were all alike?
I admit I gobble up the cozies (Loved "Death, taxes ...). It's the equivelant of eating chocolates for me (well, not quite -- I eat chocolates WHILE I'm gobbling ...) then every once in a while, I want a solid meal (like the Greek dramas we just finished).
Halfway in between is "God of Gotham", a mystery about the founding of the NY police force in the 1840s. Like Victoria Thompson, but a little darker. Too long (400 pages) and enough characters, plot and background for two books. but good.
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For Mabel :
I have read the majority of Sue Grafton's mystery novels and
enjoyed them . She has a good sense of humor as well.
I have often laughed aloud at midnight reading one of her novels.
Try T for Tresspass which focuses on Elder Abuse .
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I love cozy mysteries. They are my go-to books for pure relaxation. However after a while I find that I need something of substance. I've also found that if I am not careful, I can "glut" myself on an author. I took a break a long time ago from Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, Charlaine Harris and others. The cozies are really much better if you vary the authors!
Sally
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I have come to the opinion that attempting to carry on any series too long is a
mistake. Even a good author can get into a rut. Sooner or later, a series lapses
into 'same old same old', with nothing fresh to make the reading worthwhile.
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AGREED!
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I love Louise Penney.I dont now who her publisher is, but that will determine when the book is released. Many books are simultaneous..
I read all sorts of mysteries. Dont read Patterson.. Refuse to cater to the writing factory.
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I've finished Imogen Robertson's second 'Mrs. Westerman' book, "Anatomy of a Murder", and
liked it even better than the first. The lady is an impressive writer. My only complaint is that
at least two people died that I really, really wanted to live. People who were admirable and really
contributing. I suppose I should give her points for insisting on the reality of murder's devastation, instead of settling on less painful losses.
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Never heard of Imogen and will look her up later today.. We are still in the hot hot afternoons in the mountains and then a storm late in the day.
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I finished S is for Silence and it got much better in the second half. One of the fun things was that she was writing flashbacks to the fifties and throw in numerous 50s artifacts - tangerine lipstick, bolero coats, waring blender, etc.
I'm reading Victoria Thompson's Murder on Marble Row, which is a good, easy read. She does a nice job of writing the fine line of having Sarah be a strong independent woman w/ still staying in the Victorian woman's "place" and behavior.
Jean
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If it doesn't cool down soon I am afraid that my whole personality is going to change. Had enough.
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We neeed to read a nice mystery in a snowstorm! Scotteline wrote a good one, but I don't remember the name.
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How about one of Sue Henry's Jessie Arnold mysteries set in Alaska during Iditarod season?
It's supposed to be bearable here tomorrow.
Mary
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We have one more very hot day, but at least not to reach 100 again. I hope to sit outside in the evening and read - it's too hot now until it gets dark, then it cools down a very little.
I am rereading another Agatha Christie, At Bertram's Hotel. Perfect for these hot days - I couldn't tackle anything really complicated or depressing.
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JEANNE, I know how hard really hot weather can be for one not used to it. I might be
worthwhile to invest in a small window ac or two. Or spend the heat of afternoon at
air-conditioned matinees.
Only one more day, NL? Are you anywhere near Jeanne's part of the country? We're now into July, which means the worst of the summer heat is still ahead of us. July and August, are our hottest months. To anyone who wishes to visit Texas, I strongly recommend April-May or late September-October.
If you're interested in a book that made me shiver for this hot spell, I can recommend Alistar MacLean's "Ice Station Zebra".
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When the sun goes down here, it is lovely high 60's.. For a Florida girl, that is practically winter. I do love it. Dana Stabenow does wonderful cold Alaska stuff.. Giles Blunt makes the weather into part of his stories. Wonderful author.. A bit grim, but great stories.
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Thanks for the tip, Babi. I've put Ice Station Zebra on my list.
Another good one is 62 HOURS by Lee Child. Fighting the bad guys in 30 degrees below zero... brrrrr.....
One more I loved is WHITE HEAT by M. J. McGrath. This debut mystery was my best read of the month. The heroine is a part Canadian/part Inuit hunting guide in Canada's far Arctic north. She cleverly and very determinedly solves a couple of baffling murders. You really get the feeling of what it's like to live in the frigid, icy north. The research she did was fantastic -- the language, customs of the people, and the fleshing out of the characters. Just excellent.
Luckily we are having nice weather in the Los Angeles/Orange County area. It was 61 degrees last night. (Isn't that cool weather wonderful, Steph?)
We're going down to the Los Angeles Harbor at San Pedro today to see the opening to the public of the battleship Iowa which is being made into a museum there.
Marge
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I recently finished my first JUlia Spencer-Fleming -- IN the Bleak MidWinter. Loved it, and it was a real lifesaver because I was going through a bunch of stressful stuff, and really needed to get unstressed. All well now. ONe thing though, throughout the book I kept worrying about what does the chief's wife think about all his get-togethers with the lady priest. I'm looking forward to reading more.
Harlan Coben's Caught was another one that helped the mind escape.
I don't know if it's still in print, but Winterkill by Jefferson will send you chills on a hot summer day. Several people are seeking shelter from a blizzard, and there is a killer on the loose.
Last Thursday made history in my town. We didn't hit 100 degrees.
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MARJ: I've avoided mentioning the weather here in Socal (Southern California), for fear people would want to kill us. Here, people were complaining about the heat when it was 80! And complain about the cold when it's 60! Yesterday was so hot, I took my sweater off!
Of course we pay for the wonderful weather with earthquakes and fires. And with realestate prices that are through the roof!
Where are you? I'm in Torrance. We go to the little aquarium in San Pedro (and the bigger one in Long Beach). And bird lover me goes to Balsa Chica near Seal Beach whenever I can talk my son into it.
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Babi.
My A/c Has not stopped running for a month. Surprised that our Power hasn't gone off with all the use of Electricity.
Only go out early morning or after sun goes down. I like to be on the run most of the time but not in this hot weather. They say we could get a break by Tuesday.
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JoanK wrote, "MARJ: I've avoided mentioning the weather here in Socal (Southern California), for fear people would want to kill us. Here, people were complaining about the heat when it was 80! And complain about the cold when it's 60! Yesterday was so hot, I took my sweater off!."
Whoops! I really do commiserate with those suffering in the 100 degree weather. I lived in Iowa in the 1950s before anything was air-conditioned. Worked at Better Homes & Gardens and we'd take our summer vacation in half days and go swimming when it got too hot to concentrate on work. Left Iowa as soon as I found out there was someplace else to go!
I didn't know there was an acquarium in San Pedro! Will look for it. Like to walk on that hill with the big Korean bell.
We went to see the Iowa today. Too many people to board her. My son said he was disappointed, and that if he'd been in charge there would have been a big brass band playing on the deck and lots of balloons and flags flying. We'll go back later when it's less crowded.
I love the Bolsa Chica pier watching the birds and fish. Maybe my son and I have bumped into you and your son. We stop by any time we drive by it. (I live in Buena Park, northern Orange County.)
Marj
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I like Harlan Coben's books.
We have just had the highest temperatures for this date in recorded weather history. I am in Annapolis, and that holds true for the whole Washington, Baltimore, Annapolis Megalopolis.
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Babi you mentioned Ice Station Zebra. I've never read the book, but it is one of my all time favorite movies.
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Julia Spencer-Fleming is a favorite of mine.They are books that really need to be read in sequence for a number of reasons..
I am reading a truly silly mystery about Amish country. I have read this woman before, not a favorite, but mindless in all this heat is a good thing.
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Only way to do it, JEANNE. Air conditioning, errands early morning or late evening,
and definitely no over-exertion in the heat of the day. I wasn't sure if you lived in
a part of the country that routinely has AC. We didn't need it the two years we were in California, but the realtor there I recall proudly showed off a new innovation...an
attic fan! I couldn't help but grin. Attic fans had been around a long time down here in
Texas.
Oh,yeah, I saw that movie, FRYBABE. Every outdoor scene was white and gray/
black. A 'chiller' in more ways than one. ;)
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Babi, one more day in this heat wave. We are down to mid to high 80's for the rest of the week here in southern Wisconsin. However, no rain in sight. I don't mind the brown lawn, but the farmers are really in trouble. Cornfields are turning brown. Yesterday there was a fire in a wheat field somewhere down here.
I'm reading The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths. While it's not set in cold weather, it takes place in a cooler area in England, Norfolk, in spring. Did sit outside last evening after supper, glass of wine, feet up, reading for a long time and enjoying the cooler breezes. The last few nights it was still in the 80's when we went to bed, 78 in the mornings, so waking to 66 degrees this morning was a treat.
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Can't believe it. Been so long but I am looking out my windows and RAIN is coming down. It was 89 deg. Maybe after it stops I will open windows and doors for awhile. Get some Fresh air in the house. Should cool down a little. Hope it is cooler for rest of the week. Way behind on housework. Ahead on book reading and DVD movies though.
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MARJ: I'll look for you when we're at Bolsa Chica. I'm usually the only one there in a wheelchair. My son is an expert at pushing my chair where no wheelchair has gone before.
I haven't checked to see if the blacknecked stilt is nesting there this year. Isn't it neat!
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I love elly-griffiths. The Janus Stone is the SECOND in the series and if, like me, you read it first it, contains spoilers as to the first. Best to read Crossing Places first.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/elly-griffiths/
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I liked Elly Griffiths' THE JANUS STONE, nlhome. (Do you have another name or nickname?)
I see from Fantastic Fiction that she has two since then. Like her bits about Roman
mythology.
Happy to hear that your weather and others is cooling down a bit.
Marj
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I did read the first, Crossing Places. And I am enjoying this one now.
Should get down to 63 tonight, but it's 88 at 4 p.m. so 10 degrees cooler than yesterday, 13 degrees cooler than the days before, give or take a degree. But no rain in sight.
Marj - it's Nan
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We had rain about 4pm and it cooled us down considerably.. However it is very very moist indeed in the mountains, I know.. complain complain complain.. But i do love the mid 60's andslightly drier..
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J.A. Jance has a new book
http://www.goodreads.com/series/40431-joanna-brady
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Hello all,
I have been away in Aberdeen for a few days, then when I got back I was virtually locked out of the internet. I assumed this was - as it often is - due to our terrible broadband service, but husband finally suggested I load Google Chrome and try that instead of Safari (which comes installed on MacBooks) - what a difference! My internet is working better than it has done for months - it was getting to the point that I had to type a few words then sit and read a column of the newspaper whist I waited for the words to appear on the screen - also almost every other site I tried to 'visit' would be 'not responding' according to Safari. It was also always telling me I was 'not connected to the internet' when I plainly was. I am - so far - delighted with Google Chrome - so here I am, BACK!
And MaryPage, I thought you might enjoy this article by Val McDermid (who may not be well known in the US, but is a very popular and celebrated murder mystery/police procedural writer here) about Reginald Hill:
http://crimewritingmonth2012.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/in-appreciation-of-reginald-hill/
Right - having a rare rain free day here before another deluge promised for tomorrow, so am off to walk up the hill with Madeleine before dinner.
Rosemary
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Rosemary, if you click on Safari, there is a "Reset Safari" which might help. However, I like Google Chrome but Firefox is my choice as I am so used to it. I think Safari could use some improvement.
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A good tribute to a good writer.
I love my kindle! When I read the last Elly Griffiths book, it gave me the option of ordering the upcoming one to be delivered July 10. Last night, I couldn't sleep, so at 2 AM, I turned on my kindle, and here it came. What other library is open at that hour? (Of course, when I got on the computer this morning, there was the bill).
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Joan :D i'm sure it was worth it! Isn't it nice to be at an age when we don't feel compelled to buy the "right" things or the need to buy clothes or shoes or jewlery, and only need to spend money on what we really want. I just love being this age and being retired. Not only do i not need to buy much except what i want, but i'm free to set watever schedule i want! Hooray!
Jean
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I like Val McDermid very much..An excellent writer who always surprises me.
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I accidently found a good Margaret Maron book to read in hot weather - Winter's Child. It's a Judge Knott story, set in January in NC, of course. This one is as much, or more, about Dwight and his son as about the Judge. The last one of hers i read was a little blah to me, but this one is very good. There are two mysteries, one a professional and one a personal one for Dwight.
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Steph - I'm glad you like Val McD. I think she's a very interesting and nice person, as well as a good writer. I've seen her occasionally talking on TV, and she is often on Twitter. She likes dogs too :)
Rosemary
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I just finished Julia Spencer-Fleming's A FOUNTAIN FILLED WITH BLOOD. Have to say it was a little better than her first, altho a bit uneven IMO. A couple parts were very good -- the helicopter ride was page turning and her being trapped in the bathroom while listening to the conversation in the other room was very funny. Liked the fact that she's such a gutsy lady for being a priest.
Marj
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Just finished The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths. Interesting read. I might pick up the next one.
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Spencer-Fleming shows a woman warts and all as a priest. I like that as well as the fact that she struggles with her religion.. An interesting woman.. The mysteries are ok, but the writing is fine and the characterization is wonderful..
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Thank you so much, ROSEMARY.
I found that very interesting; especially since I agree with her wholeheartedly.
Reginald Hill was an intellectual, and he wrote crime novels that DID use intelligent language and that wonderful dry British wit. Such a pleasure to read. Not at all the usual stuff written for the masses.
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I simply cannot get into Reginald Hill. Not my sort of mysteries at all.
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Well, I definitely need to add Elly Griffith to my authors list.
Weatherwise, we are having the wettest, coolest July weather here that I can remember. Lots
of thunderstorms, including the one that took out our computer and everything on it. We are
now using a rebuilt Dell, very different layout, and I'm having to learn my way around and
rebuild all that I lost. But at least I have a computer back; I missed it terribly.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Hi Babi - welcome back! What a disaster you have had. I really miss having a computer if I'm away for a few days - then I think how strange that is, when only a few years ago no-one had one at home. Now I am considered a dinosaur because I don't have an internet phone - most people are 'connected' all the time these days apparently.
Good luck with the new set-up - i can hardly even cope with the new automatic check out in the library ;D
Rosemary
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I'm enjoying the story in my first Stuart Wood book, Under the Lake, one of his early ones. A man who had been a columnist for tha Atlanta Constitution is having a middle age crises, his marriage breaking up, bored w/ his carreer, so he takes a job ghost writing a biography. His BIL offers him his cottage on a lake in northern Ga. The town is controlled by a businessman and a sheriff. They were involved in securing all the properties that a dammed lake will cover and the author finds a mystery in those events. There's some physic spiritualism, which is interesting.
My only negative is that the young female reporter who comes to investigate some rumors about the sheriff and drugs is treated, by Wood, as pretty wifty and he doesn't acknowledge it in the story. He treats her behavior as "normal" for this supposedly smart young woman. She does things impulsively that any reasonably intelligent person would have thought thru very carefully. The protagonist has to straighten her out repeatedly. Since it was an early book of Wood's i'll give him another look to see if his apparent sexism is repeated or if he grows as he writes. :D
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We liked the early Stuart Woods, but haven't read any of his since he started with "Stone Barrington", etc.
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Here we have had no rain. At the moment the sun is out. 90 deg again and it has been thundering for a hour. Nothing coming down. Think it a little to late now for the Corn farmers, Strawberries. tomato farmers. Some have already gone into fields and mulched the plants down.
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BABI: and we missed you terribly!
I was a little disappointed in the new Elly Griffiths. It had less of the atmosphere of the saltmarshes, which made the others so special. But I'm still hooked.
Reading a Lisa Jackson "Devious". I'm sure i've read her before, but not these detectives: two policemen in post-Katrina new Orleans. Nuns are being killed. Rather anti-Catholic church. full of sex gone bad. It's carrying me along, but I wouldn't recommend it.
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ROSEMARY, I will never understand the apparent urge to be 'connected' at all times. I quite
enjoy a iegree of privacy and really don't want to be available 24/7. Apparently, being 'with it'
in these days is knowing what's happening, everywhere, anywhere, and at once.
I hope the mulching will be able to protect the plants long enough, JEANNE. I do wish there was
someway to 're-direct' weather so everyone gets a fair share. On the northwest side of the
county we have had floods for days, and more rain is expected over the weekend. Maybe we
should simply set out big open trucks, let them fill up with rain, and haul it where it's needed!
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Yes, to my dismay if my computer is out for a day, I go nuts. Amazing how suddenly you count on being on line and communicating with te world.
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I wonder when I see people walking in the street, in stores, etc with a communications device glued to their ear, or madly texting. While I like being with people, I've found periods (like when the kids were little) when I was constantly interrupted hard, and treasured my quiet times.
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I don't even give my mobile phone number out. Never have understood why people need to be talking on the phone as they are in the car. Store or walking around. I have heard them talking and it is about nothing at all. My next door is on hers as she is walking to the car to go to work before 8am and still on it when she comes home.
My daughters and granddaughter about the same way.
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I dont understand it either, but it is more and more common to see people walking on the trails and chatting away even at 6:30am.. I love my quiet times and even do not put in my hearing aids early when the dogs and I walk. It is so very peaceful that way.
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I am just returning the Aurora Teagarden omnibus by Charlaine Harris to the library today.
I enjoyed it at first, but as I worked my way through the stories I started to get irritated. Maybe it was because Aurora is so much younger than I am, but I do get a bit fed up with this endless string of hero(in)es who miraculously inherit a pot of money to free them from going to work - viz also Isobel Dalhousie and various others. I'm sorry to say that with the Teagarden stories I also found the way she solved the mysteries increasingly incredible. I do of course appreciate that in 99% of murder mysteries we need to suspend disbelief, but there are limits. In the last one I read, Aurora had absolutely no idea who the killer is until she noticed something at a smart dinner. There are no other clues (or none that I noticed anyway) leading to this person - it came right out of the blue, as if Harris had just decided it was time to end the story.
Anyone else agree?
I've just been sent two books to review for an online site. Quite exciting as I've never done this before - someone who does it regularly was overwhelmed with work so asked for volunteers.
So I'd better get to it!
Rosemary
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I agree, Rosemary! I may have mentioned here reading Real Murders, an Aurora Teagarden mystery by Charlaine Harris. My notes say, "too many non sequiturs and really dumb illogical assumptions."
Not the worst of these, but the most laughable to me was when she received a box of her favorite See's chocolate candy in the mail, and immediately noticed little holes on the bottom of each piece. She then assumed that someone was trying to poison her! Now if those had been poisoned and sent to me, I'd be dead. Because I don't examine each piece before gobbling up those best-in-the-world candies.
Another time she finds a missing baseball on a neighbor's porch step and immediately knows they are the murderers! Amazing.
No more Charlaine Harris for me.
Marj
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I just finished THE HUNTER, a Parker novel, by Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake). (155 pp, 1962) Don't know if anyone here likes noir mysteries, but if you do, read this! The series became a cult classic, a favorite with prisoners (not surprising, as Parker is a very clever professional thief). In this first Parker novel, Parker has been double crossed and left for dead. Still very much alive, he goes out to seek revenge and to get his stolen money back. Nothing can stop him. Great noir writing!! Violence, but not gore. Just great.
Marj
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So Richard Stark is Donald Westlake? That's good to know, as I've enjoyed several Donald
Westlake books.
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Charlaine Harris. I am notfond of Aurora, but love the other stuff that Charlaine writes. Lily Bard is one of her heroines and I love that small(5) series.. Her vampire stuff is a hoot as well. Sookie is great fun at the beginning . she is getting a bit sillier now though
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I like everything but the vampire stuff, and that seems to be what our library carries.
Just finished a Deborah crombie: "no mark upon her". I really liked it for the background of rowers and rowing. I like books that tell me something about somethin I know knowthing about (How's that for an awkward sentance?)
It quoted a number of non-fiction accounts of rowers, but when I checked, Kindle didn't have any of them! Grrrr.
What I didn't like: it's the 14th book in a series, and half the book is catching up with what has happened to the characters from the other 13 books. Boring if you've only read a couple and have no idea who these people are. Writers really become bogged down when they try to carry too many continuing characters.
If you can't lick 'em, join 'em. I've ordered an early one. I know a number of you like her a lot.
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JoanK, I've put request on the Crombie book. My husband is an almost-daily rower, and he might enjoy that one. Thanks.
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mary: let me know how he likes it -- if he can wade through all the background characters. (Anopther grumble -- I think the solution is cheating!)
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LOL, Joan - he frequently skips over parts he doesn't like. I'll let you know what he thinks.
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Yes long time series do a lot of catching up. Wish they wouldnt.
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I've been busy catching up with all of the Margaret Maron's I've missed, even to the point of buying some used paperbacks and hardbacks on line. It is like eating a bunch of lollipops!
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Yes, Judge Knot has an interesting family and love life. I loved all of the books..
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Just finished a book I got free on Kindle - "The Ambassador's Wife" by Jake Needham. It's set in Singapore and Bangkok (where the author lives, although he is American), and I enjoyed the settings, especially as I know very little about this part of the world. I saw on Amazon that not everyone was impressed with the plot, but I thought it was good - I really wanted to know what happened, and I felt that the detective, Sam Tay, was well drawn and interesting. Needham is apparently working on a sequel because many people wanted to see more of Tay. Good writing, IMO.
Rosemary
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When I got up this morning, I was musing upon the latest Deborah Knott book I am reading and I suddenly had the thought that I'll bet Margaret Maron chose the surname Knott for her so that she could be
Judge Knott, that ye be not judged!
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:D
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Ah Mary Page.. only you would think of that. I do love her though.I am working with Gabriel Allon once again. The last one of the series, I think. Although he may havea new one out in hardcover.
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MaryPage, you are so smart to pick up on that. Bravo! Maron should be coming out with another sometime soon, I hope. I think I've read all of hers, even the one when she's with someone's relative Sigrid (who also has her own series.)
Rosemary, The Ambassador's Wife, no longer free, but reasonable. Will put Jake Needham on my list. The Amazon critics are saying good things about him.
Now I've got to get out of here and go swim. You all put up such interesting posts, keep sending me to Amazon to read more reviews. The rowing book sounds good, but I'm not sure I want to jump into #14.
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I emailed Margaret Maron and she emailed me back almost immediately! Here is what she had to say:
"I DID name her that originally. I intended to use titles that punned off the name. Happily, I realized how silly that would be. Unhappily, I didn't make that realization till after the name was in print (sigh), but I HAVE managed to have fun with her name once in a while. In KILLER MARKET, for instance, an older woman introduces herself and Deborah responds, "Judge Knott." The woman is offended and coldly asks "Why do you think I would?"
Thanks for your note,
Margaret Maron"
On Jul 22, 2012, at 8:44 AM, MaryPage M. Drake wrote:
This morning I was thinking about the one I am reading now and suddenly I wondered if you named her Knott so that she would be
Judge Knott, that ye be not judged
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Hooray for you MaryPage!
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Fantastic Fiction has its quirks. Yesterday, while looking for something else, I noticed they had Dante's Divine Comedy. I looked at it to see what they said: there was a nice accurate summary, but the category was listed as Western!! They're on the ball, though. I wrote the webmaster asking how come, and it's already been changed.
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Double hooray for Mary Page. Amazing that she answered you right away!
And hooray for PatH! I'll have to look for more booboos on FF.
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Love it, MARYPAGE! :D
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How neat. An author who reads her emails..Some do , some dont..
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My mystery newsletter from the library this month includes a new book, Don't ever get old by Daniel Friedman. The main character is 87 years old. I am not sure the book is my cup of tea, but the age caught my eye. Has anyone read it? Here is a little bit about the author and the book.
http://blogs.commercialappeal.com/the_shelf_life/2012/06/daniel-friedman-to-sign-dont-ever-get-old.html
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Steph, are you reading Silva's Fallen Angel?
He was on Chuck Todd's MSNBC show just 5 minutes ago. He has lived in various spots in the Middle East at different times. Is very concerned about the Muslim Brotherhood so much in command -- the president, who wants to seat a Muslim Brotherhood parliement. Also a big concern of his that Egypt is so poor. No oil. He does not think things bode well.
But he says Egypt is a real country. It's been around, it has history. Syria, he says, was really put in place by European powers. He thinks it possible that Syria could cease to exist as a country, absorbed by others countries.
I liked the one Silva I read, will have to start reading some more.
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I ordered a sample of "Don't Ever grow Old" for my Kindle. The author seems awfully young to be writing for us seniors. I'll see what kind of job he makes of it.
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I had assumed, on reading the post, that the author would be old himself. It does raise an
eyebrow to learn he is not. What one can observe is usually not the whole truth, nor entirely
correct, no?
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No Fallen Angel is the newest Silva in hard cover. He is married to Jamie Gangel, who is a tv reporter.. They live most of the time in Washington. I love his books and have read all of them except this last one.. Gabriel is an interesting character and the team is fascinating. I did remember from something I read that Syria,and the small countries are not real countries at al, but come from WWi and WWII.. partitions.. Egypt is real, but when I was there is a most peculiar place. The poverty is great.. he divisions b etween rich and all else is great.. No women on the streets in Cairo, whic made me nervous. When we ate out there, the restaurants were mostly male.. Not a happy place for me, although the temples, tombs, and museums are glorious.
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How long ago was that, STEPH? I had the impression that women were much more public and
active now, and that many have major roles in business and the professions. Anybody more
knowledgeable in the current cultural roles? All I have are vague bits and pieces. :-[
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Egypt was a country thousands of years before anyone even thought of a united country on this side of the globe.
I don't know enough to know what to think of Syria being not a real country. Israel was created by European countries too, but Israelis feel very strongly that it is a real country. What does DeSilva mean -- that peoples were thrown together with no common interest or heritage?
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
In Israel's case, it was more a matter of re-instated than created. Israel
had existed in that same spot for centuries.
Post-war shuffling of borders is fairly common. People with grievances
wanted to be separated, the victors wanted their prizes for victory, and
the losers were expected to atone for their sins. Trouble always arises
when the final deal doesn't include a great deal of common sense and
forethought.
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Silva is right. If you look at maps, they drew the lines of countries according to whoever was the most influential..Did not consider tribal lines or religious ones. A lot of the countries have never been able to be stable.
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There are reams of books out there that tell all about how the Allies got together after WORLD WAR ONE and carved up the Middle East. We did a lot of the same after WORLD WAR TWO, but one outstanding example was Iraq after World War I. They put together KURD country. The Kurds ARE NOT ARABS and have a language of their own. They included a huge section of SUNNI Arabs and an even larger section of SHITE Arabs. They hate each other with a blood killing hatred. They honestly think the other should not exist. There was much killing between these factions until Saddam united the country under his ghastly rule. Saddam was SUNNI, and treated the Shites dreadfully, killing off tens of thousands. This is all in the books.
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One of the most fascinating, too bizarre to be true but totally factual stories is that of Gertrude Bell. Lots of books out about her.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/mar/12/iraq.jamesbuchan
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That's an extraordinary story! And I had never heard of her.
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Good heavens, my post disappeared.
I have two books, still on my TBR pile: The Kingmaker's: The Invention of the Modern Middle East and Georgiana Howell's biography of Gertrude Bell.
I know very little about the aftermath and diplomatic shenanigans after WWI, except that T.E. Lawrence was opposed to the Allies post war handling of the Middle East. Having been influenced by Lawrence, Bell had similar leanings. It was Lawrence who introduced Bell to then Prince Faisal who subsequently often consulted with her, at least for a while. Many people point back to that period as a cause many of today's problems in that area.
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Well of course the bottom line is, if you are going to put a bunch of different tribes (think clans if it works better for you), religions, languages and so forth together in a set of boundaries and say to them: You are now a country, hey, they are not likely to be successful at being a country. Just shows that all the brilliance in the world cannot find the right solutions for sets of peoples in situations where the culture is unknown and totally foreign to the inventors of the new countries. And those who think they CAN do this, from their outsiders point of view, are ARROGANT, to say the least.
So we went into Iraq with a plan only to conquer the small country and topple Saddam. We did. In a hurry. Then, still with no plan, Bush allowed a guy named Paul something to set up the new government. He decided to ban all members of the Baathist Party. Sort of like banning all Nazis or all Communists. Or, for that matter, all Tories, Labor Party members, Democrats, or Republicans. Doesn't matter; the thing is, you HAD to be a member of that party to hold a job in Saddam's Iraq. So when that Paul fired them all, there was no one to run the army, the police, the fire department, the library, the museum, the whole cotton picking government! And no one to teach the Shites who DID want the jobs (well, the Sunnis were not very happy about not getting paychecks any longer and wanted their jobs back, but could not get them and a huge number left the country outright) even in the matter of picking up the trash!
It all went downhill from there and factional war broke out big time. Again, Arrogance of thinking you know all the answers concerning a totally different culture. We, and any other nation, should always utilize experts in the part of the world we are trying to deal with. Just plain old common sense.
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Fascinating, MARYPAGE. You've filled in a lot of blank spaces for me. I was pleased, too, to
learn that a British woman of that era was so influential and knowledgeable. (Imagine teaching
oneself Persian or Hebrew! Awesome, to quote the young folks.)
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There have been over the course of history many english women who went to Africa and the muslim countries and ended up being quite a power. When the Arabs own women lived in purdah, the men seem to have taken advice from another type of women.. Odd. but true.
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I'm reading another Donna Andrews book, "Some Like It Hawk". As usual, slightly preposterous
but entertaining.
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I like Donna Andrews.She is funny and still has a nice twist to her mysteries. Meg should however take a stronger stand with her relatives..
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I didn't know she had a new one out! I'm on it like a hawk! (groan).
I still like "Crouching buzzard, Leaping Loon" the best of all of hers (although I kept waiting for the loon to show up. It turned out to be her looney brother. But the buzzard was there in all his throwing-up glory. I wanted him to throw up on the murderer, but he never did).
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ATTENTION ;) i just discovered that onOprah's OWN network there is a new show called "Hardcover Mysteries". They are talking to mystery writers about crimes that inspired their books. RIGHT NOW until 8:00EST they are talking to Linda Fairstein, starting at 8:00 they will talk to David Baldacci.
Jean
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We're watching the rowing in the Olympics, but I'll watch for that Hardcover Mysteries on OWN. I just checked, and it's not listed in our paper's TV section, but......
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Oh good, Jean, another chance to watch the ones I missed. These were also shown on the ID channel and are on the HLN (?) channel, but I missed some. On HLN, they are known as Murder by the Book. Very interesting to see what murders the writers follow and which inspire their writing.
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Wll make a note, but just now the Olympics is holding me prisoner. For the very first time, I watched the opening all the way through and of course was enchanged.. Corgi and the Queen and the fake James Bond.. Where of where wa Sean.. Sigh.. But I still loved the bit.
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A stronger stand, STEPH? Meg has scads of them working on her various projects, all
'volunteers'! She'd never manage without them. ;D
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I knew you'd love that piece, Steph. For me, too, Connery is the only Bond.
Jean, I did some more checking, and the Hardcover Mysteries is on OWN here. It was in the daily paper. But, like Steph, it's definitely the Olympics around here for a while. ::)
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I'd never heard of Donna Andrews. Put her Some Like it Hawk on my TBR list.
Speaking of birds (Andrews seems to have them in her book titles), reminded me of the 1970's Robert Altman film, BREWSTER MCCLOUD, one of my all-time favorite movies, where the girl who lectures about birds becomes more and more like a bird as the movie goes on. Bizarre, dark humor, with Bud Cort (Harold & Maude--another favorite), Sally Kellerman (Hot Lips in Mash), and Shelley Duvall (Popeye and Three Women-- another favorite).
Marj
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Never heard of Brewster McCloud. But I have noticed that people who watch birds a lot do indeed become more and more like them.
I'm a slave to the Olympics too. Thery're very bad for sports junkie like me!
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Hardcover mysteries is on OWN network in my area on Aug. 8. It's on all day starting at 10 am, I believe. I found it on my tv's "smart search" and dvr'd the episodes.
Sally
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I had no idea so many of our ladies were 'sports junkies'. I generally find myself disinterested
in sports, but I do enjoy those that are beautiful to watch. Like figure skating, or gymnastics.
So graceful.
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I only like the olympics on tv, not regular sports. Olympic athletes interest me since they give up whole portions of their lives for them. When we were racing sailboats, I met a lot of sailers who were trying out. They live on other peoples generosity in the smaller sports. I put up more than one in my spare rooms for years.. while they trained.
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I am in shock! I just discovered that Nemesis is the last of the Didius Falco series. Well, I should have suspected an end was to come soon. Alexandria was not up to par, IMO, and Lindsey Davis had slowed down her Falco output while writing other books. I also discovered that BBC did radio plays of the first five books, the last broadcast in 2009.
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Wouldn't it be nice if one of the channels here would pick up that Falco series from BBC. It
could be really good. Maybe I could find a way to drop a hint to PBS. ;)
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I'm a terrible sports junkie, for my sins. But I love the parade of nations in the Olympics: all these athletes, some of them coming from terrible conditions, but somehow made it, and so proud and happy to be representing their country. And all standing together while the torch is lit. It always makes me tear up.
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The problem with the Olympics is it gives me new sports to become addicted to. I became a curling addict from the Winter Olympics. This summer, i am looking at the rowers in a new way, after reading the Deborah Crombie mystery. They always look so robot-like, but now, I know more about what they are feeling.
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The dressage was beautiful. I think it's stupid for the Dems - and i am generally one of those - to harp on Mrs Romney's having a horse in the olympics. I see nothing negative about it. Yes, you have to have some money to keep such a horse, but most people who run for President have some money.
I thought the opening ceremony was unimpressive until they got to the finale - the torch lighting and the fireworks thruout the city were wonderful.
Jean
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JoanK, on your recommendation, John read the Crombie book with the rowing stuff in it. He thought that stuff was all accurate, and liked the book otherwise, too. Thanks. Needless to say, we watch all the rowing we can. ::)
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Hi everyone...I've just started "Broken Harbor" by Tana French. Have any of you read her books? I really enjoy them.
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Ah,,, hnm, having horse is one thing. Having one of the worlds most expensive horse is possibly different.. She is only a third partner in it.. but I think is the money partner.
I love different sports. Watched White water kayaking last night. I love to kayak, but flat water please...It was fun watching though.
It was fun in the eventing.. All the young royals came out to supports their cousinZara..
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The Dems are competing against a popular president and first lady, so yes, they are
doing a number of dumb things. (My opinion,of course. ) But really, some of the things
they choose to challenge do make them look desperate, indeed.
Hi, WINCHESTER LADY, and welcome! Always glad to meet another book lover. I've heard
the name Tana French before, but I haven't read anything of hers. Some of the other posters
probably have, though.
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I just finished two mysteries, one of Judge Knott from Margaret Maron, Christmas Mourning, and one of Jane Jeffrys from Jill Churchill, Accidental Florist. I think Maron must be told by fans that they enjoy reading about the Knott family life because there was a lot more of that than mystery story. She gave a lot of detail about Christmas preparations, etc. Churchill's book also gave very descriptive details about Jane and Shelley and Mel's day-to-day activities and Jane's writing career. She did a cute thing in a scene where she was book shopping and commented that she looked at a new book of M. Maron's "and Jill Churchill's new book." lol
This was the story of her finally agreeing to marry Mel and both her ex-MIL and future MIL wanted to control the wedding details.
Both books were entertaining, but barely mysterious. But with the hot weather, they were just what i needed to just relax.
Jean
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WINCH (may I call you that?) My bad! I'd never heard of Tana french, and she's won nearly all the awards possible in mysteries. Thank you! And WELCOME!
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/tana-french/
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Joan -- You are welcome. Why don't you call me Carol? This is the third book I've read by Tana French and I'm enjoying it. To date, her novels have all been about various members of the Murder Squad in Dublin. Each novel centers on a character who played a role in a previous book. It's an interesting way to write a series.
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That does seem a good way to give the author more leeway in a series. I remember a sci-fi
series that tended to feature different members of a group, though the main hero remained the
same. I liked the books, but can't remember just now what the series was called.
Sad. I can recall when I could remember everything that came across my desk, and
knew exactly where to find it. :'( On the other hand, perversely, there are memories I would
love to forget, and can't. ;) Violins, anyone?
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Tana French.. Dont think I have read anything of hers, but will put her on the long long list of people to look for. I found a Susan Conant and needed something light. I do like her and having lived close to Cambridge knows she does a wonderful job on the town and how things work there. The dog descriptions are excellent.
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Babi, I loved what you said about memory. Isn't that the truth! My violins have certainly been playing the last couple years.
Steph, I hope you would like Tana French's books but they by no means would be considered "light". I won't keep on about them except to give you one link from NPR Books which really explains the plotting...
http://www.npr.org/2012/07/26/156873952/haunting-memories-elaborate-plotting-in-harbor (http://www.npr.org/2012/07/26/156873952/haunting-memories-elaborate-plotting-in-harbor)
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I'll be going to my voluneer stint at the library tomorrow morning. I'll definitely look up Tana
French and see what we have of hers. I'm hoping to find the first book in the series; I like to
start at the beginning whenever possible.
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I read all sorts of books, not just light.. Just now I thought I would tryWallender. I got the very first book and am straggering with me. My dear what a depressed sort of man.. Hmm.. Years ago there was a popular writing team that did alot of mysteries about that area.. Per Wahloo??? or something.. I also strted State of Wonder. I have read all of her books and love th way she surprises me.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Perhaps it's the climate and the short periods of sunshine, but so far I've found all the
Scandinavian writers I've tried to be somewhat dreary, dark and depressing. I tried one
Wallender film and decided not to do that again.
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I haven't read many Scandinavian mystery writers. But I sure liked THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES by Jussi Adler-Olsen. Danish author. Teriffic writer with a wry sense of humor. Not depressing. Very suspenseful.
Marj
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I read most of the Scandanavian mystery writers. On the whole, they are better than most. It was Per Wahloo and Maj Sojwall. Wonderful series of books. They had a TV mini series, as well.
My current favorite is Camilla Lackberg. she is as good as Minette Walters.
Of course, I will always love Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg. The movie sort of flunked. It was the kind of story that takes an exceptional person to bring to film.
The Danish THE KILLING was a huge success. The American attempt to copy it with financial success was not.
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I read “State of Wonder” earlier this year and thought it was a great book. Not a subject I would usually read about, but really interesting.
I have “The Keeper of Lost Causes” on my Ipad, but haven’t read it yet. I think I’ll move it up on my list to be read.
I just finished reading “The Stonecutter” by Camilla Läckberg. Last year, I started “The Ice Princess” by the same author, but couldn’t get into it. I thought “The Stonecutter” was better.
I watched a couple episodes of Wallender on PBS, but they were too depressing. I haven’t read any of the books in the series. Steph, please let us know if you like the book.
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Not depressing and with a sense of humor? I'll have to give that one a fair trial, MARJ.,
assuming I can find the author in my library. Adler-Olsen, duly noted.
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State of Wondor.Oh me, I have to be careful read every word and reread if stuck. I love the book, but she is putting in so much background at this point. I love it.
Will look for some of the authors. I will keep trying on the Wallander, but if it does not pick up. boom,, gone.
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Ordered samples of State of Wonder and In the Woods (Tana french's first in the series for my kindle. I've been glued to the Olympics for the past two days, and my brain is turning to mush!
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I want those same two books, JOAN. I'd have them now, but my library had to close for a long
weekend while the construction makes a major shift. I'm hoping they will be open again tomorrow.
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I was at a flea market yesterday. I ran on the very first Bruce Alexander book of Fielding and the first Jan Karon.. I am sure I have read both of the, but they were .50 each, so grabbed them up.. The Karon are so nice when you are down and lonely..
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Bruce Alexander was an unfamiliar name for me, so looked him up on Amazon. (When I saw Fielding, Steph, I wondered if you were reading another book about a shortstop.)
The Kindle price of The Price of Murder is $6.99, but the new paperbacks . . .
Available from these sellers
12 new from $422.55 19 used from $11.21
This is a bargain book and quantities are limited. Bargain books are new but could include a small mark from the publisher and an Amazon.com price sticker identifying them as such. Details
I've been wanting to read Grisham's The Litigators and finally started it the other night. It was the right time to find a good story and just go with the flow. Just Grisham and me -- now another day of not accomplishing anything constructive.
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I loved Grisham's THE LITIGATORS! Like his earlier good ones. Humorous and suspenseful.
Marj
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Enjoyed Carol Higgins Clark's "Cursed". It's a fast-paced, good story as i've come to expect of Clark.
OTOH, if you are at the library, as i was last week, and think "i haven't read a Susan Issac book in a long time" and pick out Past Perfect and think to take it home, DONT! It was ghastly long, with unneccesary extensions of scenes that go on and on w/out adding to the story; a protagonist that, IMO, does really idiotic things for a supposedly intelligent woman who worked for the CIA and is the developer and writer of a cable television spy show. I.e., leaving her pocketbook, phone and keys in an unlocked car to go breaking into a person's house she has just concluded was nuts and knew she (the nut) was on her way home, about to pull into the driveway next to the protagonist's car, which would be a clue that the protagonist must be somewhere on, or in, her property.
I know mysteries/spy novels, etc need to have some unrealistic fantasy, but geez....it just wasn't working for me. Actually .......now that i think about it, the protagonist was written as being both smart and dipsy, in a silly-woman kind if way, maybe that turned me off w/out my realizing it til now.
Jean
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Wallender. I just did not care for him when on TV. I think he is due to return. Will give him another chance. Can't remember what it was about him I didn't like. Wasn't he kinda Scruffy in it?
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A bit, JeanneP. The character is somewhat broody and depressive. That's what most people don't like about it.
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Plugged on with the Wallender and it is getting better. I must confess that he seems foolhardy to me.. He has done nothing but end up with all sorts of stupidity in love and accidents. I am beginning to believe the actual murderers are not the point. Hmmm.
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I am beginning to believe the actual murderers are not the point.
I hadn't thought about that Steph. Which one are you reading? My favorites are Dogs of Riga, which is one of the PBS offerings this fall, and The White Lioness. The action in The White Lioness is set mostly in South Africa, and actually doesn't have a lot of Wallander presence.
Mankell has written many other books than the Wallander series, including several set in Africa. He has long time relationship with a theatre in Mozambique, where he lives half the year.
The only non-Wallander book I have read so far is The Return of the Dancing Master. It seemed similar to Wallander except that the detective was on leave and about to commence a cancer treatment. I think almost as much of the story was taken up with his fear of cancer and dying solving the murder of a former colleague.
On my list to find and read are Chronicler of the Winds and The Shadow Girls(to be released in the US this fall). Both are set in Africa and or have African connections. I don't expect them to be much brighter because they deal with HIV, the devastation caused by the wars, and human trafficking. http://www.henningmankell.com/
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I used to kind of like Susan Isaacs stories set in hippy Berkley. The only problem was that the way the detective ate made me feel sick. She lived on eggs, ice cream, pizza, and bagels.
At least, she bought her bagels at the same bagel store where my niece was working.
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:D
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I don't expect them to be much brighter because they deal with HIV, the devastation caused by the wars, and human trafficking.
Oh, my word, FRYBABE. I never knew you were a glutton for punishment. ::)
Maybe the pizzas were loaded with veggies, JOAN. And the bagels were whole wheat with
blueberries. ;)
You guys are a lot of fun this morning. I'm starting off with a big grin. ;D
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It is amazing howmany female detectives supposedly have horrid eating habits. No idea why the authors do that. I finished the Wallender. It was the very first book in he series. It picked up in the end, but I still find that he was more interested in setting up Wallender and his fellow policeman than the murderers..
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May be those writers are simply using their heroines to vicariously blow their own diets, STEPH.
Second-hand enjoyment of all the easy, luscious goodies they have to deny themselves. :)
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I sometimes wonder that about all that delicious food that Louise Penny lets Inspector Gamache eat at the Three Pines bistro. Love reading about it though :)
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Actually Gamache frets about it, but he really does eat good stuff, but there are a number of heroines in mysteries that live on fast food and revel in it..Ugh.
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Yes Steph, you're right - the meals in Penny's books sound just wonderful - but they do all drip butter and cream, don't they? I actually don't think I'd enjoy reading a book in which someone ate lots of rubbish. Ian Rankin's Rebus seems to live on take-aways and Scotch, and whilst I know that this is the typecast for a hard-bitten policeman, I still much prefer to see Gamache sit down beside a roaring fire with a plate of beef bourguignon and a large glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Jackie, I really liked David Liss's WHISKEY REBELS. Fascinating book with real historical figures. I have his THE DEVIL'S COMPANY on my TBR list. Have always been curious to know more about the British East India Company, so am looking forward to it.
Marj
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In the Margaret Maron Deborah Knott series, Deborah is always eating wonderful food long since forbidden on MY diet. Bummer!
But she DOES describe it all so very well.
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Oh the joy.. I found a brand new Carol O'Connol.. The Chalk Girl.. Oh Mallory.. I love the whole character Not kind...not nice.. but ruthless works in this context and I suspect we are going to detect a softening..If you like complicated characters.. Mallory is just that.
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Steph, is "The Chalk Girl" published this year, or before? I, too, love, love Mallory...have since the first book.
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Steph, the Carol O'Connell books sound good. I looked at them on Amazon. Should they be read in order?
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I would vote for reading them "from the beginning" or you won't really "get" Mallory.
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Yes, Kathy Mallory is quite a different human and probably reading in order will help you see her better. publish for Chalk Girl is January 2012 and July2012 for the paperback.. This is an enormously complex plot.Whew.. and a little girl with a syndrome that I have never heard of.. I am loving it.
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Thanks for the advice...I'll start at the beginning.
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Me too, i hadn't heard of O'Connell, but my library has 17 of her books.
Jean
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For those of you with kindle, a friend told me about a useful feature. In the store, if you are looking at a book in a series, there's something below that says "Extra features". If you click on it, it will tell you what number the book you're looking at is in the series. If you click again, it will list all the books in order, with links to them. If you're like me, and like to read the books in order, you can easily figure out which is the first, or the next, and order it.
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I tried tyhat with "Chalk Girl". It told me that's the tenth in the series, and the first is "Mallery's Oracle". Usually, you can just click on that to get to the "buy page". Here, that didn't work, I had to type it in. But I ordered a sample.
I have so many sample I got from Seniorlearn, I'm scared to look at them. And scared to open my credit card bill to see how many books I bought last month. But it is my only indulgence.
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JoanK, that is so neat. I had never noticed it on my Kindle! You must feel free to add other "Tips" here anytime you wish. I am just a basic "Kindle 101" person, who mostly can't find the information in the manual, which I printed out (143 pgs.)and had 3-hole punched at OfficeMax, or one of those stores. I simply could not find or manage to read the manual that appears on the Kindle itself!
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I read part of the manual when I got the kindle, but ran out of steam. I'm sure there are lots more goodies I don't know.
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I too printed out the manual, punched holes and have it in a three ring binder. It helps when you get stuck..At least if you are me. I can turn to the right pages and then sit the IPAD next to it and work my way through the steps.l I love the printed word in manuals.. Yes, Mallorys Oracle was the first in the series. O'Connell has also written some stand alones. They are all about alienated humans in one shape or another.
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Somewhere along the line I downloaded a PDF version of the Kindle manual, put a short cut on my desktop, and then immediately forgot about it. DUH! Kindle is also on both my computers because it's easier to search (keyboard and bigger screen), but when I needed the manual, the program wouldn't open. Amazon had updated some software. Fixed now.
Just browsing the news and Sunday morning book reviews. I've never heard of Megan Abbott, but it appears she's written a few mysteries. Her latest one is Dare Me: a Novel, with a focus on a high school cheerleading squad. Made me think it was a YA, but after reading the review I don't think so. Has anyone read her?
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Starting a new Miss Julie book. It's kind of silly - after having some jewlery stolen, she takes off to Fla to try to find the crooks, having very superficial evidence that the crooks were even in Fla., let alone knowiing who or where they were. But i like the Miss Julie character, i can "see" and "hear"her clearly as i read, so its entertaining as a before-sleep read.
Jean
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
JEAN: I don't know Miss Julie. Who is the author?
Don't know Megan Abbott, either. But here she is:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/megan-abbott/
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I hadn't heard of Megan Abbott, either, but from looking over her titles and book covers, I
don't think she writes books I would be interested in.
JEAN, I am constantly flabbergasted by stories and TV shows that blithely overlook the
obvious and ignore blatant illegalities and inconsistencies. :o Still watch them, tho'. ;)
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I finished The Chalk Girl.. I loved it, but oh boy, it twisted and turned a wild wild ride. To relax from all that tension, I am reading the second Kate Carlise about the bookbinder..She obviously once wrote romance, since everyone without exception is handsome, beautiful etc. etc. I do wish she would stop that.
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I have read a couple mysteries by Megan Abbott. She writes noir mysteries, and while I love good noir, I didn't care for hers. After the last (The End of Everything), I decided not to read any more books by her. My notes say "Don't care for her writing, repetitive, takes too long to say anything and she tries hard to make the story sound "deep" when it isn't."
Marj
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The Miss Julie series is written by Ann B. Ross. Here's her Fantastic Fiction page. I would suggest reading the series in order, but its not imperative. I think you probably need to start w/ the first one at least, if you can. Miss Julie is a 60 something, proper, Presbyterian lady in N. Carolina - near where Steph is now :).
She frequently has to move out of what she considers "proper" behavior to take care of immediate situations and the story is quite humorous at times as she has to deal w/ people who are not as "proper" as she is.There's an interesting cast of characters around her.
These are the light, fun, easy stories we need to intersperse our heavier reading. By the way, her books are shelved in my library in the fiction section, not in mystery.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/ann-b-ross/
Jean
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GRRR. just lost a long post. I hate it when that happens.
Your "Miss Julia" reminds me of the old "Tish" stories by Mary Roberts Rhinehart. Does anyone else remember them.v Three very proper ladies in the early 1900s who keep having adventures and solving mysteries. They wind up in WWI, capturing a German general. Dated but very fun. I reread them on my kindle.
The first one is called "Tish".
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Thanks for that tip Joan. I just ordered the whole M.R. Rhinehart series on my ipad, for ninety-nine cents!
Jean
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And thank you, Jean, for your tip also. It's been at least 40 years since I read any Mary Roberts Rinehart, and after reading your post I headed over to Amazon to see what they had. Have just downloaded two FREE titles for my Kindle -- Circular Staircase and The Man in Lower 10.
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Oh I loved her stuff and read all of it way long ago. As well as the Tuppence and Tommy series by AGatha.. Both were great fun. Finished the Kate Carlisle last night. I like her plotting, now to figure out how to make her stop with the ohhhhso handsome, so sexy...so stupid.. Darn. A almost good author..
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I, too, Pedln, had just put Mary Roberts Rinehart's Circular Staircase and The Man in Upper Ten on my TBR list after reading these recommendations from an Amazon reader as two of her best. I'd read a couple by her that I could not finish because the logic, or rather the lack thereof, of the stories was so irritating.
Marj
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JEAN, Miss Julie sounds a lot like Miss Marple. Are they very much alike?
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Starting to read "Miss Julie Speaks Her Mind". She is the recent widow of a horrible husband who has her browbeat into believing that she can't do anything but obey his endless commands on how to do everything in her life. GRRRRRRRR! She is gradually and painfully finding herself, in spite of all the people who are trying to move in and tell her what to do. Can't wait to see what she blossoms into!
Of course there is a mystery, too.
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Babi - i've never read Miss Marple, but from what i've seen on tv, there does seem to be a similarity. My impression is that MM has more self-confidence, altho Miss Julie blusters her way through situations giving those around her a belief in her self confidence. Maybe Joan can give you a better comparison.
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I don't see them as similar. Miss marple is a life-long spinster,very quiet, happy with who she is and enjoying observing people and solving little puzzles.
I can't imagine her getting into the situation julie is in. Julie has been browbeaten all her life into thinking she's not good for much and needs others to make decisions and take responsibility for her, by first (I guess) her family, then her husband, now that her husband is gone, others in the community trying to take over that role. At rthe moment, she is realizing that this is the case and she can change it, but of course, it's not going easy. She is blundering around, reacting to events, trying to find her way.
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BABI: you've never read Miss Marple? :( Oh, my, what a treat you have. I suggest "A Murder is Announced"
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I hate to be a "nit-picker", but it is Miss Julia--not Julie. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed this series. The books are light cozy mysteries.
Sally
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Miss Marple in book form is great, but the tv series and the movies make her into some sort of huge busy body.. They used a very large actress in the tv that I saw and that was so silly.. I hate when they change the character to suit the actress.. Stephanie Plum and Katherine Hegl were a good example. Take the blonde of the year.. who cannot act.. Oh Stephanie.. there are so many good character actresses to to do this..And Debbie Reynolds. I like her, but she is not Grandma.
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Oh, I've read all the Miss Marple's I could find. It's Jean who has read Miss Julie (I
haven't) but hasn't read Miss Marple. Thanks for the input, JOAN. The age bracket appears
to be all that links the two, and I do want to try Miss Julie as well.
I have two goodies. I have Carol O'Connell's "Mallory's Oracle", recommended here. And
I'm delighted to say I have a new Anne Perry from the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series.
Just came out this year. ;D
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One of my first jobs many years ago was in a hardware store that also sold books both new and used. The saleslady allowed me to read the books without having to pay for them, if I would return them undamaged. She introduced me to the mystery genre starting with Mickey Spillane's Sam Spade, then Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. I have been a Miss Marple fan ever since. Christie wrote 12 Miss Marple novels and some 20 short stories. They are all good. My favorites would have to be "The Body in the Library," "A Murder is Announced," and "The Moving Finger." I have watched many of the TV productions. Only Joan Hickson's portrayal of Miss Marple comes close to my idea of the Miss Marple in the books. I have enjoyed reading the Hercule Poirot books too. Mickey Spillane's Sam Spade sort of fell by the wayside.
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Sam Spade fell by my wayside, too.
Sorry, BABI, I wronged your Miss Marplehood! :(
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Altho i have liked the other 6 or 8 Miss Jula books i've read before, i won't recommend Miss Julia Strikes Back. It is a series of decisions made by Miss J that no one having any semblance of intelligence would make and in previous books Ross has set up Miss J as a smart woman. So much of the story is unbelievable that it was not enjoyable to read, altho i kept reading ;D skimming much of it.
Jean
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Jean, I'm glad you mentioned downloading the free Mary Roberts Rinehart books. I downloaded many of them from the iPad bookstore and am looking forward to reading them at my leisure. I hadn't checked the bookstore recently and didn't realize so many books had been added.
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I used to read Anne Perry, but got so turned off by what she had done as a teen, that I stopped. Probably silly, but could not bear to help her make money.
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You're forgiven, JOANK. No damage done. ;)
Thanks for the caution about that particular Miss Julia, JEAN. It would have been most
disappointing if I had started with that one. I have no idea which of the Miss Julie books
my library might have.
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Steph, I'm with you on Anne Perry. I doubt I'll ever read any of hers.
Dean, Joan Hickson is my favorite Miss Marple also. I just can't see Geraldine ?? as her, nor that Rutherford/Rutledge woman.
You're in for a treat reading Miss Marple. A favorite is What Mrs. McGillicudy Saw -- has a different title in UK -- The something from Paddington.
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I've just started Murder on the Leviathan by Boris Akunin. The ship is headed for Cairo. On board are Ernst Fandorin and a French detective on the trail of a multiple-murder and theft suspect. The French detective initially considers Fandorin a person of interest. I am not sure, at this point, whether or not the detective has completely ruled Fandorin out as a suspect.
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PEDLN What Mrs. McGillicudy Saw is titled 4:50 from Paddington in the UK. Actually the TV version with Joan Hickson is not bad.
FRYBABE Murder on the Leviathan by Boris Akunin is on hold at the library waiting for me to pick up. I hope its a good read.
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Dean69, this will be my third Ernst Fandorin mystery. I've read The Winter Queen and The Death of Achillies so far. Fandorin is a very interesting character: detective, diplomat, foppish, very intelligent and intuitive, and a keen observer.
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Thanks FRYBABE. Ernst Fandorin sounds like the type of detective I like.
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Yipee! I just found Henning Mankell's The Man from Bejing in my library ebook selection. I am going to have to download that when I have finished the Akunin.
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Starting Rinehart's Circular Staircase, delightful. I've laughed several times already. She also reminded me of a few things: mail delivery more than once a day ( she mentions THREE times in the city. In my little town we had mail delivery twice a day); the electricty goes off at midnight ( i remembered reading about that, never experienced - not quite that old). ;)
One comment that made me chuckle : re: a characters mustache "One never knows why certain men cling to a messy upper lip that must get into things, any more than one understands some women building up their hair on wire atrocities."
Thank you Joan for mentioning her, i AM going have to a lot of reading enjoyment reading thru her books.
Jean
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Thanks, Frybabe, for mentioning Boris Akunin's mysteries that are set in Russia. I really liked his The Winter Queen and have meant to read more.
Marj
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Fandorin is a new name to me. I'll have to see if my library has him.
I heard the story about Anne Perry, and was shocked as you and sTEPH are, PEDLN. But I could
see that the strongest underlying theme of both her major series has been the strong passion
of her characters for justice. The more I read by her, the more convinced I become that,
however mistaken, that teenage crime had it's roots in a belief that it was justice. I know
that is a reach, but from the sense I have of her from her writing, I would say it is a good
possibility. I have to suspect that her friend was being badly abused, and hope I am not
traducing a good woman in my own mind.
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There was no evidence to that.Only evidence the girls were determined not to be separated at any cost and willing to kill to accomplish it.That is what got me..
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I'm reading Mallory's Oracle, and enjoying it very much. Mallory is an unusual character, with
many troubling features. Naturally, I'm hoping she will gradually be more able to relate to others
and soften some of her more piratical aspects.
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Kathy Mallory.. No, Babi, she does not visibly soften, but if you watch the edges?? Plus the other characters are wonderful.
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As i said, i am reading M.R. Rinehart and Miss Innes does remind me of Miss Julia, probably because Miss Julia is such a Victorian woman in many ways. ;). I don't yet know if Miss Innes is a continuing character in a series, but i hope so.
Jeanr
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I think I know what you mean, STEPH. Tiny breakthoughs?
I know of an author named Innes, JEAN, but not a character. Where does this one appear?
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I have just started another Catriona MacPherson 'Dandy Gilver' mystery. This one is set (so far) in the New Town in Edinburgh - Dandy goes undercover as a lady's maid to help the lady herself, who thinks her husband wants to kill her. I'm enjoying it so far. It's called "Dandy Gilver & the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains'. It's set on the eve of the General Strike in the 1930s, and I think it's also going to involve mining communities.
I'll report back...
Rosemary
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I have never seen a MacPherson book in the book stores here.I am reading Celebrity inDeath,, I do love my silly J.D.Robb stuff.. Slumming but fun.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
MacPherson comes from Fife but lives on a farm in Galloway - although I believe that at the moment she is living in the US, as her husband is an academic on sabbatical there.
I have a spare copy of her 'After The Armistice Ball' if you'd like it Steph - happy to post it over to you. They're light reads but interesting.
Rosemary
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If you're looking for Kindle bargains, I just noticed on Amazon that Lena Kaaberbol's The Boy in the Suitcase is available for $1.39. I read my library's copy some time ago and liked it, the best description probably is "tense." Danish Red Cross nurse Nina Borg, helping a friend retrieve a suitcase from a locker, finds that it contains a boy, still alive. This is apparently the first in a series involving Borg as protagonist.
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Rachel Innes is the protagonist in the Mary Roberts Rinehart book Circular Staircase.
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Rosemary, I read "After the Armistice Ball" and also the book you are reading now, and enjoyed them - I like reading books for the setting and times as well as the plot, but I do prefer liking the characters also.
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Yes, I agree nlhome - I like Dandy and her dog, and this makes the story much more appealing to me. I'm sure that's partly why Louise Penny's books are so popular - the characters and the setting. I don't actually think her plots are that good, though they have improved. And I'm sure that PD James's books enjoyed a huge surge of interest when they were televised years ago, because we all fell in love with Roy Marsden, who played Dalgliesh exactly as I had imagined him.
Rosemary
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Hmm, I went to a book signing last winter.. One of the true stories in the book was The Boy in the Suitcase.. Had todo with jews and Hitler and what countries would accept jews before the war.. So there was a real boy in the suitcase. Actually it was a baby,, but still..surprising..
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Ah, yes. I read "Circular Staircase" many, many years ago. I don't remember anything about
it, but the name Rachel Innes must have rung a faint bell somewhere.
So it was actually a babe, STEPH? I can see why a writer might change that to a boy. One
can't interact as well with a baby as a character.
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Not the same story, Steph, as the Kaaberbol book, which is contemporary, set in Denmark and a few other countries.
Now I'm trying to think of the name of that Japanese film that has a child in a suitcase, three or four children abandoned by their mother.
Found it -- Nobody Knows, based on a true story.
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Thanks for reminding me, Pedln. I have Lene Kaaberbol's The Boy in the Suitcase, described as a fast-paced thriller, on my TBR list. I'll move it to the top of the list.
Marj
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Well, I've finished Leviathan. It was okay, but not, IMO, as good as the other two Fandorin's I've read. I think that I didn't care for it as much because it was set up differently than the other two. The progress of the story followed each suspect in the case as well as the French policeman, who was investigating the murders, by giving each at least two chapters over to his or her perspective on the whole affair and to followed their actions. Somehow, I was not surprised at the outcome.
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Yes, the signing I went to was a true story,not fiction..It was about survival during the War for the jews.. Amazing stories and all true. She had four of the survivors or their descendents with her that day.
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Just finished a really good Linda Barnes mystery, Cold Case. Carlotta Carlyle is an ex-cop PI in Boston. I have read a couple of her books, but this one has been the best. Well-written, suspenseful all the way through. A 24 yr old case of the death of a teen-ager who had written a popular first novel with poetry is brought to CC's attention indicating the possibility that the writer is still alive. I like Carlotta, she is adventurous without being irrational and is surrouned by interesting characters. I highly recommend the book.
Jean
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I like Carlotta, too. When not detecting, she is a cab driver, and I suspect if I lived in Boston, I could use the books as a primer of how to avoid traffic jams.
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I'm curious to know if anyone remembers the Penny Parker Mystery Series written by Mildred A. Wirt. ManyBooks.org has the whole lot posted. Wirt wrote the first Nancy Drew books, and the PP books are said to be similar.
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I am reading the BEST cozy, ever. I did a search for the author's name and don't see it so I hope I'm not repeating anybody's post, but I'm reading Death on Tour by Janice Hamrick, and I absolutely love it.
It has rave reviews, and it's funny, enjoyable and also I'm learning a lot about Egypt which I did not know.
She won The Mystery Writers of America First Mystery (it's her first book) prize in 2010 with it, and it's wonderful.
A teacher has saved up after a divorce to go on a 7 day tour of Egypt with her cousin. But at the first stop one of the tourists/ group, an annoying woman, is found dead at the base of a pyramid. I'm only on chapter 3 and already putting it down because it's not that big a book and I hate for it to end, it's GOOD.
Has anybody read it?
As I just came off a 3 day tour (2 days too long) I'm amazed how well she has it pegged, it's just like being on the bus again. If you would like to travel vicariously, this book gives you the perfect experience without having to go. hahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa And Egypt to boot. AND a chance to kill that annoying person that every tour has, vicariously. :)
I hope it's a series. I'm going to see if she's written anything since. Great book, to me, anyway.
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Ginny - I knew I had heard of it somewhere before - here is a link to Lesa Holstine's review of it on her website:
http://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=death+on+tour
I already have it on my TBR list.
Rosemary
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Put it on my lookup list, Ginny.. I like Carlotta and think I have read most of them.. and yes having lived near Boston, her directions are very good..
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Oh, great! (I think.) Two more enticing authors for my list. ::)
We were speaking of Anne Perry recently. I read a line in her current book that really caught
my attention. It is spoken by that remarkable character, Lady Vespasian, and I thought it
revealing. "I admire those who have mastered themelves in order to be where they are, rather than having been handed it by circumstance."
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"Oh, great! (I think.)" I agree. I promised I wouldn't buy any more books this month: I'm waaay over my budget. But i got a sample, and said I won't start reading until next month (Hah!).
Read "The Boy in the Suitcase". It was good. Only trouble was that the two protagonists had the same voice, so I kept loosing track of which one I was following at the minute. And completely lost track of whether I was in Denmark or Lithuania. Kept thinking "I didn't know denmark was so oppressive and shattered --- oh wait, this is Lithuania.
Realized again how little history I know.
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I just read my first Agatha Raisin mystery, Deadly Dance, and it will probably be my last. I think it was her 15th in the series.
Started out well, interesting and humorous. But too quickly it got just plain silly. Also had too many characters, several of which were superfluous IMO. And the characters were inconsistently drawn. Agatha's partner, Emma, started out as an interesting intelligent woman, but soon became a silly old lady who thought young men found her attractive.
I got to around page 100 and could not finish it. Too many good books waiting to be read.
Marj
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Agatha Raisin.. I can take her in very small doses.. Hamish McBeth is the other series she writes and that is better.
I have been dipping in to a Peaches mystery by Elizabeth Daniels Squire, but this one must have been an early one since it is terribly written.. Allsorts of money.. fashion... and stupidity in plotting. Sigh.
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For those of you who like Donna Leon's Inspector Brunetti series, The Jewels of Paradise will be out in October. I am already #4 on the Library's reserve list. Even after 20 or 21 one in this series, I still enjoy Inspector Brunetti as much as ever.
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Thanks Flajean - I also enjoy Brunetti.
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I could never get into Agatha Raisin, either. but I know a lot of people like her.
'
Read the sample of "Murder on Tour" and I'll definately get the book when I end my self-imposed ban on buying books. It reminds me of all the reasons why I avoid tours when I'm traveling.
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Donna Leon's The Jewels of Paradise Is a stand alone. It isn't a Brunetti book.
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I didn't know she wrote any non-Brunetti books - is this a first?
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Yes!
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I suspect that some of our favorite authors get tired of their series characters. Almost all of them seem to do a stand alone now and then.
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I could never stand Agatha Raisin either. ANd with so many good mysteries series (like Donna Leon) around I doubt I ever will another. That Janet Hamrick Death on Tour sounds good too, I think I'll suggest it unread to my f2f mystery group. A teacher protagonist ought to appeal to a group of former educators.
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Thanks for that info Jeriron. I googled it and it sounds really interesting, although I was looking forward to another Inspector Brunetti.
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I had gotten a Margaret Maron e-book, free on Kindle, with main character Sigrid Harald. I totally enjoyed this free book, and will look for more of the Sigrid books. I've read other M. Maron books, but somehow missed this series.
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I'm still reading Death on Tour, am about 1/2 way thru, a bedside table book, and still enjoying it tremendously. I've found two mistakes, so far, proofreading I guess but they are interesting, four chairs instead of 2 and something about a verb, but that's all.
It REALLY makes you want to see these foreign climes, of course this was written in 2010 before the Arab Spring. I am REALLY learning a lot about Egypt.. :) It makes me want to read A Passage to India again. Lots of humor too.
I personally never figure out who dun it, never, ever, so nothing is obvious to me as it might be to those of you who read a lot of mysteries. The only book I ever figured out who dun it (well, two really) was Gentlemen and Players (which I have to say WAS a stroke of genius) and after a lot of sweat, grumbling, and muttering, Christmas Crimes at Puzzel Manor which he never tells the answer to.
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Went to the library yesterday, and got the new Susan Albert book "Cats Claw". The plant theme is about plants with thorns that stick to you and won't let you go. Waiting to see the tie-in to the plot.
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Read Margaret Maron's Rituals of the Season, Judge Knott series, in two days. It was out of sequence for me. I had missed this one in which - SPOILER ALERT - Dwight and Judge get married at Christmas time. It had a lot of "family activity" in it. Sometimes that has seemed too much for me, keeping track of all the brothers and SILs and aunts and uncles, but it fit right in w/ the story for me this time.
Jean
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Maron did a few Sigrid books and then launched Judge Knott. I loved the Sigrid books, but she sort f painted herself into a corner. I have not read it, but the new Judge Knott and Sigrid meet up.. Sounds interesting..
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I absolutely adore the Judge Deborah Knott series, and now am reading number 13 of about 17 or 18 books thus far. I buy them and read them and pass them on to my namesake granddaughter, who always loves to read the same books I love. I have not read any non-Judge Knott books that Maron has written; but I probably will.
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Three-Day Town -- or something like that -- the Margaret Maron where Deborah and Sigrid Harold meet up. I read it a few months ago, enjoyed it -- it was all very believable. Again more family connections. Deborah and Sigrid are not related, but have family links that connect them.
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Oh fun.. Maron is a clever writer. I have recently begun to understand that TheBallad of Frankie Silver that Sharon McCrumb wrote is about the very area I am living.. Frankie Silver was real and had a daughter who lived , married and has kin in the area. How neat.. McCrumb is also a big favorite of mine.
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I asked this question before, but we didn't really talk about it, what is the allure of the Carolians? The area appears to attract writers to live there and it attracts writers to using it as an environment for the setting of their books. Of course the area has many diverse cultures in them - the beach, the academic triangle, the crafts, Appalachia, the islands, small towns. But those are in other places in the country also.
I can think of 6, Maron, Ross (Miss Julia), Conroy, Frank, Malone, McCrumb. I'm sure you all can add others. Is there something about the area and the way it's written about that calls us to "home" - or at least the fantasy home that we might crave, small town, loving families, beach life, mountain life, artistic people making beautiful crafts for hundreds of years? I think it's an intriguing question?
Jean
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"Nothin' could be finah than to be in Carolina in the mor-or-or-nin'!"
Not murder mysteries, but Joan Medlicott's ten (10!) "Covington" books are lovely Carolina immersions, and relate deeply to our sex and age.
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| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
McCrumb writes of Norah Bonesteel and Spencer (the sheriff) and the legends of the mountains with such love and understanding. Possibly that is part of the southern writers appeal. They seem to love their area and have such passion for it.
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I know I've read even more Carolina authors, but can't think of them offhand.
Just realized two of the library books I got I've already read. Sigh.
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Not mysteries, but GREAT Carolina books:
http://www.joanmedlicott.com/
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Oh yes Mary, I like those - even though I do feel a tad jealous of people into whose hands large country properties seem to fall like snowflakes from the sky :)
Rosemary
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I agree Rosemary,, Manna fromheaven.. But it gives the books a framework.Just finished a Kathy Reichs.. This one was totally in North Carolina and focused on NASCAR racing which is a foreign place for me.
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Just started John Grisham's "The Litigators", which I believe was recommended here. I think
I'm really going to enjoy this book. Right up front, the two protagonists are the material of
caricature. I think it's going to be a fun read.
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I recommended Grisham's The Litigators. Loved it!
Grisham has a new one coming out in October, THE RACKETEER. It sounds good, but I'll wait for the reviews.
Marge
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I recommeneded it too, Marj, :D, but probably heard it from you first. Babi, I think y ou will enjoy this one. I didn't want to put it down.
Last night I started watching the DVD of his Rainmaker, but kept falling asleep. Maybe tonight will be different.
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Way behind on my reading at the moment. had to cancel 3 books that the library holding for me. Trying to plan a trip so that can get lot done in just 2 weeks.
Keeping a list on some that are being recommended above.
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Me too Jeanne. I just came home from the library w/ out any books, i think that's a first, but i took back six and still have eight books on my pile! I was very proud of my restraint. :D
Jean
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I have ordered so many on line for the Library that I just went in and sorted them out and suspended some into Sept and Oct. Now I do have some that have a long waiting list. Mostly new books just out. Never use to be so many people into the library on line but now people have really caught on. Specially on the DVD. Library get them as soon as they come out and within a couple days lots people have their name down. Names go pretty fast.
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PEDLN, there are times when the best thing a book can do for me is put me to sleep.
JEANNE, do you mean people go into the library and read the books on-line there? But it
might take days to finish a book! I must not be understanding how this works.
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Babi, our library has lendable book in eform.. You download something into your computer or ipad, etc and the then ask for the book and it will download into your machine. I think for a set amount of time, but not sure on how long it is.
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Ah, thank you, STEPH. So far, I find I still prefer to read my books the old-fashined way, but
who knows what the future may hold. :)
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Babi, our library has lendable book in eform.. You download something into your computer or ipad, etc and the then ask for the book and it will download into your machine. I think for a set amount of time, but not sure on how long it is.
For our library's consortium that handles the ebooks, I downloaded Adobe Digital Editions software (free)to a computer for use with my Nookcolor. Then I go to that ebook site and login with my library card no. I can then either download a max of 2 ebooks (or I can get on the WL, too). I download to the Adobe Digital Editions software on my laptop. From there I connect a USB cord between my Nookcolor and my laptop and I move the book onto my ereader. I assume the Kindle version works somewhat the same.
In this consortium, the loan period is two weeks. I can return a book sooner than that. After two weeks, it does a "mission impossible" and is no longer available on my laptop. (Don't ask me how that works. I've never waited that long. I usually download what I want and then just keep it on my Nookcolor and return the digital edition to the ebook "library." IF I were to hook my Nookcolor back up to my laptop (after I'd returned the digital version to the library), the one on my Nookcolor would also disappear.
jane
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Jane, if you have moved the book to your Nook, will it stay there forever, or will it disappear when the elibrary book is due and disappears from your computer. I don't understand how the Library could get into your Nook.
I've never hooked up my Kindle to my computer, and have not yet had a chance to try any elibrary books.
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Pedln, I don't hook my kindle to the computer, either. Books from the library appear just like the ones I buy. We get emails from the library telling us the loan is about to expire. After that time is up, the next time you hookup to the amazon Ethernet, the book will disappear from your device. BUT, as long as that feature is turned off, the book will stay in the kindle. It's like you have the book in your purse, and it doesn't go back home until you open your purse. I only have the kindle hooked up when I'm actually downloading something. Otherwise, that's turned off.
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Babi.
No I meant to say that many like me just go on our home computers. Into the library site and find what we need and order it from home. Great system.
My problem is that I have the site up as I am reading what people have read and recommended here. So I just flip over to the Library. Check if they have it and put a hold on it if I think I want to read it.
That is why I had so many on the list and so I went through them and either cancelled some or put then on suspension to a later date.
Now I have to stop as I have some ordered going clear up to October.
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I had read most all of the Book written by Beverly Lewis. The Writer on the Amish. Must have missed the one on the Last series called "The Telling" That is what I am reading at the moment. Fast read. Always enjoy her books. Not seen if she is still writing in the Series.
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My library is way behind the cvurve. Can't even order books, much less download them. But I tell myself it does me good to go to the library every two weeks. I see things I would never think to look for online.
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I agree Joan - we can access the catalogue on-line and I do order things occasionally, but I also really enjoy going into the library building and browsing - I come across all sorts of things there that I would never have thought of. I also enjoy chatting to the staff when they're not busy - our little branch libraries are best for that.
Rosemary
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Pedln...it's like Mary explained with the Kindle. She's using the ethernet/cloud or whatever thing. I'm using Adobe Editions on a laptop. As long as I don't connect the Nookcolor to the computer, the book is on my Nookcolor. I lose it, when I connect to the Adobe Editions to drag the newest book I've downloaded to my Nookcolor. As Mary says, when she connects again, she loses it on her Kindle. Same deal...if you don't connect to whatever the "download thing" is, then you have the book, since, as you say, the library system can't get into your ereader...at least theoretically. ;D
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So in theory you could keep and READ an overdue book?
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Yep, pedln
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Our library has the e-book as well as the audio that can be downloaded from home. And physical books can be requested on line, but people have to go in to pick them up, they can specify the closest branch for the pick-up. However, a lot of people still go in person to browse, to find out what's happening in the community, and to read magazines and newspapers. The reading room still gets enough business that we have to replace the chairs in it. I suspect some people may read books - after all, it's a comfortable, warm place to be, downtown. And of course, people go to use the computers, either because they don't have a computer at home or more likely can't afford a fast internet connection. Some people can't get a fast connection yet, either.
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I sync my IPAD and my computer once a month at home. Have not been doing it up here with my laptop. But I do like to know that everything on the IPAD is safely tucked away in my pc as well..
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Oh, dear, JANE. Sounds alarmingly complicated. Of course, with your technical skills it's
probably no more trouble than scrambling some eggs would be for me. I'm getting too lazy to
work at aqcuiring new ones, and checking out books is so-0-0-0 easy!
Ah, that seems simpler, JEANNE. I can see, tho', how easy it would be to get carried away
have too many on the list. I have found it convenient in ordering from Netflix, that if I
discover I don't like the first of a series, I can easily go back and cancel the rest of the
series with a couple of clicks.
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Babi...as with anything, the first time is "complicated" as any first time thing seems to be to me.
The library here gives you a sheet with step by step instructions. Apparently it works well for the number of "digital" checkouts by our own little library here numbers close to 100 a month now. So, it's something people have obviously mastered.
Pedln...yes, as Mary said. The 'digital' edition is back at the source, so it can be loaned out again, but you've got your copy as long as you don't reconnect to your "source."
We're to break temp high records today; temp is expected to be in very high 90s. Lots of schools will be letting out 2 hours early...after lunch, I suspect.
jane
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Started reading a very current J.P.Jance. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Beaumont. Interesting thus far.. But hard , since the plot is hinging on a snuff film.
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Interesting web site on Wiki.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detective_fiction
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Thanks, Jeriron.
Steph, Beaumont -- he's the Seattle guy? What is a "snuff film?"
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Great article Jeriron. I have thought at times that i'd like to read more mysteries that do not involve murders but rather "puzzles". Maybe i just haven't come across those authors. Pat Conroy's Prince of Tides had that kind of story altho it's not considered a "mystery."
Can you suggest some?
Jean
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A snuff film is similar to pornography, only it is violence multiplied and the victim actually gets murdered (or snuffed). Awful stuff, and i can't imagine why anyone would want to see something like that.
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Mabel
Sorry can't help you out on that. I have no idea what a "puzzle" mystery would be.
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Jean, how about the #1 Lady's Detective Agency books by Alenander McCall Smith? Not all of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries include murder. Here a list from the LA Public Library: http://www.lapl.org/LAPLreads/bookList.php?id=51
Notice that there is a Christmas mystery among the list. Also, Edgar Allen Poe and Dorothy Sayres made the lists. Here is another list compiled by the Morton Grove Library: http://www.webrary.org/rs/flbklists/mystnomurder11.html I read Shadow of the Wind and enjoyed it very much.
Others I've seen listed here and there: The Dante Club, by Matthew Pearl, Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco, Ex-libris, by Ross King, The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova, A Conspiracy of Paper, by David Liss, My Name is Red, by Orhan Pamuk.
If you like lots of literary puns and surreal atmosphere there is the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fford.
Oh, I just thought of Carol Goodman's books and one called The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards. The latter is good but not as good as Carol Goodman's books, and I noted lots of people said it wasn't as good as her first, The Memory-keeper's Daughter. Still, it is interesting as the heroine sifts through forgotten family history and finds ties to the early women's sufferage movement.
I hope this helps Jean. There have to be some treasure hunt type books out there that don't involve murder although I can't think of any right now.
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The all time king of puzzle mysteries is the aptly titled The Christmas Crimes at Puzzel Manor by Simon Brett.
I can't recall if there is a murder or not or even more but if there are, you don't notice them, they are Agatha Christie like, so intent is the reader upon solving the puzzle which ends each chapter, the solution of which gives an important clue to the mystery. Puzzel in the title is done deliberately. All the puzzles are different types of puzzle, and very ingenious, and it becomes a game of wit between the author and the reader.
It's tremendous fun and especially fun to do with a friend, as a contest to see who can "get" each one.
But at the end the last puzzle is a real challenge and the author doesn't solve it, at all, depending on the reader to finally make the connection. This frustrates some people, it did me for a long time till I finally figured it out after a couple of years of not thinking about it, believe it or not.
It's a hoot if you like different types of puzzles and Christmas mysteries. Not a new book but a keeper.
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Hmm, most mysteries do include death in one form or another.. Not sure I would like one that didnt.
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Me either Steph. I guess that's why I couldn't name one.
I bought the set of Inspector Montalbano DVDs. They are in Italian with English Subtitles. I am really enjoying them. they are from the novels by Andrea Camilleri. They take place in a fictional town of Vigata but are filmed in Ragusa and Punta Sicca on the Sicilian coast . My Maternal Grandparents came from Corleone, Yes the same one from the Godfather films. The mannerism and the fast speaking etc. is what really makes me enjoy the films I'm picking up words in Italian that I remember hearing growing up.. Although it's a mystery show it really is funny in parts. I've never read the books.
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I do enjoy puzzles, GINNY. I'd like to try out the Simon Brett book. But...even
if you come up with a solution, how can you be sure it's correct?
There's always Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mysteries, STEPH. Those did not always include
a death, but figuring out who-dun-it -and- how is fun even if you're talking about something
stolen.
I've started reading "Keeper of Lost Causes". I like it! My thanks to whomever recommended
it.
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:) Because THEN it all fits into place, Babi. Like a true puzzle. Man is a genius but that game he plays with the readers does not suit some. I love it and as soon as I forget the answers (which doesn't take long) I reread it. hahahaa
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
A new Louise Penny has just come out: "A Beautiful Mystery". I ordered a sample for my kindle.
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Steph, what's the name of the new JPBeaumont you just read?
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Of course. I should have realized that, shouldn't I, GINNY? When the perfect solution falls in place, when the absolutely
only possible correct answer to the crossword clue arises, why, of course you know it with perfect conviction. 8) ;)
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Simon Brett..now that is an alias for someone who wrote under maybe five different names. It will come to me.. But I think that at least one of his alias wrote locked room type.. I love them.. I just finished a John
Sanford..not the Lucas, but the other detective.. It had a very very nice twist about how a bomb got somewhere odd.
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I don't know what other names Simon Brett may have used. Some years ago, I taught a program on Senior Sleuths (over 60) and found Simon Brett's Mrs. Pargeter series a delight. Mrs. Pargeter is the widow of a thief. He has left her well off financially and his many friends/ associates are at her service. Mrs. Pargeter does not deal in anything illegal, but if she needs help, she is not above calling on Mr. Pargeter's friends for assistance. I think there were five or six books in the series.
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My husband and I read all of the Mrs. Pargeter series and really enjoyed them.
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Oh I had forgotten the Pargeter. Loved it. When you look up Simon Brett, he's alive, apparently 67, and quite handsome and is that a twinkle in his eye? From Surrey, England. An Oxford graduate. Apparently he writes for TV too./
They have quite a list of his books. I'd like to try another one (Have read all the Pargeter). He seemed for a while to be quite interested in the theater.
His website is charming in his allusion to a wood carver by the same name: http://www.simonbrett.com/
It doesn't say he has a pen name but another site might. he mentions the "Fethering" series; I think I read one and enjoyed it. Check this out, it must be new, I have never heard of Blotto and Twinks, but it sounds great fun:
Due to financial hardships at Tawcester Towers, the Dowager Duchess has decreed that the only way the family fortunes can be restored is to marry Blotto off... to an American! So begins the fourth adventure in the Blotto and Twinks series, and this time the aristocratic sleuthing siblings end up being transported across the Pond to the gangster-ridden hell-hole that is Prohibition Chicago. Reluctantly, Blotto, together with Twinks and his trusty chauffeur Corky Froggett set sail on ocean liner S/S His Majesty. He feels like a condemned man as awaiting him in Illinois is fabulously wealthy heiress Mary Chapstick, the only daughter of meat-packing magnate Hiram P. Chapstick III. But it's Twinks who discovers early on that all is not as it seems and that Hiram P. Chapstick III is in fact up to his neck in a bootlegging operation run....
It sounds like Bertie Wooster and Jeeves, I may see if any of this series are available here.
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Mrs Pargeter sounds great. According to FF, the first in the series is "A Nice Class of Corpse."
Dean: sounds like a wonderful program. Who (whom?) else did you include? I hope Mrs. Polifax was there, although technically, she's a spy, not a detective.
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Jean - that is such a great idea for a course! I will suggest it to my library lady for the new book group - getting a bit frustrated at the moment, and she seems to want to turn it into the standard 'we all read a book and then discuss it' thing (of which there are already dozens in this area), whereas I thought we'd agreed to have themed meetings and just to talk about books, rather than all focus on the same one. hey ho!
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Don't forget Dorothy Gilman and her Mrs. Pollifax.
Also Charlotte MacLeod. Her mysteries were so funny.
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Charlotte McCloud.. Hmm. she wrote or writes two different series. I love the Max one, bu tnot so much the one at the ag college
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I checked out Simon Brett on Fantastic Fiction. He has been an amazingly prolific author, including drama and non-fiction, but nothing is listed under an alternative name.
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I did not distinguish between detective and spy. And yes I included Dorothy Gilman’s Mrs. Polifax. Also both of Agatha Christie’s aging sleuths, Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot were included. I had a list of about 65 senior sleuths from which to choose such as: Peter Abresch’s Elderhostel sleuths Jim Dandy and Dodee Swisher, Nancy Bell’s Biggie Weatherford, D. B. Borton’s Cat Caliban, Jeanne Dams’ Dorothy Martin, Anne George’s Patricia Anne Hollowell and Mary Alice Crane, Sherry Lewis’s Fred Vickery, Carolyn Hart’s Henrietta O’Dwyer Collins (Henrie “O”) and Elliott Roosevelt’s Eleanor Roosevelt. I discovered Charlotte MacLeod's Peter Shandy later especially enjoyed "Rest You Merry.
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Good list! I hadn't thought of Anne George and her Southern Sisters books for awhile. Since my sister is visiting, maybe it's time to revisit them. (Hmmm which sister am I?)
i'm only familiar with about half of those. So many mysteries, so little time!
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Golly, I hadn't heard of any of them :o As you say Joan, so little time....
A British one that I like is Hazel Holt. Her amateur sleuth is Sheila Malory, and needless to say, everything takes place in an English village...
Rosemary
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Hazel Holt's Sheila Malory was on my list. Love her books. As I remember, Sheila Malory is a writer of literary criticism in Taviscombe, England.
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No, I checked out Simon Brett and he is not the author who had so many books under so many different names.. Thought he was, but Oh well.. Just finished another Sneaky Pie and Harry Mysteries.This one was a tad medical. Makes you wonder who had breast cancer, since Rita Mae loves to write about her life and what is happenig.
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Would you believe?: a South African writer, Mrs. Mary Faulkner, who wrote 904 books under six pen names. Lauren Paine, mostly Western paperbacks, 850+ books. Perhaps you were thinking of
Georges Simenon, STEPH. He wrote over 500 books, over 300 of them under 17 pen names.
(Amazing what can be found on-line.)
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Dean, yes, I'm sure that's what Sheila Malory does, although I haven't read one for a while. And did you know that Hazel Holt is Barbara Pym's literary executor? They were close friends for many years and worked together.
Rosemary
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I thought Charlotte MacLeod's "REST YOU MERRY" was one of the most enjoyable books I ever read. Period. I still hug myself with delight when I think of it.
I think you have to have a lot of English blood, as do I, and a good sense of the ridiculous to love that book as much as I did.
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And isn't Hazel Holt the mother of Tom Holt who wrote the two sequels to Mapp and Lucia? I seem to remember on one of the Benson Society's notes that he wrote them at her request. He was good, too, he should not have stopped.
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Rosemary: No, I did not know Hazel Holt was Barbara Pym's literary executor. What a marvelous friendship that must have been. I just read Barbara Pym's "Quartet in Autumn" last month. Read "Excellent Women" a few years back as a book club selection. Enjoyed both.
Ginny: I did not know of the mother/son relationship of Hazel Holt and Tom Holt. Obviously literary talent runs in the family
MaryPage: If you liked Charlotte MacLeod's "Rest You Merry" try "Exit the Milkman." It is almost as good.
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Dean - earlier this year I attended the Barbara Pym Society conference at Harvard, and we were shown some wonderful film of Hazel and Barbara's sister Hilary chatting about Barbara shortly after her death. Hazel was immensely glamorous and v upper class. We were then shown some recent film of Hilary in her Devon home, talking again about Barbara. It was a bit of a shock to see how much she had aged - made us all gasp at the thought of our own mortality I think! - but she was still completely 'on the ball' and very interesting.
Rosemary
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I have been reading an old Margaret Maron of Sigrid.. Amazing how her writing style has matured over the years. Sigid is a pale pale character when you think of the Judge.. Hmm.
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Love Charlotte MacLeod, and "Rest You Merry". I don't believe I've read "Exit the Milkman", so I
appreciate the tip. I'm also greatly enjoying "Keeper of Lost Causes". Carl Morck is a very complicated
character; I'm constantly having to readjust my view of him.
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Dean, thanks for posting that list. I think you're about ready to make me break my vow of not buying any more books for a while. It's been years since I read a Peter Abresch (JIm Dand) and Anne George (Southern Sisters)
I'd love to take a class on Senior Sleuths, or, as someone was wishing here (you, JOanK?), have a themed discusssion for f2f groups, rather than everyone reading the same book.
I don't think I could name 65 Senior Sleuths, but dean, did you by any chance include Patricia Sprinkle (Maclaren Yarbrough -- thoroughly Southern mysteries). I've only read one in that series, though there are about 10 -- When Did We Lose Harriet?. But what i've kept for years is Sprinkle's article in Presbyterians Today -- "What Have You Learned Lately?" -- about never being too old to master something new.
We sat on his front porch overlooking his newly mown fields. "I didn't know you rolled your own hay," I said, "I thought you baled it." . . . . .
"Always did, until this fall. But I decided to try rolling it, and I liked it better than baling. Wish I'd tried it sooner." . . . . That was the year he was 91. He went up in a hot air balloon on his 90th birthday. At 88 he took his first plane flight -- from Georgia to Hawaii because his wife wanted to see an orchid show. He grew older, but he never grew old.
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I don't find Patricia Sprinkle on my list. However, I must have included her in my presentation because the setting for the MacLaren Yarbrough stories is in the area of Georgia where I was born--I would not have omitted that fact. I have read all of the MacLaren Yarbrough books, I think there are ten in the series, but none of Sprinkle's other books. I had help from a very friendly librarian (don't you love them) and the web site Stop Your Killing Me in finding this list.
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"I had help from a very friendly librarian (don't you love them)" You bet: they're my heroines. My mother was a VFL and met my father that way.
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Sprinkle writes a wide variety of books. I have read MacLaren, but also some of her other heroines. One of them is the daughter of a diplomat and now lives in the south.. All in all an interesting writer.
I would love an elder hostel on senior sleuths.. Hmm, wonder if they have a suggestion box.
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I'm sure I've read Patricia Sprinkle, but it must have been a good while ago as I don't remember the
book(s). I'll have to pick up another and see how I like them now.
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Joan K How romantic, your mother meeting your father in the library.
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I have read every book Charlotte MacLeod has written, and love her sense of humor and intricate plots.
When a writer entertains me as joyfully as she, I take the trouble to find all of that author's books and read them. This habit has enriched the hours of my life immeasurably.
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I've just read the first of Mary R.Rinehart's mysteries from a collection that was free for the Kindle on Amazon. (i have it on the ipad) It held up very nicely for a book written at the beginning of the 20th century. In fact that may have made it more entertaining. It wasn't compelling reading. I could pick it up and put it down at intervals, but i enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of them.
Jean
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I have the same collection. i'll have to read some more.
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I finished "Keeper of Lost Causes" and highly recommend it. Unfortunately, while "The Litigators"
amused me at first, and much as I sympathized with the character who jumped ship on the big soul-
killing firm, the continuous dollar-chasing and sleaze wore me down. Got tired of the whole thing.
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Found a Sarah Shaber I had not read.. So started that one.. The Professor is about to leap into helping a convict prove innocence or guilt..
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I'd never heard of Sarah Shaber, Steph. But her Louise's War sounds good. I'll give it a try.
I'm reading a good one from one of my favorite thriller authors, David Baldacci. About a government hit man with a conscience. If you can swallow that (and it's such a page turner, i had no problem with it). The people he's sent to nail are usually bad guys. But this time, he is sent to get rid of a government employee who turns out to be a woman with two young children. He refuses to kill her, and then becomes a target himself from his own people. It sure has kept me interested enough that I've almost forgotten this yucky hot weather.
Marj
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Finished The Circular Staircase by Mary R. Rinehart. My previous post about it is still accurate, except i would say that it is overly long compared to a lot of present day mysteries. She does a lot of repeating the questions of the mystery and recounting what is known, keeping the reader up-to-date. Otherwise as i said, some of the early 20th century idiocyncrises are rather quaint and she has some good humor, very similar to the Miss Julia character.
Jean
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Found this info in a Goodread review of The Circular Staircase.......
"Although her name may not resonate with the public today as much as it did a century ago, Mary Roberts Rinehart has most certainly left her mark on modern-day fiction. The originator of the so-called "Had I But Known" school of detective writing, Rinehart was, for many years, the most highly paid and popular female novelist in America. Her second novel (but first to be published), "The Circular Staircase," which was released in 1908, when Mary was 32, featured a relatively new kind of crime solver, a no-nonsense spinster in long skirts and with an abiding curiosity; though certainly not the first lady detective, the character, Rachel Innes, certainly helped pave the way for many others (the website Wikipedia currently has a list of almost 400 fictional female sleuths!). "The Circular Staircase" has been turned into a film on three occasions, and in 1920 was transformed into a play, written by Rinehart and Avery Hopwood, called "The Bat"; Batman creator Bob Kane has admitted that the Bat character was an inspiration for him. Want more? Roberts' 1930 novel "The Door" is thought to be the source for "the butler doing it." (Perhaps I should add here that the classic 1946 film "The Spiral Staircase" is in no way related to Rinehart's book, but was rather based on Ethel Lina White's 1933 novel "Some Must Watch.") Despite these influences and past fame, however, Rinehart was an unknown quantity to this reader, until I happened to read a very laudatory article on "The Circular Staircase" in the overview volume "Crime & Mystery: The 100 Best Books," in which author H.R.F. Keating sings its praises. Fortunately, Rinehart's classic (in addition to the author's first novel, 1906's "The Man In Lower Ten") is in print today to entertain still another generation of readers.
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I read her when a teen.. Possibly my first mysterieis other than Nancy Drew. She did some interesting things, although when I reread them, they move quite slowly. Still good though.
Sarah Shaber is fun. Her little professor is a hoot.. An interesting man indeed. When a student would have loved that sort of professor.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
What's the title on that Baldacci book, MARJ? I'd like to read a book about a hit
man with limits. And what government does he purportedly work for? I may be naive, but
I revolt at the idea of the American government murdering one of it's own employees,
and a mother of two young children. Arrest her, if she's done something treasonable.
Back her up, if she's simply found something criminal about someone in power. (Okay,
yes, I suppose I am naive.)
I enjoyed "The Circular Staircase" when I first read it, JEAN. It's very dated now, but
those who simply want to enjoy the century old ambience can find it there. And thanks for
posting that review. I once confused the two titles, and was wholly at a loss.
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Babi, The David Baldacci book I'm reading and liking, is THE INNOCENT. The main character is described as a "free-lance hit man for the U. S. Government." And whether it's the American Government or someone else who wanted the woman killed is what he's trying to find out.
My favorite books by Baldacci are his Camel Club series. I love this group of four eccentric old "senior citizen" guys who formerly worked for the government. Each has his own special experience or brilliance and together they formed themselves into a group they call the Camel Club, and their conspiracy theories are meant to watch for and catch people who are out to do harm to the country. But, by poking their noses into what they believe are serious threats, they get themselves in serious trouble. If you decide you might like to try it, it's best to read them in order, starting with The Camel Club.
Marj
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Steph, do the Shaber books have to be read in order?
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Here are the Shaber books in order:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/sarah-r-shaber/
I ordered "Simon Said", the first Professor Shaw book for my kindle. Only $2.99 and won the Malice Domestic award for first traditional mystery. Sounds like a good bet.
There was a pretty active chapter of malice domestic in the DC suburbs when I lived there, but I was never able to go to their meetings. have any of you gone?
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The Camel Club books sound interesting. I'll have to check thse out.
Jean
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Thanks, MARJ. Yes, I have read a couple of the Camel Club books (starting at the beginning!)
and enjoyed them very much. I'll put "The Innocent" on my list.
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Yes, I think that Shaber needs to be read in order..Simon is quite a character and his female problems are a hoot.. Just now he is high around Boone where his fathers family has always lived and he has a real touch with certain types of characters..
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Thanks JoanK for the link to the Shaber books. The reviews of Simon Said sound really good -- "a great cozy for a lazy Sunday afternoon."
Best I check my library first -- must not buy any more books for a while, and it's so easy with a Kindle. I know it's not any more than a cup of coffee, but . . . .
And I have to buy Linda Castillo's Sworn to Silence because my f2f group is reading it for October. Kate Burkholder is the Chief of Police in Ohio's Amish Country. She grew up Amish, but did not join the adult church. I don't know if this is first in the series or not.
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Oh! Darn! The Shaber books do look interesting too. Another author for the TBR list. :-[
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I am currently reading Darling Dahlias and the Naked Ladies, about 2/3 of the way through and am beginning to find it a little silly. It's a little "too much". This may be my last Albert book!
Sally
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Sally - I haven't read that one, and I did enjoy the one that I read, but I know what you mean about this kind of series - they can easily get too much. I started to feel like that about Aurora Teagarden after the first few books.
I've just finished Catriona MacPherson's 'Dandy Gilver & the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains' (I know, it's taken me a ridiculous amount of time - it's not a long book or a difficult read, I've just had so many other things going on) - enjoyed it, especially the details about the General Strike and the miners.
Rosemary
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Now, PEDLN, you know you don't have to buy a book for the f2f club. Get a library copy, make any notes you wish
to, and return it when you're done. Can't let the club submerge you in book you would not otherwise have bought. :)
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Rosemary,, the Aurora books are the silliest ones that Charlaine Harris wrote. She did a wonderful short series ( six, I think) call titled Shakespeare....something.. for each on. Now there is a non cozy heroine. The amish book sounds good, must go and look it up.
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Rosemary, I felt the same way about the Aurora Teagarden series!
Sally
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Found an early Bruce Alexander I had never read.. A Watery Grave. He does excellent research, so it is providing me with the British navy at an early period.. Interesting. and Jeremy is younger of course than the later ones.
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The amish book sounds good, must go and look it up.
Steph, the Linda Castillo Sworn to Silence is absorbing, and I'm enjoying (?) it, but there are scenes that are GRUESOME, GRUESOME, GRUESOME. I normally leave serial murder titles untouched.
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Hmm, I will try to find it in a book store first, so I can test the waters. I like serial killers, but not the ones that dwell on the horrible stuff.
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;D STEPH, would you like to rephrase that remark about "I like serial killers..." ;)
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Hmmm, since I think I have never met one, it should be.. I like books about serial killers.. But only the ones that dont dwell on obscenities.. I love John Sandford.. as an example.
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Totally with you on that one, STEPH. I realize that some use of obscenity is necessary reality, but there seems to be
some authors who think an obscenity in every sentence is proof of how avant-garde they are. And those who like to take
gory descriptions to revolting lengths are doing the same with the shock factor, imo.
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I am reading a book that i think i downloaded from Amazon - freeby. A Shot in the Bark ( A Dog Park mystery) by Susan Newsome. I guess that means there is a series. I downloaded it primarily to send a link to a friend who will read anything that has a dog character in it. She and DH and two dogs frequent several dog parks in the area, so i thought she might like it.
It's not compelling, but a nice read.
Jean
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Sometimes a 'nice read' is all you need.
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Some years ago MDH and our dogs and I went to a dog park every day at 5pm..We met about a dozen other people and their dogs each day. It was great fun,watching the dogs make friends.. One of our corgi and a
Rhodesian Ridgeback became best friends, even though he did not even come up to her knee. We all loved seeing each other and the dogs.. Got ruined when a younger group with extremely rude and aggressivedogs started coming and all of us older folk ended up stopping..Sad.
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Steph, you might enjoy the book, here's the Amazon site! It's also a serial killer story!
http://www.amazon.com/Shot-Bark-Park-Mystery-ebook/dp/B005KQ5C2K
Here are the reviews
http://www.amazon.com/Shot-Bark-Park-Mystery-ebook/product-reviews/B005KQ5C2K
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When I go on IPAD later, will downoad the book..Sounds like fun.. The Rhodesians Mom and I wanted to do a childs book on the dog park.She was a talented artist and was skeching Winda ( her dog) and Dudley ( ours).They were so funny.. If we threw a ball, she would start to race, then slow down and match Dudleys pace and let him win.He would get so excited, barking and dancing and she would sit down and watch him..It was a real love match.
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My brilliant daughter fixed my keyboard. Haven't been able to type for a week. But now, I'm back.
I think CJ Box is getting too far out for me, with his survivalist, government conspiracy stuff.
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Have I mentioned that I'm reading another of Carol O'Connell's 'Mallory' books? Mallory is brilliant, but she is also
extremely defensive and a 'loner'. If she had not had the love and example of her foster mother I suspect she would
be a full-blown sociopath.
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Finished James Patterson's 9th Judgement, a women's murder club mystery. He "wrote it" with a partner, as he did sev'l of the later books. As we've said here before, he can't possibly be writing all these books. This was the least interesting of the nine that i've read. Again, as we've said here before, series books often become less well-written in the latter books.
It was also very gruesome, killing "women and children", the killer was angry at a woman suicide bomber who killed his friend in Afghanistan. As with tv shows and movies, producers seem to think they have to get uglier and more violent in order to hold our attention. That doesn't happen to be true for me. I enjoyed the M.R. Richardson book from 1906, who merely said someone had been killed by a gunshot and didn't describe the body at all, as much as many mysteries i have read in the 21st century.
Jean
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I really enjoyed the Scarpetta books by Patricia Cornwell,but I find I can't sit down and read 2 or 3 of them without depressing myself. They can be SO graphic,and it makes me sad and afraid to think of what humans are capable of. I very much agree with the last post- the Sherlock Holmes stories are always a good read, and not so graphic.
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It's great to be back, after my computer grounded me for a week. That didn't stop me from reading mysteries, though. read one on Professoe Shaw that was recommended here and liked it a lot. Again, it was gentler than some.
And you all also recommended Simon Brett. I've tried two of his series, Mrs Pargeter, the widow of a thief, who is honest, but has all the right connections. And another series about a small town -- lacks the punch of the other, but I'll give it a try.
Welcome, LORAC! We seem to be in all the same discussions (great minds think alike!).
If we mention an author, and you don't know what we're talking about, ask. And "Fantastic Fiction", or "Stop, you're Killing Me" link in the heading will give you the names of their books in order,
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I also got a new book by an author I used to like: Perri O'Shaughnessey (sp.) The detective is a lawyer in Lake Tahoe. Unfortunately, her personal life has gotten so complicated, it's taken over the plot from the legal and detective stuff I liked. Oh, well, there are plenty of other authors.
In edit:looking in Fantastic fiction, I see her (their) last book was in 2009. I guess they came to the same conclusion I did: that the series is played out.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/o/perri-oshaughnessy/
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I found a Michael Connoly...Angel Flight, that had missed.. Very interesting.Bosch is something else.
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I really liked the one Mrs. Pargeter book I happened across, 'Mrs. Pargeter's Package'. I should read more!
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Found an Anne Perry I hadn't read: "Treason at Lissom Grove". I think a number of you mentioned it a while ago, and I failed to realize that it was a new one. I just can't seem to remember from the titles which I have read!
This one is good (if you ignore her usual complete lack of logic in detecting. Someone puts some money in a characters bank account, framing them for embezzlement. Instead of going to the bank and asking "Where did this deposit come from", he immediately thinks "This must be related to something that happened 20 years ago, that I haven't thought about since." and goes haring off).
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Ah yes, the jumps from common sense to detecting in some books is amazing.. Angels Flight is a failed murder case, that seems to have been messed up from day one. Noone checked anything. And it was supposed to be a high profile murder. Startling.
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Thanks, Steph, for reminding me of Michael Connelly's Angels Flight. That's one I also missed and have been meaning to read. (I have Connelly's latest, The Black Box, on hold at the library.)
The Angeles Flight railway (where a man is killed in the book) is a beloved landmark in Los Angeles, known as the "shortest railway in the world" (298 feet) which you can ride for 50 cents up the steep hill from Hill Street to the California Plaza above.
(There is a photo of it on the internet -- look for "Angels Flight Railway.") And I've yet to ride it, altho' I've lived in So.Calif. since the 1950s!
Marj
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As a newcomer to the LA area, I had never heard of Angels Flight. here is a siye for it. Look on the left for a picture that says AF slide show (you may have to scroll down a bit to see it).
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/23044083
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Now I'll have to read that Connelly book.
Funny thing, last weekend I was on the Fenton Place (4th Street) Elevator in Dubuque, which also considers itself the world's shortest (and steepest) railroad. It was an interesting ride up the bluff - we took our time and walked down. Great view.
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I have been up on Angels Flight.. Fun,and it is a real character in the book..I am rereading a book that I loved.. Jamie Harrison wrote possibly four books on Blue Deer, Montana. Probably mid 90's.. Then quit and I have never seen anything by her again. Shame. She is funny and perceptive.
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Here she is:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/jamie-harrison/
You're right, she hasn't written since 2000.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
When my son Rob visited earlier this month, he brought me piles of books, as he always does.
Two of them are by Steven Saylor and are murder mysteries set back in Ancient Rome. Robby tells me they are great, though I have not had time to start one, as I have some other stacks to get to first. One is titled The Judgment of Caesar and the other is titled Roman Blood. Rob says there are many more if I get hooked.
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Oh, lucky you MaryPage. I have been reading Lindsey Davis' series which is set a little later in time than the Saylor books. Davis had done her last Didius Falco book, so now maybe I will switch to Saylor's and see what his books are like.
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I have read a few of the Saylor books,but I do like Lindsays more..Jamie Harrison.. maybe she is oe of those people who had something to say and when done.. never wrote again. No idea.
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Read another Professor Shaw book last night. Their only problem is that they're short: I keep having to buy more. In this one, he's talking about an ethnic group called the Melungeons (spelled from memory: I'm sure that's wrong. A group of people with mixed Portuguese, African, and middle Eastern heritage that lives in the North carolina Mountains. Do any of you know anything about them? Off to find the right spelling.
In edit: what do you know: I spelled it right. That's a first! The book is "The Fugative King" by Sarah Shaber.
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Has anyone read any of Tarquin Hall's Vish Puri series books?
http://www.amazon.com/Tarquin-Hall/e/B001K8NU1W
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Yes, I enjoyed the first two a lot. Didn't know there was a new one out. "The case of the Deadly Butter chicken". I love his humorous take on life in India. but below it, you can see he loves it.
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Joan, there are a lot of stories about the Melungeons in Tennessee - usually in an area in middle/east TN near the KY border. Click here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melungeon) for the Wikipedia entry about them.
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You think you know your own country, and find there is always more to learn. Another mystery I read talked about an ethnic group (part Portuguese) in Alabama. I'll have to go back and see if they are the same or different.
I should check Fantastic Fiction more often. Just finished writing about Shaber's Professor shaw series, when I went over to fiction, and nlhome is writing about another series by Shaber, "Louise's War". Seems she's abandoned the professor, and moved to Washington DC during WWII. That's great for me: I grew up in DC during WWII.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/sarah-r-shaber/
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JoanK, you'll like the setting then, I think. I recognize the streets, we walked them a lot, and Embassy Row and probably a lot of the hotels, etc. would possibly be familiar to you.
I also have a copy of The Fugitive King waiting to be read.
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Followup on the Melungeons: I looked again tonight, and here's a link to a Huffington Post story datelined Nashville, TN. It's about DNA evidence that's been found.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/24/melungeon-dna-study-origin_n_1544489.html
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I am constantly amazed at how little I know! I had never heard of Melungeons--never even heard the word before. How many of you are the same?? Thank you for contributing to my ongoing education.
Sally
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Never heard of them Sally. My excuse is being English :)
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My Mother was a southerner and so I had heard the word. Actually in Delaware there is a \small group of ambiguous people called Moors.. They claim Spain, but locally they are regarded as mixed race..
I loved that Sarah Shaber book.. Simon came from the area and going back was a hoot..
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Me, too, SALLY. Thanks for those links, MARYZ. I knew nothing about Melungeons. I feel sorry for those who
were so pleased to think they were of Portuguese or Native American origin, and discovered they are not. I am
happy with my bit of Cherokee blood, and would be disappointed to be told it wasn't so.
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Am reading Delectable Mountains, apparently a name of a quilt pattern, but not sure how it fits in the story, by Earlene Fowler. It is well written. She does a good job of dropping hints of potential suspects and keeps me guessing. Her protagonist is written in a way that reminds me of Judge Deborah Knott, a person who seems very real and someone i'd like to be friends with. They are also both married to police officers and have similar conflcts over that.
Also reading Murder Walks the Plank by Carolyn Hart. The first 20 pages was the introduction of about a dozen different characters, which almost put me off the book. But when she finally got to talking about the bookstore and its owner and the murder, she got me back again.
Jean
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Medical Thrillers
Any one interested in reading medical thrillers ?
My two favorite authors are : Robin Cook and Michael Palmer.
Both are physicians and each have a new 2012 title which I enjoyed .
They are both prolific writers .
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For some reason I dont read medical thrillers. Never thought of it until you mentioned the authors.. Funny how you get into patterns. I am readinga mystery that uses Clara Barton as the protagonist.. She is in the Hilton Head area during the war.. Writer is one I was familiar with, but now she used three names instead of the two she did originally..
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I've read some Robin Cook, RETIRED, but I don't believe I've read anything by Michael Palmer. Are his stories similar
to, or different from, the kind by Robin Cook?
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I don't read medical thrillers either, Steph. Or forensics mysteries. Or watch TV hospital dramas like House. Ugh!
(Sorry, I seem to be in a negative mood today.)
Marj
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I do not, on purpose that is, read medical thrillers either. I suspect it is because I want to TRUST all hospitals, doctors and nurses (I do not, but I WANT to), and I cannot emotionally bear to think of skulduggery going on in those hallowed halls.
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I haven't read any strictly medical thrillers. When I was young I read several medical detective books, but they were non fiction accounts of public health events that CDC investigated, like you might see today with e. coli and salmonella in food, or the hunt for causes of groups of people getting sick from Legionnaires disease. Andromeda Strain could be listed as a medical detective story as well as SciFi, I guess. I also read S.L. Viehl's series which revolved around a doctor, but was more squarely in SciFi camp. That was more about her trying to live her own life and stay away from a diabolical father who was chasing after her along with just about everyone else in the universe. Daddy had big bucks and lots of power and he wanted his genetically constructed daughter/experiment back. Haven't followed medical shows since the sixties, either, not even House.
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I admit I'm squeamish at the level of detail in medical thrillers, although I do watch "Bones" on Tv, /(and close my eyes at points).
I liked louise's war a lot. It really brought back a host of memories: working in the summer in a windowless government office, covered with floor to ceiling wooden file cases that acted as insulation so no air could get in -- workers were known to faint from the heat.
And she went to my University (GWU) and ate lunch at the same drugstore we used to eat at -- hadn't thought about that for years.
And sneaking into embassies -- a fellow student used to live at an embassy (I forget which one) and sneak us in for parties. Not exactly the posh parties that Louise went to.
But "Louise's Gamble" is only available in hardback. I'll check my library.
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I didn't like House, but not because of the medical part. I watched a couple of episodes and wanted to kill him. I figured if I hated the main character, there was no point in watching the show.
However, if you ever get a chance to listen to Hugh Laurie play and sing the blues, you'll be WOWed! He's fabulous!
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There's only one copy of Louise's Gamble in our library system, and as it's newly acquired, can't request it yet. I look forward to reading it.
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MARYPAGE, it's not necessarily skullduggery, but it's a good idea to check, if
you have anyone in the hospital, to be sure they're receiving good care. Some
are understaffed, and not every professional is equally competent. My daughter
Valerie had a really bad experience in the hospital because a nurse was not
following orders. (The doctor blew his top when he finally found out, but Val
had already suffered terribly.)
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I think I must have been lucky with the hospital after the accident. Everyone was so kind and gentle with me. Good care,,, good doctors and supurb nursing.. I thank my lucky stars.
I am anxious to get hold of the two Louise books. I do like Simon and think Shaber is a good writer.
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Babi, I know what you mean, and I am sorry someone near and dear to you suffered.
My daughter who is a nurse comes home with stories all the time. Sometimes it is doctors who are lazy and want to stay on the golf course and not come in and do something only they can legally do. My daughter decided years ago (she will be 61 in November) that she will NOT go against regulations and perform a doctor only task. Why should SHE get fired because the doctor is lazy? Often it is a nurse who loves to cut corners and has the hubris to believe she can perform a task without any instruction. This type is ever amongst us, and causes infinite harm. Most in-hospital mistakes get covered up. A humongous number of deaths in hospital every day are accidental. Every day. Scary stuff.
If I am ever hospitalized, this daughter and 3 granddaughters who are nurses will take turn about staying in there with me until I am released. The papers are all filled out and signed and witnessed with my orders for this. I am so blessed.
http://www.cancure.org/medical_errors.htm
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A daughter and three granddaughters who are nurses! Lucky you. You must have a family of natural
nurturers and caretakers.
I am now reading Daniel Silva's "Fallen Angel". Why is it backgrounds of the Vatican, art treasures, etc.,
always fascinate me? In a happy bit of serendipity, I discovered there will be a Caravaggio exhibit featured
in Houston in October. Wouldn't it be wonderful if some of the pictures Silva describes are there?
Incidentally, I was studying the photo of the author on the back cover, and it occurred to me the
description of his hero, Gabriel Allon, looks remarkably like Silva himself. 8)
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Aha..Babi, I feel the same way with Silva. He looks like an interesting man. I love all of Silvas books.. and like you find the Vatican fascinating.
Caraveggio.. hmm. Houston.. too far to drive. darn..
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I got the impression that other places are exhibiting Caravaggios, too, STEPH. Maybe you can find
one much closer.
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My very favorite thing about my iPad is the app for ArtPuzzles I bought. Jigsaw puzzles of famous art. Doing the puzzles is fun and very relaxing, but what I love most I find is that I have the collection of art to look at and examine closely. This is one instance where being lit up from behind is extremely helpful.
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I just looked up Daniel Silva's background and it seems very useful for the books that he writes. From wikipedia:
Silva was born in Michigan and raised in California. He was raised Catholic and converted to Judaism as an adult.
Silva began his writing career as a journalist with a temporary job at United Press International in 1984. His assignment was to cover the Democratic National Convention. His position was made permanent and, a year later, Silva was transferred to the Washington, D.C., headquarters. After two more years, he was appointed as UPI's Middle East correspondent and moved to Cairo, Egypt.
Silva returned to Washington, D.C., for a job with CNN's Washington Bureau. He worked as a producer and executive producer for several of the network's television programs, including Crossfire and Capitol Gang....
Silva has written 15 spy novels, all best-sellers on the New York Times list. The main focus is Gabriel Allon, an Israeli art restorer, spy and assassin, who is a key figure in twelve of Silva's titles. ...Silva did not come into the Allon series with a significant understanding of the world of art restoration but was able to use a neighbor's expertise to help him turn a spy-assassin into an artist.
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Mary: I love to do jigsaw puzzles of famous art. Putting the puzzle together makes me see all kinds of details of the artists use of color and shading that I would never have noticed otherwise!
I'm intrigued by a mystery book I found yesterday in the library: "Mozart's Last Aria". The author imagines that Mozart's sister has come to Vienna after his death to investigate whether he was murdered (Salieri is not a suspect, as he was in the movie "Amadeus"). So far, its as much about her frustration as a talented pianist who, as a woman, wasn't allowed to continue her career as it is about the murder.
Since I love Mozart, I'm fascinated by all the details.
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Interesting, MARCIE. Raised as a Catholic, converted to Judaism. That seems unusual, doesn't it? And I would have
sworn Silva was very knowledgeable in art, considering how well he writes about it. Of course, by now he probably
does know a great deal more.
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Ah, I did wonder about his religion,But the conversion explains how close he is to both religions. Wonderful writer. One of the very very few spy type novelist I read
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I first must mention to FryBabe that my son (who is 16) has played all of the 'Mass Effect' video games,and one of the characters is Miranda Lawson, a woman who ran away from her billionaire dad who had had her genetically modified and wanted to use her in his plans of galactic dominance. She also later grabbed a younger sister he had done the same thing to, and 'freed' her. Suspiciously close, eh?
Secondly,I too am fascinated by anything set in the Vatican,but that's because they have so much from my favorite period of the world ( pretty much anything BCE!). It was so miraculous to see actual Roman mosaics... I have read a lot of the Didius Falco books, and Stephen Saylor's books. Immerse yourself in Antiquity whenever possible!
Third,I do read Robin Cook,although I haven't seen 'House'. I know Hugh Laurie from the Black Adder series and I've heard about it,but we don't really watch much TV. My husband is a Dr. so we quit watching medical shows,even back when we watched TV. (we watched 'St. Elsewhere' before he was in med school) Hospitals are like everywhere else,staffed and filled by error prone humans,who often don't do the self checks they should. However,I have been in the hospital A LOT, (probably would total at least 3 years out of the past 20) and I must say that on the whole,nursing and care staff do terriffically well in very difficult,stressful jobs,and most hospitals are understaffed to an alarming degree. I suppose Robin Cook would frighten me more if my husband wasn't a hospitalist,so that I know what really goes on!
I also love doing jigsaw puzzles of art. I used to work a lot of real ones, but since I married a cat lover,and then gave birth to a second cat person, which is why we have 3 cats in the house...I do them on my iPad! Missing pieces are too frustrating!.
And to JoanK- I will have to look up the Mozart mystery. People constantly compare my composer son to Mozart and,of course,I studied and love his music.
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Lorac625, if you haven't already read it, you might like Night Villa by Carol Goodman. The story revolves around the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum. There is a back and forth between modern day and the days just before Vesuvius did a number on the town. We had a discussion of the book back in 2009 (gosh, that long ago?). The author joined us for the discussion, which was really cool.
http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=469.0
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Lorac: here's what I posted about the Mozart mystery in The Classical Corner on seniors and Friends:
I've finished the book, but won't tell who dunnit. it has some flaws as a mystery: frenetic sometimes, boring sometimes, and the supporting characters are never real somehow. But its strengths are the bits about Mozart and the character Nunnerl. The author said he made understanding her, and how it felt to have lived with Mozart, and then have to live without him a major focus, and I think he succeeded.
In afterward, the author (Matt Rees) says "In the classical period, music was almost rigidly precise. mozart took this sense of order and undermined it, creating musical tention almost without our hearing it. He resolves the tension at the end of each section or of each piece, so that listeners are left deeply satisfied by the restoration of order. Sounds a bit like a crime novel."
What do you all think? He's right about the crime novel (mystery story) -- I think thats one reason I find them so satisfying. Do you think he's right about Mozart?
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I actually found a Patricia Cornwall from some years ago.. Not a good one.. I think it was called Trace.. She simply is so scattered now..Besides a number of characters sure sound like payback to me.
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JoanK, Thanks for reposting your Classical Corner post about Mozart's Last Aria. I saw Don's response but missed yours. Looks like I have another author to add to my future list. A new book by Rees was just released in July callede A Name in Blood revolves around the death of Caravaggio which was also surrounded by some mystery.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I loved all of Mary Renault's books about ancient times.
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Me, too, MaryPage. I loved her books.
Re mythology, have you read any of Joseph Campbell's books on comparative mythology. (nonfiction), i.e. The Hero With a Thousand Faces, The Masks of God, etc.?
Marge
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Reading a short funny cozy by Selma Shapiro.. Desiree is a funny p.i. involved in a literary mystery this time.
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Steph: I can't find that name in Fantastic Fiction. Is this an e-book?
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Hm, senior moment. Author...Selma Eichler and heroine Deserie Shapiro. Murder can Crash Your Party is the book of the moment, although she has written several. It is a mysteryinside of a mystery.. but a cozy..
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Yes, I have read everything Joseph Campbell ever wrote. I used to own his books, but passed them and my videos (I believe you can buy these in DVD form now) of his television interviews/lectures on to my Ph.D. granddaughter who teaches History. PBS still runs one of his shows occasionally. He has been dead for a long time now, but I was an avid fan of his philosophy.
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I mix up the detective and author all the time. It's a lot easier to remember the detectives name: you see it more often.I like the Eichler books, too.
I've been meaning to read Campbell. Although I'm not sure I "get" Jung and his archtypes. Somehow I can't think that way. Saw Wagner's Siegfried Sunday, and aparrt from the wonderful music and staging, all I could think of Siegfried was "what a punk!)
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Oh good, Steph, glad you cleared that up, my library does have it and i need a humorous book right now! Thanks for the suggestion.
Jean
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I see there is an Alex Cross movie coming out in mid-October. Tyler Perry is playing Alex. Looks like is going to be a serial killer thing. Not my cup of tea.
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Originally I liked Alex CRoss, but James Patterson turned himself into some sort of writing factory and Cross into some sort of superman, so I quit.. suspect I wont go to see a movie either.
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I don't think I'd watch an Alex Cross movie unless it got very good reviews. The last Alex Cross novel I read was Kill Alex Cross. It was so bad I returned it to the library after a couple of chapters.
The best Alex Cross novel I read, ALEX CROSS'S TRIAL, was not really about Alex Cross, the detective. It was about Cross's great uncle who lived in the south in the early 1900s. Very suspenseful, realistic atmosphere and characters. Gives you a good idea of what it must have been like to live there at that time when blacks were still being lynched. That book would make a good movie.
Marj
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Finished the latest (I think) Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency: The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection. The plots are getting slighter, but still always good to read.
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For my f2f Mystery BookClub, I am reading "The Snowman" by Jo Nesbo. I had heard good things about this author, but it was nearly ruined for me when the first five pages were a sex scene. Then a couple chapters later, we have the discovery of a dismembered corpse. The main characters are interesting, the chapters alternate between "then and now" - - little confusing to me, had to go back and check chap. headings for dates (where applicable). Don't know yet if I will be able to finish this one. I usually try real hard to read the whole book for Club, but yuk! As Steph mentioned, re James Patterson, after the first few Alex Cross books, he went off the deep end with his long list of "co-authors" and I quit reading him altogether after about the 2nd "co-written" book. Two sentence paragraphs; 2 or 3 paragraph chapters...blah! I don't consider this "good writing" by any s-t-r-e-t-c-h of the imagination. ??? :-\
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Yuck to the Snowman.
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I do not care to have any sex whatsoever in my mystery stories unless it is in some way an important part of the story itself. It seems to me these younger generations have to have sex in every type of book; either that or the publishers ask the authors to put it in because it sells.
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I decided it was time to find out what the shouting is about. I am listening to The Girl with the Dragon Tatool..it almost lost me with the lizbeth Salmander subplot of sex, but I got past it, because the central mystery intrigues me. But oh me, listening is not the best answer.. I keep getting the names mixed up.Too many characters to sort through.
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I suspect that may be true, and I don't mind sex when it's part of the story line and a natural progression. The things I don't read are horror/ gore, torture to people or animals, mentally ill characters and their behaviors/vampires/werewolves/aliens, etc. It seems, to me, I see enough of those things on the news. ::)
The beauty of such a rich field of books from which to choose that each of us can find authors who fit our wants.
jane
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While I would agree with you on most of that, JANE, I think I would except aliens. After all, how can one explore the
universes of space without running into aliens? They don't have to be monstrous; some could be very nice to know. ;)
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Steph, I thought The Girl with a Dragon Tatoo was an excellent book. However, it was a little too graphic (sex & gore) for my taste. Even though the book was good; I don't care to read the other two....
Sally
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I agree Sally, I am still listening because I truly want to know what the heck happened, but think I will skip the other two and know I would not watch a movie.. Sigh
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I have to testify that I adored reading all 3 books and then watching all 3 Swedish movies with subtitles and then watching the one American movie. I think Larsson was an especially gifted writer in that he could put you right THERE in the moment. He also unveils, albeit slowly, how and why Lisbeth got to be who and what she is. I love the characters and the plots. Oh, and the final outcomes. The bad guys get punished and the good gal wins, against every obstacle put in place to stop her. YOU GO GAL! I kept shouting to myself.
Lisbeth made up for all disappointments in my life which were entirely due to having been born female. I believe that is the source of my intense appreciation.
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Many critics have said, in many countries all over this world (these books having been translated into 35 languages last I read) that Lisbeth Salander is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, heroines ever written in Fiction. I tend to agree, as she overcame obstacles and horrors I could never have endured, let alone survived. And, to my psyche, she made being a woman NOT a handicap.
I was one of those little girls born into a man's world nearly 84 years ago who was meant to be a boy and always lamented for not being one. When my (half) brother was born to my stepmother (my mother having been long despised for not delivering a boy) 15 years later, my father went ape. "The Boy! The Boy! The Boy!" was all the rest of us heard. Daddy rarely called him by his name thereafter, but called him "Son." When Daddy died, some 34 years later, he left me a teensy sum and left his entire estate to his "Beloved Son." Everyone in the family, including my dear step mother and, of course myself, were astonished at this final evidence of his obsession. So you see, I am an ardent feminist and when a Lisbeth Salander comes along, well, I go ape!
My father was quite typical of men of his time, though I have to attest to having known many who treasured their daughters. Hmm. To be treasured must be nice!
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"To be treasured must be nice!" Yes, it is. There were only us girls in my family, but I'd like to think, if dad had had a boy he would have still treasured me. If not, it would have broken my heart.
But I still met plenty of non-treasuring through being a girl. My reaction was (still is) to avoid "girly" things like the plague. I really enjoy the women today who can enjoy being a women and still excel in a "man's" field.
Cathy Reichs who writes the mysteries that the TV series "Bones" is based on seems to be such a woman. Her picture looks like a movie star, but she's a pioneer in the field of forensic anthropology, AND a successful mystery writer. You go, girl! Just got a new book of hers from the library.
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Mary Page,, the amazing thing to me is that my Mother was the boy obsessed member of the family. My Dad didnt seem to care. I was much closer to him mostly I think because we were similar in temperment. My Mother just flat out ignored both me and my cousin who lived with us when my brother was born.. He was her whole reason for living until the day she died. I have accepted it as a fact and gone on..
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I didn't know that bit about Cathy Reichs being a 'pioneer' in forensic anthropology,
JOAN. I'll want to Google more info about that. I hate to say it, but I've loved
the TV series; only mildly liked the books. 'Bones' can be frightfully obtuse on
occasion, tho'. Literally no sense of humor, and only over time learning any consideration
for the feelings of others. But Lord, what a tremendous intellect!
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" I hate to say it, but I've loved
the TV series; only mildly liked the books. "
I agree -- I feel the same way.
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I grew up the same way. My mother and grandmother were obsessed with my elder brother. I was my fathers princess. Worked fine for me. Only thing was he passed away at age 42 and I was only 18. took me a long time to get over that.
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Tomereader, I haven't read Nesbro's Snowman, but a couple of years ago my daughter gave me his Nemisis. It was okay,but I really don't enjoy these series' with alcoholic detectives who can't get along with their colleagues and bosses.
Sally, I'm with you -- had no desire to read more Stieg Larsson after the Dragon Tatoo, but did see both the Tatoo and Fire films. Actually, what really interested me more, was Larsson himself, his background, common-law situation, his death. After the Larsson hoopla died down, I guess I just lost interest.
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I was in the hospital a week (minor repairs) and have been home for a week, two daughters here, at different times, taking care of their mother, who is just fine now.
But I'm heading off to bed, before 9 pm, and have Defending Jacob from the library and Louise's War (Shaber) on my Kindle. Hope the sandman doesn't come too soon.
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Pedln, I hope your "repairs" were still in warranty ::) and that everything is fixed fine. Isn't is nice to have the babies come home to take care of mom? Hugs!
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I reached a point in my current Daniel Silva book that seemed to me a natural place to end. I was
surprised to see the end was not yet in sight. Now, I'm reluctant to continue. I know, it doesn't make
sense. Probably just my mood. :-\
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Silva sometimes throws in a ringer.. so that might be what is happening.
I love Reichs inthe books and dont watch Bones at all onTV.. Just too cutesy in spots for me.. But the books are good..Funny how people look at things so differently. I love the small series of Fremont Jones, found another book by the same author about Clara Barton ( fiction) and am reluctant to keep reading. There s a way too creepy person in it..
Pedlin.. minor repairs?. hmm, if you were a car that would make sense.. Hopefully all is well and you can keep on your busy active life.
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Glad you are all well, Pedln.
I read DEFENDING JACOB a couple months ago. I almost dropped it because the first part was so irritating with all the psycobabble. But I was glad I kept reading, as when the trial starts it really gets interesting. Turned out to be worth reading after all.
Louise's War sounds interesting. I'll look for it. Have not read anything by Sarah Shaber.
I like that time period. Have been watching some of Foyle's War from Netflix.
Marj
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sTEPH: what is the name/author of the Clara barton mystery. It could be interesting (if I can get by the creepy person)?
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Ave Dianne Day... book is Cut to the Heart. Interesting, but somewhat gruesome in parts. Interesting about the gullah and the islands in South Carolina.
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I understand there is some present-day hoopla about the Gullah in So. Car. Something about property taxes to be raised to get them out so Devil-opers (intentional spelling) can come in. I may have seen the article in the NY Times. ??
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'Developers' certainly have earned that reputation, haven't they? Grab what they want and to hell with everybody and
everything in their way. They may argue that they pay a 'fair' price for the properties, but who wants to be kicked out
of a home they want to stay in, or see a beautiful or historic site leveled to increase someone's profits?
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Gullah live on the small islands. I am not quite sure how a devloper could possibly settle some of them. This is the floating island area and the land does come and go.. but I would suppose very very rich people would love it.. They are also now much more oriented to the rest of the world..Tv has a lot to answer for.
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That's the third mystery I've heard of in the last month that features a minority little known people. I'm glad: it's very interesting. I wonder how many of these small groups there are, and how many are connected.
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Here's the Gullah article.
Gullahs and taxes (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/26/us/on-an-island-in-georgia-geechees-fear-losing-land.html?pagewanted=all)
Was it Mary Alice Monroe's Sweetgrass that was about the Gullahs and their basketmaking?
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Pedln - yes.
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There are small minority people all over the US.. Mostly in isolated corners which has changed how they feel..Actually,, the mennonite,amish, etc have many many individual sects in different places. I know the Amish where I grew up in Delaware are quite differen from the ones in Ohio and Indiana.
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Different in what ways, STEPH? I would be curious to know how those arose, how the
separate groups came to be where they are. Are the different groups friendly, or hostile
over differences. I would appreciate any information you might have. This is a subject that
has always interested me.
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By some fluke, my f2f group (mostly mysteries) read two series mysteries about the Amish back-to-back -- Kansas Troubles (Benni Harper) by Earleen Fowler and Sworn to Silence (Kate Burkholder) by Linda Castillo. The Amish community in Fowler's appeared very strict and at times unforgiving. In Castillo's, set in Ohio, they were much more supportive of banished family. The Castillo was quite gruesome, I thought.
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When I took a Senior bus tour of Lancaster County, PA some years ago (sponsored by the county), we picked up a guide up there who was a hoot and a half and she NEVER stopped talking. She just had a small lace hanky on the top of her head, and otherwise was dressed in such a manner that you would never pick her out in a crowd, and I think she told us she was Free Mennonite. Anyway, my point is to say that she told of us several degrees of Mennonite groups and what the difference was between them and the Amish and then went on to tell us how many differences there were between different Amish groups in the NorthEast. She even had the bus take us by different places and show us. For instance, she took us by a typical home that had no telephone or electricity, but down by the highway beside a gate was a wood colored box built almost exactly the size of one of our old telephone boxes you could stand in to make a call, except it had only a very small glass window on the front door, and THIS was where that farmer DID have a telephone. "For emergencies!"
She pointed out that some use farm machinery and some still use horses and oxen. Some will pile in a fleet of vans who are in business JUST for their business, and will be taken to some place (right here in Annapolis, for instance; we have an Amish market Thursday morning through and until three on Saturday) and stay overnight in motels with phones and electricity and television, etc. That way they do not break their religious law against driving! They are driven by "pagans," but they do not drive! She said there are those groups who meet only in their homes for religious services, and those who have houses of worship. My head was swimming by the end of it, and I cannot for the life of me tell you which was which by name. But, bottom line, if there is a disagreement over theology, a group will break off. And thus has it ever been! All of the major religions have done the same!
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All in one moment, I can think of Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox first breaking Christianity apart. And Judaism is Orthodox, Conservative and Reformed; mebbe more, I am not well informed on the matter. And then came the Calvinists and the Lutherans and the Church of England, and we had Protestants. Hindus have many, many different belief groups, and Islam has the Sunni, Shia, and Sufias, plus many, many more! And they purely hate each other! Like the Irish did for so very long, they will kill one another just for their being of a different branch of worship belief!
By the way, that is meant only as an historical reference. My mother was almost pure Irish, and I feel quite Celtic, thank you very much. History is history is history.
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My life experience growing up and as an adult showed me many of what i considered ridiculous differences and arguments, all leading to my being an agnostic today. My STRONG Calvinist Presbyterian Scotch-Irish maternal family believed in pre-destination, which i, even as a very young person, thought ridiculous! What GOD would play such a trick on it's "children" just to get people to behave so they would look like they were the ones who were going to heaven? And why should some people be "chosen" and some not? Just sounded like a people-made rationalization to me. Growing up in the "NO-DRINKING EVER" Methodist church of my father's heritege, i knew my Dad had his medicinal bottle of whiskey in the pantry, and i was STUNNED when visiting a Catholic college friend's family celebration of an ordination of a family member, seeing all the priests and nuns having their "nips" of alcohol.
My first close Jewish friend would eat bacon at the deli, but not in her house! My Catholic roommate was "seeing" her priest.........and on and on. I lived near Amish who had their emergency telephone house, would use wagons without rubber on the wheels!?! Mennonites who drove black cars w/ no chrome on them.........none of it makes any sense to me.
Take heed, however, i do not judge those who can believe and am somewhat envious of those who get solace from their faith.
Jean
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I agree with most of what you say, Jean, and sympathize with the rest, but I do have to tell you that it was the Methodist in you that was scandalized by the nuns and priests having their toddys, because they do not take vows not to drink.
My first husband was Catholic, and his family always had two bowls of punch at every party for any family celebration. One end of the table held the Methodist punch and the other the Catholic punch. Catholics just have never been teetotalers, and that's a fact!
There used to be a saying:
"Wherever a Catholic sun doth shine
You'll always find laughter and good red wine."
Only the children, those pregnant, and some few guests drank the Methodist punch.
I don't think the present generations offer punch at parties, do they? Haven't seen it for years now! Used to be at every wedding, birthday, baby shower, christening, anniversary: you name it. Every bride simply HAD to have a punch bowl in crystal with matching cups. Mine was by Imperial and was called Candlewick, I think. All those little beads around the edges? Wasn't that it?
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Oh Mary Page, I do laugh. Actually one of my daughter in laws has my punch bowl and adores it. She brings it out on holiddays and reminds me of it. Mine was crystal, very very plain on a pedestal. I have always been fond of plain.
Babi.Amish Mennonite and dunkerds.. All started out the same , but over the years, they split and split and many of them moved further away and things change. There are probably books written on the differences. Where I grew up, there was also Church of the Nazareene, which seemed to have the same restrictions on females that the others did.They wore a little organdy cap and always wore their hair in braids up.. and I always laughed because they had thave sleeves on their clothes, but they would make them of organdy, so they were see through. Religion varies so very very much.. I became a quaker since I cannot bear the thought of war and people killing one another. I think it deadens your mind and heart when you deliberatelytake another life.
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Jean said, "Take heed, however, i do not judge those who can believe and am somewhat envious of those who get solace from their faith." Nice way to look at it, Jean. But I'm happy being an atheist.
"Only the children, those pregnant, and some few guests drank the Methodist punch." Funny, MaryPage.
Marj
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Thanks, MARYPAGE, for that information. Your guide was an excellent one. I realized, at
some point, that we are rarely likely to find any religious group with whom we agree
100% on all the teachings. So there is little point in running from one to another,
unless you find yourself in a really sad/bad situation. It takes a while to learn that.
How much of my private thoughts I decide to share would depend entirely on how receptive
a group might be to raising questions.
I get great solace from my faith, JEAN. I just don't let it get bogged down in the
idiocies of various religious groups. Some people simply need some clear-cut, hard and
fast rules that they can follow and feel their salvation is assured. They are seemingly
unwilling or unable to dig into the demands of soul-searching. Remember Jesus
chastising the Pharisees for so precisely tithing their herbs, but neglecting more
important things, like justice and mercy?
Still have a punch bowl and cups, MARYPAGE. Haven't used it decades! ;D
STEPH, I was once drawn to the Quaker ideals. Their quiet worship and prayer, and
history of social conscience, appealed to me. Unfortunately, my first visit to a Quaker
meeting was not felicitous. Early on, a woman exercised her right to speak and stood up
to pray. And prayed, and prayed, and prayed.... I wondered if she was getting her
months prayers caught up! I took a quick peek at their leader, and he was noticeably
uncomfortable, embarassed, and cast a quick glance at me to see how I was tolerating this.
Not well, as I imagine he saw. I did not return. Unfortunate? Or perhaps just not the
road God wanted me to take.
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Has anyone read GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn? I just finished it. Wow, what an imagination that author has! Starts out kind of slow, but I got so engrossed in it I couldn't put it down. (Not a cozy which people here seem to prefer, but no gore)
Marj
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"Not a cozy which people here seem to prefer, but no gore"
I hope we haven't become too cozy-centered. I admit, I read more cozies than other genres, but certainly not exclusively. And I also admit I prefer mysteries written by women where the detective is a woman. But I hope I'm not pushing the discussion too much in that direction. There's a wide variety out there.
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I love Margaret Maron and her Deborah Knott series because the fibers of her mind work in sync with my own wiring and because her books are modern and up to date, which keeps me Here and not in the past. It is not that I do not love History; History is, in fact, the great passion of my life.
I have googled them and found the shops and businesses Maron describes Deborah going to, except the ones concerning a murder, are REAL. Fun! I would dearly love to be able to go to the Cotton Exchange in Wilmington, North Carolina and visit Caravan Beads, for instance. And those potteries! Oh, oh, oh, to spend a day touring those!
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I do love authors who write about their area and you could use them as a road map.Actually I think that elderhostel does a Tony Hillerman tour to places he talks of out west..
Robert Parker is super as a Boston and Cambridge map and Sara Paretsky has Chicago down to a Tee..It makes it fun when you visiit a place and can say..oh me,, i read about that.
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Steph, we've taken an Elderhostel with Hillerman as one of the subjects. Even before that, we've followed most of the roads in his books (with the trusty Auto Club Indian Country map in hand), and found many of the obscure places. Love the books, the territory, and the people.
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With Hillerman's books, you can feel every bump in the roads. Somehow, the TV series based on them didn't have that strong sense of place. Robert Redford was a great director in the movies he did, but I was disappointed in the Hillerman series. (But maybe the strong feeling that Hillerman has for the land just doesn't translate to another person).
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I think that Hillermans love for the country and the tribes shines through and that is hard to do with TV and the star system.
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MaryPage, Sea Grove, NC has been on my Bucket List for years, ever since Margaret Maron wrote Uncommon Clay. Lots of folk art and pottery there. I like the way she focuses sometimes on a particular industry or business. I don’t remember the title, but it was a mystery about the furniture business, set in High Point, NC.
Marjifay, I haven’t read it yet, but Gone Girl is on my list. It’s been talked about a lot this past summer and fall. I was glad to see your positive review.
Steph, the locations and settings can make or break a mystery for me. Sue Henry in Alaska, Susan Duncan in the Bay Area. And who write the Homer Kelly series – they’re mostly around Harvard Yard, but sometimes elswhere. Jane Langton?
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Was it Killer Market, Pedln? I remember reading that one too, but i just keep a list of titles, no comments. I just wanted a little notebook i could carry in my pocket to the library so i wouldn't get books i'd already read, so just room for titles. I like those specialty books of Maron's also.
Am reading a good J.D.Robb - Memory in Death. A women who had been Eve's foster parent just after she was put in the system as a child comes to NYC to try to get some money from Roarke! Ha! You can guess how well that works. I had gotten tired of Robb for a while but this one has less gore and sex and seems to be a good story.
Jean
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" And who write the Homer Kelly series – they’re mostly around Harvard Yard, but sometimes elswhere. Jane Langton?"
Yes. And the neat thing about Langton's mysteries is that they always follow in plot either a work of art, a piece of classical music (e.g.Handel's massiah), a book (e.g. Dante's inferno) or a place (e.g. Montecello).
The last one I read was based on the paintings of Escher. Since I'm a big Escher fan, I was really disappointed that it wasn't a good book.
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Hmmm, JoanK. I like Escher, but you say it wasn't a good book. Will think about that one. I don't remember the title of the last Homer Kelly book I read, but it wasn't in Boston, and I was very disappointed with Mary Kelly.
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Ah, another area of ignorance in my life. I must go explore Escher, a painter whose name is
totally new to me.
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I first learned about Escher decades ago while in a posh store buying ties for my husband. The ties fascinated me, so I found out all I could about him. At that time. Ask me now, and I don't know much!
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I have a son who adores all forms of math and so Escher is a hero of his.. So.. way back when he was in college, we explored Escher,Godel..etc and loved it.. Been a while though.
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My father (a mathematician) met Escher, before he was famous. He had a chance to buy a painting from him and didn't.
I just gave PatH a jigsaw puzzle of one of his paintings. If I'd looked more closely, I wouldn't have: it looks impossible!
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Here is Escher in a nutshell:
http://www.mcescher.net/
You can see why he appeals to mathematicians.
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I have an art book of his paintings. They appealed to my early interest in psychology and perception.
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I did look up Escher, and really enjoyed seeing examples of his work. Everything I saw
looked like etchings, and were all black and white, but gorgeous. I especially loved the
one where the swimming ducks merged into flying birds.
JOANK, I can well imagine a jigsaw of an Escher would be way too difficult for
me to tackle. Unless, maybe, the pieces were odd shapes. :)
Psychology and perception. I've never 'studied' it, but I have considered the impact
of perception on how people form opinions and develop biases..for or against. What
did you find in the subject that interested you most, FRYBABE?
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Yes, I did discover that Math people adore him.. There are still reproductions of his paintings all over my sons house.He and his wife are both engineer and genuine math freaks..
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I discovered that I was more interested in how the sensory mechanisms worked than the psychological aspects. Optical illusions are interesting in how they can trick the senses into interpreting something else. But I think it is the studies of brain "mis-wires" or damage in regards to color, sound, taste and smell crossovers that I find most fascinating. If I were following things more closely these days, I'd say the differences in eye witness accounts of an event would prove most interesting. Now you have me wondering how much a person's psychological makeup, personality, and experience go into how someone interprets what happens. All this makes me wonder about eye-witness accounts in history.
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FRYBABE, I do believe all those things play a role what we 'see', in our interpretation
of it. That's one reason it's a bad idea to place too much reliance on first impressions.
The poor soul may not be at all the person you thought they were on first meeting. Your
comment re. eye-witness accounts in history reminded me of the very wise injunction in
the Bible, that two or three witnesses were required to 'establish' any fact. If you
only have one witness, confirmation would definitely be needed.
And of course in recording history, a great deal would depend on which side of the
event the author supported, wouldn't it? Or how much he wanted to be in the good
graces of the victors?
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Yes, I try to remember that all history is recorded by the victors..
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My monthly mystery newsletter from the library lists two books worth mentioning here (IMO).
The first is The Cocktail Waitress by James M. Cain. This is listed as Noir Fiction. The only reason I am mentioning it is that Mr. Cain died back in 1977. This is, according to the newsletter, a previously unpublished novel that was discovered among his papers.
The second is more to my liking even though it is a dog and not a cat that is the co-protagonist -
A Fistful of Collars: A Chet and Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn. Here is what the newsletter says about it.
Charmingly (but certainly not cloyingly) narrated by loveable Bernie, a K9-school dropout (there might have been an incident with a cat), A Fistful of Collars finds the dog and his perpetually down-on-his-luck human detective, Chet Little, getting more trouble than they bargained for while babysitting a partying actor whose latest film, a western, is being shot in the Valley. Not only do several murders occur, but the doggie/human duo uncover links between the thespian and a long-ago local crime. This 5th Chet and Bernie book is "a fine entry in a not-to-be-missed series" (Booklist); newcomers can start here, but those who like to begin at the beginning will want to fetch Dog On It.
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Just added this to my Kindle from Project Gutenberg - The White Rose of Memphis by William C. Falkner. It is a murder mystery set on a steamboat from what I gather. Falkner was William Faulkner's grandfather.
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Wow... Faulkner came from a writing family.Who knew??
I am reading an older Robert Parker that I missed the first time around..Still working so hard on trying to get the house ready for the realtor that I am not reading much.
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I'd forgotten until you mentioned it, Frybabe, that I have James Cain's COCKTAIL WAITRESS on my TBR list (along with a zillion other books, LOL) The book desc. says "Following her husband's death in a suspicious car accident, beautiful young widow Joan Medford is forced to take a job serving drinks in a cocktail lounge to make ends meet. At the job she encounters two men who take an interest in her, a handsome young schemer who makes her blood race and a wealthy but unwell older man who rewards her for her attentions with a $50,000 tip and an unconventional offer of marriage."
Sounds a bit like the plot for his Postman Always Rings Twice, doesn't it? You can just about predict what's going to happen. Cain wrote some good noir, including Mildred Pierce and Double Indemnity.
Marj
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Interesting about Wm. Falkner's grandfather's book, Frybabe. Amazon says it's 536 pp.
I wonder if he's as difficult to read as his grandson. The only book by Wm. Falkner I was able to finish was his INTRUDER IN THE DUST, a whodunit set, of course, in the south. Very good book, as was the 1949 film made from it.
Marj
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Oops! Faulkner's GREAT-Grandfather. Here is a bio.
http://www.olemiss.edu/mwp/dir/falkner_william_clark/index.html
Check out the remarks about the name spelling. Weren't we always told that the spelling Faulkner was a misspelling somewhere along the line and that he kept it?
Also, I didn't know that William Faulkner had a younger brother, John, who was also a writer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Faulkner_%28author%29
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There was certainly a writing gene in the Falkner family.
The Spencer Quinn books sound familiar: I;m sure I've read one, but can't remember which.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/q/spencer-quinn/
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Interesting about the new found Cain book. Amazon has hardback copies and Kindle versions available, and a paperback available for "pre-order," due to be released in July of 2013.
The publisher, Hard Case Crime, has this to say about itself.
Hard Case Crime is dedicated to reviving the vigor and excitement, the suspense and thrills—the sheer entertainment—of the golden age [WWII -- 1960's] of paperback crime novels, both by bringing back into print the best work of the pulp era and by introducing readers to new work by some of today's most powerful writers and artists. Determined detectives and dangerous women...fortune hunters and vengeance seekers...ingenious criminals and men on the run...Hard Case Crime novels offer everything you want from a great story, all in handsome and affordable editions.
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Finished the Spencer book.. It had the Grey Man.. Rugar in it. Interesting a professional killer with scruples.. Hmm.
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Hard Case crime: Mmmmm. Heaven for the hard-boiled detective fans. How many of us fit in that category?
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I like some hard case.. some noir.. some female,, a few cozy,, not many reformed romance that insist on plopping a romance in the middle of the plot..
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I'll be off the computer all day Thursday, but back Friday.
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I have found another Sue Ann Jarrarian..She is soo hard tofind and she does make me laugh.
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darn it all. Jaffarian..
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Read my first Bones book. It was o.k. for me. I did a lot f skimming the anatomical explanations that didn't seem to add anything to the story, except for those of you who love that stuff :D. I do like the character and her relationships w/ her colleagues. I will probably try another just to test whether i want to go on reading her.
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Forgive me if I missed something, but what is a Bones book, Jean?
Marj
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I took "bones books" to mean the books that the TV series Bones is based on: Cathy Reich's books. Am I right?
Read the last two Jane Langton mysteries that I had missed. they are about the Civil War and it's affect on the soldiers and their families in the Concord area. Instead of her wonderful drawings (which I missed) she has photos of real people from that time (which she gives her character's names to.
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I have read a lot of Jane Langdon , but not those. Will have to look for them.
Cathy Reichs, I love the books, not fond of the tv show. Very very different people...
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Yes, Marji and Joan i meant the Reichs books about "Bones". Sorry, i should have given the author's name.
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I read an article about Kathy Reichs.She says the difference is deliberate. Temperance Brennan in the books is older, has a grown daughter, an ex husband and works half the year in NC and half in Canada. Bones in TV is younger and I believe works in Washington..
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Yes, at the Smithsonian labs, no less. Which got roped into solving murders by the FBI
because Temperance was at the top of her field in studying bones and telling you what
happened to them.
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I've just started "Brown-eyed Girl" by Virginia Swift. This is the third one of hers i've read, but i think this is the first in the Sally Alder (Mustang Sally) series. I love them, how could i not? A professor of women's history who's also a singer- song writer, three of my top five loves and all those subjects are talked about in the book!
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Sounds like a winner! I promised I wouldn't buy any more mysteries til I had read (or decided not to read) all the ones I have, but I'll definately get a sample.
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I love Virginia Swift and have read all of that series.. She is good.. and since I am ignorant of Wyoming and its customs,,an eye opener for me.
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Virginia Swift is an entirely new name to me. Sounds good, tho', so I'll add her to my list.
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Sally is a former wild woman who is now a college professor. I love the series. quite small though. Did she write anything else?
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Brown-eyed Girl just keeps getting more and more interesting: skinhead militia in Wyoming, academic freedom, escapees from Nazi France. Sounds confusing but Swift fits it all in the story very nicely. I like her writing very much.
She has only 4 mysteries as Virginia Swift, but she has a few nonfiction under the name Virginia Scharff.
http://www.virginiascharff.com/virginia.php
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Thanks for the name.. I did not know she was not using her real name for the mysteries. But then I think she is a college teacher..So they tend to get shy about light novels.
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Hmm,....more and more intriguing. The book on Jefferson sounds very interesting. It's
easy to see how much you have in common with Virginia Swift/Scharf, JEAN.
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I really want and will pput on my Christmas list..The women Jefferson loved. Sounds interesting.He is one of those people who has always intrigued me.The other books on my list this year tend to be around Julia Child, since there is quite a lot new out there.
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I posted this in the Library, but it really belongs here.
I'm reading a light mystery, the latest of the Mrs. Jeffries series. I'll be alternating that
one with a book called "The Seven Wonders, a Novel of the Ancient World". The lead
character is a young man of eighteen, who is about to begin the journey of a lifetime. He
will visit the Seven Wonders of the World, and at each of them encounter a mystery.
The author is Stephen Saylor. He has apparently written a number of novels set in the
Roman empire. Looks very promising.
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I like Stephen Saylor books, so will look for it.
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He has apparently written a lot of mysteries:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/steven-saylor/
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One of my sons gave me a bunch of Saylor books. Have not had time to read one yet, but have them to look forward to. Rob raves about him.
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I finished Brown-eyed Girl and LOVED it. It finished with a lot of twists and turns in the story. I'm going to look for the other two Swift books i haven't read and i'm going to try to find the non-fiction of Virginia Scharff.
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I think there are four Mustang Sally books. EAch very interesting and quite different from each other. Good luck. I loved them
Barb: is there some way to go into Zillow and change a mistake. They have me listed as two bedrooms and I am three.
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I don't read nor care for most cozy mysteries. But I love the titles of some of them. Someone in another group mentioned two titles that made me laugh:
HEARSE AND BUGGY by Laura Bradford
FRANKLY MY DEAR, I'M DEAD by Livia J. Washburn
That last one I'm going to have to read, just because of the title.
Marj
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Would you believe this if it appeared in a mystery novel? Well, it happened.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/crime-writer-nancy-mancuso-gelber_n_2089687.html
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Amazing!
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Reading the latest Donna Andrews. Great fun.. A cozy but one that is neat. Our detective has just had twin boys and it is fun to watch her grow and put her foot down, where the children are concerned. A barn full of the animals from the local shelter lends itself to some funny mental pictures.. i.e. Three teeny kittens using the local police chief as their climbing wall and him watching them..
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I thought she had those twins earlier, STEPH. I recently read her latest, which was "Some
Like it Hawk", and I believe the twins were already toddlers.
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I mentioned many months ago that i was going to read mysteries set in NJ and Pa, just to have some restriction of choices. I haven't stuck to that resolve very well, but i recently picked up Robin Hathaway's Sleight of Hand, set in South Jersey. Terrible! She makes mistakes about the area's geography, about other simple things, like saying her character paid the toll when she got ON the NJ Tpk, which seems insignificant, but anyone who has ever gotten on a turnpike knows you pay the toll getting off of it??? I read one whole chapter and asked myself "why is this chapter in this story? " There are actions by the characters that have no explanation as to why. No more Hathaway!
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Got a sample of "Some Like it Hawk".
Got the newest Parnell Hall "Crossword Puzzle Lady" ($10,000 in unmarked Puzzles") book from the library. Big mistake! No way am I going to solve the puzzles in a library book, my copier isn't working. Without being able to solve the puzzles, the book's lost it's zing. Gurss I'll have to buy it.
Usually, our former seniornetter, Manny Novotsky, does the puzzles for these books. this time, it's done by someone else. Wonder if he's alright. Does anyone know?
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But I am enjoying the latest Chris Nickson "The Constant Lovers". His detective is the Constable of Leeds in the 1700s. Interesting characters and setting.
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In the Aunt Dimity series, Aunt Dimity's goddaughter has twin boys.
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I am reading the book before the Hawk book.. on the macaws.. The twins are four months old and Meg has grown up a lot.. She does not plunge in so fast and the sheriff is becoming more of a character.. I like the growing up bit.
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" Gurss I'll have to buy it." How well that expresses the annoyance, JOAN. :D
;) Nothing like a couple of kids to curb ones impetuosity, right, STEPH?
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I am trying to read a series set in Michigan, the Starvation Lake series. Mysteries, complicated characters. Lots of hockey. I read the first, attracted in the beginning by the way the author had me back up in the north woods on a crisp winter day, snow packed streets, vehicles running outside stores, people dressed in jackets with hoods and thick gloves....now I'm trying to stay interested in The Hanging Tree. It's also set in deep winter - I'm not sure I want to return to that climate. Author is Bryan Gruley.
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Up until now Meg in the series has been put upon by her extended family and an extremely bossy mother. She would rush into investigating and could not seem to grip danger. But the author has let her mature with the birth of her sons.. Interesting. I like it when continuing series let their characters learn and grow..
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Oh, yeah!, NL. The more of my 'protective' fat layer I lose, the less appealing wintry
weather. But then, being Texas-acclimated, I even find ice-cream unwelcome when the temps.
drop.
And if the character does not develop and grow, the series quickly goes stale. Next
thing you know you're reading the same book over and over again, with only the names
and a few details changed.
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Or you can change the setting. I'm reading the 10th (or so) Deborrah Crombie book, "Water Like Stone" and it has a fascinating setting : the narrow boats of England. they are 7 ft wide and 58 feet long, can go in water one foot deep. they're houseboats made to travel the canals of England. Traditionally, there are people who spend their whole lives on them.
Here's a picture:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Narrowboats-at-tardebigge.jpg&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Narrowboats-at-tardebigge.jpg&h=732&w=1844&sz=276&tbnid=9iCDKJNNKAbPQM:&tbnh=53&tbnw=133&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dnarrowboats%2Bengland%2Bpictures%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=narrowboats+england+pictures&usg=__nG2vFTvwlBjRqfR9gf36193omkE=&docid=2fdoAgcedHXDnM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=qwSgULGcKqz5igKFn4HoDA&ved=0CDMQ9QEwAg&dur=5244
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JoanK, which Crombie book is that. I do like that series.
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Home: "water Like stone".
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Deborah Crombie is one of my favorites. I read Water Like a Stone this summer.
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I saw a a narrow boat on one of our southern tours of England..peculiar looking, but effective.
The best boats to live on that I like are the ones in the Netherlands.. They actually take a small car with them many times. It rests on top of the cabin and when they tie up, they can drive it right off. We saw them in Amsterdam when we were doing a rivership tour..So neat.. Waterways are the roads of the Netherlands. Everything seems to be transported that way. They always have flowers.. a dog or so.. several bikes.. Looks like a neat way to live.
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There are some beautiful Canal boats now going up and down the canals in the part of UK I am from and family still live. Will get to be many more as the old Canals that were closed, covered over with roads years ago are now opening up again. In my GM and Mothers days it was the main way of shipping also.
They are opening up the one in my home town now. Will them be able to travel that way all over the North of England. Cousin and friends rented one past summer for 3 week. It is Work though as one still has to get off and open up the locks in order to get through. (The women were voted in to do that job).
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Once upon a time, that sounds great, alas as a single, not so much..
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Oh! Oh! You are reminding me of one of my all-time favorite mystery books, and now, of course, I am feeling my senility and having a hard time remembering much more than the title. I think this is the title: A Clutch of Constables. I will now go off to Google and try to find it and come back in here.
OK, I'm not THAT bad yet! No A. Just Clutch of Constables, and it is by that unsurpassed giant, Ngaio Marsh. Remember her? Well, it is all about a riverboat trip on the Thames and the constables are NOT policemen. He! He! If you missed this one, do try to find it and make up for your loss.
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MaryPage...She was indeed one of the great mystery writers. Another "oldie" that I recall was Helen MacInnes. Her espionage thrillers were incredible, as were the early Robert Ludlum...esp. Parsifal Mosaic and Matarese Circle. WOW...that was mystery/espionage writing, to me.
jane
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I think I've read all the Marsh books, but it's been decades. Worth a reread. (I like to reread mysteries, if they're good).
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my nautical theme continues. I'm readin "A Burial at Sea" by Charles Finch. Fifth in a series, so I have lots of good reading ahead.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/charles-finch/
The detective is a (in this book) former policeman become member of parliament (huh?) in 19th century England. In this book, he's on a sailing ship carrying out a diplomatic mission to Egypt. Full of sailing lore.
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JoanK, I read A Burial at Sea by Charles Finch earlier this year and thought it was a great book. My notes say "Excellent writing and research." I have meant to read more by this author. Thanks for the reminder.
Marj
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I really loved Marsh and read all of hers at least once and in some cases twice.. Good writer..and loved and have no idea how to prounouce her first name..
Finch is a new writer to me.. Will look him up.
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Loved McInnes and Marsh! One of my favorite McInnes books, tho', was not a thriller. It
was "Rest and Be Thankful". Anyone remember that one?
It looks as though Charles Finch is another one I ought to meet. Thanks for describing his work, JOAN & MARJ.
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Marsh's first name is pronounched Ney-O.
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Burial at Sea was fascinating while he was on the ship: less so when he got to land. But the first in the series has "ocean" in the tittle, and is only $2.99 on kindle, so I'm in!
I try to alernate types of mysteries for variety, but I made a bad tactical mistake last night. I'm on a pre-Christmas diet, and went to bed kind of hungry. Took with me Katherine Hall Page "Murder in the Boudoir." I've read enough Page, i should have known what would happen. her detective is a caterer, and every meal anyone ate was described in loving detail.
Why I didn't put the book down, I have no idea: it wasn't even very good. But after I'd read awhile, I was REALLY HUNGRY!
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Page is too materialistic for me, anyway. her later books are one third food descriptions of every meal a character eats, one third telling the brand name of every object one of the characters wears, carries, or owns, and one third (if you're lucky) mystery. Don't think I'll read another.
I admit to being more sympathetic with the fixation on food than on the fixation with expensive clothes, shoes, jewelry, knicknacks, furnature, and on and on. Maybe the detective's minister husband should preach a few sermons on "lay not up treasures on earth ....."
Or maybe I'm just grouchy couse I'm hungry.
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I read a few Page, but never really got into her. My poor office is overrun with books.. I am donating my large genealogical library to Special Collections at my local library. I had to evaluate them, and that means pulling each one out and looking up on the web , since there is no book appraiser for miles and miles and I really want the donation for tax purposes.. So there are books everywhere..paper ephemera.... quarterlies. I dont want to reshelve them since I hope the library will come up with a yes pretty soon and then they will need to be moved downstairs to be picked up..
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Huh! My library had absolutely nothing under the name Charles Finch. >:(
My sympathies, STEPH. How many books in that genealogical collection? Maybe you can find some high
school age assistant to help you with that chore for a modest fee.
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Jane, I loved all the Helen McInnes books, and another one who wrote in the same vein, Ann Bridge. I don't think I've read any N Marsh. Will have to change that.
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Oh, Pedln! Start at the beginning and work your way through! Dame Marsh was a New Zealander. Here ya go!
http://www.fictiondb.com/author/ngaio-marsh~21687.htm
Clutch of Constables was written in 1969.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngaio_Marsh
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I tried finding books by Edith Ngaio March in both libraries in town. None found. I will ask them next time in.
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The name Edith was never on her books.
You might try some used book stores. All of her books eventually came out in paperback. She was super popular, and many of her books were made into films by the BBC.
In her day, I would say she was second only to Agatha Christie in popularity, and IMHO that was only due to her living so far away. I liked her books as well as Christie's, and much more than the Hercule Poirot series.
Apparently all of her books are available on Nook and Kindle and iPads.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=ngaio+marsh+books&tag=googhydr-20&index=stripbooks&hvadid=4657444367&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=516197&hvnetw=g&hvrand=20607977712079119844&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&ref=pd_sl_77mb9jzy5w_b
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Another author of the time, similiar in tone to Marsh, was Josephine Tey.
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My all time very, very favorite mystery book is Josephine Tey's A DAUGHTER OF TIME. Oh gosh, I am getting so old I cannot be certain of that title, but I think it is right. I'll look!
Nope, I was wrong. It is THE Daughter of Time. Her The Singing Sands was one I have never forgotten, as well. There was something awesome about Tey's writing in that, once read, you could not forget her stories. We did not get enough of her.
http://www.fictiondb.com/author/josephine-tey~7310.htm
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I have only read The Franchise Affair - it was good, lots of atmosphere of a 1950s English village.
Rosemary
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Oh both Tey and Marsh were lovely writers. I confess to liking both of them a bit more than
Christie. I was never fond of Hercules Poirett.. Liked her other stuff. The Daughter of Time was great and so is a book on Richard from his point of view. Forgot who write that one, but one of those ladies.
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I totally agree with you, Steph. And THE DAUGHTER OF TIME is the book about Richard III. History teachers in our colleges and universities still have their students read that book. Seriously. They do!
Oh, Rosemary Dear, you are right THERE! Do read all of Tey, and most especially this book and The Singing Sands. You are close enough to go see and hear them!
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I would agree with you about Hercule Poirot, MARYPAGE. Loved Miss Marple, but Poirot
annoyed me frequently. It seemed to me books featuring him tended to use very obscure
hints/clues. Certainly not as good as Ngaio Marsh. I like Josephine Tey, too. Can't
remember whether I read 'The Daughter of Time'. I think I'll check my library for
both of the books you mention.
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Babi, I feel pretty sure you will have read THE DAUGHTER OF TIME. It is the one where Tey shows through the process of a mystery solving sort of way an alternative view of English History as forced upon us by the victorious Tudors.
You remember, of course, and I mean as a scholar and not in person, the War of The Roses? Lancaster and York. And the Battle of Bosworth where Lancaster won the day and the crown by killing Richard of York? Henry VI married Richard's niece and the white and red roses came together to make the Tudor rose, which died out with Elizabeth I.
Shakespeare and other Tudor toadies went to great lengths to glorify their masters and vilify the House of York. Tey believed this to be false history, and she lays it all out. I tend to agree with Tey, and the only gold charm bracelet still in my possession (I have passed my others on to daughters and granddaughters) has a white rose charm on it from my visit to the City of York.
And that is why this slim little volume by a famous mystery writer is still used in university history courses as a source. It is both a treasure and a classic.
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A friend who didn't want anything to do with computers, but loves her iPad (for grandchilren pictures and downloadable books), recently suggested a free Kindle book -- by A.A. Milne. The Red House Mystery. This is an adult book, nary a hint of Christopher Robin. He wrote it for either his father or FIL, who loved mysteries. So far, so good. I keep wondering if he's throwing in a lot of red herrings.
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Not having luck on finding in out libraries any books by Ngaio March or Josephine Tey. Could be they could find for me in other libraries but I doubt they are out in Large Print. I try to stay with LP. Books written for last 6 years are so seem to be all out in LP. Not a eye problem but just so much easier to read.
I just have never been able to read a Paper back. Think I would have same type problem with the "Readers" now on the market. I need the feel of a book in my hand.
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Jeanne: you can afjust the type size in the readers. Including a huge type. Only problem: the huge type only gets a few words on a page.
If you're interested, I'll bet barnes and Noble would let you play with a Nook, and see if the type is good. If it is, you don't have to worry about which books are avilable in large type -- they all are.
my kindle has a very good feel in the hand -- I think they worked on it. Only problem: you have to figure out the best way to prop it when you're in bed.
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I LOVE Winnie-the Pooh! Have to try his adult mystery! I've ordered it on kindle.
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Barnes and Noble has a lot of Josephine Tey's books in Paperback and on NOOK, but no hardbacks or Large Print. I would suggest a used book store.
They have a lot, if not most of Ngaio Marsh's books in AudioBooks and on NOOK. They have some paperbacks in stock, but apparently she must have had another wave of popularity because most of her books are being republished shortly, all in paperback, and you can pre-order each of these from Barnes & Noble on line.
Probably if you go to Amazon.uk you can find both Marsh and Tey in hardback, and mebbe in Large Print.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/276-6303717-1061157?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Josephine+Tey
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/276-6303717-1061157?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Josephine+Tey#/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Ngaio+Marsh&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3ANgaio+Marsh
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I just read Ngaio Marsh's ENTER A MURDERER (the second of hers I'd read) and decided I'd not read another of her books. Her New Zealand jargon drives me nuts, and the story was not not interesting enough to bother finishing it. I read about half, then skipped to the end to see who the murderer was (didn't really care by then) and sent it back to the library.
Marj
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Just looked up The Red House Mystery - but sadly it is far from free on Amazon UK, at least at the moment. I will check the library.
Rosemary
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
M i lne?? Wow. thought Winnie was it.. Will check out where to get it.
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Oh, MaryPage, Shakespeare among "Tudor toadies"? A kinder view would be that
when kings and queens were still powerful, one was careful not to offend. If I did
read "The Daughter of Time", it's been too long ago. I was very much surprised, tho',
to find that my library had only two of the more recent Tey books.
I see that JEANNE has the same problem in her library. I suppose the old authors are
falling by the wayside in the competition for shelf space. I'm glad to hear that the
Marsh books are going to be republished.
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Josephine Tey, whose real name was Elizabeth MacIntosh, died in 1952.
Dame Ngaio Marsh died in 1982.
So it is a mark of how good they were that their books are still in print. I cannot recall Marsh sounding anything but very English; perhaps the book Marj tried was different from her others. As I said, Clutch of Constables was my favorite. It takes place mainly on a riverboat on the Thames in England, and just could not be more British.
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I'm reading "the Red house mystery". it's shaping up to be a locked room puzzle. traces only of milne's dry humor.
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Marsh wrote a good deal of her mysteries about England..so I found them readable.. Tey wrote about everything, everywhere and I did like her.
Funny how universal they both are. Some authors never fade, others do right away. I suspect some of the cozy ones will age rather quickly.
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I think all novels age, not just cozies. I guess it's a matter of thinking of them as historical pieces and not trying to make them into "contemporary" when that no longer fits. Lots of novels don't include cell phones and computer technology, etc., so anytime a character is looking for a phone or wondering about finding out about someone, etc., it's obviously no longer "contemporary" to our world. Whether or not one still enjoys reading a work is, I think, very dependent on how the author has connected with that reader.
jane
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I am very fond of some of the older tv series.. I do laugh at the original cell phones.. Larger than abreadbox, etc. I have been trying to decide why some books age well, but others jar me..Hmm.. Takes some thought.
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My own thought is that books that look deeply into human behavior and conduct are timeless.
Technology changes, but the things that make human beings 'tick' are basic and don't change.
What those books have to tell us remains true, and I think we realize that.
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Along those very lines, Babi, I was deeply, deeply struck by lines spoken by Abraham Lincoln in the new movie about him.
He is talking to Congressman Stevens, a huge opponent of his, and Lincoln says:
"A compass will point you true north, but it won't show you the swamps between you and there. If you don't avoid the swamps, what's the use of knowing true north?"
Wow! All of today's congressman on both sides of the aisle need to ponder that question. Nothing is black or white; everything contains many shades of grey. Compromise has always been the order of the day whenever this country has taken a few lurches forward toward true north.
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Mary.
Did you enjoy watch the new "Lincoln" movie. Was there are lot of Political talking in it?. Does it have much of his family life? Not sure if I want to see it yet.
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I know I want to see it, but not quite sure when it will hit our little movie here.They tend toward cartoons and shoot em ups..
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I'd never heard that quote before, MARYPAGE, and it may have been writte by the
screenwriter, but I think it's great. It's true, too. So many people speak much
of the great goals they want to accomplish, but very few can provide a plan for
actually achieving them. There's swamps out there, baby, and deserts and mountains.
Hey, STEPH, do you remember when a 'shoot 'em up' was a Western movie? Nowadays
it's hoodlums shooting anything that's moving. Or hot-shot detectives pushing the limits
on what's allowed in a civilized country. Our 'hero' images are becoming a bit muddy. I
do so enjoy the police dramas where the characters are trying to live up to the 'protect and
serve' motto.
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All of our favourite Cowboy hero's would not seem to be right for the shows we now have on TV. Just can't picture John Wayne and others like him playing the Detectives of today.
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I loved cowboy movies when I was a kid. Roy Rogers was my hero and I wanted his horse big time.. But now the shoot em ups shoot up the world.. no heros..just plain mean spirited.. I avoid them at all costs.
Reading the second Darling Dahlias book, but think that will be it.. Just too too silly.
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Don't remember if this author was recommended here or somewhere else, but I'm glad I found her. Sue Ann Jaffarian's book "Too Big to Miss" is a real page turner. Started reading it last night and read about 75 pages. Woke up around 2:00 AM, couldn't get back to sleep so I picked up the book and finished it around 5:00 AM. The main character, Odelia Grey, is an overweight paralegal. I can relate to overweightness. When a member of her support group is reported to have committed suicide, she questions the verdict and investigates. From the information about the author in the back of the book, it says she is current president of the Los Angeles chapter of Sisters in Crime. Our library website lists several more of her books, so I will probably read another when I finish some of the TBR books I have already.
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Sounds good Dean. My library has several of hers.
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I've even found some Jaffarian on the East Lothian Libraries catalogue! Amazing - I've saved a few to my lists - they were short of titles, as you can imagine.. ;D
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I love Jaffarian. She has the Odelia Grey series, and another series with a ghost as a detective, which I like less well, but still good.
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I'm reading Mary Anna Evans. Her detective is an Black archiologist who does excavations primarily in the islands off Florida (although she travels in some of the books.
She owns and lives on one of those islands in a big house her forbears (one master, one slave) built. She starts out illegally digging up and selling artifacts to support herself, but, over the course of several books, becomes a legitimate archeologist.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/e/mary-anna-evans/
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Two more interesting sounding authors. I do hope I have more luck finding them in our
library. Drew a blank on the last few. I'll check again on-site. In their present mid-remodeling
status, they may not be quite up-to-date with the catalog.
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I have read three of the Jaffarian books. Love them, love her cranky boss and her wonderful love.. Good books.. excellent author. Have not yet found the ghost books.. She is hard to find in a lot of bookstores.
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The Jaffarian book I read "Too Big to Miss" was a treat. I'm ready for another as soon as I finish the Rhys Bowen I just started and the Louise Penny I picked up from the library today.
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My library has not a single Jaffarian book! Tch!
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She is hard to find in used book stores as well.. Shemay be on Kindle.. There are a lot of writers that simply do not get wide distribution..Sad but true.
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Bob Schieffer of FACE THE NATION had 4 best selling authors on this morning, and one of them was Gillian Flynn who wrote GONE GIRL.
She seemed to be someone without ego and very, very nice. Very pretty and down to earth. I liked her a lot. She admits her book is quite dark.
He also had Chris Pavone, writer of The Expats, and now I find I really want to read that. And he had David Baldacci, who I like in person but do not care for his books, and Alex Stone, who wrote that book about magic, a subject I am just not interested in.
I found I liked all 4 authors as people, and that is quite surprising as I usually find so many of them to be full of themselves. These four have, or at least seem to have, great personalities.
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I'm reading a Louise Penny now. Found there was one in the series I had missed "A Rule Against murder". It doesn't take place in Three Pines, but involves some of the same characters. It explains why I thought I had mssed something in the books I did read.
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In line with our comments a week or so ago, and my favorite mystery book of all time (so far), THE DAUGHTER OF TIME by Josephine Tey, I give you the following:
This was a below the centerfold FRONT PAGE story in today's (Sunday's) THE WASHINGTON POST.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/in-england-discovery-of-possible-royal-grave-digs-up-twisted-legacy-of-richard-iii/2012/11/24/33c34570-3314-11e2-92f0-496af208bf23_story.html
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Oh dear, it wants you to sign in. I have an account, as I am a subscriber, but I don't want to give out my password. Well, let's try this. It lacks the pictures, but here goes:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/in-england-discovery-of-possible-royal-grave-digs-up-twisted-legacy-of-richard-iii/2012/11/24/33c34570-3314-11e2-92f0-496af208bf23_print.html
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I also just found a missed Louise Penney book.. It was set in the village however..
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Click on "discovery in September" in the article and you get a BBC article with pictures.
Here is what the Richard III Society has: http://www.richardiii.net/ click on Leicester dig.
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Thanks, Frybabe. I have been a nut about Richard of York ever since I read Tey's book waaaaaaaay back there in time. Can a real life mystery be coming close to being solved?
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The first link worked for me, MARY PAGE. I will be very interested in learning
what the investigators and researchers find. I really want to read that book.
My library has the audio version only, which of course is no help to me at all.
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Just started Ken Follett's Jackdaws, seems promising.
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Finally threw in the towell on the Darling Dahlias, just not interested in anyone in it.
I have a Dana Stabenow that I have not read. It has both Liam and Kate. Should be good.
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A good real-life hstorical mystery. Great!
I haven't read that Stabenow.
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Yes, I like Liam and Stabenow does not write that much about him.. So it is good. This is probably last years book, since I bought it in paperback.. I also ordered and got the second Good Thief book.. This time he is in Las Vegas.. I loved the first one in Amsterdam.
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Had an email from Margaret Maron this morning (sent to ALL her fans in a mass mailing, not just meant for me) and she announces she has a new E-Book out for Christmas titled Five Christmas Gifts. Short stories.
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A new China Bayles mystery by Susan Wittig Albert is due out in April. "Widow's Tears" if I remember correctly.
Just finished Simon Brett's latest Fethering mystery "The Corpse on the Court". I enjoyed it. Carole is her usual "stuffy" self but Jude's character changed a bit--more vulnerable than in the previous mysteries. A nice cozy for the busy season.
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Just finished Julia Spencer-fleming "One was a Soldier". I like this series, involving a woman Episcopal priest (who is also a helicopter pilot) and the cheif of police in a small upstate New York town. This one deals with PTSD. It's the latest in the series. The first is "In the Bleak Midwinter". they repay reading in order, since the characters develop.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/julia-spencer-fleming/
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JoanK, I just checked out One was a Soldier, too! I have read all up to this point and really enjoyed them. You are so right about reading them in order; since the characters develope as the story continues.
Sally
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
One was a Soldier was excellent. One of my favorites so far. A very good author, who has invented some very complicated characters.
Finished What the Dead Know.. A wild reverse sort of ending, but I liked it.. I like Laura Lippman..She is always thinking.
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Thanks, JoanK, for recommending One Was A Soldier. I recently read A Fountain Filled With Blood which I thought was very good, and better than Bleak Midwinter. Spencer-Fleming's books seem to be getting better and better.
Marj
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I think that she is digging deeper into her characters and coming up with more complicated plots. A very good author indeed..Almost finished with Star Island.. He is pushing the silly limits, but then I would guess that South Beach does that.
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I've just reserved the latest Louise Penny at the library - The Beautiful Mystery - and wondered if any of you have read it?
I really love Penny's books, but when I read her newsletters I sometimes feel she is getting a bit too precious - I know she's a great writer, but she talks about her writing as though it were some sort of mystic religion.
Just jealous really, of course ;D
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Steph, have you read Laura Lippman's Power of Three? My f2f read it a few years ago, about a school shooting, pretty strong stuff.
Someone mentioned Julia Spencer-Fleming a while back and I was able to get the first one, In the Bleak Mid-winter at bargain prices. I'm looking forward to reading that one of these days. Thanks for the recommendation.
F2f meets tomorrow to discuss Mary Higgins Clark's The Christmas Thief, light and enjoyable. Rather timely because it corresponds with the lighting of the tree in Rockefeller Center and also the powerball winners.
Amazon seems to be having some special deal days for the upcoming holidays. I rarely win stuff on things like that, but have received a few books from Random House readers circle after filling out a form mentioned on Facebook.
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I read the latest Louse Penny book The Beautiful Mystery as soon as it was released but have not said anything about it because I didn't like it as well as the others. I was very interested in the history of chanting by the monks but did not like he direction she took with the main characters. I had really looked forward to this book as I had enjoyed all of her previous ones, but I'm not sure I will read the next one. Since we all have different feelings about story lines, settings and character development, I'm sure there are others of you who will think this is her best.
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Thanks Cubfan - I'll let you know what I think when I finally get it from the library.
Rosemary
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It is getting now,specially with some of the writers that have been around for awhile. You can read one of their books and love it. Pick up another and can't stand to read it.
Most now seem to be writing to many books just to fast. Maybe writing some for the Book Pads where people buy for 10 dollars but not a good story. And then work on another longer which is good but goes out on book market in Stores first for $28 and later onto the Pads. Something is changing. Can't see any author that can sit and write a good story more than twice a year. Some good books have taken 2 years to write.
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Oh dear. I have a sample of "A Beautiful mystery" on my kindle, but maybe I won't read it. Penny does knock her characters about a bit, doesn't she.
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I am putting myself in your hands; trusting in your collective judgment.
Have just gone on line to Thrift Books. Do you know them? Boy, is it EVER the way to buy books these days!
I spent a grand total of $28.24 and bought ALL SEVEN of Julia Spencer-Flemings books about the Episcopal priest.
Do you think I am smirking. Dang right!
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I think that sometimes we read a series and have a certain expectation of how we want the characters to develop - and when the author goes in a different direction, we don't like it. I know I read some series, and then can't read any more. One is Elizabeth George - I cannot read "What Came before He shot her." Actually, I quit part way into "With No One as Witness."
There are a couple of other series where I have skipped books because I haven't want to read that particular plot line of character involvement.
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One of the privileges of being a reader, NL. We're perfectly free to continue or
dump, without offense to a soul.
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I agree on Elizabeth George. I loved her until Helen died.. Then I could not read the next apology type and the last one made me want to rip it up.. What an unpleasant woman, he picked, No sense.
I love Louise Penney, so hope I will like the latest.
Yes, I have read pretty much allof Laura Lippman. Her stand alones are powerful..The school shooting was a truly scary ending.
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Isn't that funny; I totally agree with you about Elizabeth George. Why in this WORLD did she kill off Helen like that? Or in any manner, for that?
I have not read one of her books since. You know what? I'll bet, based on what you have just said and it being identical to my reaction, I'll just bet she lost a huge percentage of her public right then and there. And I'll bet she and her publishers know it in spades!
Sort of like AMC remaking the Danish film THE KILLING, a series in which the murder is not solved until the 13th episode. But the American Public went ape over the show and AMC had a hit on their hands and they decided to change the ending, change the murderer, add in a lot of plot not in the Danish version (which was a huge hit in Europe), and carry it over until the next year. Well, I for one was furious, and I refused to watch the second year. As did MOST of their viewers! I mean, when you have been expecting to find out who done it on a certain date and then they just leave you dangling! Apparently someone in charge at AMC thought this a great way to hang on to their sudden new influx of viewers. But you don't promise one thing and then betray your public, whether a watching or a reading public. I adored Lady Helen. We should have been able to keep her.
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I think i'll check out Maron's Christmas book.
Just finished "If Looks Could Kill" by Kate White. It was enjoyable. Someone suggested Sue Ann Jaffarian, i got "Thugs and Kisses" at the library and am liking it quite a lot. Thanks for the recommendations.
Happy holidays!
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I agree that some of Elizabeth George's mystery series books were better than others. But I read her latest not long ago, BELIEVING THE LIE, and really liked it!
it is a biggie, but I was surprized that this long book kept up my interest all the way to the end. One review called it a "melodrama" and I guess it was, but a very interesting one. I really laughed at Sgt Haver's T-Shirt which she wore into Scotland Yard on her day off, infuriating her boss, which said "Jesus died for our sins...Let's not disappoint him." (I love this rather homely, a little dumpy, but very intelligent character, Barbara Havers.)
Everything is wrapped up nicely at the end, but it ends with a cliffhanger on a matter having to do with Havers' Pakistani friend and neighbor -- so I'm glad to know there will be another novel.
If Elizabeth George ever stops writing good mystery novels, she could do well writing soap operas.
Marj
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"Do you think I am smirking. Dang right!"
You should be! I paid a lot more than that on kindle!
Got this years Christmas mystery by Anne Perry from the library. Can't wait to see which character features in this one as the detective.
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I too like Havers and her landlord and daughter.. but I dont like the direction for her main character. Besides Lady Helen was one of the few truly nice characters.. Oh well. authors can kill off who they please. Just didnt make sense.. George wanted to write about slum children and how they live, I would suppose.
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"Let's REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR
As we go to meet the foe.
Let's REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR
As we did the Alamo.
We will always remember how they died to set men free.
Let's REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR
And go on to victory."
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Yes, indeed. How many of us can remembeer where we were when we heard about Pearl Harbor?
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Since I was not quite 5, dont remember a thing.
The food trucks come to Clermont once a month. It is amazing the crowds that turn out. I love the idea of having a bit of this and a bit of that. This month, I had korean barbecue tacos. Hows that for a strange ethnic mix, but they were excellent. spicy and good. Then a cupcake for dessert.. Butterfinger type.. Then down town to look at the stores and then onto the historic village for a candlelight tour. Nice evening.
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Like you, Steph, I was too young to remember Pearl Harbor. (We must be very close to the same age - March 1936.) I do remember when FDR died and the parades at the end of WW2.
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I was eight years old when Pearl Harbor was attacked. I remember hearing President Roosevelt speaking on the radio and telling what happened. I was scared.
Back then we didn't have television images of the war as we do now. I remember my mom reading the newspaper during WW2 with tears in her eyes, especially when she read Ernie Pyle's column about the men he talked with on the front lines.
Marj
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mARJ: "I remember hearing President Roosevelt speaking on the radio and telling what happened. I was scared."
That's my memory, too. Whenever I hear "Pearl Harbor", I see that green radio dial! I remember sking my parents what's "war"? I didn't know what it was, but I could feel my parents were scared, so I was too.
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War started for us in UK l939. Seemed like it had been on for years by the time Pearl Harbor happened. We didn't get a whole lot of news on it. We had been hearing lots coming out of Asia even before 1939 as we had troops fighting in that area prior to 1939. The Japanese had started things along the Chinese borders .Some English families that had lived in China for years were being sent home. So Japan had plans long before they bombed Pearl Harbor. They had also gotten into the Allusion Island off Alaska
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I just finished Margaret Maron's latest Deborah Knott series "The Bzzard Table". I think it is one of the best in the series. Maron also has several "stand alone" books. Her "Last Lessons of Summer" was very good.
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I will look for the new Maron. I do so love her books.
MaryZ.. December 1937.. so the war only meant moving from where I was born, Delaware, first to Brooklyn to the navy yard for my Dad to work construction ( he was 4-f, blind on one eye) and then to Portsmouth,Va. for the navy yard there. My biggest memory was the day the war was over, my Dad came home and said to my Mom.. pack, we are going. home. She cried and cried, since her parents lived in Portsmouth and she wanted to stay in the city, but Dad was going back to Delaware, where they owned a lot and he wanted to build a house..So we did..that and the face that my Dad was a Eleanor hater..Oh me, he hated to even hear her name..
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What I can well remember is the day we heard that the war was over. I was ten,
and people were out in the streets, laughing and shouting. I'll never forget the
young wife driving through the streets, crying and laughing at the same time, honking the horn because her soldier husband would finally be coming home. I can still get teary remembering.
My dad worked in a torpedo factory, as a master machinist. He went to enlist,
but was told they needed master machinists in the war plants. He worked there
a couple of years, then we moved so he could work in one of the airplane factories. Those planes became so familiar to me I could identify every one of
them, young as I was.
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I love Maron, too; but I always wait and buy her paperbacks just as soon as they come out. I think we are on about number 19 for Deborah Knott now, and I never get tired or bored. Maron actually gets BETTER with each book. Though I did love that one about the potters in North Carolina. A lot of the names she used in that book were real people.
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I'm reading an interesting and different book: "Don't Cry, Tai Lake." I won't try to spell the author's name, but here he is:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/q/qiu-xiaolong/
The author is from Shanghai, and is also a poet and translator of Chinese poetry into English. Not surprisingly, his detective is a policeman in Shanghai who quotes Chinese poetry at the drop of a hat (his own and others).
Interesting picture of Communist China (the author left China after Tenamin square). And I've long loved Japanese poetry, but am ignorant of Chinese poetry. So this is a treat for me.
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I had not ever read one of robert crais books.. Sentry. It is about Joe Pike and is very violent. I finally decided to take it on Saturday afternoon. Finished it yesterday. Loved it and I generally dont like violence.. But I do like Elvis Cole his detective and I loved this one. but oh me, the body count is high indeed.
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A policeman quoting poetry. Sounds like fun, JOANK. I don't think my chances are very good of finding it in my library, tho'. Still, I've noted down the authors
name,...carefully. ;)
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Joank, did you find this book at Amazon for the Kindle? I'll look for that author. I like reading books about detectives in other countries.
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Fla: no I found it in the libray. But the kindle has it, along with some others in the series. They don't have the extra that gives you all the books in sequence, but you can find that in the Fantastic Fiction link above (and the older ones should be cheaper!}
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I loved Judge Dee. but that of course was ancient China.
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Just 70 pages into a new (to me) mystery author - Karen Swee's "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Murder." It's set in New Jersey during the Revolutionary War and very good reading. Unfortunately, it appears to be the only book she wrote and she died in 2008. It's very sad, i'm really enjoying the book.
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Joank, my library has no books by Qui Xiaolong. My son and dil often give me Amazon gifts so I'll check Amazon. I have a Kindle app on my iPad and occasionally download a book although I prefer the feel of real books. :)
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Well now, I got so tired of waiting on the reserve list for "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn. I had made it up to #50 of 83 requests, so I bought it. I have heard good reports, bad reports, mediocre reports, and think it's one that has to be "just read" and make your own decisions. I'm not sure if I like it, or hate it; the format is very unusual, but since I was having a bit of insomnia last evening, I read until 4:00 AM. If nothing else, it's keeping my interest! I don't think I've wasted my Amazon money, but time will tell. I'm over half-way through, and it's a book that tempted me to do something I never do...go to the end and find out what really happened!
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BTW, I put on my reserve list "The Uninvited Guests" which I think is the book that was tagged as "scary" by Ginny, either in this forum, or one of our others. There are only 18 ahead of me, hee, hee, hee.
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Finished Wicked Appetite by Evanovich.. Not as good as Stephanie Plum, but better than those retread romances she churns out..
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I've started both Mary Ann Evans "Findings" and Sarah A. Allen's "The Peach
Keeper", and enjoying both. "The Peach Keeper" is not classified as a mystery,
but there is definitely a past mystery involved. Not to mention superstition and
yes, ghosts. :)
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Death of A Butterfly, and Death in Blue Folders. I just picked up these 2 by Marg. Moran the other day. Just don't like them that much. She seems to go so slow. First time I have tried reading her. Must be me as lots of you seem to like her.
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Those are early books and I think about Sigrid, not Judge Knott.. Margaret Maron..Is that who you mean??
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Steph. yes. Sigrid she is called. She is not a judge in these two. Maybe will see if I can find some more current books of hers. I didn't see any other Large Prints.
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Steph, i tried a Sigrid book and didn't like it either, but love the Judge Maron books.
Jean
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I read all the Sigrid books years go and liked them. I don't believe they are any longer in print. Maron has brought Sigrid, her mother and grandmother into her latest Deborah Knott book, "The Buzzard Table"--a really interesting story and one of her best IMO.
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No, no, no! You don't want to read her Sigrid books.
I keep trying to explain she has different series of books and some books not part of any series.
I am recommending the JUDGE DEBORAH KNOTT series. And it says right on the front of each book that it is a Deborah Knott book. You want to start out with Bootlegger's Daughter and go from there.
Margaret Maron is the author and Judge Deborah Knott is the dectective. LOVE those books! Try one!
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Actually I like both of her series, but Sigrid is early and the Judge Knott books are more realized in bringing forth an entire large southern family in all of its glory..She has also written a few stand alones.. All are good.
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The Deborah Knott Series:
Bootlegger's Daughter, 1992
Southern Discomfort, 1993
Shooting at Loons, 1994
Up Jumps the Devil, 1996
Killer Market, 1997
Home Fires, 1998
Storm Track, 2000
Uncommon Clay, 2001
Slow Dollar, 2002
High Country Fall, 2004
Rituals of the Season, 2005
Winter’s Child, 2006
Hard Row, 2007
Death’s Half-Acre, 2008
Sand Sharks, 2009
Christmas Mourning, 2010
Three-Day Town, 2011
The Buzzard Table, 2012
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A good place to find mysteries in chronological order, by author, by character, and other ways is at the website StopYoureKillingMe.com.
Marj
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And a link to it is in the heading.
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Hi, everyone. This is my first post in SL; I joined the site today. Is anyone interested in the publications out of Rue Morgue Press? These are mysteries written during the "Golden Age of detective fiction" (per their website). I really like the style of the few authors I've read: Frances Crane, Lucy Cores, Juanita Sheridan. These stories feature female sleuths, many who are strong in their own right (no prominent male lead). I also like the Felony & Mayhem "Vintage" mysteries. Sorry if these have already been discussed: I didn't read every post in this subject! :)
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Welcome Lisa.
You will find some good reading in here.We cover everything.
Mary. Thanks for giving the list. I will give The "Deb Knotts" a try. Starting with the No. 1. Which on that list didn't you enjoy. Looks like she was writing one a year.
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Hi, Lisa! Delighted to have you join us.
Jeanne, I loved every single one of them. And let me tell you, you miss a lot if you do not read them all and read them in order. She has 11 brothers and heaps of sisters-in-law and nieces and nephews. She has loads of admirers and some lovers (one at a time) and a best friend and a lifelong friend of her brothers who she falls back on for an escort when she is between relationships. She has an old daddy who thinks she hangs the moon (well, so do her brothers and nieces and nephews and aunts and so on and on) and is a hoot and a half. Her court cases are very real and so are the places in North Carolina that are real. The county she lives in is made up. And yes, Maron DID name her for the Biblical injunction: Judge not that ye be not judged. Judge Knott. I know; I asked her!
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Welcome Lisa,
I checked out the Rue Morgue Press. Sorry, none of the authors are familiar to me. I've bookmarked the site because there are several interesting sounding books. Have you read Dead Men Don't Ski?
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Welcome Lisa, we read everything and anything. Old,,,new.. and inbetween. A favorite of mine is a series on Falco, who is a roman detective( sort of)..I love any mystery where a woman is the detective..Most of those authors are new to me, but sound fine.
Judge Knott.. If you spend any time in the Piedmont of North Carolina, you realize that Maron truly loves the area and uses to great advantage in her books. I think that at the beginning of the series, she was living in NYC and was homesick..So they were a tribute to what she missed the most. I believe she now lives in the area however.
Another author in this general area that I love.. Sharon McCrumb.. She writes several types of mysteries..Her Nora is wonderful.
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Welcome, LISA. I'm sure you'll like this group. What does the Rue Morgue Press
consider to be the 'golden age'? I'm not familiar with any of the authors you
mention, and thought female sleuths to be a fairly modern lot.
I like Sharon McCrumb, too, STEPH, though I've only read a few of her books so
far. I don't recognize the name Nora, though. Which series is she in?
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So far only found 3 in LP at our library books Deb. Knott series. Booklegger not one of them. 2nd is Southern Discomfort they have and so will read that first.
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I love Sharon McCrumb, too.
Oh Jeanne, I do so wish that you could start with Bootlegger's Daughter.
For those of you who love Margaret Maron at least nearly as much as I do, there is a book that will interest you if you have missed it: BLOODY KIN. She wrote it BEFORE she started the Judge Deborah Knott series, but it has DWIGHT BRYANT and Miss Emily in it! In fact, it will give you the background of Kate and Rob and how Kate came (and later Rob, too) to adopt Mary Pat. I bought it used in paperback from THRIFT BOOKS. That place is just so great: they have everything and they are cheap and they mail out right away and everything comes through beautifully. I have had nothing but fabulous experiences with them.
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And free shipping too!
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There's another fan! Hurrah!
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LISA: WELCOME, WELCOME
Thank you for telling us about Rue Morgue press. I'm so excited! Their home page features all my old favorites from when I was a child: Manning Coles, Carter Dickson and John Dickson Carr (same person), Craig Rice (she had a series where a bunch of children were the detectives that I gobbled up as a child!) I want to go out and order their whole catalog!
http://www.ruemorguepress.com/
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Welcome, Lisa. And I'll echo JoanK and the others, thanks for the info about Rue Morgue Press. The only name I really recognized was that of John Dickson Carr. When you have a chance, tell us how you found SeniorLearn. (We're glad you did) ;)
One of Maron's recent books, Three Day Town, includes both Deborah and Sigrid. Somehow, Sigrid is connected to the Knott family, but don't ask me how because I don't remember. But I enjoyed the book, as I always do Maron's.
MaryPage, I'm going to look for Bloody Kin. Other Marons have alluded to Kate adopting Mary Pat -- was she a cousin? -- but it will be interesting to read the background of that.
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Mary Pat and Kate are first cousins. Mary Pat's father, Kate's father's brother, was immensely rich. Mary Pat will inheriit a fortune when she comes of age.
Yes, Sigrid's grandmother is a grande dame who lives in Dobbs and is related to Deborah Knott's mother in some way. They are both descended from the same ancestor several generations back, or some such. The relationship is genuine, but quite removed. Remember, Deborah's mother married down quite a bit; but for True Love.
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What was the name of the last book she wrote as Sigrid prior to her Deborah Knott's books.
I will search further for "Bootlegger" and maybe read it in Small print. I am just spoiled now by LP Books. So easy to read.
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Better World Books, another reliable source, has some Large Print books by Maron.
http://www.betterworldbooks.com/Large-Print-Margaret-Maron-H0.aspx?SearchTerm=Large+Print+Margaret+Maron
The Sigrid Harald Series:
One Coffee With, 1981
Death of a Butterfly, 1984
Death in Blue Folders, 1985
The Right Jack, 1987
Baby Doll Games, 1988
Corpus Christmas, 1989
Past Imperfect, 1991
Fugitive Colors, 1995
Here is another source for used Large Print Maron. I cannot vouch for this site, as I have never used it.
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Sharon McCrumb.. Nora Bonesteel... The mountain lady who talks to Spencer.. A great lady indeed..
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I recommended "Don't Cry Tai Lake" by the chinese writer Qiu Xiaolong. I got a second book by him, "the Mao Case", but I can't get into it. The author, who left china after Tienamin sqware, is using the mystery format to talk about problems in china. "Don't cry" was about pollution. "The Mao case" is dedicated to those whose lives were ruined by the Cultural Revolution, and is about Mao's legacy, good and bad. But the plot seems to be about Mao's sexual pecadillos. I can't bring myself to care about that. The problem was not that he was a weak human, it's that he was a weak human who had the power of a god.
But the book makes an interesting point. He says the Chinese were trained in the ideals of Communism, but are living in a country which is purely Capitalistic. Thus, people have no ideals to guide them beyond the purely materialistic.
Interesting. The US may not always live up to our ideals of Democracy and Equality of Opportunity. But they are there, as a guide.
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I read "With Friends Like These" by Gillian Roberts. As usual, i enjoyed it. She writes with good humor and makes Philadelphia a character in the story and since i know Phila so well i can picture just where she is. Her protagonist, Amanda Pepper, is an English teacher in a private school, so she also throws in literary references. It was a good read.
Jean
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I read several of the Gillian Roberts. I lived outside of Philadelphia for three years many years ago and enjoyed the city so much.No reading yesterday. Computer stuff.. aha..
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@ Babi - Rue Morgue places the "golden age" between 1920 and 1940, but they don't confine their publications to that specifically. The first book in the Sheridan series was published in 1949. Incidentally, one of the "myths" Rue Morgue publishers Tom and Enid Schantz try to disprove is that female sleuths are a recent phenomenon. :) Sheridan's Lily Wu is a strong, independent protagonist.
Since the group appears to unequivocally recommend Maron's Deb Knott series, I downloaded "Bootlegger's Daughter"for my Nook. For the most part, the Rue Morgue and Felony and Mayhem books aren't available as ebooks, so I will usually read a hard-copy choice and a Nook selection simultaneously.
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Thanks, JoanK, for your recommendation of Don't Cry Tai Lake. I've added it to my TBR list.
I read an interesting nonfiction book about China, CHINA ROAD, by Rob Gifford. He is a PBS journalist who lived in China for several years and speaks fluent Chinese. He decided to travel their new 3000 mile highway across China (by hitchhiking) from Shanghai, through the Gobi Desert, to tne border of one of the "-stan" countries. Very interesting to hear what the Muslim Chinese and Tibetans have to say about their country, and you learn some of the history of the different areas. I had to laugh when, way out in the "boonies" he is invited to an Amway party. Of all my travels, I'm sorry I never visited China.
Marj
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Marjifay, I've read China Road, too, a year or so ago. It's a great read!
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Oh, how I love a well-established mystery series that is new to me. Thanks so much for the Judge Knott recommendation, ladies. This Southern-born gal is settling in for a long winter's read.
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Now seniorlearn is still very very slow, so that tells me it is seniorlearn and not the computer. useful, but not helpful
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Well, that helps explain my ignorance of the authors you mentioned, LISA. I
definitely wasn't reading any books between 1920 and 1940. By 1945 I was probably
reading Nancy Drew, but right now she is the only female sleuth I can remember
from way back then.
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Ha! No, I didn't expect that anyone had read first editions! I guess when the used copies of some of these selections, many of which by then were out-of-print, got too damaged to resell or had disappeared into collections, the Rue Morgue founders decided to reprint. Anyway, they are just more titles from which a mystery lover can choose. For me, they beat some of the sillier "cozy" mysteries being published these days.
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I bet I'm not the only one here who read the first editions of some of those books. (I know I'm not, since my sister is on Seniorlean too, and she read them. But she's abandoned mysteries for Science Fiction).
I admit to liking some of the silly cozies, too. They are the potato chips of reading (if you know what I mean).
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;) JoanK. And what are the pretzels?
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I suspect pretzels might define science fantasy..
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Oh, you people are just full fun this morning! For me, peanuts replace potato chips,
but STEPH, i love that "pretzels might define science fantasy" line. :D ::)
Truthfully, that could define some mysteries, too.
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Lisa, as a Southern born, you are going to love Judge Deborah Knott. Try to read the books in order, as they are really one huge book.
I will be all ears waiting to see how you take to them. Do, please, report in about them.
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@ JoanK - I'll bet the cozies you've enjoyed (and that I might have read as well) aren't the ones to which I refer. There are a lot of fun, well-written, light mysteries. But every year, books are published that won't stand the test of time. When the plot is thin and totally unbelievable, the dialogue seems forced, or the author seems to be trying too hard to make the writing funny, I wonder who gave the book the green light. If cozies are potato chips, I've devoured them in many flavors (barbecue is my favorite).
@ MaryPage - I finished "Bootlegger's Daughter" last night. That's REAL barbecue! I'm looking forward to "Southern Discomfort"! Maron writes descriptively and credibly about the South - excellent.
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Maybe bon bons of reading ould be a better analogy, since they're sweet. (You can tell I'm on a diet -- all i can think about is food).
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Started "Cats Can't Shoot" by Clea Simon.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/clea-simon/
She says she writes "Pet Noir". I guess this is to warn you: most of the mysteries involving pets are cozies, and this isn't -- it's sort of a "hard boiled", I guess.
It reminds me that i don't really know what "noir" is. What do you all think it is? Anything that is serious, not jokey? The cover is confusing, too. I've learned that bright colors mean cozies, dark means "noir". But this is dead white with big black letters.
the jury's still out on whether I like it.
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oh me,, Pet noir ( which means black of course, but in books means hard.. not small and sweet).. I copied the name.. As long as no one kills a dog or cat,I will be fine.
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I agree, Steph. I see your breed is corgis: I have always been a dachshund companion. I will wait to see what JoanK reports before I attempt this one. Interestingly (since I can't seem to let the vintage mystery rest), writers from earlier eras seem less cautious about cruelty to animals. Do you think this reflects harder times in which people could not afford as much sentiment? Or has our social conscience simply evolved to include empathy for animals? Are such elements still present in the more "hard-boiled" writings?
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Lisa. I am a Dachshund lover also. Don't have one at the moment but have owned 5. My friend has Corgi and they are a smart dog also
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In the end, I was disappointed in "Cats Can't Shoot." An interesting plot twist: a cat is (falsely) accused of accidently shooting her person (don't ask how -- it's complicated. The detective, an animal communicator, wants to clear the cat and find the culprit.
But the action is muddy. Full of gansa types from her past who all sound alike, and some of whom you never really figure out what they're up to. And her animal communication makes no sense. (I'm willing to grant the premise that some people can communicate with animals for the sake of the book, but she isn't consistant in what she can and can't do. The cat can talk to her, but never simply tells her what happened: goes into a snit instead!.)
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I found her on my book swap app and ordered her first book in the series. Thought it might be wise to start with the first to see what is happening.
Found a Susan Wittig Albert.. Deadly Nightshade in my TBR pile. I love that series and dislike her other two series.
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Hi Lisa,
I think there's still quite a lot of cruelty to animals in books, but I think the difference is that now it is included deliberately to shock, whereas maybe in the 1930s it was 'normal', just as being what we would now call racist/sexist/snobbish was also considered 'normal.' If there's any hint of cruelty to animals in a book I'm about to buy/borrow, I put it back - I know it reflects real life, but I can't bring myself to read about it. I've never even read Black Beauty, and even with my favourite read of this year, 'Hound Dog Days', I had to check the end first to make sure that 'Little Man' (the petit griffon basset vendeen who's the star of the story) was still alive and kicking at the end (he is, and it's a great book...)
I have a friend who's trying to find a daschund puppy. It seems there are very few people breeding them, at least in this part of Scotland.
Rosemary
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Daschund never seemed to be popular in England when I was growing up. We had all breeds of dogs but not one of them. I have had 5 here and love them. Still easy to find. Not very expensive either.
Like you, I can't read about cruelty to animals or watch movies where they die or people being mean to them. Same with children. If being cruel to or sick. I remember my girls had favourite books they wanted me to read. Black Beauty being one of them. Didn't read it.
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I am the same regarding harm to children. It's actually strange that I enjoy mysteries, because as a rule I abhor violence. I appreciate authors who relay meaning without being graphic, but like several of you, I can't even consider certain subjects.
I finished the first Sigrid book by Margaret Maron. I enjoyed "Bootlegger's Daughter" so much that I thought I'd dip a toe into her first series. For me, "One Coffee With" exemplifies Stephen King's quote, "Good books don't give up their secrets all at once." I was quite indifferent to Sigrid and to the book itself for the first few chapters, but the writing is so good that I stuck with it. Sigrid unfolds with the story, and I definitely want to learn more about her. I've begun the second installment, "Death of a Butterfly." I wonder if each of the Sigrid novels is one in which the reader can learn something about a particular field. I love such books. Maron has mentioned in both Sigrid books so far that hearing anyone expound on his area of expertise is never boring, so I'm hopeful that this focus continues throughout the series.
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When I think of it, Sigrid does learn about various things in each books, but you also learn a lot more about Sigrid. I still like Judge Knott more though.
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Me too; that is, I like the Deborah Knott series much more. I know what it is for me, it is nostalgia. I grew up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and Maron's North Carolina is a lot like that. In the Shenandoah, people were (and believe me, it is NOT true today, as after World War II hordes of people flocked to my valley!) mostly of Germanic and English extract, whereas in Maron's Carolina they were mostly Scottish and Irish. Other than that difference, their lives were much the same and mostly dependent upon farming.
In the Knott books, Maron frequently carries out the motive of having us learn about one thing in depth. In one, I learned a lot about the furniture business and manufacture in High Point. In another, which was my very favorite, she not only teaches us a lot about potting and the pottery business, but includes a lot of real people and places.
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Lisa, I also read "One Coffee With" and enjoyed it very much. I haven't been able to get any of her other Sigrid books, would like to read in order if possible. I have the FF list printed out, but no luck so far. Maybe after the first of the year, I can go and scour HalfPriceBooks,and find another one.
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I frequently use the "library loan" system at our library and always get the books i want. Some library in the system has always had what i wanted.
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"I am the same regarding harm to children. It's actually strange that I enjoy mysteries, because as a rule I abhor violence."
I agree with both those sentiments. I often wonder why I like mysteries so much. It's partly the puzzle aspect. But also, they appeal to my sense of justice and order. Terrible things hapen in life, but at least there is some justice.
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@ Tomereader1: I purchased the first two Sigrid books for my Nook, but after reading your post, I looked on Amazon Marketplace. Wow, I can understand why you're having a tough time finding these. The prices for "Death of a Butterfly" and "Death in Blue Folders" are formidable. The ebooks are $7.99 each, but the physical books must be out-of-print. Good luck with tracking them down!
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I love mysteries where I learn new things. I got a sample of "One Coffee With" for my kindle. Also $7.99.
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Oh darn,, my body decided I was being stressed, so boom.. Shingles.
Spent yesterday afternoon at a emergency clinic.. Not that it was that fast, but the pharmacy is supposed to have the meds this morning, so will start them today in the hopes of shortening this siege.. This time, I am for sure when it is over , getting the shingles shot..
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My sister got a Shingles shot the other week. She said it is a couple hundred dollars (unless I heard her wrong) and insurance doesn't pay for it yet.
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I paid $250.00 for my Shingles shot about 6 years ago. I am so glad I got it. I thought I had heard Medicare was paying for it now (it most definitely was not then!), but I must be wrong.
Try THRIFT BOOKS http://www.thriftbooks.com/siteload.aspx?gclid=cotwprxhslqcfyuz4aodgskaia
I can usually find anything I want there, and they are cheap and extremely reliable. I love them to bits.
Or Better Books World http://www.betterworldbooks.com/?utm_source=google&utm_campaign=branded&utm_medium=better_books_world&utm_term=better%20books%20world&utm_content=homepage&TRACKING_ID_K=3f6ba754-0716-6e88-eada-0000325db17e
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My sister retired early; she is not yet eligible for Medicare. I haven't been interested enough to see if Medicare pays for it or not.
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Oh no Steph - I do hope you feel better soon.
I don't know that you can even get a vaccination against shingles here. Influenza vaccine is given free of charge to perceived 'at risk' groups - over 60s, asthmatics, those with serious health conditions, and now pregnant women. The rest of us have to go to private pharmacies and pay for it, and the charge varies from £7 at Asda (Wallmart) to £26+ at private travel clinics. I paid £12.50 for each of my three children and for myself this year.
Rosemary
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That is exactly what I like about mysteries, JOANK. I like trying to solve the
crime before the end, and I like to see the good guys triumph. But those authors that resort to excessive violence and shock to sell their books are, to me, just covering the weaknesses in their plot.
STEPH, would you believe I have only had shingles once in my life, and that was a
very small patch that didn't really bother me much. If the doctor hadn't identified
it as shingles, I would never have guessed what it was.
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I had shingles once. It wasn't too bad. my daughter identified it at once and got me the medicine. The quicker you start taking it, the better it works, so jump on it, Steph.
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I also had shingles a couple of years ago. Got to the doctor right away for the medicine and it wasn't too bad, thankfully.
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Steph, so sorry you have shingles. I hope you get the meds started quickly so it might be a lesser case. That's what happened with our daughter.
There's been a long discussion on the vaccine over on Seniors&Friends about the cost of the vaccine. John and I got our vaccinations at Walgreen's last spring - no cost at all (we have Medicare and supplementary insurance from his retirement). I know they used to cost $200-300. Other folks were being told the shot would cost around $100. I don't know why the discrepancy. ???
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I too am so sorry to hear you have shingles, Steph. My aunt told me how painful it was, which was why I got the vaccine as soon as I heard it was available. I got it free thru my medicare and was surprised to hear how expensive it was. Hope you are able to get some help from medication.
Marj
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If anyone is interested in a new (to me) mystery writer I discovered, fast becoming one of my favorite mystery series are the Charles Lenox mysteries written by Charles Finch.
Set in the Victorian era, Lenox is a Member of Parliament, and formerly a private investigator. In A DEATH IN THE SMALL HOURS, he is invited with his wife, their baby daughter, and their governess to visit his uncle's estate in a small English village where scary things have been happening -- rocks thrown thru' shop windows with dire warnings attached. What I like most about this series, along with the mysteries, is that you get so enthralled with Lenox's family and friends, and learn interesting things about that era. Finch, a graduate of Yale and Oxford, is a very good writer.
Marj
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Steph, I am so sorry that you are suffering with shingles. I know it can be activated by stress; unfortunately, the shingles don't eradicate that stress, so you're left dealing with both! I hope this outbreak is short-lived.
I agree, Babi: the puzzle and its solution are what first attracted me to the mystery genre. I remember looking for mysteries that focused on a crime or problem other than murder. I'm not sure why more mysteries don't focus on theft or some other crime or problem; even those that do usually involve murder as well.
The justice attraction is interesting as well. In most mysteries, the victim is either an unpopular person or is revealed to have undesirable traits; the killer may be another "bad guy" or may be a basically good person who is driven to murder for reasons with which the reader can sympathize. In others, the victim is a person whom we can like. I remember one of the first mysteries in which I had gotten to like the person(s) who ended up being murdered: I almost resented the author for "killing" them!
Ultimately, though, law enforcement is the element we want to see prevail. Seeing justice carried out through the proper channels and not by vigilantes makes me vicariously feel safer. I especially like to see a cold case solved, a victim whose loved ones can finally work towards closure.
JoanK, if you decide to read "One Coffee With", please let us know what you think of it. I don't see in past posts that you have read any of the Deborah Knott series, so it will be interesting to get a fresh perspective on Maron as well as Sigrid. Incidentally, I'm dropping back to read "Bloody Kin" before I read any more Deborah Knott books. It's Maron's first novel set in North Carolina, a sort of prequel to the Knott series. No Knotts, but some of the other series characters are evidently introduced here; it features one secondary character from the Sigrid series as well.
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I'm the minority of one who couldn't get into the Knott series -- there was too much family for me. (I don't share the small town, large family background -- I'm from a large city, small family. my parents left the area where they were born, in part to get away from their large families -- too much drama, my mom said).
One advantage, I think I'm one of the few people I know who actually LIKES everyone in my family. What we lack in size, we make up in closeness!
AAnyway, I thought I'd try the Sigrid one. But it's got some books ahead of it.
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I got the shingles vaccination when they first started offering it, and at that time Medicare or pvt insurance did not cover the cost which was $150. I paid gladly, as I had friends who got shingles and suffered big time! I was not aware, at this time, that there was medication you could take if you got the shingles. If you had chickenpox as a child, the shingles virus is still in your system. What is the name of the meds they give for shingles?
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Now I could be wrong but I checked and was told that Medicare itself does not cover the shingles shot. Now the Medicare D does pay some of it. but I don't have their drug insurance. Also your supplemental drug program will cover about the same as Medicare D does.
I didn't have chicken Pox as far as I know. Eldest daughter had shingles last year but very mild.
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Yes, Medicare Part D plans can cover shingles vaccine. There will be a copay. The shot here, otherwise, is somewhere between $200 and $300.
I also have not enjoyed the Knott series. I have tried several times but just cannot like that woman and her family.
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Just finished THE RACKETEER, one of John Grisham's best and one of the best mysteries I've read in a long time! I wonder how long it took him to think this one up. Malcom Bannister, a black lawyer, has been in prison for five years for a crime he did not commit and has five more years to go. But he has an ace up his sleeve. A federal judge has been murdered, his safe emptied, the FBI has been unable to solve it, and Malcom knows who did it! He engineers his release under Rule 35 whereby when a prisoner solves a crime that the Feds have an interest in then his sentence can be reduced. Malcom is released, his sentence commuted, he is given plastic surgery so the killer will not recognize him...But there are a couple of surprising twists to this scheme and you are amazed at what happens. Great story!
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The med for shingles is Prednison and Acyccler?? Five of the second and two of the first for five days.. It should shorten it. The pain is interesting in that it is so deep within your body that it is amazing. Ugh.. of course I cannot find out about the shot until after the holidays, but I suspect you cannot get it until their siege is over. The stress will remain until I get the house sold, a new one bought and moved. All things I have only done over the years with my husband and now am doing alone.. I have this stupid pride thing and that makes me get bullheaded..But this too will pass. Thanks everyone.. I am off to my older sons today and will return the day after Christmas..I am still waiting for a response to another offer and my counter.
the
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That sounds like the sort of think I enjoy, MARJ. The name does sound familiar,
but I don't know off-hand whether I've read any of his, or not. The Grisham book
sounds good, too.
I know what you mean, JOANK. My husband was one of 10 children, and there was quite
a bit of infighting among them. I'm sure they all loved each other, but one of the
reasons he moved away from New York to Texas was to avoid getting dragged into the arguments.
Could that be Acyclovir you're thinking of, STEPH? I think I was given the
Prednisone for my small outbreak.
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Steph, acyclovir is one of the drugs you're taking. It's a standard medicine for herpes-family infections - and shingles is one of those. I have a herpes eye infection, and have taken acyclovir daily for a number of years to keep flare-ups away. When it flares up, it eats away at the cornea.
There are several different types of herpes, and this kind is NOT related to the genital herpes. But it is forever - once the virus is in your body, it's always there lurking.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Mary, I have a friend who has herpes in her eye. Her depth perception is screwed up because of it.
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Frybabe, fortunately, mine hasn't caused any problems - so far. The damage that's been done is off to one side, so doesn't affect my field of vision. We're trying to keep it that way.
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Whatever the medicine was, it's prescription. I forgot to mention that my daughter is a doctot. Usually, she won't prescribe for me, but it was a weekend, and she thought it important I get started right away and not wait til I could get my doctor Monday. that's why I said "jump right on it."
I'll have to consider the shingles shot. Right now, I have an awful cold, and all my holiday plans are up in the air.
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My 32 yr old DIL has had shingles all week. I never heard of so many people - and young people having it. Fortunately i git my shot last year. I don't know hoe long the vaccine works.
Jean
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Ugh. Did not know that, MARYZ. Well, no use worrying about it. If it hasn't
re-emerged by now, perhaps it never will.
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Yes, I am going to get the shingles vaccine, when this bout clears up.. I am tired of that deep fire pain.. Boo.
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I'm in the middle of Jo Nesbo's THE SNOWMAN. First book I've read by Nesbo, and I'm having a hard time putting it down. But I did the other night, and dreamed a nightmare which I don't often do.
I wouldn't recommend it if you only like cozy mystereries.
But if you like to be scared...read it.
Marj
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My Mystery Book Club read "The Snowman" for one of our recent selections. My best friend, who is a member with me, said it was the scariest book she'd ever read. It was scary, didn't give me nightmares. I'm afraid I had the "bad guy" picked long before I ever got to the end. Didn't inhibit my enjoyment of the book (if one can say you "enjoyed" a frightful mystery). I'm not fond of "cozies" so this one was right up my alley!
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I finished "A Coffee with.." last night, and got the next one for my kindle. I liked it, although I thought the ending a bit weak. And I can see the "ugly duckling" turning into a swan in the later books.
I could really identify with Sigrid, having had to make my way as often the only woman in a man's field.
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I was told the Shingles shot will do for my lifetime. I was about 78 when I got it.
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Now can a person have Shingles more than one time? Even if the first time was really Bad or Mild?
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I don't know, Jeanne - better check webMD or Mayo or JohnsHopkins web site for information.
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Jeanne....I've known people who have said they've had shingles repeatedly. I got the vaccine as soon as it was available to the public and gladly paid for it. My husband's uncle suffered terribly with shingles on his face and in his eye.
The gov website www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov says recurs rarely, but, as I said, many would disagree.
Jane
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My daughter had a slight case last year. Just a few small places. I wondered if she should get the shot. I never had the Small Pox so don't think I will bother. Isn't it Stress that is suppose to bring those on?
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Jeanne, it's not small pox, it's chicken pox that is the virus that can lead to shingles.
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This is my fourth time with Shingles, so yes you can get it. Stress brings it out on me.. but never the horror type.. My longest bout was a month when I was inEgypt and could not get the drugs to hold it to a dull roar.That was horrid..
I liked Sigrid, but I suspect she was sort of a starter character for Maron.. Judge Knott is a full blown person, you would love to meet.
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Yes, it is chicken pox in childhood that they believe causes Shingles later in life. And yes, I have known several people who have suffered Shingles more than once. It is dreadfully agonizing, and I advise everyone who ever had chicken pox to get the Shingles shot.
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Mary. You are right. Why did I type Small Pox.? That is a little more serious I believe.
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Abandoned the mystery I was reading: "betrayal of Trust" by Susan Hill. The plot seems to involve taking advantage of seniors who are too sick to manage. A little too close to the bone.
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Joan.
Without starting it, I just know I would dump it also. Hate books like that.
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I read a good J. D. Robb, Divided in Death. She had early in that series gotten very gruesome, but she must have had negative response to those because she's moved away from that somewhat. "Divided" was published in 2004, about halfway through the series. It was quite good. I still think Nora Roberts has a factory of writers, there's no way she can write all those books. But, i enjoy them, except for the vampires and romance series, so i don't care who writes them.
I also read the "N" book of Sue Grafton. I have only read about 4 of hers. Her descriptions of every hair on the head ;) drives me nuts and i skim everything that's not plot related. This was a good story - after all the skimming.
I was reading Follet's Jackdaw before Christmas, about the woman in the French resistence during WWII. But it got too tense, so i put it down. My life has calmed down, so maybe i'll go back to it now.
Jean
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Joan, I haven't read that Susan Hill book but I really don't like her work. She is hugely celebrated here as a 'literary' writer. She wrote something called 'Howard's End is on the Landing', an account of a year she spent only reading books in her house (ie not buying any new ones, borrowing, etc) which I thought was going to be good, but there was so much name-dropping of Famous People who are my Best Friends that it just annoyed me. Of course she has written many, many books so I'm sure some of them are good! 'In the Springtime of the Year' was recommended to me and is on my TBR pile, but goodness only knows when I'll get up to it.
Rosemary
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I recently picked up V is for Vendetta, but it is simply in my TBR pile.. I need to be in the mood for Kinsey.
Reading The Drop by
Connolly... He is good, but he makes Harry have too many enemies.
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I gave up really scary books along about my second or third Stephen King. Too
real!
Oh, good! Some books I can leave off my list instead of more to put on. ;D
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I tried another Susan Hill mystery, with the same themes. think I'll give up on her.
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Picked up V for Vendetta and made it my bed book. An odd starter for Kinsey for sure.. Not being a poker player, I really struggled with the prologue.
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I am just finishing the last pages of Camilla Lackberg's THE STONECUTTER, and boy oh boy, is it ever good. She is a top notch writer. Warning: there are some really evil people inhabiting these pages, and the worst ones are female.
She has written 7 books in her Fjallbacka series, and I have previously read Book One, THE ICE PRINCESS, and Book Two, THE PREACHER and Book Four, THE GALLOWS BIRD. This book I am reading now is Book Three, so I have had to read them out of sequence, and this has been due to availability. The next 3 have not as yet been translated for American readers.
She is really, truly good. Dark, but so very good.
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Dark... maybe, I will put her on my maybe list..I have picked up a Susan Isaacs book.. Somehow I missed this one. I used to love her.
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I just finished a light Christmas read...The Christmas Journey by Anne Perry. It was a quick read and held my interest. I like most of Anne Perry's books.
Sally
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I'm in the middle of an Anne Perry now "the Sunless Sea", about England and the opium trade. Very interesting.
I like Susan Isaacs, too, although I always want to tell her characters to eat better: they seem to survive on pizza and ice cream.
Mary: would you suggest starting with The Ice Princess, or going right to The Stonecutter?
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I am struggling with the V is for Vendetta.. It is totally different than any of her other books and very very disjointed by chapter. Weird..
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Has anyone read any Paul Levine, especially the Lassiter series? I read something about them yesterday and thought i'd give him a try. Our libray has just 3 of his mysteries.
Jean
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I started "The sunless Sea" by Perry. Had to take it back to library but will get it again later. I have just ordered way to many books and they all seem to be coming in, even though I was a long way down on the list. Not read as many books in the past 2 months. Will maybe catch up over the winter.
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I haven't read Paul Levine. Here he is on FF
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/paul-levine/
There are 12 authors listed named Levine. I think I've read Laura Levine -- is she the one with a cat named Prozac.
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I gt Paul Levine's Deep Blue Alibi at the library, not a "Lassiter", but a "Solomon vs Lord" book, two different series. Both Dave Berry and Carl Hiaasen had good quotes for it, supposed to be humorous. Thanks Joan for reminding me to take a look at FF. i'll let you know. I think i'll ck out Laura Levine also.
Jean
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Maryz, i know your and John like Jms Patterson's books, are all of them murder/mysteries? I know about the Alex Cross series and the Women's Murder Club series, but i don't know about others. I just finished Roses are Red, a Cross book w/ a very strange ending.
Jean
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Jean, it's not us who have talked about Patterson. I think we've read some, but not any time recently. Sorry I can't help you. Somebody will chime in.
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I read some of the Early Alex Cross series. Then he turned himself into a writing factory and I gave him up. So no help from me.. Still struggling with V is for Vengence.. Jumps around too much.. Not much Sharon at all.
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If you are going to read Camilla Lackberg, the Swedish writer who is all the rage world wide now, do start at the beginning with THE ICE PRINCESS, because her books in this particular series do tend to be all one book. For instance, THE STONECUTTER ends with Erica Falck, who is wife to Patrick Hedstrom, who is the policeman in Fjallbacka who solves all of the crimes, getting a phone call with news that signals the beginning of the next book and one of the crimes that will be in that next story. Fjallbacka is a REAL town in Sweden, and Lackberg was born and raised there.
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Paul Levine, Camilla Lackberg. Duly noted; thank you kindly. I'll look for them.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
So many books, luckily so much time!
Ordered a sample of "Ice Princess" on kindle.
On the recommendation of one of you, read "The Thin Woman" by Dorothy Cannell. A light-hearted spoof on "The Thin Man". Fun. I've ordered the next in the series.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/dorothy-cannell/
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Finished the Susan Isaacs.She used to be a favorite, but now.. I think she ran out of ideas..This was sort of a retread of an earlier book..Different characters, but the same underneath.
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Joank, the Dorothy Cannell books sound good. Was looking for something light.
Several years ago I bought an older book of Sarah Isaacs Shining Through at a book sale. It was excellent but other books of hers I didn't care for at all.
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We are finding that more and more now. Good writers just trying to put out to many books. So they are not making sure they are good stories.
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I finished an older Janet Evenovich between the numbers book.. Plum Lucky.. Diesel is funny and there is a wonderful car wash scene, that is worth reading the book just for that.. She can put together the most outrageous scenes..
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I had read two books by a Chinese writer --one I liked, the second I didn't finish. I read the tie-breaker, "The Red mandarin Dress." A disturbing book with two themes: the damage the (so-called) Cultural Revolution did to some people's lives, and the misogyny (hatred of women) that (according to the author) is part of the Chinese culture. And, like the others, it is full of poetry.
Not a light read, but makes you think. I'll read more
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Joan,, sounds interesting.. who is the author?
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I put The Red Mandarin Dress on my TBR list. Thanks, Joan K.
A couple books by Chinese authors I liked (not mysteries):
THE PIANO TEACHER, a novel, by Janice Y.K. Lee. The story follows a group of characters before, during and after the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in 1941. Very interesting as to the setting and what happened when the Japaneses took over. A woman and her brother collaborated with a Japanese general which may have been their only way to survive. Makes you wonder how you would have behaved had your life depended on it.
I also liked SOUL MOUNTAIN by Gao Xingjian, altho I must confess I did not finish this 510 page book.
Have you seen any films by the Chinese director Yimou Zhang? Great films, such as RAISE THE RED LANTERN, NOT ONE LESS, THE STORY OF QIU JU, and others.
Marj
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Oh my, I just heard that Huell Howser died. I guess only those who live in California would know of him. He did a wonderful TV series, California Gold, on PBS TV, where he visited and told about interesting places in Calif. We loved to watch him, and followed in his footsteps to visit many new places we'd never heard of. So sad. He was only 67.
Marj
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"The Piano Teacher " sounds familiar to me. Will have to read a recap.
Love all or most books about China. Love any films but now I don't care to watch if not in English. Watched subtitles for years but no longer.
I take it that the ones you listed are "Sub titles"
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Yes, Jeanne, the films I mentioned are sub-titled. I don't mind subtitles if they are large enough to read and the films are good. I dislike films where the speech is really a foreign tongue but made to sound as tho' the actors are speaking English.
Marj
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marjifay, we had Huell Howser over here before we let you enjoy him. We were living in Nashville when he got his start in TV there. He'll certainly be missed.
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I did order a couple of the Chinese Movies even if Subtitles. Now the ones that Dub them making it look like speaking English. These drive me crazy. Find myself watching their lips which do not move the same as the word. Will not watch them anymore.
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The author is Qui Xiaollong. I admit, I avoided typing it. You may not like the book, if you feel he is too sympathetic to the misogynist murderer.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/q/qiu-xiaolong/
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lCarefully wrote the authors and name and will look for him..I am using Three Day Town as my car book, but thus far it is not my favorite Maron book.. I like Judge Knott back in her own town..
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Me, too, JEANNE. It was always so obvious the actor had said something other than what you heard. Now that CC is a requirement for me, I'll never again watch a dubbed film. 8)
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Looking in the linrary, you only need to remember that his name begins with X. There aren't a lot of authours in that section.
Took to bed a library book that it turned out I had already read I HAVE to start keeping a list!). But pleasant enough to reread. "Well Offed in Vermont." by Meade. I see in FF that she has a "Rosie the Riviter" series. Has anyone read it?
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/amy-patricia-meade/
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Found him with only one l.. in my book swap and ordered one of the books.. Rosie the Riveteer.. hmm. full name for the author?? please.
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It's at the end of the link name that I posted: Amy Patricia Meade.
The first book is "Don't Die Under the Apple tree". I started to read it last night. The writing is clunky, but I like it for the background. (If you want to know how to rivit a ship, this is the book for you). And I suspect the portrayal of the harrassment of the women by the male workers and overseers is accurate.
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I will look on my bookswap site. They have an amazing amount of books and I have tons of credits.
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Finished "Don't Die." Not great writing or plotting, but I liked the picture of life as a riveter. A friend said her sister was a riviter and worked in the cone of an airplane: now I appreciate what that meant. (No Apple trees in the story).
The second in the series won't be available til May.
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I have it on my wish list. She has written several series according to my swap club..
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I picked up a book at he library book sale that may turn out to be a good one. It is titled "The Librarian" by Larry Beinhart who wrote "An American Hero" which became the move "Wag the Dog". Fantastic Fiction says:
How on earth did nebbish university librarian David Goldberg end up on Virginia's Ten Most Wanted Criminals list for bestiality? And how did he get ensnared in a vast right-wing conspiracy to steal the presidency? It all begins so innocently when Goldberg starts moonlighting for eccentric, conservative billionaire Alan Carston Stowe as an archivist. But Goldberg's appointment worries a cabal of ruthless right-wingers-ostensibly allies of Stowe, whose money lubricates their zany scary conspiracies-with very close ties to the White House. They fear that Goldberg will find something in Stowe's records that will compromise the dirty tricks involved in re-electing Augustus Winthrop Scott, the dim scion of a powerful Republican political family, for a second term. As the presidential election heads into its final stretch, the hunt is on to remove Goldberg from his position-by any means necessary. The acclaimed, Edgar-winning mystery writer Larry Beinhart returns with this timely novel. In the tradition of Carl Hiassen, Elmore Leonard, and Joe Klein, The Librarian is a frenetic, scary and hilarious thriller that goes deep into the dark heart of election year politics.
So far - 70 pages in, - FF is right. It's well written and subtlely funny. Also some literary references, of course! I'll let you know how it goes.
Jean
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That sounds like one I will really like...putting it in my little blacknotebook as one to look for at the library. Speaking of which, I had 7 books on my request list; most of them had many, many in line. All of a sudden, I have four of them, with only three left with 20 or more still in front of me. Lot of folks may have gotten a book, didn't like it and returned it quickly! Thus moving me up on the queue.
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Well, I just finished reading Julia Spencer-Fleming's IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER. And I bought the hymn (from iTunes) as sung by the Robert Shaw Chorale (remember them?) for .99¢ and put it on my iPad so I could listen along while reading. I do love that hymn anyway, and now I love it even more.
What a good read! No wonder she won so many prizes for this book. I have never in my entire lifetime of reading with such a huge thirst read such a wonderfully descriptive story of two people falling in love. This writer is truly gifted. Her abilities seem almost unlimited.
And there is so much in our backgrounds to make us soul sisters. We were both born army brats. I know Plattsburgh Air Force Base extremely well, as my mother, who was an Army nurse, was stationed there for some time and, because that part of New York State was her family home for hundreds of years, she went there to shop in the base commissary and to use the medical facilities after retirement. I used to go up to AuSable Forks to visit my mother at least once a year, and, after she got sick, several times a year, and then at the end I stayed from June to October up there with her, so Plattsburgh became very familiar. And the drive up was up the Northway, which has won a prize as the world's most scenic highway, and through Glens Falls and up to Lake George, the section of New York State in the book. Oh, the book does not mention Plattsburgh that I can remember; it just appears in the author's biographic paragraph as the place in which she was born.
Anyway, we have that part of our country in common, and then I was born and raised Episcopalian and my twin first cousin was a female Episcopalian priest, like the heroine in this book. Bea died in 1994, but she was a lot like Clare philosophically. Yes, I love this book and look forward to the next 6 in this series. Thank you, someone in here; I forget who.
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Mary: I love that series, too, even without the parallels to my own experience.
Mabel: There's a zany adventure movie series about a librarian ("I'm a librarian: I know pain!) with Bob Newhart as a zany recluse. Could it be based on the book.
Answer: no, that's another author. Ordered a sample of Beinhart for my kindle. (AAAACK, I have today to read the next section of Herododus for the discussion AND the whole of the latest Evanovitch before I pass it on to my daughter)
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Sounds good, JEAN. And my library has it! 'The Librarian' will go on my
book list.
Ah, yes, JOANK. All that, and the multiple thick crossword puzzle magazines I
got for Christmas, as well. There's just no end to the demands on our time. ;D
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Mary, Julia Spencer-Fleming's next book after Bleak Midwinter is even better: A FOUNTAIN FILLED WITH BLOOD. I have her third on hold at the library, OUT OF THE DEEP I CRY.
Marj
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I bought all SEVEN (7) of them from Thrift books. Paid less than twenty-five dollars for the entire set; each one bought as a separate item. I felt I had a bargain there.
My first name is MaryPage, and I am never called Mary. Not complaining here, as I really don't care, but just explaining that Page is not my last name. I have been MaryPage all of my life; like Betty Jane or Mary Ann or Peggy Sue. Yep, I'm a Southerner! But my mother was from the area of New York these stories are set in.
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Beinhart's The Librarian sounds good. I TBR listed it. Thanks, Jean.
Silly, but the title reminded me of the song, Marion the Librarian, from one of my favorite musicals, The Music Man: What can I do, my dear, to catch your ear...I love you madly, madly Madam Librarian...
Marj
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Julia Spencer Fleming hands you surprise after surprise. I loved the whole series and can hardly wait for the next one. An author who should win all sorts of prizes.
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I am also a Julia Spencer Fleming fan. Thanks to the person here who first recommended them. I have read all of them and am eagerly waiting for the next one.
Sally
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MaryPage: so sorry, I had no idea. I undrstand: I have a friend named JoyceAnne, and she hates it when people call her Joyce.
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I came from a long line where the women had those kind of names. Mary Ellen, Sarah Ann. etc. Sort of faded out when it came to me.
I was named after a aunt Jenny and a mother Anne. Jenny being my godmother. I think I was suppose to use Je'Anne. Always just went by Jeanne. People always ask. What is your middle name. In. UK using your mothers Maiden name seemed to be the thing
I remember having this girl friend whose name was Mary Martha Morrison Meir. Family must have wanted no please everyone.
None of the Men in my families had a middle name.
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In my family, the males always have their grandfathers names. My older son has his paternal grandfather and my younger my Dad..
I picked up Red Mist by Cornwall,, but she has turned Scarpatta into a whiny suspicious paranoid.. What an odd lady.. and the picture on the back?? Hmm, either an older picture or there have been some changes made.
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" she has turned Scarpatta into a whiny suspicious paranoid.. "
I confess I always thought of Scarpetta that way: could never like her. There must be something there I'm missing, since so many people like her.
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I read her, but not always.. At the beginning, she had some really good plots, but then she got carried away with herself. She has the longest squib on herself on the back of the book, that I have ever seen..Oh well.
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I'm reading and liking THE STONECUTTER by Camilla Lackberg. Thanks for recommending it, MaryPage. Her first two, Ice Princess and The Preacher, will be discussed in the Yahoo group 4_Mystery_Addicts in February and March, so I think Stonecutter will be discussed in April. That is one of my favorite book groups -- they really know their mysteries.
Marj
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That is an interesting first name, MARYPAGE. And since of those Southern 'double'
names are written separately, yours may be unique. Ah, nope! I see JoanK has a
friend named JoyceAnne.
JEANNE, 'Mary Martha Morrison Meir' is wonderful. It sounds like the opening
to a song. Remember "John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith"? ;D
One of my ex's sisters married a man named Zadock Monroe Dismukes. All the eldest
sons received the same name, and in alternate generations were nicknamed 'Doc' or
'Diz'. I wonder if generation 5 and 6 continued the tradition?
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I like the way that SMITH got in at the end of that one.
I sort of go for the son's name not being the same as fathers if father still alive. Always read that if and when the "Angel of Death" came later to take one then he could be confused by the person and. taking say the younger " John Jones "instead of the Elder."John Jones"
Creepy arn't we.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Finally finished Louise Penny's The Beautiful Mystery. I usually read her books in a few days as I like them so much, but I have to say I struggled with this one - has anyone else read it?
It's all set in a remote monastery in Quebec, so none of the Three Pines characters appear - just Gamache, Beauvoir and Francoeur. The monks are world experts at Gregorian chant, about which Penny clearly knows a lot, but boy does she make sure she tells you. The book could have been half its length. She has also taken the idea of writing short sentences for effect to a ridiculous extreme - almost every other sentence consists of only 3 or 4 words - I started wanting to get out a red pencil and delete some of the full stops. I think it's a shame when writers become so successful that publishers appear afraid to edit them. I'd still read her next book, but I hope it's a return to form. Disappointing.
Rosemary
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Oh me, Jeanne.. Never ever heard that..My husband was Thomas Frederick, but he was called "Tim" from babyhood on.. His Mother would not discuss why..Weird to me.. But convenient. We knew if a phone call came to Thomas, they did not know him..
Still slogging on V is for by Grafton. I will finish, but really am disappointed. Not one of her better books.
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Rosemary -
I agree!!!!! Historically the the chant information appears to be correct and was a new topic for me. Her writing style - prepositional phrases used as sentences drove me nuts. I was disappointed as I liked her other books so much. I need to find one of her previous books to see if she wrote the same way & I missed it because I was so into the story line or if this was something new.
Mary
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Thanks Mary - glad it's not just me! It's got some very good reviews on Amazon UK, but there are a few less enthusiastic ones. I'll have a look back myself, will be interesting to see if she's changed or it's just us.
Rosemary
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I read Still Life by Louise Penny and really enjoyed it. I immediately put her other books in this series on my tbr list; then forgot about them. Thanks for reminding me. I now have her 2nd (A Fatal Grace) on hold at my library. I will pick it up tomorrow when I go in for my ftf book club.
Sally
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Sally, I felt they kept on getting better and better - until this last one. Let us know what you think.
Rosemary
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My mother used to swear that one of her contemporaries, in her youth, was named:
SallyAnn, Maryann, Elizabeth Jane, Alameda Foster, Moriah Paine. Now whether this was true or not, I would have no idea. May've been just a cute rhyme that kids learned back then. What strikes me is that I am in my 70's now, and I can still recall the names.
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Things learned as a child stick with you. I can still recite.. Captain,Oh Captain and The Midnight ride.. Don't want to, but can.. Oh dear, I adore Penney and was waiting on this last one. I will read it, but hopefully this is just a show off stage.
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Steph - you may well like it, lots of reviewers on Amazon did, and so did my friend and blogger Lesa Holstine. I'll be interested to hear your opinion.
Rosemary
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I haven't read any of Louise Penny's mysteries since STILL LIFE. I got to page 99 and then tossed it. IMO she brought in way too many people, most of whom were not interesting enough to try to keep track of. I found the plot boring, espec. when she had the inspector and a bunch of the people going into a long uninteresting discussion of bows and arrows. And I felt Penny tried too hard to be philosophical and "deep" in a boring story. Maybe her later stories got better.
Marj
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I agree, Marjifay, I found Still Life rather slow and boring at times - her later novels did get much better, but this last one has definitely bucked the trend IMO.
Rosemary
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Thanks, Rosemary. Maybe Ill try one of Penny's later novels one of these days.
I just finished one I would not recommend, THE STONECUTTER by Camilla Lackberg. I only finished it to find out who the murderer was. You might like it if you like long melodramas of 500 pages, but the writing was just so-so. The plot was rather clever altho a little complicated. But unless the writing is really good, I'll stick with mysteries of 300-350 pp.
Marj
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TOME, reading those names out loud, the meter and the rhyming of Jane and Paine
make me suspect it was just some rhyme that the youngsters found amusing.
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It depends on the mystery writer.. I love Elizabeth George, but oh me, her books are long.. Recently I have seemed to have quite a few books that the author was padding by introducing subjects that had nothing to do with the plot..
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Well, Marjifay, I am disappointed you did not like Camilla Lackberg. She is much to my taste, and I have loved all of her books.
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I am read The Good Thief in Los Vegas.. Not as good thus far as the Good Thief in Amsterdam, but hopefully will pick up..
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Sorry, MaryPage, perhaps I made Camilla Lackberg's the Stonecutter, sound worse than it is. The plot and the writing were good enough so that I finished it. I just felt it was way too long, because of all the red herrings she threw in. I'll be interested to see what the Yahoo group, 4_Mystery_Addicts, says about her first two, The Ice Princess and The Preacher, when they discuss them February 15 and March 15.
Marj
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I tried 2 of Paul Levin's Florida based mysteries, of the Solomon and Lord series. The first one, Solomon and Lord, explaining how Solomon (uncouth, out-of-bounds male defense atty) and Lord (proper female prosecuting atty) get together to form a law partnership. Very predictable, a little entertaining. The second one starts out sounding like they are going to break up the firm, his exotic, bad boy behavior seems to have lost its intrique. But it's boring me.
The two books appear to be following the "romance" formula. "Boy meets girl, they can't stand each other/she can't stand him, they fall in love, they break up, they get back together." i've read too many of those. Maybe i've lived and read too long.
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No matter how many McCall Smith books I read, i always find I've missed one. Picked up "the Dog Who came in from the Cold." Seems I missed an earlier one in the series.
It's very talky: if you like the Philosophy Club series, you might like this. I'm in the mood for it: it's so slow, unlike my life right now. But don't know whether to recommend it. His attempt at spy novel.
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The good thief got really stupid, so I gave it up.. Shame, the first one was excellent. Picked up the new Robert Crais.. Seems a bit more violent than I had hoped.This is supposed to be an Elvis novel, but Joe Pike is there and when he is there, things get violent.
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"Maybe i've lived and read too long."
Never, JEAN! It's simply that not all authors/books are worthy of our time and attention. Fortunately, we don't have to read them. ;D
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Sorry to be a contrarian but I enjoyed The Beautiful Mystery very much. Especially enjoyed her use of a different setting. There were getting to be too many murders in Three Pines for such a small village. Scary place! ;) I liked the obscure monastery setting and found the subject of Gregorian Chants to be really interesting. Her historical research is wonderful! I don't think this book is my favorite by Louise Penney but it was still a very good one.
I always think of McCall Smith as a "gentle author". Most of the time I enjoy his talky, slow moving, philosophical books. Not always. It depends on my mood.
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Phyll, I agree about McCall Smith. In the right mood, I really do enjoy his books.
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I agree. Yesterday, I was really in the mood for his quiet philosophy. Other times, it drives me crazy.
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Just finished Michael Connelly's THE BLACK BOX. His books just keep on being great mystery/thrillers. This one was another page turner with my favorite detective, Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch (he was named after the Dutch painter).
I love Bosch's taste in jazz (of course it is really Connelly's love). Connelly is too young to have visited the famous jazz club, The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, CA in the 1950s and 1960s, but I'm sure he knows of it. We used to visit there often back then when jazz greats were playing -- Shorty Rogers, Chet Baker, Bud Shank, Miles Davis, Shelly Manne and so many others. Wonderful cool California jazz.
Marj
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Have 2 books sitting here now for my next reading.McCall Smith "The Importance of being seven" and "The time in Between" by David Bergen. Takes place in Vietnam. It I just started.
I have had a few books lately that I just did not finish reading. Not by Authors I am use to but some I didn't know. Some bad one out there.
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I am reading Louise Penny's A Fatal Grace. I think it is the 2nd in the Still Pines series. I am enjoying it.
Sally
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Finished V is for Vengence.. What a disappointment.. She wandered all over the place.. Bad people.. Kinsey was being silly in many cases.. All in all not good.
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I agree, PHYLL. Too many things happening in one small town is a frequent problem
with mystery series. Where everyone pretty much knows everyone else, it doesn't
seem likely there would be a large number of murders. Equally unlikely that if
someone does get killed, everyone would not know who was most likely to have done
it. Of course, it's equally unlikely that you're going to have a law enforcement
team where everyone is handsome/beautiful, witty, clever, and highly observant.
I may thoroughly enjoy the wit, but the 'reality' standard slips considerably. ;)
Alas, MARJ, my youth was so very dull. The home/school/marriage line-up was much
too rapid, I fear. As best I recall, the only music I really heard, outside church,
was the school band at a football game. Great horn player; I remember that.
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Babi wrote "As best I recall, the only music I really heard, outside church,
was the school band at a football game. Great horn player; I remember that."
Funny, Babi. Actually I was into jazz when I was married. Did you ever try to play a musical instrument? I loved music, but was a dud at playing it, altho' I took piano lessons when I was young (just about everyone did), and again when I was older. Also tried to learn classical guitar which I loved to listen to. My two sons love music and they are both good guitar players, but they got that from their father and grandmother. (She was a darling -- had played in an all-women orchestra and would remove her false teeth and blow a really mean clarinet.)
Marj
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A author (New) from my home town in Rochdale.UK has just had a book put out on Amazon (Kindle) I don't have one but would like to check it out. It is free right now. Called NRPD. The meanstreets. by Nick Burrill. Sort of stand for North Rochdale Police Dept. after the NYPD TV show we have. Must be a Murder Want to know about my Hometown give it a try.
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Got a sample for my kindle ($3.99).
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Always fun to find an author who uses places you know as the setting.. However I once picked up a mystery by two women that was supposed to be at the beach town, where we lived. They had obviously never even been there and it was so darned inaccurate, I could not finish it.. Plus it was a romance in a thin disguise.. I do dislike those..
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Steph - that reminds me of that awful book I read last year by Gayle Wigglesworth, Supposed to be a mystery set on a coach tour of England, but it was the England of a tourist brochure, absolute nonsense - and the dialects were stereotypical embarrassments.
When an author gets it right, it's a great pleasure to recognise places. Ian Rankin & Alexander McCall Smith do Edinburgh so well, Stuart MacBride is equally good on Aberdeen (though far too gory for me), and Maeve Binchy is great on Southern Ireland. Donna Leon portrays Venice and Venetian life brilliantly.
There is a website called Trip Fiction that lists and reviews novels set in particular places - I like it:
http://www.tripfiction.com/
Rosemary
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Alas, MARJ, I did take lessons, briefly, on the guitar when I was very
young. Too young, I suspect. They didn't last long. All I can claim for
myself, musically, is I seem to have a good ear. I always know a sour note
when I hear one, and I usually cringe.
One of my favorite pastors had a tin ear, and loved to use a particular parishioner both in our choir and when we had special guests. The man had a deep, lovely speaking voice, but sadly, he couldn't carry a tune. I was so embarassed when he was the 'star' of our
musical entertainment for guests, but of course no one would be unkind enough
to say anything to him or the pastor.
I am reading a Joanna Fluke just now for my bedtime reading. It's light
and entertaining, but much like what STEPH describes. It's supposed to be
a mystery, but solving the murder is thinly spread throughout the book. The
local gossip network and the cookie recipes are the main thread.
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I think that Barb. Bradford Taylor did good in "Woman of Substance" she covered Yorkshire and the areas I knew correct. Also the way of life there at that time.1930/40s
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JoanK.
I guess that some are getting it for free. Have some kind of a deal because they do buy a lot of books on Amazon for their Readers.
Ask me a few question once you get into it and we will see if he is
doing it right.
I think he is now living in Ireland. I hear that after things going great in Ireland now things are not to good and homes etc. selling back at the old prices. Also cost of living going down.
I am going to have to visit again. I love Ireland.
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Jeanne, I haven't been to Ireland for a number of years now, but I used to spend Christmasses there with a very good friend before I was married. Her family farmed outside Dungarvan, Co Waterford, and she is now married to another local farmer - in between she travelled the world and did all sorts of things, but now she is back to her roots.
She has told me that the economy is disastrous over there - I do myself remember the boom time, when every farmer was throwing up 'villas' on every available patch of land - now many of these stand empty, either never bought, or repossessed by the banks when people have defaulted on their mortgages. When I first visited Ireland in the early 1980s, it was still a poor agricultural economy - I had never seen houses without electricity, for example, or people drying their laundry on bushes (not everyone lived like that, but it was still commonplace in the countryside.) However, there was a huge sense of family (and huge families) and most people seemed OK and happy. I think the economy just mushroomed far too fast. There were also huge EEC grants given out, Ireland being one of the early members of the Common Market, - many new roads were built, farmers were given massive subsidies. It is sad to see it all go wrong.
One of the reasons I love Light A Penny Candle so much is that it could have been about my friend & I (though it's set several decades earlier) - the London girl turning up on the Irish farm, and the subsequent lives of her and her Irish friend. It is all very true to the way of life at that time.
Rosemary
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Rosemary, oh my,, my grandparents on my Dads side did not have electricity or inside toilets .. They did have inside water from an old fashioned handpump.. My Grandfather did not believe it was healthy to have a bathroom in the house and did not trust electricity.. He would have a telephone,, He had an old truck.. He farmed the way his Amish neighbors did..
I did love Light a Penny Candle.. Reminded me of a calmer gentler time.
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Oh Steph, I lived like your grandparents with no electricity or inside bathroom, with only a water pump at the kitchen sink, after my parents decided that wanted to farm and moved us to a small Iowa farm when I was in the 7th grade. I hated it and the school there, and could hardly wait to "get out of Dodge" and move to Des Moines after graduation from high school.
Marj
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Last family member (Other than my cousins in UK are from Ireland and go back all the time). But my Granddaughter went to London and Paris for her honeymoon 5 years ago. No time to go Ireland and so went back for year anniversary..
I had told them what to see and where to go. They stayed mostly in Dublin and did not care for it at all. Noisy all night around their Hotel. Lots of drunks late at night. She loves London. Gets a little put out because her husband has to go often to their Main office. She has the twins only 2 years old.
All the times we went. (Eloped there the first time and the Priest sent me home.) But other times then just went all around the Island and loved it all. Don't know if I would find it changed. Suppose so because people got earning lots more money in the 80s,90s. Say that not happening now.
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I have picked up from my TBR pile..Barbary Dogs.. A novel about San Francisco..Supposed to be a mystery, but sort of a ghost story mystery...A bit too much twee and a lot too much drug types. Written by a woman,but she writes more like a man . I cannot decide how I feel about the book, but am keeping on because it is sort of interesting and I cannot figure out where she is going here. Book is downstairs.. I gather she has done an earlier book.. Cynthia.... something and the earlier book was The Dog Park??
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MARJ, I can well imagine how a 7th grader would take to moving from a city to a farm. I hope the time there held some good things. My valley (Rio Grande) cousins lived in an orchard (their Dad managed it) and loved the country life. Rode horses, played softball, barefoot and tanned.
Ah, JEANNE, an elopement! How old were you, I wonder. As a mother, my instincts are
to thank God for the priest; but who knows, perhaps you did marry that fellow later and
lived happily enough ever after. ;)
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Babi, I have family in "The Valley", too (Edinburg and McAllen now).
John and I eloped, too - that was 57 years ago.
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I knew you were a spunky, head-strong gal, Mary! ;D Altho, it sounds like you made a good decision.
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Babi. I was only nineteen. Yes, Did marry later. Can't call it a mistake as together 14 years. Best of friends even today 40 plus years later. Married life just didn't work for me. Must be in the Genes as looking back in my family 50% never married. My brother didn't. LOts of uncles and Aunts. No regrets seem to have been felt by any of them.
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Barbary Dogs is by Cynthia Robinson.. It is a wild wild ride.. Sort of a mystery.. sort of weird, and only one dog in the whole book.. even though the cover has five dogs looking at you.. Too much drugs,alcohol and generaly cynicism.. Bah.
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That's interesting,JEANNE. It had not occurred to me that such things as
'marry' vs. 'not marry' could be a genetic trait. I wonder what other family
traits might be genetic. We tend to think of most of them as a matter of
exposure. Like musical families, where the children grow up surrounded by
music and musicians.
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Babi wrote, "It had not occurred to me that such things as
'marry' vs. 'not marry' could be a genetic trait. I wonder what other family
traits might be genetic."
I've been reading Bill O'Reilly's (Fox TV show host) Killing Kennedy; The End of Camelot. The title is misleading. It contains a lot of (too much, really) gossipy juicy bits about the Kennedy family. He talks about the sex lives of the Kennedy boys and their father (who apparently liked to jump into bed with his son's girlfriends). Jackie Kennedy tells Joan, Ted Kennedy's wife, "They are all like that, have to have a lot of extra-marital sex. It doesn't mean they don't love their wives. Don't take it personally." I guess that was the genetic trait of the Kennedy males.
Marj
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I think that that was more of a "look what Dad does" sort of thing. But I have a friend who has a long happy marriage, but she talks of two bachelor uncles and an aunt who never married.She says that most of her large family either does not marry or does not stay married. I think there are some people who are natural hermits. They are much happier on their own.
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Or maybe, the terrible example of their father, MARJ. I would find it very
hard not to 'take it personally'. Is that super-sophisticated or just plain
cynical? (Or is that the same thing?)
I can understand the 'natural hermit'. Some people are simply happier with
plenty of peace, quiet and solitude. It also occurs to me that the example of an
unhappy marriage could well cause the children of that marriage to avoid the risk.
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I'm reading a new-to-me Jaffarian book: "Hide and Snoop". Usually, I like her, but this one seems awfully slow to me. I'm on the point of abandoning it. Don't know whether it's the book, or me, still woozy after minor surgery.
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I was still young when I became Single. Most of family really did not living as hermits. I was far from one. In a way I think it is sort of Liking to be Free. Come and go. All of us traveled a lot. (Fact I think with my elder brother going all over the world, sort of made me a little mad thinking that a women could not do that.
But you are right about wanting to spend most time alone. Specially now. I just never liked to account to where I was going, Been. How money was spent.
Having a good job, being able to go back to UK all the time. Own a home. No Inlaws complaining. ( They always still called me their DOL 45 years prior to them Passing. I took care of them some as they aged.
People are different. Surprising how many women and men friends that were/are married. Have said wish they had more free time to do things. Long as people are happy in their lives. Each way is great.
Think I have 2 Grandsons now single. in 40s. Not looking for them to change their lives . Their mothers have accepted they will not marry.
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Getting caught up in the Nancy Martin... Nora Blackbird series. I liked it and somehow it slipped off my radar, so am back on it.. The mysteries are fun.. Noras clothes are incredible.. and the special world she grew up in is interesting.. A bit too much loooooove.. but it passes.
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I don't know Nancy Martin, and yet the name Nora Blackbird seems familiar. But, I may have that wrong somehow. I'll have to look that up and see if it's something I've, too, put aside and forgot about as I got involved with other authors.
PS Just looked her up, and yep, I'd read the Blackbird sisters mysteries before, though I'd forgotten about them.
http://www.nancymartinmysteries.com/
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Yes,Nancy Martin does a nice light mystery. She is also on facebook and has a great time doing clothes from designers and relating them to her series.. I like looking at the clothes. No place I could ever wear them, but oh my they are fun to see.
My bed book just now is a Hollywood mystery.. As Time Goes By... A bit slow, but fun.
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Wanted to read a Chris Nickson book about the Sheriff of Nottingham on the 1700s, and kindle wanted $13.99 for it. They're going up! I'll wait til the library gets it.
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The prices are all over the place on Kindle and the rest of the ebook community. Some are fair, but a lot of them, not so much..
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And, it's not like you can go to the used book store and pick up an ebook for a few bucks or swap books in a swap club. Also, you can't donate or inherit them. Apparently, all you are buying is the right to use (renting) the ebook, not the ebook itself (same with music). Why they are charging so much for use rather than ownership is beyond me. That is why I rarely buy an ebook. Almost all of my ebooks are freebies. I object to paying the same or more for an ebook over a real, live print book. The local library is getting my business, too.
I sincerely hope that someone is continuing to look into the inheritance issue. The report that Bruce Willis was taking on Apple over his iTunes collection may be false, but then his wife's reported statement that he isn't may also be false. Neither person has confirmed or denied the reports one way or another.
Found this interesting article, but it doesn't address inheriting or giving away ebooks/emusic. It's worth reading. BTW, Cory Doctorow, mentioned in the article, puts his money were his mouth is. He makes many (if not all) of his books available for free.
http://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2012/11/02/why-e-book-distribution-is-completely-and-utterly-broken-and-how-to-fix-it/
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And as if all that wasn't bad enough, Barnes & Nobel has announced that they will be
closing a lot of their stores. I do hope the one nearest us isn't on the chopping block.
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Yes, I saw that. I hope ours doesn't close. That would leave only the used book stores and the Midtown Scholar (independent and much loved bookstore in Harrisburg).
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I've just finished 'Unsinkable' by Dan James (who writes other books under his real name, Dan Waddell). I was sent it to review, and I must say I didn't much like the look of it, but in the end it was not bad.
We all know what happened to the Titanic; it hit an iceberg that the lookout failed to spot in time. But what if something, or someone, had distracted that lookout? James introduces a London special branch policeman, Beck, who has been involved in the Houndsditch Murders and the Siege of Sidney Street - both real events at which the police tried and failed to apprehend the leader of a gang of Latvian anarchists. Beck has seen his colleagues shot in cold blood by the terrorist Piatkow. Racked with guilt, he's tried to go back to work, only to make a disastrous decision that leads to more deaths. He's now left the police force and bought himself a first class ticket on the Titanic's maiden voyage, intending to find work in New York.
Also on the trip are Martha, an American sent by her paper to report on the rich and famous passengers, but desperate to get a real story and earn respect as a serious journalist, and Sten-Ake Gustafson, a old Swedish sailor travelling to the US to see his grandchildren before he dies.
As the ship leaves Cherbourg (it stopped in France and Ireland before heading out over the Atlantic), Beck thinks he sees Piatkow boarding. From then on he's in pursuit, with Martha joining in as she attempts to be the first to get the story. Meanwhile, Gustafson finds himself with an unexpected cabin mate.
James is an ex-journalist himself and knows how to keep you turning the pages. There's plenty of fascinating detail - the Jesuit priest who's taking what turn out to be the last photos of Titanic (Father Francis Browne actually disembarked in Queenstown (now Cobh), thereby surviving), the Irish steerage passengers getting drunk and singing the nights away - but not so much that you feel like you're getting a history lecture. The three main characters are drawn well, as are J Bruce Ismay - the manager of the White Star Line - and Edward Smith, the captain.
Late on the night of 14th April 1912, Beck eventually corners Piatkow on the bridge. They fight, and as the crew tries to assist, a phone rings unanswered in the wheelhouse.
I liked the way that James wove fact and fiction together, and kept it all going at a fast pace. I never would have picked this book up in the library (the cover is awful, reminds me of Jacques Cousteau), but I enjoyed it.
Rosemary
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At times in the first years I lived here in the US. I would go back to UK by ships. I came on The Queen Mary quite in Luxury but went back little cheaper. Quite a few to pick from back then. First one was the "Britanica" Second was the "Scythia" Both from NY. to Cobh, Ireland. on to Liverpool. Had 2 classes. One being Steerage.
They would have some wild time down there and dancing like on the Titanic showed. We use to go down and join them. Most were going back to Ireland and on return to US lots of first time Immigrants. On the Britanica one man was lost overboard and we were late one day having stopped to search. (Didn't find him). Lots of drinking went on down there. Lots of fiddle playing.
After watching Titanic I use to think of what it would have been like for them had same happened.
There were not that many life boats on them. I remember we had drill a few times and one Of the Officers I got to know would tell me.
They do this but if anything happened the crew would be the first to head for these life boats. so you get close to them on first sound
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No. this wasn't early 1900s. this was late 1950s. Loved all the trips. Much better than now the Airlines. I still get things from the "Cunard Line" every month on the 3 Ships that are now going NY to UK. May even try one way and fly back this year. Prices are reasonable right now.
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The Amazon monopoly on e-books is scary! It's always dangerous when one or a few people control access to information.
Selling below cost to entice a customer into dependence on your other products is an old trick (IBM was famous for it) and illegal. Good that they stop Amazon.
went to UK on the Queen Mary in the sixties, cheapest fare. The crossing was rough, and most of the passengers stayed in their cabin. it's birthed now in San Diego, an hours ride from where we live. We went down and did a historical tour. He kept talking about wild parties, expecting me to back him up, but I was a disappointment to him. My husband and I played scrabble the whole way across.
Since I was a former passenger, the tour leader took me, and introduced me to the Captain. (I wonder what the captain of a docked ship does?).
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I ordered a sample of Unsinkable.
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Wasn't the Queen Mary the ship that featured in Brideshead? - Julia Flyte and Charles Rider have a passionate fling during a stormy crossing, when Rider's wife is laid low by seasickness.
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That would really be a bumpy ride. (I didn't just say that!)
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;D ;D
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:o I think it was the Queen Mary.. I do remember that from Brideshead.
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Amazon is driving me nuts, and I don't even use it! Every morning I find e-mails
from them offering me 'deals', sometimes up to half-a-dozen. Can someone kindly explain
to me how to block them. I need their e-mail address to 'filter' them, but it's not
included in those ads. >:(
Maybe he's a retired Captain, JOAN, making a bit of income on a 'retired' ship. :)
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That's odd, Babi. I've been buying from Amazon for years and never had an email other than order confirmations until I actually signed up for several. All of the ad emails I get from them have a place to unsubscribe at the bottom of the email where all the small print is.
I don't know if this will help, but here is their page on identifying if it is in fact from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=help_search_1-1?ie=UTF8&nodeId=15835501&qid=1359559591&sr=1-1
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BTW, I just discovered that like Audible, BookDepository, Bookworm and ABE Books are listed as part of the Amazon family. When did that happen I wonder.
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The big fish is eating up the little fish!
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I've started J.D.Robb's Fantasy in Death. The first 30 pgs are promising a good story. A 29 yr old who owns a video games production business is found dead in a secured room with a copy of a game in production. It gives the reader the impression that he has been killed by the interactive game. It's an interesting premise. You must remember the time is 2060!
As i mentioned before, robb went thru a phase of gruesome stories that i didn't care for, but the last several that i've read have not been so gruesome and i've enjoyed them. This is set two yrs after she and Roarke have married.
Jean
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I was thinking that Audible has been part of Amazon for quite awhile.
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Babi....I get daily emails from Amazon with their daily deals for the kindle app I have on my Ipad. That email comes from:
store-news@amazon.com
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I don't get any email offers from Amazon. Cant imagine what those would be. I buy from them often, have a Kindle, and get ebooks on KIndle.
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Tomereader...they're called the Kindle Daily Deals. 4 books on a special price for that day only. I get the email daily.
I was going to put the link here, but it's to my account, so I can't do that.
If you go to amazon.com and look for Kindle Daily Deals you should get to that page.
jane
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I get those offers, too. I clicked on the box that said, "Kindle Special Deals". Sometimes I order, but usually not. One of today's deals was Thomas Perry's new Jane Whitfield book, Flower Poison for 1.99, but it said whispernet. Is that an audio book? I wasn't sure, so didn't order it.
Sally
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Oh a new Jane book.. I must look for that. I just finished a Clea Simon book.. Shade of Gray... Someone recommended her here.. The thing about this book is she is writing three books at once. Too many differing plots along with a substory on her picking her doctoral project.. I liked her, but hopefully she will learn to cut her writing down to one plot at a time.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Sally, WhisperNet is what Amazon calls the internal network that you use when you click on Kindle Store. Whether you use the regular net to order from Amazon or order from your Kindle, that is the net they use to download your book. The book gets stored in you cloud storage and then the next time you turn on your Kindle wireless (if it isn't already on) you book will download.
My 2nd Gen Kindle connects directly to WhisperNet when I turn the wireless on. It uses 3G networking, doesn't have a web browser, and doesn't require any other wireless netsworking. Unlike the 2nd gen., the Kindle Fire won't connect to Amazon (or anything else) without my home network wireless being turned on (or access to a Free Wifi hotspot). I discovered this when I forgot I had turned off my wireless router overnight. The next morning, when I tried to connect (forgetting that I had turned the router off) I couldn't connect. At first I thought my Kindle Fire was going flaky. Duh! Once I figured it out, I was back in business.
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I sent them an e-mail this morning, FRYBABE, begging them to stop the raft of 'deals'.
I haven't noticed any 'unsubscribe', but I'll check the small print on the next one's
that show up. I agree with JOANK; Amazon is becoming a big..and voracious...fish.
I'm glad to hear that Robb is putting out some good books again. "Fantasy in Death"
sounds good. 2060, who knows. Maybe virtual reality will be getting more real. ;D
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I'm about halfway thru Fantasy in Death and it's quite interesting w/ it's talk of "halo-rooms" and virtual game playing. I've had a sense all along though that "Robb" does not have a vivid enough imagination to be looking at 2060. Some of the things she wrote about 10 yrs ago are already happening in 2013 and somethings are just not futuristic enough, IMO.
Jean
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I get the Kindle daily deals, but it is through an affiliated site that doesn't state Amazon, until you get ready to check out. Gotta have that new Jane book!
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I like the Robb series, but don't do the regular Nora Roberts type books.. Finally the right title..As Crime goes by is my bed book.. All about the golden age of Hollywood, lots of name dropping and fun.. Not a serious book, but interesting.
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I was most agreeably surprised this morning to receive a very polite e-mail from
Amazon, promising prompt attention to my complaint. The sender said it might take a
day or two to get me 'unsucscribed' from that mailing list, but that he will take care
of it and apologizes for the inconvenience.
Naturally, I responded just as promptly, thanking them for their prompt and courteous
answer. I think we can be friends again, now. :)
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Aside from The Hare with the Amber Eyes, I am in between books. I am taking a break from my SciFi marathon. Got lots of mysteries to choose from already here, and two Carol Goodman's and a Henning Mankell on the way.
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I've only read one by J.D. Robb, Naked in Death (2004), which I think was her first go at writing mysteries. I disliked it so much because of all the sexy romance in it, I vowed not to read any more by her. But maybe I'll give Fantasy in Death a try, since she must have improved since then, LOL.
Marj
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J.D. Robb ( Nora Roberts) is a romance writer through and through. I simply skip the mandatory two passages in each J.D. Robb book of sex with her husband.. At least she sticks to those two and no others..
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FRY: glad to get you between Sci-Fi books. Let me know what you settle on.
reading another Felix Francis (Dick Francis' son who collaborated with him at the end. This is the second he's written on his own: "Dick francis: Bloodline"). He's not as good as Dick, but worth reading for a DF fan. In this one (I forgot the name) the narrator is a race announcer, and there's a lot of detail on how the TV shows are broadcast. since my son is in broadcasting, I found it interesting. Much more complex than what my son does. But the plot is moving a little slowly.
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I loved Dick Francis, but Felix is not the horse person his Dad was and he does not have anyone like his Mom to do all the checking on how it actually goes.. Shame..
Finished The Red Tent, not a mystery, but a puzzling book in many ways.
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I borrowed my first book from the Kindle Lending Library called In the Blood: A Genealogical Crime Mystery #1 by Steve Robinson. I'll let you know what I think of it after I've read a few more pages. My first impression of this writing is that I was reading something salacious without it actually being so. Strange reaction, because there is nothing erotic about it. Bizarre reaction. Will start over. He has written three in this series so far and all have gotten very good ratings on GoodReads.
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Maybe there are some subtle double meanings in his language, FRYBABE. I know I've spoken with people who
left me slightly uncomfortable because I wasn't entirely sure what they meant by what they said. I'll be
interested to see what you decide about the book. A 'genealogical' crime sounds like it could be interesting.
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That sound familiar, but I don't think I've read it.
Finished Felix. OK, not great. Now I'm reading "Size 14 is not Fat Either" by Meg Cabot. I admit to a soft spot for all these detectives who are struggling with their weight: the series starts with "Size 12 is not fat". Her job, as an assistant in a college dorm leads to a lot of humor. And it takes place at a thinly disguised NYU, where I worked briefly. But the terrible song lyrics (she's an ex-pop singer) might put anyone off. Don't know whether to recommend the series or not.
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My take on THE RED TENT is it is an intelligently written fictional account of how the Twelve Tribes of Israel came into being as told from the female side of things rather than the male driven accounts which are all we have previously had with which to learn the oral histories committed to writing.
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Hopefully I will not offend anyone, but a true history of the 12 tribes would be a female one.After all they are the ones who know the fathers ...The jews are sensible. It is the female who need to be a jew to make the child a jew..
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Funny Steph, but what you say is true, and yet I never thought of it in that way before. That is to say, I have known for eons that you can be Jewish only from your mother or conversion (rare). And I have known since I was 10 that there were 12 tribes and that they still trace them all over the world.
But the tribes came down from the fathers! I just never put those things together until this moment!
Which, if what you have put forth were the case, then no, there would be no 12 tribes! There would be somewhere between 2 and 4 or 6, I cannot figure it right at this moment. But didn't Leah mother 10 and Rachel 2? Only weren't there a couple of concubines in there somewhere, or at least one?
But bottom line, if Jewishness had to come down from the mothers, then there would be AT MOST no more than six tribes. No more than six, if the concubines were counted and there were more of them involved, rather than fewer. I am not at all sure that all of the concubines involved WERE Jews! Or in fact, that any were! I think they WERE NOT Jewish!
Yet History DOES count from the SONS of Jacob, who was called Israel, and only from the sons. Fascinating. You have thought of something I simply never picked up on.
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As relates to Mysteries: I purchased for my Kindle the latest book from one of my favorite mystery authors. Maybe I should say "previous favorite". This is "Poison Flower" by Thomas Perry who has written several stand-alones, but his Jane Whitefield series was my favorite. He quit writing them for a bit. This is a "Jane" book, but even though I am only a third of the way into it, I can say truthfully, I am sorely, sorely disappointed. Mr Perry has gone off the tracks, or is hell-bent to putting an "end" to Jane, or at least her loyal readers. With only very few pages in the beginning featuring Jane doing her "rescue thing", she is shot, kidnapped, kept prisoner, tortured. (what the 50 Shades of author has done for S&M, Mr. Perry is doing for torture)
Since she is the main character in the book, we know she is going to escape, and she does. What ensues is seemingly (to me) a trite, poorly written episode about seeking help in a shelter for abused women, which would be an interesting story line, but the dialogue is the most-abused part of this, and not even close to Mr. Perry's standards (IMHO) besides being poorly plotted.
Needless repetition of Jane's "back-story" in a manner which would leave new readers totally puzzled. (Jane is Native American and there is always a lot of spiritual lore addressed). Since this was not a "free Kindle book", I feel I ought to finish it, but my disappointment is coloring my reading of it. If you are a Thomas Perry fan, just get the book from the library. I wouldn't pay good money for it (other than the paltry amount I paid). It is going to have to get better, as it is about as low on my "star" rating as it can get.
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TOME: what a disappointment when a beloved author lets you down. Hopefully, it's just a quirk, and he'll be back in form later.
I have to try the earlier ones.
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I love and have read all of Perry.. I cannot imagine him falling down that way, but I guess people do.. Jane is a heroine of mine and I hate to think of her in that sort of distress. Hmm. will think of whether I want to have her ruined like that.
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I don't even have to think about it, STEPH. I definitely don't, and I'm glad to have Tomereaders' warning.
Thanks, TOME.
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Some writers just do seem to go off like that. PD James's 'Death Comes to Pemberley' was truly awful, and I had loved all of her Dalgliesh detective books.
Rosemary
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I've found that after x no. of books in a "series," the author (or ghosts who are writing under author's name) just run out of ideas. They never seem to realize when it's time to let the series end and either develop a new character/series or just plain quit what they were writing. [It's like the pro athletes who are sure they have one more season left in them...and they end up looking like the "has-beens" they are.]
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Perry had given "Jane" a rest awhile back. I remember having emailed him, and asking when a new Jane would be forthcoming. He did answer, and said he was wanting to do other things for awhile (and implied that he didn't want Jane to get "stale"). I think, with him, she was already stale. But obviously many of his fans kept after him, and he felt it incumbent upon him to resuscitate the series.s Now, I think I may have missed one after he started back, but this new one "just ain't it, kid". Reading further into the story, Jane begins to tell her "client" how he is supposed to act, what to do, not do to keep himself hidden and in safety. There is a little plot turn going on now, which may put Jane and her hubby in mortal danger. I shall read on, but keep feeling this awful nervous sense of more impending danger, as if Perry intends to put a final end on Jane. I hope I'm wrong. I read some of the reviews on
Amazon, and can't believe they were all so positive, except one, who obviously felt the way I did about the first part of the book. Hope I haven't turned you all off by my "uncensored review". It's just that I hate to see folks that previously loved an author, fall into purchasing a book that they will probably hate in the long run.
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One other thing: Jane's client is supposed to have killed his wife but Jane & client's sister feel sure he didn't. The people who are after him are supposed to be responsible for the murder, but you get absolutely NO idea of who they were, when, why or how she was killed. No build up or front story at all, which was the first thing that ticked me off.
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Hmm, Perry is good at this stand alone books in giving you no idea what is happening until the last chapter. Then he pulls all the threads and you sit back in surprise as to whatis actually happening.Could be he did this with Jane.. What a shame. He is a good writer. I read one where the ending was fascinating.. An entire town in Connecticut of criminals.. Wild..
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Has anyone read anything by Katia Lief? I hadn't heard of her before reading this article, but she looks interesting:
http://deadgoodbooks.co.uk/index.php/dead-good-locations-out-and-about-with-author-katia-lief/#more-2259
Rosemary
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An entire town in Connecticut of criminals.. Wild
.. STEPH
The entire town? So, who did the criminals prey upon? Each other? It surely wouldn't
take long for the tourist trade to dry up. ;)
A very attractive site, ROSEMARY. it was a pleasure to see it.
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The Lief book does sound interesting. Our library diesn't have it yet. I may request it. Thanks Rosemary.
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Addendum to "Poison Flower". At least 2/3 of the way, Perry decides he will let us in on the whys and wherefores of the client's murdered wife. Okay, that problem solved. Now that Jane has the client and the shelter lady fairly stashed away, she rents a secluded house, and lets her identity forger friend know her whereabouts, so if someone should come looking for her, they will know where to go. (Like we are to believe the thugs are going to go right to the identity forger). She sets up a "kill house" and waits for the thugs and the "bidders" to come after her. (The bidders are bad guys that Jane had helped someone they were trying to kill). They show up in a few days and a battle royale ensues. Our Jane is now a "warrior" and gets them all, as well as the name of the main thug who is after her client. She goes home to hubby for a few days, all the while planning how to locate and go after Martel.
That's where I am inthe book right now, and there are only a few pages left for the resolution.
It's become a kind of Perils of Pauline tale, and Perry has practically turned our Jane into a cold blooded killer. (I know, the thugs captured, shot and tortured her, so turn about...?)
Some of Perry's style has returned in the foregoing pages, so it is easier reading than early on.
Will let you know how this plays out, if you want to know!
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I am reading a little change from Mystery or Murder at the moment. Weather cold so need cheering up.
Quite enjoying Marcia Willett's "A week in Winter".Pretty old. 2002 but a good Read in Bed book.
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I am continuing my reading of In the Blood: A Genealogical Crime Mystery #1 by Steve Robinson. I have become more comfortable with his writing and am enjoying the book. So far, nothing real special. He has introduced several characters and events from different time periods, going back and forth between two. He also introduced two more characters/events, but where and when they fit in I do not know yet. I suspect those two are contemporary with the main character and all will converge at some point.
The main character is a genealogical researcher from Boston who is doing family research for a rich client. His research has presented a problem. The family in question returned from the US to England, BUT all but the father seem to have vanished between the two. He obviously made it back, he remarried two years later, but there is no record of his first wife, children and two relatives. No arrival announcements, no death certificates, no divorce settlements - nothing. So now our intrepid researcher is in Cornwall trying to connect the dots.
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Speaking of writers' series eventually becoming stale, I've yet to read a bad book from Robert Crais (Elvis Cole series), Lee Child (Jack Reacher) Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch). James Lee Burke (Dave Robocheaux) or James Sallis (Lew Griffin).
But I agree with you, Rosemary, that I was really disappointed in P. D. James' last mystery.
Marj
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Anybody read any Anne Granger? I have just started 'Rack, Ruin & Murder', which I picked up in the North Berwick library - enjoying it so far. It's set in an English village - an old man living alone in the almost derelict family mansion comes home from buying his bottle of Scotch to find a corpse on his sofa.
So far it's very gentle, certainly not 'gritty' - thank goodness. It's quite humorous, and the character of the run-down old man is well drawn.
I looked Granger up on Amazon & she seems to have written quite a few murder mysteries.
Rosemary
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I like Crais, but he is getting more and more violent and that bothers me..Elvis used to enjoy himself more..
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According to my Goodreads newsletter, Jms Patterson has three books releasing in be next two weeks! Really!?!
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'Gentle' is unusual for a murder mystery, ROSEMARY, and humor always appeals to me. I
don't remember reading anything by Anne Granger, but I'll take a look and see what I can
find.
??? JEAN. But then, who cares. I quit reading 'his' books some time ago.
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Jean wrote "According to my Goodreads newsletter, Jms Patterson has three books releasing in be next two weeks! Really!?!"
I'm not surprised -- he has enough help with all his co-authors. I have two on my hold list at the library, Merry Christmas, Alex Cross and Private Berlin. I have liked most of his Alex Cross books, and also like his Women's Murder Club series. They are usually fast reads that I can read in a day. Good to relax with after reading something more demanding.
Marj
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Wow, Ann grainger has written a lot!
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/ann-granger/
The one you're reading isn't on kindle yet. I'll look for another.
I went to buy "In the Blood" for kindle, and it said I already own it: it's in my archives which means I read it or gave up on it (?!)
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Seems the german editions of her books are on kindle, but not the English. Oh well.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I wonder why that happens? I seem to remember that Donna Leon's Brunetti books have been filmed in German but not in English (nor in Italian for that matter.)
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Whew.. the name Ann Granger is so familiar. I must check her out , I suspect I have read something she wrote./
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Lots of Book written by Ann Granger but don't find one out in LP.
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I finished a quite different mystery by Nancy Martin today.. Sticky Fingers.. set in Pittsburgh.. Still not sure if she is trying to be funny or black humor.. I love her Blackbird series, but Roxy, the heroine of sorts in this one is a not entirely sympathetic character. I suspect too much Evanovich without her light touch.
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Finishing one by Sandra Balzo "Triple Shot." her detective runs a coffee shop in a suburb of Milwaulkee. Should be interesting, with a background of old Mafia hideouts, but I have trouble keeping interested for some reason.
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Jeanne - I couldn't find any large print Ann Granger books on Amazon UK, even as used copies, but there are some on our library catalogue, all published by "Long Preston" - so she must have been published in large print at some point. I would have thought that she would be, as her books are the kind of thing that our local libraries choose for their large print section.
I looked up Long Preston, and they are also known as "Magna' and seem actually to be located in a place called Long Preston in Yorkshire! They describe themselves as 'primarily library suppliers' but say they are happy to sell direct to other people:
"Books (large print) and Audio Books
Magnaprint tel 01729 840 225
(General Manager: Diane Allen). Although primarily a library supply publisher, Diane is happy to offer Long Preston residents a 20% discount on any purchase of large print or unabridged audio books.
Call in at the Main Street office to browse."
The page I found them on is:
http://www.longpreston.info/services.html
I know this is probably not much help to you in the US, but thought I'd let you know.
Rosemary
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I started an older Ann Practchett book last night...Taft? So far I am struggling, but she generally makes it worth it.We will see.
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I've only read two by Ann Patchett -- Run, which I didn't much care for, and The Magician's Assistant which I really liked.
I'm reading A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny with another group, and am surprised to find I'm enjoying it, after not liking her Still Life.
Marj
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I agree Marjifay, A Fatal Grace was much better than Still Life. I think Penny got better and better until the most recent offering, which went decidedly off and lacked a good editor's hand.
Rosemary
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Rosemary, Thorndike Publishing seems to be the name on lots of the LP Books here but I have seen the name "Magna" on quite a few. The Preston Name catching my Eye. as Family living so close to there and it being the Train Stop to Blackpool Growing up. (Rochdale, Preston,Blackpool). We even had a song learned in the One and only Summer Camps I attended which was in St. Annes.
No on the books you recommend if I can find in Small print only I will read it.
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I stopped with the Taft.. don't like stream of conscious books.. Everything else of hers I have loved..Finished my silly little Diane Shah .. As Crime goes by..She needs a decent editor , but it was fun in an old Hollywood way.
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The only thing I like about cozy mysteries is some of the great titles... like As Crime Goes By...LOL
Marj
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Not on topic, but just read that Pope Benedict is retiring. Last time I saw him on TV (I guess at Christmas) I noticed how very infirm he looked,and was very worried. A pope has not retired since Pope Gregory in 1400+ something.
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Well, good for him to recognize that he needed to.
Finished "Don't Ever Grow Old" by Daniel Friedman: a first novel, I think. An 87 year old former cop who is mean as a snake, funny, and determined not to fit any of the stereotypes of older people. I hope friedman writes more.
Also read "Swift Edge" by Laura Desilverio, more of a cozy. Two mismatched women PIs. Picked it up because there is an ice skating theme, and I'm a fan. was disappointed that there wasn't more about skating. But I got a sample of the first book, "Swift Justice" for kindle.
And I'm finally reading "Murder at Pemberley" by PD James. I've heard such different reactions to it, and Autsenfile that I am, can't ignre it. But so far, very flat characterization and stodgy language.
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I like PD James, but that book has really gotten so many bad reviews, not sure I want to read it.
Am onto a Patricia Briggs.. Alpha and Omega series.. I do like her. This one is werewolves, fae and a serial killer..
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I just heard on the radio today that someone is planning a screen (not sure if film or TV) adaptation of PD James's Death Comes to Pemberley.
It seems so unfair that someone famous can write a dreadful book and end up with a film deal, whereas there are so many other better books whose authors are unlikely to get that kind of break because they're not already 'bankable', as I believe the term is.
Rosemary
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ROSEMARY, maybe this will be one of those rare occasions where the movie is better than the book.
From what others have posted, I get the impression that wouldn't be hard.
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Well you never know Babi! And you're quite right, it couldn't be much worse.
Rosemary
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it was mediocre, at best. Being based on Pride and Pedjudice, the comparisons are inevitable, and it certainly can't stand up to them! Half the book was just retelling the plot from Pride.
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My two lessons yesterday were one more for gnostic and one for Thomas.. Thomas sounds interesting. There is some discussion in religious circles, He is supposed to be a brother of Jesus and at that time was considered possibly his twin .(now that makes no sense). I gather that the book is sayings, some from Mathew,Mark and Luke, so others.. There is another lecture on him. Cannot figure out why he was considered a heresy.
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Never heard that one before, STEPH. James, the leader of the church at Jerusalem, was said to be a
brother of Jesus, but I never heard of Thomas considered as one. Since little is known about Thomas, a
good deal of dubious apocryphal stories rose about him. Maybe some of those stories came to be
considered a heresy...which would explain why we never heard of them. Hopefully, the second lecture
will make things a little clearer.
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Is this the "Doubting Thomas"?
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There were something over a hundred gospels written, and for many of them, despite the name of the author attached to them, historians of today are not absolutely sure they can properly identify the person. A lot of people with the same name is the main problem. Surnames were not in use yet in those days, but sometimes a town or a parent's name or an occupation could identify them pretty well. As in Jesus of Nazarath. Actually, this is an amazing number for a time when most folks were illiterate.
It is pretty obvious that many of the gospels were written down years after the stories laid out were supposed to have taken place, and were most often not from eye witnesses, but from the old grapevine. Lots of room for error there. Or not. One does not know.
The main thing that stops me in my tracks is that the Church would have chosen, some 400 years after the death of Jesus, only texts that fit in perfectly with the storyline adopted previously by the Church. Anything that varied in any way from the approved dogma would have been tossed out as heresy. For sure, this is a given.
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I think that if this "Thomas" was a twin it would have been well pubicised by now. I didn't know that the name Thomas went back that far.
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OK.. things I have learned.. Thomas means twin.. The man was really named Judas, so he wall called Thomas Judas in the writings. NO, he is not doubting Thomas.. Yes, in the early church, it was assumed that Jesus had several brothers. They were half brothers, sons of Mary and Joseph.. The twist with this Thomas was that some people believed him to be the twin of Jesus.. Their belief was Jesus was Gods son and Thomas was Joseph.. This particular book just uses sayings over a 100.. Many seem to say the same thing in a shorter version than Matthew Mark and John.. Some scholars believe that this was the original version and that the longer versions was filled out by Apostles and early protochristians.. No idea how true any of this was.
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Before I forget, STEPH, did you say who was presenting these lectures? I always like to know the source of
information, since it can make a difference in what is being said or taught.
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Again Babi, that is all down and I am up.. Ah to be on one level.. But I will remember and tell you.. I know he teaches in North Carolina but does not have a southern accent. The book sale is in full swing, so it is all I can do to move around.
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No rush, STEPH. I can wait until you're not so busy. I am intrigued by the 'he', though. Surely
one man hasn't produced this entire series of lectures.
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Based on the suggestion here, read "the Ice Princess" and liked it a lot.While it deals with serious issues, it manages to avoid the air of overall depression found in other Scandiavian books I've read (such as those by Henning Mankell) I've ordered the second in the series, "The Prophet".
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I think the Prof. is Bart Ehrman. He has other lectures too, some of which I have. From No. Carolina, Chapel Hill.
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You are probably right, Tomereader, I noticed there was a lecture series by him. I read a little more than half of his book, Lost Christianities, before giving up. It got too tedious for me. I hope the lecture series is easier to grasp.
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I read and found very interesting Bart Ehrman's Jesus Interrupted; Revealing the Hidden Contradictions of the Bible.
Marj
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yes, it is Ehrman. I put his short bio in Libraries. The lectures are interesting, but I generally play them twice.. He is good, but the subject is really complex, or at least it is for me.
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Glad to see you liked Camilla Lackberg's The Ice Princess, JoanK. I've just started it, and am finding it a little slow going, but I will plod on. I read her book, The Stonecutter, which was recommended by MaryPage. It had a clever plot, but IMO was overly long (500 pp) with too many characters and red herrings.
The Yahoo group, 4_Mystery_Addicts, is discussing it (Feb. 15-20) and will be discussing the Preacher March 15-20. My favorite group for mystery book recommendations.
Marj
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I thought i got the suggestion of Carol O'Connell here, but when i did a search the only mention was from Babi in 2009. Have i had it on my TBR list for that long?
:)
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"[Yahoo group]My favorite group for mystery book recommendations."
Sigh.
How does one join it?
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I'm not computer adept enough to give you a link, JoanK. But just go to Yahoo, and type in "Yahoo Group - 4_Mystery_Addicts" This should take you to their website. Then click on "join this group."
I like the recommendations from Robert McKay of this group. But there are others with good recommendations also.
Marj
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I read and love Carol o' Connel.. But her heroine is a strange strange person indeed..
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From what I see posted about all those piles of TBR's, JEAN, I wouldn't be at all surprised.
I don't even remember the book. I vaguely recognize the title "Mallory's Oracle", but have no idea what
it was about. Whatever did I say at the time, I might want to go back and read some more of them. :-\
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"Mallory" is indeed a strange person. Without the "goth" persona and extra-hideous childhood, I am reminded of Lizbet Salander in the Girl w/Dragon Tatoo books. The Carol OConnell books are well worth a read, and I would suggest you start with the first one if you can find it.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I struggled very hard with a Carol O'Connell book, Dead Famous. I started with that one because I found it for a quarter at a book sale and our library has none of her books. I started it twice, about 6 months apart, thinking the 2nd time I'd get into it. Just could not. Very dark and sad. So I gave it back for the book sale.
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I think the first one might be Mallorys Oracle.. But yes I have read them all and enjoy them.. And when I read the Dragon Tattoo,, I did think of Mallory
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I'm just about 40 pages into the o'connell book. For me, Mallory has a similarity to Robb's Eve Dallas without the humanity of Eve. Now remember, that's just from a brief, superficial look. Their strange behavior/personalities/childhood makes them more interesting, i suppose, then say "The Closer" who seems to have had a normal childhood and other women sleuths.
Jean
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I joined yahoo's 4 mystery addicts, but I can't figure out how to join the discussions.
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JoanK, to post a message at 4_Mystery_Addicts (and most Yahoo groups), at the far left of the messages page or their homepage website, is a list of links. Click on "post," type your message, then click "send."
Also, at the end of each message are several links. Click on "reply to group" and you can post your message.
Marj
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I just joined Goodreads.com and am in one of the book groups, but it is so disjointed, I don't think I will keep it up.. No discussions, just book after book and three or four word comments. I like ours, we drag it out , shake it and make sure we each get a word in on how we feel. Much more fun.
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Steph, GoodReads wasn't for me either. I stuck it out for a couple of months, mostly because I had "won" a book. The deal is that if you are picked to receive a free book, you read it and write a review of it. I found a group from this area and posted, but no one else ever showed up. I was contacted by someone from this area and I responded, but after that initial contact, nothing. Why too many discussion groups with little of substance to say.
I took a quick look at the Yahoo discussion group list. Again way too many groups to wade through right now. I'll try again later. I'd like to find an ancient history group.
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A great Goodreads group is the Constant Reader group. They discuss two short stories each month and two fiction books (March reads will be Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge and Louise Erdrich's Round House). And their discussions are interesting, not just "I liked it" or "I didn't like it" remarks.
They discuss a wide variety of topics, including movies, books members are reading, poetry and other topics of interest to folks who love to read.
I joined an Historical Fiction group, but quit, as they mostly just pushed their own books they had written.
Marj
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I remember Constant Reader, but I don't remember if I joined it.
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Thanks, Marg. I saw your name somewhere.
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Hardy? Ugh.. I don't think so.. Could not find a straight mystery group or a fantasy one that I liked.
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Hardy's books are rather dreary, aren't they? It's like an artist who paints in somber grays and black, with perhaps a bit of white for contrast.
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I used to be convinced that Hardy suffered from depression, at least his books always seemed that way.. Now I read for pleasure and sometimes to learn, but not anyone who pulls me down.
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"Now I read for pleasure and sometimes to learn, but not anyone who pulls me down."
You got that right!
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I used to love the moody moody fiction that makes everyone into a complicated human, but now more and more, I want things that make me smile.. and think, but pleasant thoughts.
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I think a lot of us feel that way. Maybe it's one of the perks of old age. We don't feel we
need to read all the 'important' books. Peace, quiet, a few laughs or an intriguing mystery.
As much as possible 'upbeat'.
I am relaxing now with one of the Dorothy Cannell mysteries, "The Thin Woman". How bold!
Allowing an overweight woman to be the heroine! How many of those do you find in fiction?
Good for Ms. Cannell.
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" Maybe it's one of the perks of old age. We don't feel we
need to read all the 'important' books. Peace, quiet, a few laughs or an intriguing mystery."
So true.
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Read a Nora Blackbird mystery yesterday. Light and interesting.. in a Philadelphia sort of way.I lived close for three years when married and had two small children. An interesting city.. The boys loved the area around the Liberty Bell and Liberty park, the Zoo and the Museum..
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I just finished a great book, SUSPECT, by Robert Crais. This is a stand-alone, not one of his series with Elvis Cole. One of the best books I've read in the last couple of months. I'm not a dog-lover, but I loved Maggie, the German Shepherd, a former military dog, who was wounded in Afghanistan when her beloved handler was killed by a sniper. Scott James, a Los Angeles police officer is reassigned to the K9 division after his partner Stephanie is killed and he is severely wounded during a confrontation with some bad guys. Both Scott and Maggie suffer from a kind of post traumatic stress syndrome from their experiences. Scott is paired with Maggie, and they make a terrific couple, who bond, help each other recover, and work to find the man who killed Stephanie.
Marj
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I am still reading Julia Spencer-Fleming. I am on her 6th book in the Reverend Clare Fergusson series. The 7th book is called ONE WAS A SOLDIER. This female Episcopalian priest/sleuth goes to Iraq as a helicopter pilot and comes home pretty messed up emotionally from having killed so many of the enemy. I find Spencer-Fleming one of the very best mystery writers EVER; and I don't think there are many I have not at least tried; especially among the women authors.
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I agree, MaryPage, that Julia Spencer-Fleming's books are good. I've read the first two and have her third, OUT OF THE DEEP I CRY, on hold at the library. It will be discussed in the Yahoo group, Women Mystery Writers, in March.
(While she writes well, I'd put a few ahead of her in that rarified category of best writers: Robert Crais, Lee Child, James Lee Burke, P.D. James, and Lawrence Block, for example. But that's just my opinion.)
Marj
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I like her MUCH better than any of those. I imagine it is a matter of what you are looking for. Her way of thinking, the part of the country she is writing about, and her sleuth are all much to my taste. My ancestors lived in that area, or just a bit north of it. and I have a lot of Episcopalian priests in my background, as well. Including a female first cousin who attended the same seminary as Clare Fergusson. So I really think it is a matter of whom we identify with. The author, like me, is an army brat. Oh, I could go on and on with my connection points!
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A week ago, BABI posted here " Maybe it's one of the perks of old age. We don't feel we need to read all the 'important' books. Peace, quiet, a few laughs or an intriguing mystery."
Like much of what she said over the years, I really related to that. I had no way of knowing that I wouldn't hear her voice again. I hope that wherever she has gone on to a new life, it is full of peace, quiet, a few laughs, and even an intriguing mystery
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Oh well, I agree. I liked her style a lot. Unfortunately I don't think we go anywhere . Pity. I always say , my idea of heaven is a big tv where I can watch the next few thousand years unfolding (and flip back to the past when I get bored)
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Spencer -Fleming gets better with each book. Some authors don't, but she knows just what buttons to push. an Interesting writer indeed.
I think we might exist later as a pure spirit and I can just see Babi listening in on our discussions and smiling.
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I am one who wishes rather desperately that I believed we are immortal beings and that I will be reunited with my Bob. Unfortunately, I just don't see it. It makes no sense against the reality of Physics and the universe. Fortunately, I think we know nothing whatsoever forever and ever after death. That, in itself, is a kind of present: no more anxiety, worries, concerns, physical failures and pain.
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Here is trhe link to the memorial page for Babi. Thanks to those of you who posted. I know when my husband died, the collection that was sent to me meant the world to me.
http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=3747.0
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I wish we were immortal, but I truly think we are pure spirits and hang about a bit, but soon leave and merge with the rest of the universe..The first year after my husband died, over and over in my worst moments, it seemed as if something loving and caring with be with me..but now he is much more of a loving and gentle memory.
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I have the notion that since matter cannot be destroyed, but transforms into other forms/states, that we transform, or cross over as some say, into another state of existence.
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I have always remembered this saying. Since young. I believe in it.
"We are not Human Beings having a Spirtual Experience.
We are Spirits having a Human Experience.
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Then why is it that consciousness and memory die when the brain cells die? This is NOT asked to be confrontational, as I would dearly love proof otherwise. But the mind and the sense of being black out completely when the brain is no longer fed oxygen. And they do not exist, in full working condition, until sometime after birth.
I think Faith has to be just that; pure Faith. I had it when I was young, but life experience and reading have taught me I was wrong. I am ALL FOR people having Faith, however. I just ask the questions of others that I ask myself, with not an iota of hostility within my being.
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I've started the first book of a new author, Internal Affairs by Connie Dial, a woman who has been an LAPD police officer for years. I'm liking the story very much. A detective finds a car belonging to the undercover division parked at the foot of his driveway when he goes out in the morning to jog. It's still there when he returns from his jog and he notices what looks like blood on the ground under the trunk. It turns out the body found in the trunk is a female cop with which he had a relationship a few years before????
She almost lost me in the first 30 pages by having about 20 characters showing up, all in the police dept at some level, i couldn't keep them all straight. That's obviously accurate in the working situation of a police dept, but difficult for the reader.
There is a group of five women at the levels of the hierarchy just under the Chief, which i'm sure are going to be important in the story.
Jean
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I would guess that the Learning ccompany course I am taking and the others I am interested in taking is because during Viet Nam, I lost all hope in the churches who seemed content with our young males going off to be killed in a country that did not want us there to help.. It is interesting and quite political how the books of the bible were picked or not and why.
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Per Jean (re Internal Affairs by Connie Dial), "There is a group of five women at the levels of the hierarchy just under the Chief, which i'm sure are going to be important in the story."
Sounds like an good book, but also sounds as if the author is trying to be politically correct with so many high-ranking females. I just read Collateral Damage by Stuart Woods (a DNF) where the head of the CIA was a female as was the second in command. Oh, well, I suppose is could happen. Britain's former head of MIS was a female - Dame Stella Rimington, who now writes mysteries.
Marj
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WOW! Two great leads, and I'm already approaching my book budget for the month.
Here's Rimington (former MI5 director). thanks for spelling her correctly -- I thought it was a mistake).
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/stella-rimington/
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And here is Connie Dial. Looks like she has four books out.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/connie-dial/
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I got the latest Puzzle lady book by Parnell Hall out of the library "Arsenic and Old Puzzles" based on the movie "Arsenic and Old Lace" (remember that?) The problem is, I can't work the puzzle in a library book, and my copy machine is on the fritz. I tried to copy it by hand, and messed it up somehow. The copying is harder than the puzzle.
I notice Manny Novotsky, ex-Seniornetter, isn't doing the puzzles any more. (now, it's fred Piscop, also a NY Times regular). I hope he's all right. Does anyone know?
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Thanks for the links, Joan, i hadn't gotten around to checking that yet. I'm glad to see Dial has other books, altho my library doesn't have them yet.
Marjifay, the book is set in LA, that's a pretty big police dept, so 5 women at the higher levels might not be stretching it, altho i'm sure Dial is thinking about her women readers. :)
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I haven't heard from Manny in a while, Joan, but I'll drop him a line and see if he's still doing OK.
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It looks like Manny was fine as of last September. See http://www.preshortzianpuzzleproject.com/2012/09/interview-with-legendary-manny-nosowsky.html
I think a notice would have been posted if anything was wrong. Ginny, please say "hi" to Manny for me.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Dial.. I have a note somewhere that I read one of hers.. no idea which one..Not memorable enough for me to track her down..
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I hope you have had a chance to VOTE FOR the APRIL Book Club selection (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=309.msg186285#new)... the poll just opened yesterday - and already, there's a three way tie! It's really important to read the descriptions in the title links before stepping into the voting booth!
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I did hear from Manny and he's doing fine, Joan K, sounds in great spirits, taking it easy, and says he's enjoying the warm California sun. I loved seeing him called "the legendary Manny Nosowsky," thank you Marcie. :) I'll give him your regards.
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Steph, my husband told me that he lost his faith in the Catholic Church when he went to Vietnam and saw all the killing and wondered how the god he'd been brought up to believe in could let that happen.
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Yes, NLHome.. I saw the men who came back and what had happened to them.. Met a nurse and heard her horrors.. All in all I could not believe that our country and religions were not doing something anything to drag us out of that mess.
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There are a lot of books out now telling the people of these United States how very, very badly our armed forces acted in Viet Nam and how ashamed we ought to be. Written by those who were actually THERE. I really have a hard time understanding how those who actually served there line up on one side and the suits with ties who never served a minute and are pontificating about how great we are and how we rule the world line up on the other. And the suits are not listening to the other for a nanosecond. I fear there will be similar books in future about Iraq and Afghanistan. If a woman were president, and since women make up 51% of the population a woman SHOULD be president, I think we would only fight defensive wars, such as World War II.
When men want an attitude to rule the day, they incorporate it into a religious belief. Right now it is that we are an exceptional nation and God loves us best. Such hubris!
Born and raised right here in the good old USA, I love my country, but our way of doing things grants me the right to hate those who lead my country astray. And astray is where we have most definitely been led!
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Ah, MaryPage, your comment just jogged my memory. This morning I saw an article listed (I didn't read it until just now) titled "What if women ruled the world". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-21661744 The reader comments , as far as I read them, are a bit less enthusiastic.
I'm going to post this on the politics forum also.
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I love Manny's New York Times puzzles. He's the master of the really baaaad pun. if you don't groan at least once, it's not a Manny!!
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Elizabeth George. I like her, but oh me, this last book badly needed an editor. She seems to be writing two books in one.. I will keep going, but it is discouraging at best, and I love her.
I fear that one day we will in face see books on these wars as on Viet Nam. One of my sons in reserve went to Iran for a year.. He came home and resigned his commission in the reserves. He simply could not believe the whole experience and he was not involved in the fighting, just one of the camps.
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So sad. So unrealistic are we that it is just incomprehensible!
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Almost done with the Elizabeth George. It is not even really a mystery in the classic sense. I am so disappointed in the book. Some of the problem is the new woman who I really find most unpleasant. David is stupid about women.. Then Deborah is in this one more than I like. She needs to get over herself.. First she kills off Lady Helen, then writes a whole book of excuses for this and now this one.. She is close to getting put on my do not read list.
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I guess you're talking about Elizabeth George's BELIEVING THE LIE, Steph? Although it was a bit too long, I was surprized that this long book kept up my interest all the way to the end. Some review called it a "melodrama" and I guess it was, but an interesting one. The only parts that I skimmed over and had trouble understanding why they were included were those with Deborah and Simon St. James.
Funniest was Sgt Haver's T-Shirt which she wore into Scotland Yard on her day off, infuriating her boss, which said "Jesus died for our sins...Let's not disappoint him." Barabara Havers is my favorite character in this series. I didn't want to see the film made of one of George's books because the woman who played Havers was slim and good-looking, which Havers defintely is not, and which for me, is part of her charm.
The book ends with a cliffhanger, so happily she'll have another one out before long.
Marj
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Ginny, I'm glad to hear that Manny is ok and doing well. I remember him fondly from Latin class.
Steph, I'm really disappointed to read your comments about the recent Elizabeth George. I haven't read any of hers since she killed Helen, and was hoping she would get back to her Lynley-Havers plots. Barbara Havers is my favorite in the series, too.
On Facebook, I "LIKED" (please don't tell me that's a new definition) Random House and was looking back at some of their book-cover photos and came across a writer I'd never heard of before. Susan MacNeal, whose character is Maggie Hope. The books are Mr. Churchill's Secretary and Princess Elizabeth's Spy. Are these familiar to any of you? Are they any good? Susan MacNeal (http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/rc//tag/susan-macneal)
Marjifay, I loved the T-Shirt. That would shock more than a few.
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I have not read a single book since she killed off Helen, either. I do own one or two in paperback, but they sit on my bookshelves unread as yet.
I own all of the DVDs of the various series made from these books by the BBC. I did not find the Barbara Havers actress all that physically attractive and I thought she fit the role very well. Different strokes for different folks, as they say.
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I admit to having given up on Elizabeth George several books ago. Although I admire her for being one of the first to have a handicapped character who doesn't turn out to be either the victem or the murderer. Now it is common.
Finally reading "The Technologists" by Matthew Pearl: don't know why I wated so long. It's about the founding of MIT and the first graduating class (in the 1860s). Interestingly, there's one woman in the class. She has classes separately, not with the men, as being too distracting, and has her own separate labratory.
Don't know yet how much of this is historical. Pearl usually has an afterward where he explains the history in detail -- I'm waiting to the end to read it in case of spoilers.
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I've got Matthew Pearl's The Technologists on my TBR list. I'll be interested to know how you liked it when you finish, JoanK. I was disappointed in his Poe Shadow and Dante Club; both were boring to me and DNFs, altho I liked his The Last Dickens.
Marj
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Believing the Lie..Yes, that is the book and melodrama is accurate actually. I found the book overwrought and that is new for her.. Yes, I liked the ending,, since I like Barbara very much. I think she is a bit much in the clothing types, since that is easy to look ok, all you have to do it think a bit. Lindsey is hopefully back on track and out of that wretched womans life. I dislike her intensely.. A drunk as a head of a department..Stupid..She is a truly unpleasant bully.
Oh well. once upon a time, I loved Elizabeth George,, now I will truly have to think before picking up another book.
I found a Jane Haddam in my tbr collections..A Gregor book , and I do love Gregor.. The premise. a whole town on religious and social misfits.. Ugh, but I will keep going for a while.
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I'm laughed OUTLOUD thru the first chapter of Janet Evanovich's Notorious Nineteen! The first sentence is "i don't know why we gotta sit here baking in your car in the middle of the day, in the middle of summer, in the middle of this crummy neighborhood." (echos of Flip Wilson "in the corner, in the dark......") if you know the series, you know that's Lulu, and it's Trenton! That made me smile, but i continued w/ outright laughter thru the next 10 pages and thought "this is gonna be a good book." Unfortunately, it became rather dull in the next 100 pages. Maybe my expectations were too great. However, the mystery part of it got pretty good about 2/3rds of the way through and the end was good.
Lulu was a major character. Sometimes for a page or two Stephanie was "saying" nothing. I thought that was stange. The battle of Ranger/Morelli continued. My theory is in "20" she'll make a decision and that will end the series. This story provided some opportunities to kill off one of them and i thought that was going to be the solution. Interestingly, Ranger gives her a very serious, potentially dangerous job working w/ him on an escapade. I realized that he values her and never puts her down in the way Morelli sometimes does. When she needs a new car :) he just delivers it and asks if she's o.k. He never chides her about the cars. Morelli has had some negative things to say about those events. Is Evanovich leading us toward Ranger? I'm actually leaning toward him.
Jean
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Morelli puts her down. But Ranger never says anything but "Babe." that could get awfully old. I'm not crazy about either of them.
Finished "The Technologists." The woman in the first MIT class was a real person. Good for them. Harvard, on the other hand, didn't admit women for another hundred years.
I remember browsing around the Harvard Math library in the 1950s, wondering why I was getting such strange looks: had forgotten they didn't admit women. But no one said anything to me, even though I clearly didn't belong. I tried the samr thing later at cambridge, and they kicked me out in a hurry.
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I am a fan of Morelli.. Ranger will never be anything but anin and out sort of person in her life. But not sure that Stephanie has any sense at all about men.. Lula.. Oh my, I read every single one of the books, but I really don't like Lula very much.. But I know I will buy it.. One of the few authors, that I have all of the numbered Stephanie and also the Diesel ones.. He has a new main squeeze though.. A witch?? Anyway that small series is fun as well.
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Re your getting kicked out of Cambridge's library for being a female -- so nice that things have changed a bit, eh? Onward and upward. England's queen is working on it -- I see that if Prince Andrew's child is a female, she will be queen. Hooray!
Marj
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Prince Andrew already has two daughters, who are 4th & 5th in line for the throne at present. I think you mean Prince William's expected baby, if it is a girl, will be Queen one day, as she will be born 3rd in line for the throne.
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I've tried 2 of Evanonvich's "wicked" books and just can't get into them, to each her own which makes the world and these discussions so interesting. :)
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I just finished a truly odd mystery ( sort of) Jane Haddam.. Living Witness. It is a Gregor book, but it is really about the fights of evolution and Intelligent Design. I cannot believe that any small town would be as bigoted as she made this one..Sad,,, Why oh why would a Christian think that all people who do not believe in Genesis is all bad.. immoral.. wicked and should not be allowed to live.. That is the saddest thing I have ever seen. I don't generally write letters to authors, but I am sorely tempted
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Steph, I have run into "Christians" who are that bigoted. They kill doctors who are performing abortions. They kill homosexuals. They beat and terrorize their wives and children. They declare women witches and burn them to death. And yes, they feel you are of Satan and should be dead if you do not take the Bible literally.
It takes a deep study of history, made with an open mind, to realize how mistaken all this is. But does it exist? You 'betcha!
The Roman Catholic Church has just elected a new pope. He is from Argentina. The first from the Americas! He will be Francis the 1st. He is a JESUIT, which means he has huge brains, is a Liberal thinker, believes the church's main purpose is to take care of the sick and the poor and the meek and the bereaved and the children. Oh, I am so hopeful and so overcome!
By the way, the Catholic Church does not emphasize the Bible, and they have a different, much older version than any of the Protestant sects have. But they have always stressed that the many conflicting aspects to the Bible are not to be taken seriously or literally. The Vulgate was their original Bible, and the Douay version is used today.
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That sounds interesting, but scary.
I'm also reading an interesting but scary one: "Desert Wind" by Betty Webb. It is about the cancer-causing effects of atomic testing and uranium mining on people, especially Indians in the Southwest, and the cover-ups involved.
The author obviously loves the desert: all her books have desert in the titles, and she hates places like the one where I live that try to recreate a more lush environment there. I can understand her feelings, although I still want my grass and trees. I'll definitely read more of her
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Here she is:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/betty-webb/
I see I had already read her -- my memory for names is so bad! She has another series of cozies I like about a zookeeper. I've read the first two, but there's one out I haven't read "The Llama of Death". I got samples of that and her first Desert one (only $2.99) for my kindle. As well as "living Witness". So many books, so little time.
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The Connie Dial book turned out to be pretty good, despite having 3x too many characters. ;D
Since she was in LAPD for decades, i assumed it was accurate in her descriptions of the "internal affairs" of the police dept. I would read more of hers.
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I must dig in my tbr pile. I know I got some Betty Webb books at the used book store in the mountains last summer.. Hmm.I need a decent mystery.
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MaryPaige
I am so happy that the new Pope took the name Francis. Frances is my favorite Saint and hopefully Pope Francis will live up to his new name.
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To me it's really boring to see a bunch of old male geezers running a church.
I'll get excited about a pope when one of them turns out to be a woman! (LOL)
Marj
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The legend is that there was a woman Pope once. Pope John, she called herself. Some say she was not found out until she had a baby; others say not until she died. Anyway, she is now called Pope Joan.
There are books on the subject. Some books of serious research and history; others historical fiction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Joan
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Interestng, MaryPage. I'd not heard that. Don't you think it's about time they had another one, and this time not just a legend?
Marj
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I am personally all for women running the world. We are 51% of the population, and we should have 51% in all legislative bodies and, yes, there should be women in the priesthood. In my church, the Episcopalian, there are women priests. Have been for over 35 years now.
But honestly, I do not know whether the story about the 9th century Pope Joan is true or not. I have read the books. Some are very convincing. Try them and decide for yourself!
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27252.Pope_Joan
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/doubleissue/mysteries/pope.htm
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pardos/PopeJoanHome.html
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Charlie Rose just asked some Cardinal if the Church doesn't have to give women more authority in a "time of the woman?" His answer was that more than half of the saints are women and Mary is the most esteemed in the Church, that the church has always raised up women!!! I'm screaming at the tv, i won't tell you what i said. ;D
Jean
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I am with you Jean.. They made Poor Mary into an unreal character and a good many of the female saints were simply idiots.. Sorry,, my opinion. I would be careful of the new Pope..He is a Jesuit and they do look at the world differently, plus he seems to have been on the militaries side in Argentina in the times of the great murders.
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You know what they say: men are taught there are only two kinds of women, saints or whores.
Good little girls keep their mouths shut, learn to wait on their fathers and brothers, learn housekeeping from their mothers, and either go into the convent or marry (as virgins) and raise lots and lots of children. Sainted they are! (Indeed!)
Those who descend into whoredom sure offer these same men fun and games on the side.
As for a Brain? In a WOMAN? You've got to be kidding!
So ask the good churchmen when they are going to recognize women are betters Brains and better Leaders than men?
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An interesting take on the fiction book about her. I would rather read a straightforward examination of the evidence.
I'm reading a cozy, now "Murder in a Basket" by Amanda Flowers. I liked her first book "Maid of Murder" a lot, very funny. This one, less so. It is pedestrian, and you can see the plot coming a mile away.
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I have had such an exciting day yesterday that I picked up a short story collection.. A Study inSherlock.. All variations on Sherlock.. Some are fun.. some not so.
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I finished reading a real mind-bender mystery/thriller by Hank Phillipi Ryan (who is a woman). I had never read her before. This book had so many twists/turns/misdirections I could hardly keep up! It was a pretty good read for all that, but I had to keep going back, and reading previous chapter to figure out if I was losing my mind. This Ryan has written many others, and I can't figure why I hadn't read her before. Anyone here follow this author?
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
New name for me. What type of plots..a continuing character?? Will look her up on my swap section.
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Don't know, Steph. Will have to look her up on Fantastic Fiction and see. The character in this book did not seem to be a continuation, might be start of new series though.
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Here is Ryan.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/hank-ryan/
I had never heard of her. Interesting background.
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I ordered a sample of her first "Prime Time" for kindle. I now have 45 samples in my mystery folder alone! So many books ....
just finished a real bare-bones procedural "One Perfect Shot" by Steven Havill. I really liked it -- no plot gimmicks, just police procedure, gradually closing down on the perp. Set in a small town in the Southwest. It's a "prequal" to a series with 17 other books, and the first one is free on kindle. So I'll be busy for awhile.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/steven-f-havill/
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Interesting bio..Will have to try something of hers.
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Speaking of more women being in control, Congress is finally bginning to address the awful problem of rape in the military. It has gone on mostly ignored with the victims mostly being the ones who are punished. Someone asked if this would ever have come up for examination, except for the fact that there are now more women in Congress.
Marj
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Just finished "Death's Half Acre" by Margaret Maron. It was o.k. It alluded to the conflict between the city folk moving to the country to get the benefits of the country and then being irritated by crowing roosters, etc, and the natives. It touched on the corruption that can come w/ development. I think it had more potential then she teased out of it. She tried to weave that story with a woman who had all the dirt on people and died for it with a concern that Judge and Kizzie Knot might get caught in the dirt. It got confusing near the end when her Father had his own scam going, but she gave us little fact about what was happening.
I think it had a lot of possibility, but i think she tried to do to much.
Jean
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Wasn't that an early book of the Judge?? I seem to remember it.
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I've just started the second of Steve Robinson's Genealogy series. It's called In the Blood. This one is about finding the birth parents of a client. The genealogist, Jefferson Tayte, is already in hot water when the story starts.
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I am for seeing more women getting into power in Government, Business but just not in the church. Can't see one as Pope as would not fit in their way of life. I was raised Anglican. C of England. Never did see a female priest and can't see one there either. (Maybe now could be them). I do go for the priest being married although we never did have one. Just something about the authority the men have that I don't think women would appreciate from another women
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Steph, in this Knott story she and Dwight have been married about 4 months and Cal's mother Jonna as died, so he's living w/ Dwight and Deborah. My guess is it's the first book after they gt married.
Jean
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I have "In the blood on my kindle. I must have read the first one, but I've forgotten it Sigh.
Just finished a "Bad hair day" mystery by Nancy Cohen, "Shear Murder".The detective runs a beauty salon. It was an OK cozy, not outstanding. The 10th in a series: I have so many other books waiting, I probably won't follow up.
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Oh my! Oh Jeanne!
There is absolutely no reason on the face of this Earth that a woman or women cannot have and exercise and do a wonderful job with Authority!
How you have been immersed in your own life can set the way you see things, but please believe me: women can be ANYthing! Doctors, and doctors in full charge. Lawyers and Judges and Chief Justices of the Supreme Court. Representatives and Senators and Presidents of any country in this world. There is NO automatic setting of all authority for life on a babe born with a penis as opposed to one born without one. There is no "PLACE" for women to keep to. If you were raised with your father as a partriarchal figure, you may emotionally and instinctively feel men must rule the world. Believe me, this is not only not the case, but they have been a dismal failure at it and Women Must Take Over in order to save our species from extinction. Seriously.
And now there you have MY point of view, for what it's worth!
And I am Episcopalian born and bred, with bishops on the family tree and a twin first cousin who was in the very 2nd group of female priests ordained in this country. And she was a Huge success as a parish priest and a counselor. Much loved. Died 1994. I am all for a female Pope! Yep! You 'betcha!
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JoanK, sorry, my mistake; In the Blood is the first one. The one I am now reading is In the Grave. So you don't remember the first one, because you haven't read it yet. Let me know what you think of it when you get around to reading it.
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The Church of England now has numerous female vicars - in fact if they didn't many churches would have no vicar. The Church of Scotland has had female ministers for ages - almost all of the local churches here in East Lothian have female ministers.
The minister at St Mary's Parish Church in Haddington is a very capable woman - I don't think anyone would ever think she wasn't up to the job, and she is now Moderator of the church's Lothian Presbytery. The priest at the Haddington Episcopal church is also a woman, again very capable and has done a lot to turn that church around after a string of ineffectual incumbents and a falling congregation.
I think who makes a good minister/vicar/priest depends entirely on the individual. I've been to churches with very uninspiring ministers of both sexes, and vice versa.
I suppose the problem with having a female Pope would be that much of the RC church's doctrine seems to exclude women or put them in a subservient position. However, I like what I see of the new Pope so far - the main thing, IMHO, is that whoever is Pope should be a great person and priest, and do his/her best not to get bogged down in all the pomp and ceremony. So far Pope Francis seems determined to do that - good for him.
How on earth did we get on to this in the Mystery Corner? ;D
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Ah now I remember that Knott story.. I like them all, but that one did have some plotting problems. One of the few authors I would love to meet.. Living part of the year in North Carolina makes me understand her passion for her home state.
Ah packing.. the house is officially starting to be trashed. boxes here and there.. lists everywhere and I am trying to sort out things I need, things I want and things I have no idea about.
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Per Jeanne: "Just something about the authority the men have that I don't think women would appreciate from another women"
Gosh, Jeanne, that sounds like something women used to say before the women's rights movement in the 1970s. Back when some women were afraid of having to take responsibility for themselves and not depend completely on a man for support. (As they found out when that man tossed them out in their older age for a younger woman.) Women learned not to go straight from daddy to hubby, but to get some education and work experience before getting married.
Women aren't afraid of other women having authority over them. What they resent is always being controlled by some men.
Marj
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"How on earth did we get on to this in the Mystery Corner? "
That's a mystery!
There was a mystery as the book in Blanko, and I didn't get it: one of Rita Mae Brown's. No how many mysteries I read, there are always more. I tried one of hers decades ago, and didn't care for it: can't remember why. Maybe it's time to revisit her.
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I like Rita Mae.. She is writing several series now.. One on the cats, one on foxhunting.. etc. Interesting and very light.
I have been reading a memoir by Susanna Sunnenberg?/ Has a disclaimer, that this is her version of her life and that all of the characters in the book escept for her are not considered real.. Weird sort of remark, but the book is very different.. The Mother is a monster.. the writer ( Susanna) not much better.. Interesting in a train wreck sort of way.
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Do you ever wish you could just take a day off from your daily life and curl up with a good mystery and read as long as you wish? Right now life is not bad, just too complicated.
Looking forward to Margaret Maron's new title, if I can get hold of it, or maybe Louise Penney's "debut" novel from years back -- Still Life, on my Kindle forever. Or John Mortimer's A Summer Lease, if my library has it.
Will Schwalbe had the right attitude. He had to take a long flight to somewhere, but was delighted that he would have five hours to do nothing but read.
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Pedln, I know exactly what you mean.
Still Life is not Penny's best - it was a good start but far too self-indulgent in places. She improved markedly with each book after that - until the most recent, which was a disappointment.
Summer's Lease is - as we've been saying - just wonderful, and may be exactly what you need if you're feeling harassed. John Mortimer was one of those writers who made everything seem effortless.
I always plan to read a lot on long journeys, then find myself so easily distracted by magazines, my phone, etc. The most reading I ever did on a holiday was when we were camping so had no electricity! Got through Great Expectations and Middlemarch that way.
Rosemary
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Since I am not fond of TV, I read each night. But my IPAD is seductive because of the newspapers, I have always been a newspaper junkie and I can get so many different ones on my IPAD..So each day I read at least the NY Times and mostly several others..
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MaryPage, I agree that women should be able to do whatever they aspire to, including Pope.
I do think women are more cautious, generally speaking, either from genetic selection or socialization or both. That makes sense in the member of the species that bears the children and has been so caught up in bearing and caring for them. It makes sense too that they would like to hear what everyone thinks before making a decision (teamwork!). But this makes them less decisive and less able to take that dominant leadership role that is sometimes so necessary. Exceptions on both sides of the gender aisle of course!
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We are happy to announce that Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=3772.0) has been selected for the Book Club Online discussion. We will begin on April 15 and continue through the month of May. This is a delightful selection, believed to be the first detective/mystery novel. We hope you drop in now and say hello, select your chair...
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Since my life is really truly way past full just now, I am reading a light mystery Nancy Martins.. one of the Blackbird series.. I believe the last one published thus far.. Not much content, but lots of fun.. But Nora is really a wimp with her parents popping up.. Oh well.
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Hooray! One of my favorite mysteries is the April book selection! If you haven't read "The Moonstone" (or like me, you've read it and would like to discuss it) you're in for a treat. For me, it is much more interesting, fun, and readable than Sherlock Holmes. TS Eliot called it the greatest English detective story. Let's see if we agree.
http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=3772.new#new
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I've finished with In the Grave by Steve Robinson. Once again it took me a little time to warm up to the story, and then, I was hooked. I was sad that it didn't end on a happier note, but the client did get the to meet extended family and find out who her birth parents were.
I can't borrow the next one from Kindle until the 1st of April, and my next SciFi installment didn't arrive yet, so I am falling back on a history of the Acadian Exiles that I had started a while back. Interesting reading.
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I liked "The Llama of Death" by Betty Webb, the third in her series featuring a zookeeper as a detective. She shows her love of animals in these cozies, just as her more serious "desert" series shows her love and appreciation of the desert. I like authors who are passionate about what they write about.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/betty-webb/
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I must look for the Zoo series. I love mysteries that have animal components..
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"The Moonstone" is free from the Apple iBook store on the iPad.
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It's also free at Amazon for the Kindle. Barnes and Noble has charges for it for the Nook.
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Finished the Nancy Martin.. Blackbird sisters.. She is writing another series now and don't know if she will continue this one or not..She seems to have written herself into a corner in this one.
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Thanks for the info, Jane. I just now downloaded it to my kindle.
More books are piling up. Yesterday I bought the Kindle Daily Deal which happened to be Kate Atkinson's Started Early, Took My Dog.
I've only read one other Atkinson, don't remember which, and I'll probably never get the title of this one straight either.
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I downloaded Moonstone free from Kindle also. HOpe to join the April discussion. (If I don't contribute, I will be following)
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Pedlin and Tomereader: GREAT: check into the pre-discussion and let us know you will be joining us.
http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=149.0
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With the move and some medical tests, I know I wont be joining the Moonstone discussion.. Oh well..
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Just a quick one on my post 734.
That was just my feelings on Religious areas, not the Business side. Been years since I went to church. Fact not since I left the UK. Not really been interested in going and so my thinking goes back to what it was like years ago. I never saw a women priest. No experience listening to one. I am sure that one could just take over and do just as good as a man. Really not that much to it. Just have to be a good listener, Speaker and Patience with people.
Having been in the Business world working for at least 40 years,first around construction and then Finance. With most years being a single women.
I found there was very little that a women could not do as good as a man. Did see lots that a women would not want to do. This I found where the woman's rights didn't work to good. They played up on the female side.
Most my work was with men but very seldom did I have one in charge, and when one was, I found it easy to be equal to him. Walked out twice and was asked to return.
I came from a family of women that were for Equal rights way before it became popular. (Maybe that is why a few of us became Single again). Over did it a little. Men still do not like it in a women.
It is going to be a long time before women get ahead of men. It can't be expected to be in every field. Women still are not fighting hard enough.
Better get out of the forum before I am asked.
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Naah, you won't be kicked out for having an opinion. Only for insulting other's. I agree with you.
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Jeanne! You are more than entitled to your own opinions, that would never (in MY opinion!!) be a reason to throw someone out! One of the many great things about this group is that we all share our different opinions a civilised manner - debate not 'dissing' as I believe my teens call it...
Please stick with us!
Rosemary
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Good heavens.. opinions is what we are all good at and rarely do they match. My father was a commercial contractor, so I know a bit like Jeanne about the construction industry.. I am impressed that I now know women carpenters, painters, plumbers.. Some major construction companies have a lot of women and are owned by women.. Still there is an undercurrent of what women can do and some of the unions are hard to deal with for women.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Mysteries with cats are popular, and lately mysteries with ghosts helping the detective are popular. Here is a mystery with the ghost of a cat! "Gray Expectations" by Clea Simon. The detective, a graduate student, is helped both by the ghost of her former cat, who contacts her, and by her present kitten (whom she can't understand yet). It's a little too much for me, but the graduate student trying to finish her thesis brought back a lot of memories of that late, unlemented part of my life. I'll probably read more.
I forgot to mention there's also a ghost from her historical research. Why not? In for a penny, in for a pound! But the subject is interesting: a feminist novel writer of the early 19th century and what happens to her.
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I see the same author wrote books about dogs that I've read.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/clea-simon/
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Mysteries with cats are popular, and lately mysteries with ghosts helping the detective are popular. Here is a mystery with the ghost of a cat! "Gray Expectations" by Clea Simon. The detective, a graduate student, is helped both by the ghost of her former cat, who contacts her, and by her present kitten (whom she can't understand yet). It's a little too much for me, but the graduate student trying to finish her thesis brought back a lot of memories of that late, unlemented part of my life. I'll probably read more.
I forgot to mention there's also a ghost from her historical research. Why not? In for a penny, in for a pound! But the subject is interesting: a feminist novel writer of the early 19th century and what happens to her.
Many years ago during my “cat detective” reading period, I enjoyed mostly Lillian Jackson Braun. The characters were a Siamese cat living with a single older man.
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From my post on “The Moonstone, by Wilkie Collins” forum: http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=3772.msg187945#msg187945 (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=3772.msg187945#msg187945)
Confusingly, th Mystery Timeline says that the mystery story as we know it didn't emerge until Poe, but "the moonstone is considered the first detective novel.
http://www.mysterynet.com/timeline/history-of-mystery/
Interesting that among early mystery writer, they also list Cicero, the Roman orator. He didn't write mysteries, but they say that "
I love that web site you've cited; its bookmarked on all my computers. That site also introduced, to me, a female mystery writer of the 40-50's, Craig Rice. I'm not ready to buy any of her works because I haven't gotten to the library to investigate this new author further. Sorry a bit off topic... ;D but I do find the web site valuable in information.
To add to this conversation…
I read Craig Rice’s biography, downloaded from Amazon (a Kindle freebie): “Who Was That Lady?: Craig Rice: The Queen of Screwball Mystery”, by Jeffrey Marks. Lingering well after reading this book was how this woman’s own mother left her in the USA while she (mom) gallivanted across Europe. When Craig was 3 years old, mom returned for a short period then left for Europe. When Craig became a mother her maternal instincts were no more developed than her mother’s; even though raised by a loving aunt and uncle. The other point that stayed with me was how prolific a writer Craig was; she massed produced short stories/novellas like a well oiled machine. However, that ended when her alcoholism took over her health.
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Just read McPherson's Lament by Sharyn McCrumb. Unless you just don't have something you'd really like to read, don't bother picking it up. It wasn't so bad that i wanted to throw it across the room, but if it was the first one of hers i had read, i wouldn't look for another.
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Oh Jean, that is the series and I hated them, but McCrumbs Norah Bonesteel novels.. I.E. The Ballad of Frankie Silver are marvelous. Retelling of folk legends from North Carolina and matching them to something happening in the now.. Excellent, but the Scottish stuff is silly.
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Thanks for the heads up - I normally will read anything by Sharyn McCrumb.
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I read her for years and years and loved her, but then I read one that had tumbled off her high throne and was written just to get a book to her publishers, obviously. I think if the passion and inspiration leave an author, they leave. Shut the door and do not come back. Pity.
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Seems to be happening to a lot of the, what use to be Great Writers.It has to be that they are writing more books a year. Some I know are getting older but that should not change how they write. Lot of new ones now writing are awful. Some I can figure what they end is going to be before being half way through the book.
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I agree about writers getting worse as they go on. it seems to happen to many and it's always sad. I'm loyal: it usually takes me wading through too many bad books before I give up on an author.
The saddest for me was when one of my favorite authors, Dorothy Gilman, went downhill. I love her books. (No, maybe tthe saddest was Agatha Christie).
Interesting about craig Rice. I'll have to try to find the ones I read as a child (with children as the detectives) and see what I think. Maybe my grandchildren would like them. Now there are more mystery series for children. In my childhood, these were the only "whodunnits", I knew (Nancy Drew and the Hardy boys were a slightly different format).
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craig Rice was a funny mystery writer and probably one of the first. I can remember laughing hard over her version of detectives.
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Oh Joan, I so adored Dorothy Gilman! Thanks for giving me back that memory.
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In casae any of you don't know Dorothy Gilman and her Mrs. Pollifax, the retired woman who is bored and goes to the CIA to volenteer to be a spy because she is expendable, here she is. Start with "The Unexpected Mrs. Polifax
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/dorothy-gilman/
Mrs. Polifax is who I want to be when I grow up.
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In casae any of you don't know Dorothy Gilman and her Mrs. Pollifax, the retired woman who is bored and goes to the CIA to volenteer to be a spy because she is expendable, here she is. Start with "The Unexpected Mrs. Polifax
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/dorothy-gilman/
Mrs. Polifax is who I want to be when I grow up.
Me too! I want to be Mrs. Pollifax too. ;D
Thank you for this share as I've been looking for stories that feature older. As I grow older I want my characters to do the same. 8)
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I agree about writers getting worse as they go on. it seems to happen to many and it's always sad. I'm loyal: it usually takes me wading through too many bad books before I give up on an author.
The saddest for me was when one of my favorite authors, Dorothy Gilman, went downhill. I love her books. (No, maybe tthe saddest was Agatha Christie).
Interesting about craig Rice. I'll have to try to find the ones I read as a child (with children as the detectives) and see what I think. Maybe my grandchildren would like them. Now there are more mystery series for children. In my childhood, these were the only "whodunnits", I knew (Nancy Drew and the Hardy boys were a slightly different format).
I wonder if its a curse from being creative; the abuse of substances and the following decline? Maybe the stress from "performing" on cue, i.e., in meeting unreasonable deadlines? Still, its obvious that many great authors suffered personally while generating such wonderful work. Today's authors don't seem to suffer as those in the early 20th century. Or maybe they hide it better. :-\
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craig Rice was a funny mystery writer and probably one of the first. I can remember laughing hard over her version of detectives.
I've never read any of her books, Craig Rice. What kind of detectives did she write? I think it was Joan who mentioned children detectives...what were some others?
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Boohoo, my library has none of her books.
Jean
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I suspect it will be hard to find her books. She wrote quite a long time ago.. Her adult detectives were very funny.. hard boiled or so they thought.. Not great thinkers either.. So it was fun.
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None in my library either >:(
Rosemary
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Two of her works are listed on ManyBooks. http://manybooks.net/authors/ricec.html
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Oh, thanks for the tip Frybabe, i will read those.
Jean
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I ordered the one about the children detectives from Amazon for $1.oo plus shipping. it was part of a series "Great Mystery Stories of All Time."
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Lots of taking down the high things yesterday and am giving my sons and wives picks of a good many of my paintings we have collected over the years. The smaller house is not going to have wall space for this.
We also collected masks from all over the world and they can pick from them as well. That is what the grandchildren wanted. They each picked two masks. My younger son and wife picked two larger pictures.. Seems they had loved them for years. Always interesting what people love and don't love.
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Steph, I know it's hard, making these decisions. But it is fun to see what's important to the kids and grands and to tie that to what they remember. It's not always what we remember and think is important.
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Steph, how nice that you can share these special things with your family and see their enjoyment and appreciation.
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Lots of taking down the high things yesterday and am giving my sons and wives picks of a good many of my paintings we have collected over the years. The smaller house is not going to have wall space for this.
We also collected masks from all over the world and they can pick from them as well. That is what the grandchildren wanted. They each picked two masks. My younger son and wife picked two larger pictures.. Seems they had loved them for years. Always interesting what people love and don't love.
It’s a representation of you and your dear-husband, most likely why your family quietly coveted those things. What an honor that they share your tastes in wall adornments. My children are more art-deco, fashinista-finicky. :D I have a pleasing floral painting done by my mother-in-law. It adds elegance to my simple country décor. Then the family heirloom antiques, keroscene lamp, clock, and cut glass a pieces cause noses to crunch up, in distaste. Oh well, they're loss when the time comes. ;) Its their only inheritance... ;D
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Boohoo, my library has none of her books. – Jean
None in my library either >:( - Rosemary
I’m fear that will be my problem when looking for her books. If it’s the case, I’ll look into an online library lending, Amazon dot com, or a used bookstore up the road from me. Purchasing her books “gently” used for a nominal cost would be worth the effort.
Two of her works are listed on ManyBooks. http://manybooks.net/authors/ricec.html
I ordered the one about the children detectives from Amazon for $1.oo plus shipping. it was part of a series "Great Mystery Stories of All Time."
Frybaby and Joan: thanks for the leads. I’ve already downloaded the books. And today will check out Amazon for some others.
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Finally.. it said reply, but had no box to do it.. My grandson is funny. He has been prowling the house and found a small painting of a leopard.. The size of most of the masks.. He came up beaming and said Nana.. look, can I have it and I told him, he could.. It gave me a pang.. Once when my husband was away on a business trip. He came home with it in his suitcases.There was an art show in the mall and he decided I would love it..Which I did, but it is nice, it will give Connor joy as well.
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Great moment, Steph!
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Read "November Hunt" ,
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/jess-lourey/
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Try Thrift Books for Mrs. Pollifax.
http://www.thriftbooks.com/searchresult.aspx?searchtext=dorothy%20gilman&searchby=author&intsortby=1&intsortorder=0
But if you have always loved mysteries, chances are you read her. Long, long ago. And she was, oh, what was her name? That famous Hollywood star who was so funny and she adored Mrs. Pollifax, and she, too, wanted to be her. So she paid to have a screen play written and she produced and starred in a flop film. Flop because she just WAS NOT Mrs. Pollifax, nor could she ever have been. Now someone like Helen Hayes would have made a splendid Mrs. Pollifax.
I adored Mrs. Pollifax, but never wanted to actually be her. Remember, she got in some rreally scary situations and even carried a gun. No thank you! Not my precious body!
But oh, how I laughed and laughed and laughed. That was what was so great; she was so funny.
Oh, it was Rosalind Russell who did Mrs. Pollifax. Not a bad film, if you want to try to find it; but she just was not right for the part.
And I was right: Thrift Books has all of Gilman's books.
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I loved the first several Pollifax books, but after a while, it seemed to be a formula and so stopped..
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Read "November Hunt" , http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/jess-lourey/
Was it a good read?
Try Thrift Books for Mrs. Pollifax. http://www.thriftbooks.com/searchresult.aspx?searchtext=dorothy%20gilman&searchby=author&intsortby=1&intsortorder=0
But if you have always loved mysteries, chances are you read her. Long, long ago. And she was, oh, what was her name? That famous Hollywood star who was so funny and she adored Mrs. Pollifax, and she, too, wanted to be her. So she paid to have a screen play written and she produced and starred in a flop film. Flop because she just WAS NOT Mrs. Pollifax, nor could she ever have been. Now someone like Helen Hayes would have made a splendid Mrs. Pollifax. […] Oh, it was Rosalind Russell who did Mrs. Pollifax. Not a bad film, if you want to try to find it; but she just was not right for the part. And I was right: Thrift Books has all of Gilman's books.
Yes! Helen Hayes would have made an excellent sleuth. This reminds me of Murder She Wrote with Angela Lansbury. Saw every episode, and even the reruns, but never read the books.
WOW! They sure do… I’ve bookmarked this site. Thank you for the link share.
I loved the first several Pollifax books, but after a while, it seemed to be a formula and so stopped..
A sad truth even today, the “formula” barely alters from one book to another. I think why many readers despise serial novels.
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Helen Hayes played Miss Marple in two movies (if I remember correctly). She was wonderful!
Sorry, I was interrupted while posting, and had to leave. "November Hunt" is an OK (not outstanding) mystery about a woman who finds herself in a small Minnesota town. There is one for each month. The best thing about it is that she used the Novemberness (if that's a word) as part of the plot. I will read more.
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Thanks to Pamela for reminding me of Craig Rice and "Home Sweet Homicide." Read it last night. It does date (nothing more dated than 1940s slang) but I enjoyed it and it does remind me of my childhood. She based it on her own family, herself a single mother with three children, who run the house while she is writing books. The children are working to solve the murder and marry their mother off to the police detective.
Sadly, the afterward says this is how she wishes her family was, but not how it actually was. She struggled with mental and substance abuse problems, and died young
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Just read SNOWBOUND by Bill Pronzini. Great mystery. Pronzini is married to Marcia Muller, the mystery writer. He's best known for his Nameless Detective series.
Snowbound keeps you on the edge of your seat. A small town of some 79 people are isolated by an avalanch which has cut off their only road out. Snowbound with them are three gunman who have gone to the village to hide out after an attempted heist in Sacramento. The townspeople, busy getting ready for Christmas, are not aware of what these killers have in mind for them. I'll read more of Pronzini.
Marj
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I remember Home Sweet Homicide.. and I like Pronzini.. but have not read anything of his in quite a while.. Too many books... too little time just now.
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Finished Laura Lippman's Sugar House last night. It started a little slowly, but became a good mystery. Since i'm a little familiar with Baltimore geographically and have friends who are Baltimore natives, it's fun for me to read her, especially when she throws in the "Balamor" accent.
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Just read SNOWBOUND by Bill Pronzini. Great mystery. Pronzini is married to Marcia Muller, the mystery writer. He's best known for his Nameless Detective series.
Snowbound keeps you on the edge of your seat. A small town of some 79 people are isolated by an avalanch which has cut off their only road out. Snowbound with them are three gunman who have gone to the village to hide out after an attempted heist in Sacramento. The townspeople, busy getting ready for Christmas, are not aware of what these killers have in mind for them. I'll read more of Pronzini.
Marj
Hello Marj,
Thanks for the recommendation. This book sounds intriguing and do love small-town mysteries. :)
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Finished Laura Lippman's Sugar House last night. It started a little slowly, but became a good mystery. Since i'm a little familiar with Baltimore geographically and have friends who are Baltimore natives, it's fun for me to read her, especially when she throws in the "Balamor" accent.
OH! I'm not a Baltimore native, per say, but am a "Laurel, Marylander" who visited Baltimore every weekend (family). Actually I visited the Dundalk area, my mother's siblings lived there. Use to fish off the docks which are now tourist attractions... sweet memories. When I'm tired or upset I have what's referred to as the Marylander accent; part New Jersey, part Virginian is the only example I can muster. :D
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I went to a boarding school in the Baltimore area and have lots of friends and relatives who live there. Baltimore is about 45 minutes away from my home to, say, granddaughter Paige's home there. The time it takes to get from Annapolis to Baltimore depends, of course, upon where you are heading.
Bob and I, during his last couple of years of constant illness and surgeries, went very frequently to Johns Hopkins. We allowed 45 minutes each way. We always had to drive right by the Ravens stadium and the waterfront.
Jean, it is Balimer. In Merlin. Hon!
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Another "Merliner." Hurray! While born in DC, I lived for years in the Gaithersburg area.
The nice thing about Lippman is how much she loves "Balimer". everone I ever met who was from there feels the same way. Some places just have "it" (don't know what "it" is, but you don't need to know it to feel it), just like some people do.
Pronzini is very uneven -- some of his books are great, some really weak. He writes in the "tough guy" school (think Dashiel Hamitt). His wife, Marcia Muller, is credited with starting the "tough gal" school (like tough guys, but usually have a mother substitute nagging them to stop this detective nonsense and get married). I really like her early books (Edwin of the Iron Shoes), but I've stopped reading her. Her later books are wordy, and follow a morality I can't agree with.
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I love Laura Lippman. Have read all of her stuff., both the Tess and the stand alones..
Ballamore.. I grew up on the eastern shore and we have that strange Virginian, but not quite accent. Delawareans also have some odd words.. and use amongst youuns.. Weird, but true..I grew up south of the canal in Delaware which makes me a southerner by the standards of Delaware.
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There's one area in Tennessee that also says "yu'uns" - Cleveland/Bradley County, TN, in the SE corner of the state. I love accent variations.
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Maryz, when my daughter was in high school she took an English class called "You Talk Funny". It was about all the various accents and sayings in the different regions of the US. She found it so interesting.
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I love accents.. but alas tv is starting to erase them.. My husband had quite the ear and when he talked to anyone with a strong accent, within minutes he sounded just like them.. and he really did not even realize he did it.
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Steph, I tend to do that, too. And, like your late darling, I do not KNOW I am doing it, nor do I do it on purpose.
I have wondered and wondered about this, and finally sort of felt that because I was born an army brat and moved around like crazy until I was 19, and heard so many accents and versions of speech wherever I was because everyone was from somewhere else, that something in my brain recorded all the sounds and used the one most pertinent to the person I was speaking with. I don't know. I truly don't know. But that is all I have been able to come up with.
My 2nd husband used to laugh while telling people that when I went home for a visit to Stephens City, Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley and came back to my own home again, my from down home accent was thick for at least a week!
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MaryZ wrote: "There's one area in Tennessee that also says "yu'uns"
They say that in Southern Iowa also (5 miles from Missouri). I could not believe the difference in accents when I moved there from Omaha, Nebraska, less than 200 miles.
Marj
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Some of my family in Shippensburg, Pa say yu'uns. I attributed it to being in the Cumberland valley, just north of W. Va. There is a lot of WVa twang in the speech there, along w/ the Pa Dutch "the butter is all" (my charming husband -sarcasm- just said that to me yesterday, in jest) and the sing-song of the Scotch-Irish. I love listening to them all.
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I'll never forget, when I lived in brooklyn. A friend from Virginia came to visit. I introduced her to a neighbor with a strong Brooklyn accent. They absolutely couldn't understand each other. I had to translate for them!
That probably wouldn't happen today.
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Many years ago in London, we went on one of those medieval dinners that was a private estate.. You could only go on a tour group.. Our bus had a cockney driver..Sigh.. and understanding him was really hard because of the rhyming slang they used to use.. Then there was a couple from deep in Mississippi on the bus. Both had a strong strong accent. The whole buses was howling with laughter at the wife and the bus driver trying to tell each other that the other person had such a strong accent. Very funny indeed.
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David and I went to one of those back in 1971 in London. We were entirely on our own; not in or on a tour. It was not an estate, it was a hotel or a theatre right there in the city; frankly, my memory is not all that good and I forget. It was an every night event wherever it was, and we had been advised to take it in and had booked long in advance of our trip. Lots of fun, and that's where I found out I liked mead to drink. It was sort of a combination of a play full of actors that went on every night and a dinner theatre, where you actually ate. We were pleased we had done it and found the whole experience well worthwhile.
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A friend sent me an accent quiz this morning. Kind of hokey, but fun. Fits in here right now.
Accent Quiz (http://www.lewrockwell.com/spl3/american-accent-quiz.html)
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I took it. The strongest result was midland north (around the great Lakes) but there were strong influences from the Northeast, South, That makes sense: I've never lived in the Midland North, but my parents were from Ohio. I grew up in Washington(the Northeast), interacting with people from all over, especially the South.
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Re: accents-----
I am sure that all y'all "nawtheners" would have a problem with our Down South, Cajun-Creole
accents, but it is our home and we love it, accents and all. (I am in Louisiana. Can't get any
further South than that unless you fall off into the Gulf)
Joy
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I was trying to determine what "The Midland" would constitute? That's where the quiz put me, but I'm from Texas. ???
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I took it - just for interest, as I am English - I was diagnosed as from New York City, Connecticut, North Jersey or Rhode Island. Do people from there sound English?
Rosemary
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"I was trying to determine what "The Midland" would constitute?"
Beats me! I'm "North midland" so you're south of me, wherever that is.
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A long time ago, I remember someone did a study about accents in broadcasting. I forget the details, but I remember the Midwestern accent was rated the best for broadcasting (news?). It had something to do with being the least affected by strong accents.
I found this site with a map showing the general boundaries for regional accents. The "fun quiz" they mention in the article looks like the one you posted, Pedln. I looked at several sites with maps. They all seem to use similar boundaries.
http://blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/2008/03/linguistic_geography_mainland_united_states.html
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It says I am from Philadelphia with the Midland second. Well, close. My Dad was from Philly.
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That accent test was interesting. I am 100% Philadelphia according to the test, but being originally from Virginia I'm sure that I must have a southern lilt to my voice.
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I just finished Poison Flower by Thomas Perry. It's his latest Jane Whitefield novel. I thought it was very good.
Sally
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I was midland, but they said I had a strong broadcast type voice.. Being married to a man who was a disc jockey for some time after we married, I think I sounded like him.. Very little regional accent. That was fun.
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'Twas fun. Here's mine:
Your accent is as Philadelphian as a cheesesteak! If you're not from Philadelphia, then you're from someplace near there like south Jersey, Baltimore, or Wilmington. if you've ever journeyed to some far off place where people don't know that Philly has an accent, someone may have thought you talked a little weird even though they didn't have a clue what accent it was they heard.
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A long time ago, I remember someone did a study about accents in broadcasting. I forget the details, but I remember the Midwestern accent was rated the best for broadcasting (news?). It had something to do with being the least affected by strong accents.
I found this site with a map showing the general boundaries for regional accents. The "fun quiz" they mention in the article looks like the one you posted, Pedln. I looked at several sites with maps. They all seem to use similar boundaries.
http://blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/2008/03/linguistic_geography_mainland_united_states.html
::wailing:: I’ve lost my eastern influence!!! ;D My test results are below:
What American accent do you have? The West 88%
Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.
75% The Midland
73% North Central
50% Boston
38% The South
15% The Inland North
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Picked up an Elizabeth Peters in the Vicki Bliss series.. Not as good as Amelia, but interesting.
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Maybe these confusing results show that the test is confused, not us. As Popeye would say "We are what we are!"
For some reason, I've never been able to get into Elizabeth Peters. I guess you either "get" her humor or you don't.
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senior learn this am is being tooth gritting slow.. ugh.. Yes, Elizabeth Peters is one of those who is either loved or hated. I love Amelia. The family was so much fun and I was so envious of her being able to be in digs, etc. Before I visited Egypt, always wanted to go there and be in a dig;
After visiting there, not in the current day for sure. Possibly when she was there would have been fun.
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Not slow for me today (yet), but two other sites I tried just spinned and spinned trying to connect.
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Hi: First time posting to Mystery Corner; wanted to let you know I am a mystery buff of sorts. I watch a lot of mysteries especially British mystries for the simple reason they have more of a story line rather than just plain action. I have read most of P. D. James' mysteries and then watch the TV versions that Netflix puts out. Even though the English Cockney is hard to follow as in the Dangerous Davis series, I don't mind. I love the Irish accent as Ann Murray recorded a song with words (I Love Your Irish Accent, SO LET'S HAVE A CUP OF TEA AND TELL ME A STORY). Having said that I have to say I don't much care for regional accents in the United States. Someone pointed out to me many years ago that all major newscasters learn to speak with a midland accent, because it most represents an American accent.. My grandparents came from Europe. My great grandmother refused to speak or even try to learn to speak English. My grandmother did speak English with a heavy accent that I didn't notice until I was an adult and talked to her for the first time on the telephone, I dropped the phone. I was shocked. My grandmother had little or no formal schooling, and that is what I think of when I hear regional accents.
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I watched all of the Netflix PD James series. Actor Roy Marsden is the perfect Adam Dalgliesh character. Frankly, I enjoyed the TV version more than the books. Usually I prefer the book rather than the movie or TV.
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Hi, DONNIE. WELCOME. I love English mysteries, and TV series too. I don't know the Dangerous Davis series, though. Is that what it's called?
There's a new English mystery series here I watch: Murder in Paradise. About a stuffy English policeman who is transferred to work on a Caribbean island with a feespirited local policewoman. I like it, but have trouble understanding both the Englishman (he mumbles) and the Caribbean accent of the other characters.
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I love to read English mysteries,, but not watch.. The accent is hard in some of them.. I don't have any problems with American accents, but then they are sort of blending now anyway. When I was in extreme northern Scotland, it was hard to talk to some of the shopkeepers, the burr is really strong.
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Welcome, Donnie.
Have you tried any of my favorites?:
Reginald Hill (his Dalziel & Pascoe series)
Margaret Maron (her Judge Deborah Knott series)
Josephine Tey
Ngaio Marsh
Julia Spencer-Fleming
Minette Walters
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Joank, the series Donnie mentioned is "The Last Detective". Davies, police detective, is nicknamed "dangerous" pejoratively by his fellow detectives. They think he is a loser because he takes his work seriously. I watched some of the episodes but tired of it. "Murder in Paradise" isn't shown on Netflix yet. They are always adding new shows.
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Finished The Broken Teaglass by Emily Arsenault. Similar to building a mystery around novel characters, Teaglass builds its mystery around words. I was drawn in on that premise alone with the thought ones own background rules a word's meaning so that what is taken from a story depends on the reader. So many times a favored book has been spoiled for me because others don't get what I get excited about. Billy and Mona work for Samuelson Productions which puts out supplements to the dictionary. Their job is to find words/phrases that weren't used from the last published supplement. Along the way they note something very strange. A single definition should have a mere sentence or two but everytime the entry signed off as the Broken Teaglass, the entry is a lengthy paragraph. Then they figure out that the writer is trying to tell them the story of a murder committed and knows who is responsible; if it were made known it would put persons at the Samuelson Company in jeopardy. The Company and the murder is located in the small town of Claxton, Massachusetts. This cold case mystery of fifteen years continues to baffle the townspeople as well as the detectives involved. Billy and Mona finally solve the case BUT was justice served or -- well you be the judge.
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The broken teaglass sounds great. It's $11.99 on kindle, and 24 cents plus shipping as a used book. guess which I got? (but the problem with REAL books is there's no more bookcase room left!)
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Will have to check out Emily .. just no time as I count down to the move..
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I think all TV mystery series get tiresome because they follow a certain pattern. I tend to watch whatever series I choose to the bitter end. The one I watched all 100 episodes and started watching over again is Monk. I kind of pooped out now after just a few but I probably will view them again. I am amazed at how many mystery writers I have never heard of so I copied down your list MaryJane and will look them up. I copied a lengthy list from the Sparkpeople mystery group. A Charlie Fox series of three is free on kindle and if you have Amazon's Prime shipping there are some others you can borrow for free. The next paid mystery series I want to look into is by Jenn McKinlay for the simple reason her series has "Books" in the title and I am a sucker for any novel that has to do with books or bookshops. For a similar reason I enjoyed Nero Wolf as he was perfectly content to sit at home and read, eat and of course putter with his orchids. Getting back to British detectives, besides the accents and certain phrases such as "he/she is a nutter" what I notice the most is how many drink on the job.
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Just got the accent quiz ( we're on a river cruise). Boy is it ever wrong! I got 100% Philadelphia like MaryPage. I've never even spent a night in Philadelphia, nor has any of my family. Born in St. Louis, grew up in Houston, lived in Tennessee for the last 50 years. :D
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Maryz, I also got 100% Philadelphia and I was born and raised in VA. However, I have lived many places (have had 6 driver's licenses) but the closest to Philadelphia was the Md/DC area.
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Never mind the accent, how about the river cruise. Is it nice? I've always wanted to go on one.
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I've been reading a Sci-Fi book, something I don't usually do. It made me realize a big difference. Mysteries are plot and sometimes character driven. In the Sci fi, both of these are weak, and the strength is the description of the alternate universe the author created. It's taken me most of the book to reealize the difference and enjoy it.
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JoanK, the trip is very nice. Great food, very low key and casual. Only 63 on this trip. Very small cabins. We are spending more stopped time right now waiting for the weather front to pass, but fortunately with Internet connection. Trip is from New Orleans to Mobile, up the Mobile, Alabama, and Black Warrior Rivers, the Tennessee- Tombigbee waterway. Then down the Tennessee river to Land between the lakes, up the Cumberland river, ending in Nashville. 11 days. It's with Blount Small Ship Adventures.
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It made me realize a big difference. Mysteries are plot and sometimes character driven. In the Sci fi, both of these are weak, and the strength is the description of the alternate universe the author created.
Maybe in the particular book you are reading, JoanK. I think many SciFi books have a nice balance between plot and character. If most of what Gibson is doing is describing a "universe" with not much else, it must be pretty dull. My last SciFi marathon included books by Jack Campbell and Jack McDevitt. Both had some strong characters and plots. You get to know the main characters in some depth, especially in series books. Will they get to where they are going, find what they are looking for through all the plot twists to aid or thwart them?
Elizabeth Moon's Remnant Population, is strongly character driven, I think. If you haven't read it, please check into it. It is about an older woman who stays behind on a planet when everyone else is moved. While there is description of her surroundings, what drives the story is how she interacts with her environment, learning to do things on her own, having the freedom to do things without anyone telling what she can and cannot do and when to do it. It's all up to her.
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Mary, how funny.. Philadelphia, but I don't know if you sound like Tennessee or not.. We had neighbors who came from a small town in Tennessee and wow, they had a real drawn out speech pattern with a lot of words that were new to me.
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I finally got the time to look at the accent quiz, they got me just right - northeast, Phila. Of course, 45 years ago might have been very different.
I agree with the comments on the second site - the map is way too simplistic. I grew up and went to college in Shippensburg, Pa. The students who came from the Phila area sounded very different from thse of us who grew up in the Cumberland Valley. They said "cauffee" and we said, and i still say, "caaffee". We said "waater" and i don't know how to write the way they said it. They sounded the words further back in their mouths than we did. I've gone a little tiward the Philly accent, but i still sound very different from my roommate who is from Swarthmore, altho interestingly, she stayed in the Cumberland Valley, so she's moved a little more toward that accent.
I've worked with a lot of Southerners in Dept of Army and many of husband's family are from the South, so i've gotten a little of that accent also.
Jean
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[...] I've worked with a lot of Southerners in Dept of Army and many of husband's family are from the South, so i've gotten a little of that accent also.
Jean
My step mother is true-blue South Carolina. I get around her and I'm twanging like native. :D
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I'll look into Moon. Pat points out that Space Opera is plot driven. Mysteries vary of course:psychologicals are very character-driven.
We don't have the books that create an alternate universe like sci fi does, of course. I guess the nearest mystery equivelant would be "exotics" where the main interest is an interesting unfamiliar environment (e.g. Tony Hillerman and the Navahos or the Coroner's Lunch about Laos). But those don't use imagination in the same way.
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What about the books with alternative histories or realities, the "what if" universes. I know there are a few around, like the what if Germany had won WWII scenario. Where do they get pigeonholed? Well, I am answering my own question.
Wikipedia's explanation and book list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_alternate_history_fiction
Another explanation of Alternative History:
http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/alternate_history_faq
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Alternate history is generally considered science fantasy.. There are a few very well known writers who work in the field. As a general rule, they feature, what if and then postulate a war ending differently.. But John?Hershey who wrote Hiroshima, also wrote a book that said that China took over the world. Very interesting.. I read it many many years ago and it was considered main stream, not science fiction.
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What about Sinclair Lewis' It Can't Happen Here, depicting an American senator becoming a Hitleresque leader of a totalitarian USA? Would that be considered Alernate History? That's a term I've never encountered. Interesting.
MaryZ, I'm glad you mentioned the river cruise company name. I'm going to check them out. Loved the River Barge Explorer when they were in business.
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I saw it listed in one of the alternative history lists or site, Pedln. Don't remember where though.
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Pedln, wish we could get river barge explorer back! They were the best!
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We had plans to do the river barge and then it was no more. I loved river cruises and the barge sounded really like fun.
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Tommorrow we start The Moonstone, called the greatest English mystery story of all time. Come and join us.
meanwhile I'm reading "Love, Honor, and O'brian" by an Australian author unknown to me, Rowe. too many quirky characters, and too many subplots she's trying to tie together, but fun anyway. I'll look for more.
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No Moonstone for me. Read it twice, didn't like it either time.. He is not a favorite author of mine. I picked up a Robert Parker book that is written by someone named Ace? in the genre of Spencer.. The estate picked him.. Hmm. It does not have the general feel that Parker always did.Still I will keep going to see what happens.
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I agree with Steph about Moonstone. Boring. I got about half-way thru it sometime ago and did not finish.
I'm now reading FORCE OF NATURE (A JOE PICKETT MYSTERY) by C. J. Box. The first book of his I've read. It was recommended by someone in another group, who said "Not only can Box keep the reader on the edge of his seat, he can write the h_ll out of a sentence. I agree!
Marge
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I did, however, like Wilkie Collins' THE WOMAN IN WHITE. I was going to say too bad they aren't reading that one, but I see it was read here in 2007.
Marj
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Steph. Sounds like you are now close to moving. Did not take you long to find a new home. Even thinking of what I want to live in is hard for me. Keep saying next year will move.
I have been such a collector all my grownup life. None of mine Girls or Grands seem to be into collecting anything. One grandson likes antique things. Not furniture but I don't have much of that. African Carvings he will take for sure. Lots of Brass he maybe interested in. Come into lot for UK when aunt passed 4 years ago. Will be a sad time seeing my things go to Estates sales but I have enjoyed them all.
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Just finished "The hanging Hill" by Mo Hayder. very well written, and I couldn't put it down, but it was too creepy for me. I won't read another of hers.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/mo-hayder/
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The Robert Parker .. Ace person who is writing the Spenser series.. I am reading it, but oh me, he is not Parker.. He takes forever to get to any point at all, other than threats from various want to be villains. Very disappointing..Dont think I will get any more by him. I did love Parker.
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Just finished A Room full of Bones by Elly Griffiths. It was a treat to read a book in a matter of days. Will start Elegy for Eddie by J. Winspear tonight.
We are cleaning our my husband's mother's apartment because she moved into an assisted living facility. I am inspired to start throwing things out RIGHT NOW from our house - unfortunately we are storing her things in our basement until she decides what to do with them. It's amazing what a one-bedroom apartment will hold - I don't want to leave the contents of this 3-bedroom home for our children to sort through.
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Just finished Touch of Light by Louise Penny. I do like the Gamache series!
Sally
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Have not read the latest one by Louise Penney.. Do like the series though. Still slogging through the Spenser book.
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Thanks for the recommendation of "The Broken Teaglass." I'm reading it and loving it!
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ooh, just looked The Broken Teaglass up on Amazon, it looks fabulous. I might even buy it, as needless to say our library doesn't have it. Thanks for the recommendation Donnie and Joan K.
Joan, I have seen some of the Murder in Paradise series - Madeleine really likes it, but I found it a bit underwhelming (I couldn't understand the detective sometimes either, and I am English...)
I find many accents on TV difficult to understand - we sometimes put the subtitles on even for 'Vera' as Brenda Blethlyn has the Newcastle accent down to such a tee that it's almost a foreign language.
Roy Marsden was the perfect Dalgliesh so far as I am concerned. I enjoyed PD James' books, but I have to agree that my mother and I enjoyed the TV series more.
Donnie, I doubt if the police drink on the job any more, though it's true that many fictional British detectives seem to be alcoholics - viz Morse, Rebus, Vera.
The wonderful Lesa Holstein (lesasbookcritiques) has just posted a review of Jenn McKinlay's latest novel:
http://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/going-going-ganache-by-jenn-mckinlay.html
I haven't yet read any of hers myself, but if Lesa likes them I think I probably will too.
Rosemary
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Finished the Spencer novel and wont pick up any more. He does not have the Parker touch for me.
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OK, two votes I totally trust, so I have gone into Barnes & Noble and added The Broken Teaglass to my Wish List. One of my kin will gift it to me, fer sure!
Thanks!
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Rex Stout "The Broken Vase". Just ordered it in LP. They didn't have "Broken Teaglass in LP and so will give Stout a try. Seems like I use to read his books years ago. Think I am going to start going back a few years in Authors books as they seem to be loosing their talent in their new ones thesedays.
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Not familiar with lesabookcritiques, but I've bookmarked for further notice.
The McKinlay books sound familiar: I may have a sample on my kindle. In defense of my losing weight project, I may try her library lovers series, instead of her cupcake store series:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/jenn-mckinlay/
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Got a sample of her "Books can be Deceiving". can't let myself read it today: have to think of questions for the next part of The Moonstone.
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Reading another light vampire, romance and mystery.. Very light but sort of fun.. My daytime book is another nonfiction..Titled Beautiful Boy.. about a sons addiction and his fathers inability to grip what is happening. Interesting that although he did a lot of drugs when young himself, he cannot understand why the boy does not take his advice and not do any.. Sort of silly, when does a teen believe their parents..
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Turns out I'd already read three of the McKindlay books. Ordered another.
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Beautiful Boy is odd and interesting. A true story.. The writer has had a hard time believing in his sons addiction.. it makes you wonder about how parents affect what their children may or may not do. From reading about the son, I think he showed signs early ( about 12) of having problems, but his father keeps insisting that he is just very special.. Now he is an older teen, the addiction is much much worse and the Dad is still thinking, things will get better and he will go to college. Hmm.
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Does anyone know this author, Cara Black? She is featured in Bookmarks magazine this month.
Apparently she has written 13 murder mysteries set in Paris. Because I have a daughter who lived for a year in Paris and goes back constantly, I am interested to know if you know this series and if you found them good.
Murder in the Marais
Murder in Belleville
Murder in the Sentier
Murder in the Bastille
Murder in Clichy
Murder in Montmartre
Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis
Murder in the Rue de Paradis
Murder in the Latin Quarter
Murder in the Palais Royal
Murder in Passy
Murder at the Lanterne Rouge
Murder below Montparnasse
Let me know. Again, the author is Cara Black
http://www.carablack.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cara_Black_(author)
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I never heard of her MaryPage, but on checking around, her books look interesting. She has a presence on Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22663.Cara_Black if you want to see what she is reading and such. I noticed she is currently reading A Train in Winter... and another about the women of the occupation (Femmes Sous L'occupation) as well as others about the Nazi occupation.
I might look into one of her reads, Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris
by David King. It is non-fiction.
Addition: My library appears to have all her books, and many are checked out. It also has the David King book.
It is gorgeous out, sun shining, trees leafing, neighbors' pink cherry is in blossum, but it is only 40 and breezy still. I may venture out this afternoon if it stays sunny. I have some more raking to do.
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I replanted some tulips and daffodils yesterday - the legs don't work as well as they used to! Aaahhhhhh.
Reading Gramercy Park by Paula Cohen, an award winning book. Set in the 1890's in NYC, it feels like a Victorian novel in it's style. Altho it was in the "fiction" section, it definitely is a suspenseful mystery. A young women's past is dribbled out a bit at a time through different people's perspectives. I read it in bed before sleep and have more than once put it down not being sure i wanted to find out what happened to her, altho so far it's not been as bad as my imagination thought it might be. :) it has a small opera component to it, if any of you are fans.
Jean
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Sounds interesting, Jean.
think I may have read Cara Black. Sounds very familiar.
Read another McKinlay "Library lovers" book last night (thjey're short -- quick reads) and I remember her now. The detective is a librarian in a small town on the Connecticut coast. Notable for evoking the atmosphere of the seaside,otherwise fine but I wouldn't call them "best cozies." I'll read the cupcake one after I've eaten,
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I read Murder in the Marais by Cara Black. I remember thinking I'd find another by her if I had time - never got around to looking, but now I think I will check more out.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Cara Black.. new name for me.. Too busy this week, will make a note. Also the books on the Catskills hotels..
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Susan Wittig Albert has a new China Bayles mystery "Widow's Tears". I'm #7 on the reserve list and looking forward to reading it. So far Albert has never disappointed me with this series.
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Oh good! I've read almost all of the China Bayles series and was feeling a little depressed about coming to the end. :)
Jean
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I like China, but do not like her other series.
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Re: Cara Black -- MaryPage, I just read something about her yesterday, but don't remember where -- but do remember thinking that I'd like to read some of hers. Will have to check my history and see if I can find it. Maybe a link from twitter or facebook.
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Do you read BOOKMARKS? There was a long article about her in there. The current edition of that magazine. If you do read it, that is where you read about her.
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Oh, duh, MaryPage. Yes, it was Bookmarks (thank you Andrea for getting me on to that publication so many years ago.) The current issue recently came and i just sat down and started looking at it. And it seemed to be a really good issue. I think that's the first time I'd heard of Cara Black.
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Well then, there's two of us.
Don't tell!
I need another writer like I need a hole in the head, as there are, seriously, no exaggeration, probably over a thousand books in this house I want to read before I die, and my reading hours grow shorter and shorter as my eyes tend to fail me and I snooze off, and I am 84 next month and time is just plain eroding away.
But I am, as I said, interested in my French teaching daughter who spent a whole year in Paris and goes back almost every year, knowing about these books set in Paris.
So I went to Thrift books and managed to buy most of them for her. The few others I will buy new from Barnes & Noble, and voila! She will own the set.
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Great! Let us know how she likes them. We all learn about Venice from Donna Leon's mysteries -- maybe we can learn about Paris now.
The only time I was there, it was winter and rained the whole time.
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Well, you got there!
I never did. Many plans made, and many a thing came along to shove them aside.
Ah so.
At least you GOT there!
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I also went in winter - November - and was blessed with amazing weather, sunny, not too cold. The weeks before and after our stay were apparently terrible - torrential rain, floods, windy. I had wanted to see Venice for years, so I think we were so lucky to hit on that beautiful week. I love Donna Leon's descriptions of it - she gives you so much detail that you would never see as a tourist, no matter how hard you tried.
I will look up Cara Black at the library, sounds interesting. Thanks for the tip.
Rosemary
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Amazing - our library catalogue has several Cara Black novels!
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Yes, I got there. I'm so glad for all the places I've seen.
And the place I'm in now. the flowers are spectacular this year: the roses, the bougainvillea, a few camellia left: everywhere I look (thanks to the gardeners here: the few things I tried to plant all died).
Sorry, I'm in a sappy mood! But if any of you find yourself in Southern California, I've got a very comfortable couch.
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Just seen that on Amazon UK there is an 'Aimee Leduc Companion' that purports to tell you who is who, and also to show maps of the locations in the books, etc - and it's free at the moment:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Aimee-Leduc-Companion-ebook/dp/B004Q3RMR6/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1367100618&sr=1-4&keywords=cara+black
Rosemary
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Not available for me here in the States. Boo!
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TOME: are you sure? I just ordered iit for my kindle (cost 99 cents) and a sample of the first in the series "Murder in the Marais." (I think my library carries them if I decide I like her)
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Just finished "Swift Run" by Laura DiSiverio
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/laura-disilverio/
Funny cozy about a woman PI who'se forced to take as a partner another woman with no PI skills and two spoiled children.
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TOME: are you sure? I just ordered iit for my kindle (cost 99 cents) and a sample of the first in the series "Murder in the Marais." (I think my library carries them if I decide I like her)
I'm just telling you what it told me.
I'll double check.
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Now is says the Kindle Edition is $7.00 - - lots of difference between 99 cents. I'll check my library.
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You must have gotten the book on special JoanK. I noticed they do that a lot. I found that several of the books I got for 99 cents or free now have higher prices on them.
My library has the Cara Black books.
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My library has ALL her books, so I'm good to go.
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Tonight, my PBS station has Part 2 of "The Bletchley Circle", an interesting (so far) mystery about the "Bletchlry Girls", the women who broke the Nazi Code in WWII. In this, four of them reunite years later to try to catch a serial killer.
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I watched it last night and loved it. Those women are something else again. The clothing seems more forties than 1953 to me. I think I read somewhere that this is supposed to be 1953. I relate it to that being the year we bought our first house. It was built on the Levitt Town design and we bought it on the G.I. Bill. About a quarter of a acre lot with a 4 bedroom, 1 bath, no basement but crawl space house for $12,500.00! Payments were P.I.T.I. for $64.00 a month! We added a half bath before we sold it in 1960 for an upgrade. Those were the days!
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It seemed more forties to me, too. There was a piece afterwards that talked about the costuming: everything (costumes and lighting) done in subdued colors to reflect the time. I don't remember the 50s being all that subdued: I was a young thing, having a good time.
As always, I have trouble understanding some of the haracters. but I love the series.
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Joan - i too thought that their discussion after the show about the clothes seemed more forties then fifties, but then i thought maybe in England things were darker and drearier then in the USA.
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I think things were pretty gloomy in the UK till the 1960s. My mother was married in 1952 and had to wear 'utility clothes'. Many things were still rationed, and there were still bomb sites in London (and indeed for many years after that), with many people living in 'prefabs' - makeshift little houses that were put up for short term use and were still there 30 years later (although the residents did in fact become very fond of them and were sorry to see them eventually demolished.)
Rosemary
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We were in Venice in April and it was lovely.. fresh and springlike.. A bit cool on the gondola ride though.
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I seriously love Donna Leon's books in Venice. She knows that city very well and has the talent to vividly describe it to her readers. And I wouldn't mind knowing Commissario Guido Brunetti and his wife. I wonder if Leon, who is, or was, a teacher in Venice has written autobiographically when she writes of the wife (darn! I've forgotten her name)?
I just checked my library catalog and find that they have 13 titles by Cara Black. Would it be better to start with the first (Murder in Marais) or can they be read in any order?
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Phyll, Donna Leon is one of my favorite mystery authors. Brunetti's wife is Paola and I always enjoy reading about her delicious meals and her thoughtful handling of him and the children. Leon recently wrote a stand-alone "The Jewels of Paradise" about a young Venetian woman who has left Venice to pursue a career and returns. I enjoyed the book but the character isn't as warm or interesting as Brunetti. I wondered if Leon might be starting another series but by the end of the book I decided "don't think so."
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I'm reading the first Cara Black. It's VERY good, but very emotional! About the aftermath fifty years later of the Nazi occupation of the Paris Jewish quarter. Not light reading.
The depiction of Paris reminds me of Leon. Not romanticized at all.
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I wanted to order the first Cara Black from the library, but The Devil in the White City was right there on the library book shelf when I took my last read back this morning.
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The Devil in the White City is a neat story, Frybabe, and it's a true story, I think.
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The first black sounds interesting . Who wrote it.
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CARA BLACK wrote it.
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Read Devil in the White City, but was not overly impressed.. It was ok.
Just finished another Ann Purser.. Foul Play at Four. I like her Lois Meade, but this one seemed to be pushing some limits on cozy.
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Steph, of the two stories in The Devil in the White City, I liked the one about the building of the city better than the murder mystery.
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Devil InThe White City encouraged me to go on line and research that World's Fair. Most interesting, and there really was a murderer during that period.
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I found it fascinating when after I read the "Devil in the White City" I shared the book with several friends. As each of them returned the book they indicated that they had either read the history portions or the mystery chapters but no one seemed to have read the entire book. Because I had read a history of Chicago I was more interested in the world's fair but read the entire book.
Mary
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My mistake Mary Page. I had not heard of Cara Black as a writer. I will now, as I just picked up her book." Murder in the Marais" as you all seem to enjoy her books. Will see how I like it.
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I'm like you, CubFan Mary - read the whole book, but was more interested in the ins and outs of the world's fair portions.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I read and really enjoyed "The Devil in the White City", in spite of the fact that non-fiction is not my choice of reading. My ftf book club discussed it a couple of years ago. The majority of the club found it very interesting..
Sally
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Picked up a Thomas Perry.... Silence. I do like him.. His people are flawed, but human
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Have you read his latest, "The Boyfriend", Steph? It's on my tbr list.
Sally
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Not yet on the new one, but I like Silence very much. He keeps you hanging.
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I'm also reading the first Cara Black. It's an easy read, and I'm enjoying it, but am not ready to rave about it. Now Devil in White City -- that was fantastic. And like many of you, I liked the historical parts about the World's Fair preparations the best. I always think about that when I see a ferris wheel. There were some other items that made their first appearance then, too, but I can't think what they were.
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I finished the first Cara Black last night. I can't say I enjoyed the book because I have a hard time with the Holocaust/Neo Nazi issues. I have however ordered the next two books in the series because I liked the main characters. Today I started the new Edward Rutherford - Paris - so it looks like I'll be spending quite a bit of time there. I like the way it has started but because it is over 800 pages it'll get interrupted by other other lighter reads along the way. Also just read the new Carolyn Hart - Dead, White & Blue - typical of her Death on Demand titles. The new Susan Albert Widow's Tears was interesting as I had very little background on the Galveston hurricane. I usually don't care for haunted houses/ghosts etc but I didn't mind them in this book. Barbara Taylor Bradford's new title Secrets from the Past was typical for her - the world of the rich.
We seemed to have skipped spring this year and are moving from winter right into summer so there are lots of outdoor chores and spring cleaning activities that will interfere with reading time for the next few weeks. But it is so good to see tulips and hear the birds singing.
Mary
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I got the first Cara Black and if life will just calm down a bit, am looking forward to it. First however I really need to get Bright House back to straighten out my tv, computer, phone. Every thing is slow beyond belief and should not be.. Half the time I cannot get on line..Sigh.
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For a fantastic book on the Galveston Hurricane, read "Isaac's Storm".
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CUBFAN: you've done a lot of good reading. I'll get one of the hurricane books: I'm fascinated by storms. And I just read another Hart (Why can I never get her painting clues, even when I know the book?)
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I am nearing the end on Silence, The Thomas Perry book. Interesting in so many different ways.. I am sure there is at least one more secret revealed at the end.
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Well, Kate Atkinson has reached one of the pinnacles of success in having her new book reviewed in the latest The New Yorker. Even better, they liked it! The title is Life After Life.
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Iwish I liked her more. She is not a favorite of mine. Reading a very light mystery.. Death of a very very bad boy.. Fun.. I had read some of her later ones, but this was an early one.
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I've just finished my first "Swift" book, thanks to your recommendations, Swift Justice. It was enjoyable. I like both of the main characters - Charlie and Gigi. I assume Gigi continues in the following books?
I'm reading on the ipad The Contessa's Vendetta- an historic suspense thriller!!! LOL it was free from somewhere, i guess amazon.........no, an historical fiction site. A contess who thinks she has an admiring, loving husband, "dies" in the plague, away from her home, is buried in the family vault, (apparently not being seen by her husband and best friend). However she is not dead and wakes up, claws her way out via a break in the vault and discovers some vile hoodlum has deposited his stash of stolen jewels in the vault. Altho a young woman, her hair has turned completely white and she is gaunt and unrecognizable due to being sick. When returning to her home she sees her husband and "best friend" embracing and hears them disparaging her. She returns to the vault, takes the jewels and comes back to the village as a very rich, seemingly "older" woman, recognized by noone but her little dog Toby and prepares to exact her revenge!! It's ludicrous, but i keep reading to see how she gets her revenge! Lol.
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Sometimes we need the ludicrous.
I'm reading a McCall Smith Philosophy Club book. I was three fourths of the way through before I realized I'd read it before. They do all sound alike!
Gigi does indeed stick around.
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Had a minor traffic accident yesterday. Not serious at all, but the lady was Indian.. Patel.. common last name in that part of the world.She was a screamer and shrieker, called out the troops in the form of relatives, all screaming and yelling. I am not sure who was more upset, the policeman or me.. He finally said, it happened on private land, not up to me, no tickets, just exchange information. which we did, but I have been upset ever since.. Noone was hurt at all, she just conducted life at the top of her lungs. Whew.
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Stephanie....I hate it when people act as if what is obviously an accident was something intentional and personal and life altering. It was an ACCIDENT. That's why they have auto accident insurance. These things happen. Of course, it's upsetting...to you and to her...but it doesn't need to be played out at 1000 decibels with accompanying audience.
Report it to your insurance company and let them deal with her.
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Oh Steph, so sorry, you've had such a stressful month. I can understand how getting shrieked at can be stunning to your psyche. ((((hugs)))))
Jean
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Yes, you need all the {{{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}}}} you can get.
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After a nice talk with my insurer, I am calm now and away from all of the commotion. My adjuster says that he wants to know immediately if they get in touch with me. They will handle it all and I am to simply hang up or report it to the police if they call. They say it is somewhat common for them to try to shake you down, so I should beware, so I will. I have a lovely lunch today that our womens club is sponsoring for the Canine Companions for Independence.. We do a buffet for them on their last day of classes. I love it, since they show off their dogs and are all so very happy.
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Good advice from your Insurer, Steph! That's why we have accident insurance.
jane
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Good for your insurer, Steph. And be sure to take his advice.
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Steph, I am so very sorry you have had this unnerving experience.
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Steph, I worked many years for an insurance company. You would be surprised at the number of claims (automobile and otherwise) filed by Patel. And yes, they would try to "shake down" our insureds. Also bad were "slip and fall in the grocery store".
I hope your insurance carrier takes really good care of you in this matter.
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One tried to sue me last year. We were not even moving when waiting to pay at the booth. She went to move and my car just touched her bumper. All was checked by security now said o.k. I even took her to have car sales check. Two days later I was being sued for her neck damage. I had reported it to my insurance the day it happened. They said ,we will be handling it. Don't worry. They didn't collect I dime.
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Thanks for all the support. I hated to be negative by the whole thing, but the appearance rapidly of so many adult males all yelling really unnerved me. I am now officially not paying any attention to any of it. Just looking forward to next Wednesday, when I leave to spend the summer in Franklin.. MaryZ... we promised to get together. Tell me what your schedule is like. I am free most of July after the week of the 4th and all of August and September. Anyone else in Georgia,Tn,SC,NC fell free to email.. Maybe we could all get together for a festive lunch somewhere in the middle of things.
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Steph, we WILL get together this year, I promise! Our beach week is the week beginning 29 June, but nothing scheduled before or after that...so far.
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I'm glad we can put this scary episode behind us. I'm sure we want everyone to feel comfortable here and that they are welcome on this public web site, and don't want any race or ethnic group to feel that they have been singled out by name.
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Everyone is certainly welcome to come in here. Never any question on that.. But a fact is a fact about certain insurance frauds..
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I'm reading "When the Devil Drives" by Caro Black. London in 1839 (Albert is just courting Victoria). The detective is a woman who has just set up a detective agency. So far, it's good.
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I am so gratified to hear that, Joan, because I have not myself read any of Black's books, but I purchased every single one of them from Thriftbooks and had them sent directly to my daughter Debi who teaches French and did her Junior Year of college at the Sorbonne and like totally believes Paris belongs to her more than any other mortal being, including all of the French citizens who dwell there!
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Marypage, could you possibly take a digital photo of your bookcases, with all your books, and post it here? I'd love to see them, and I'm sure the rest of our group would also. (no need to show any of your other furnishings or household layout, to keep it safe).
I have run out of room for other bookcases (and books too), and am thinking of having some built-in, from floor to ceiling. I like seeing other folks' book cases.
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I am not a photographer. Ir has never been one of my talents or interests. I do have an iPad which takes photos, but then again, I do not have the ability to post from there. I can email pictures to someone if someone can.
Most of my bookcases were made by the Amish in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They were made to my specifications.
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You can email the photos to me and I'll post them for you, MaryPage.
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MaryPage, I agree with you. I simply do not even think of taking pictures.. Not a talent and I learned years ago when traveling that if I love something , look for a postcard of it and keep that.. Much better than any picture I would take.
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Yes, Steph; I have always preferred to look about me at everything I can possibly take in, and have felt rather sorry for the many tourists about me whose main focus abroad seemed to be on how many pictures they could take to look at LATER! Scheesch!
I want to see everything for myself, first hand, with my very own eyes. Don't clutter up my day with the burden of a camera and all its film and parts and gadgets, etc.
So I do not carry a camera. I buy, or used to, that is, as I no longer travel, the 35mm pictures you could buy everywhere of the best things to see. Now that 35mm is gone forever, I am wondering what they offer instead. Those little plastic thingies my daughter Becky carries around and then puts in her computer? I don't know. Don't care anymore, either.
Jane, I'll put your email address on my iPad and when I get a chance this week, I'll take some pictures and send you. First I am off to work this morning and back Wednesday. Then a houseful of company coming from Oklahoma City on Saturday, and in between it is Commissioning Week here in Annapolis at the Naval Academy. Life is just a constant rush of busy.
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The last camera I owned, I threw into the Seine in Paris in a fit of pique. I hope i'm forgiven for that littering, but I realized just what you said: that I was spending all my time and effort fussing with the camera, and not really SEEING anything.
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I have to speak up for some of us camera-toting folks. We carry those big cameras and take lots of pictures. But we take great care to spend most of our time really looking at things, not just through the lens of the camera. :D
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MaryZ, I was just going to respond, and you beat me to it. I'm not a good photographer, but I take lots of pictures, and when I travel, taking pictures is part of the trip for me. I don't do anything with them except email a few and put the rest on the computer.
But every once in a while I'll click on a folder and bring up a lot of memories.
But one of the best camera stories isn't even mine. It was 2005 and there were about almost 20 of us staying at this fabulous house on Isle of Palms. You were there, Steph. Mary Alice Monroe came with her photographer and talked with us about her book The Beach House which featured a lot about loggerhead turtles. The next day we went to the Charleston Aquarium where the photographer gave us a tour of the turtle rehab facilities. Out came the cameras. Judy Laird was leaning over a tank, aiming for a special shot, when a small battery fell out of her camera and was swallowed by the turtle. He was immediately named Dewey, and he survived. Judy did not get any more pictures that day.
Has anyone heard from Callie? I know she lives in Oklahoma, but I don't know where. What a devastating business.
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Ah Pedlin, that was the very nicest of our bookies trip. Isle of Palms.. Ginny did a spectacular job on getting our house.. I thought Callie was in Oklahoma, but don't know where. I take a small camera, but mostly so that I can get a picture or two of me somewhere that I liked.. Otherwise,, postcards work for me. Reading another Alafair Burke.. She is a worthy daughter of her Dad.
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I heard from Callie, she is fine. She is North of OK City. She posted over on S&F
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Thanks, Tomereader!!
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So glad Callie is OK.
Today is the 210th anniversity of the opening of the first Public Library (Philadelphia)! Hooray, libraries!
(My source didn't make clear whether that was first anywhere or first in the US).
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Jane, per your request I took a bunch of photos with my iPad this morning, at least until I became totally exhausted. Holding an iPad to take pictures is not fun, but I gave away and threw out all of my cameras after Bob died. I dislike taking pictures. Anyway, these do not represent the WHOLE house, but at least will give you a sense that I have books stacked Everywhere! The larger bookshelves have books two deep if they are regular sized and three deep if they are paperbacks.
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Can someone here remind me of the website where you can look up mystery books, by LOCALE? I know it's not Stop You're Killing Me, but my mind is going absolutely blank on the other site. Help !!!
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Hooray for Callie. Finished the Alafair Burke book.. An interesting plot for sure.
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Here are the bookshelves of our MaryPage.
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/janeiowa/MPBookshelves/MP1_zps70a078bb.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/janeiowa/MPBookshelves/MP2_zps96aeb72f.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/janeiowa/MPBookshelves/MP3_zps8e7dac65.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/janeiowa/MPBookshelves/MP4_zps05579b2e.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/janeiowa/MPBookshelves/MP5_zps96a2952b.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/janeiowa/MPBookshelves/MP6_zps0aed6b7f.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/janeiowa/MPBookshelves/MP7_zps1f97a38f.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/janeiowa/MPBookshelves/MP8_zpscd49a559.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/janeiowa/MPBookshelves/MP9_zps736b1175.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/janeiowa/MPBookshelves/MP10_zpsb708577f.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/janeiowa/MPBookshelves/MP11_zpse17f6c83.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/janeiowa/MPBookshelves/MP12_zpscedcc08f.jpg
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Thanks, jane, for helping MaryPage. Glad to see she didn't forget the books in the most important room - the bathroom :D
We've managed to get rid of most of our books - either by giving them to friends and family or to the library book sale. And we don't buy any new paper books (just ebooks). I'm assuming we won't be in this house for too many more years, and I don't want to have to deal with them at that point - or have anybody else deal with them.
We all do what works for us, don't we. :D
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::)Thank you, Marypage for taking the pictures and jane for posting them. I especially like the case on, what would be the right side of that lovely wicker bed. You do have quite a few places to store our books. Think I saw one shelf that has your Teaching Company dvds on it.
Thanks to you both. And MP you keep the books so neatly placed I have a tendency to just poke something on top if the shelf is otherwise full! >:(
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Thanks for the photos. The first thing I noticed was the binoculars. I keep mine out on the bookshelf by the front door.
I've just started the last Didius Falco novel, Nemesis, while I am waiting for my next SciFi fix to show up at the library.
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My binoculars are there to grab to step right through the sliding glass doors there and onto the back deck, which looks out onto the vast waters of the Chesapeake Bay. I watch the boat traffic that way. I can see it well without the binoculars, and especially enjoy the Wednesday Night Sailboat Races, but the binoculars show me every particular up close.
And yes, I still own a lot of lectures from The Teaching Company that I have not found the time to watch. Once I have taken a course that way, I pass it on to the granddaughter most likely to want it. I see no point whatsoever in my taking a course twice, since there is still SO much to learn. I am 84 years old today! Not a whole lot of time left.
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By the way, I had so much fun last night watching yet another D.C.I. BANKS British murder mystery on television on PBS. These are from the books by Peter Robinson. I buy every Robinson just as soon as it comes out in paperback, and I check my list against what Barnes & Noble offers once a year, to make certain I have them all. I do this with all of my favorite series authors.
Peter Robinson started in 1987 with Gallows View. There are TWENTY-TWO ( 22 ) D.C.I. Banks books in all, ending with Watching The Dark.
I expect you all know you can do a search titled: List books by (author's name) and be directed to a website where you can find a complete list of any author's work. Then print it out and check off what you've read and what you haven't.
Anyway, Robinson is not the very best ever, but he is good. I am enjoying.
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1987 GALLOWS VIEW
1988 DEDICATED MAN
1989 NECESSARY END
1989 HANGING VALLEY
1991 PAST REASON HATED
1992 WEDNESDAY’S CHILD
1994 FINAL ACCOUNT
1996 INNOCENT GRAVES
1997 BLOOD AT THE ROOT
1999 IN A DRY SEASON
2000 COLD IS THE GRAVE
2001 AFTERMATH
2003 CLOSE TO HOME
2004 PLAYING WITH FIRE
2005 STRANGE AFFAIR
2006 PIECE OF MY HEART
2007 FRIEND OF THE DEVIL
2009 ALL THE COLORS OF DARKNESS
2010 THE PRICE OF LOVE
2011 BAD BOY
2012 BEFORE THE POISON
2013 WATCHING THE DARK
all by Peter Robinson
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I enjoyed the slideshow of Mary Page's books. That was nice of you Jane to do that. I gave away most of my books when we moved to Florida 25 years ago and have been using our very good local library since then. I do buy an occasional book for my iPad from Amazon or iBooks.
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Happy Birthday, MaryPage! You're an inspiration to all of us.
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Happy Birthday, MaryPage! Enjoy your Day!!
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Wow! Happy Birthday, Marypage.
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The pics of the bookcases just came up as links (for me) not as a slide show. Can I make them do that, Jane?
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Happy Birthday! Marypage 8)
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Thank you so much.
I am having a lovely day.
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Just a note to say that in our preparations for a Holiday Weekend, let us not forget what Memorial Day is really all about. We can quietly say a prayer or meditation for those who serve our country, or the ones who served our country in days gone by and gave full measure. Please take a moment to remember our Troops, wherever they might be.
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Happy birthday, MaryPage, and many more to come.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARY PAGE!
Your books look like mine, except that your bookcases are much prettier, and many of my books are still in cartons in the garage since my move. I lost several bookcases on the move -- they just fell apart.
In addition to that, I have over 400 books in my kindle archives.
Where did you get those gorgeous bookcases?
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I keep my binoculars by the front door too, but I don,t have a spectacular vista like Mary Page's. Mostly, I need to be able to grab them quickly for bird identification.
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Kindle could only pre-order "Gallows View", but they had "In a dry season for $4.74. I got a sample. I've never watched DCI Banks. Have to try it.
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REad a good book from the library: "Muder in Argeles" by D-L Nelson. (that's D hyphen L, don't ask me why, but search for it by D L nelson. A swiss American ex-pat. Takes place in a small town in france. Only problem: the most interesting character gets murdered on page 3. I wish she'd left him and murdered someone elsee.
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Happy Birthday, Mary Page. A woman in front of me at the beauty shop was 100 years old in March. She was mentally acute, a little frail; but with a great attitude. She said her goal now was to reach 125! So, you may have a lot more time than you think!
Sally
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I am reading The Cruel Telling by Louise Penny. I am really enjoying it & it's keeping me guessing as to "Who Done It". I do enjoy Penny's Inspector Gamache series. Thanks to the person on this web site that introduced me to them.
The library is holding the latest "Aunt Dimity" book by Joan Atherton for me--Aunt Dimity and the Lost Prince. I enjoy these cozy mysteries.
Sally
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES, MaryPage.
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Sally, a lot of those paperbacks piled up in the little stand next to my toilet are Aunt Dimity's that I haven't read yet. My daughter borrowed them all from me last summer and read them and put them back there. I have read only about one third of my Aunt Dimity's, and the ones I have read have been passed on to my granddaughter Paige in Baltimore. So there you have it, that pile of Aunt Dimity's is as yet unread by me!
Joan, I got a lot of my bookcases from Branch Hill Joinery in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Their carpenters are Amish who spend their winters making the lovliest, most sturdy furniture of all kinds. What I love about their bookcases is that they have REAL FINISHED BACKS. They stand up to the punishment of all the weight they carry.
The skinny bookcase that is darker in color is one I have owned since I got it for Christmas the year I was seven years old. You see, books have been the centerpiece of my life all of my life. No expert I, and I never have and never will claim to be. I am not at all knowledgable about books, I just love, love, love to read and would sooner die if I could not.
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The Happiest of birthdays to you MaryPage. Where would we be without your joy in life.
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A very happy birthday, Mary Page:
" I just love, love, love to read and would sooner die if I could not."
I'm with you there.
And thanks to whoever here introduced me to the Aunt Dimity mysteries. I read them one by one on my kindle. And "Aunt Dimity and the missing Prince" is next on my list, too.
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JoanK., that's just one of things I love about this web site....we can share/introduce authors we enjoy. That is how I learned about Louise Penny and Inspector Gamache and Julia Spencer-Flemming and her Clare Fergusson series. I am enjoying both of those series. I may have been the one who recommended the Aunt Dimity series.
Sally
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A very Happy Birthday,belatedy, Mary Page! I hope that you had a ver special day.
Sheila
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I find Julia Spencer-Fleming infinitely interesting. One of the best authors that as come along in the past few years. I am not Aunt Dimity fan, though. I had collected a bunch of very very light cozies and am flipping through.. Some of them..sigh.. the women cannot write.. they are those numbered romance writers and simply cannot plot successfully.Oh well. I trade them off.
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A very happy birthday, belatedly, MaryPage. I hope your day was splendid!
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I have finished Nemesis and have now started reading Carol Goodman's The Sonnet Lover.
Regarding Nemesis it was another interesting Didius Falco, but I was a little disappointed at what appeared to be a few modernisms. For example, the foster child at 17 was considered a teen in the book. Wouldn't she have been considered a full adult and most likely already married or betrothed in the first century AD? Did astrologers wear layers of colorful clothing and scarves and have typically TV style establishments back then? Davis ended her series with the current fascination with serial killer stories. She brought the series full circle (kind of) at the end to repeat an action taken in the first book: nice touch, a bit of a surprise.
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I like Falco. Will have to look for the new one.
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Steph, Nemesis is the last of the series. Sob, sob! :(
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I liked the first DCI Banks story I read a lot "In the Dry Season". About an old body found when a "drowned town" is re-exposed by a draught. So switches between present day and WWII. Lots of layers to it.
I'll definately read more. Have the next one on my kindle already.
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Falco had sort of run his course, but I do like him.. What is she going to write about now, I wonder.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Last year, Davis's novel, Master and God, was published. It is set in the time of Domitian. This year, saw what looks like might be the start of a new series featuring Flavia Albia, Falco's adopted daughter, called The Ides of April. So, after one change of venue, Rebels and Traitors (English Civil War), she is back to writing about ancient Rome.
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Just started Linda Castillo's Breaking Silence.. I think I have read another in this series, a while ago. I do like it, although the Amish there seem more stand offish than the ones I grew up in Delaware.
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Reading a new (to me) Donna Leon "The Golden Egg." Boy, if you ever complain about the government here, don't move to Venice!
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Has anyone read The Black Country? I am not much of a mystery reader although I do like Agatha Raison but this book sounds interesting after I read a Sample on my Kindle - just not sure if it continues to be worth the time to read it.
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Here is his FF page:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/alex-grecian/
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I never know whether to mention the books I read that I DON'T like. read one called "Tote Bags and Toe Tags." Part of a whole series of cozies based on the fact that both the author and detective love purses. Some other titles in the series "Purses and Poisens", "Clutches and Curses" etc.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/dorothy-howell/
As one who just bought her obligatory "once every 10 years whether you need it or not" new purse, I have a hard time relating to a narrator who spends all her time thinking about what purse to carry, and what one to buy next (when she's not thinking about how to avoid having to do any work). But some of you may feel differently.
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Sounds like another person who is writing books to order on topics. I tend to read one of the series and then avoid it like the plaguefrom then on.
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Just got Albert's latest China Bayles mystery "Widow's Tears". So far I've never been disappointed with this series. Joank, i always enjoy Donna Leon's books and thought I had read them all, but I definitely don't remember "The Golden Egg". I think I might have missed that one. Will have to check the library.
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I just finished Nickolas Sparks' Safe Haven which someone called a romantic suspense. Obviously, if it's NS it's a romance and there is suspense, but i found it predictable. Some reviewers on Goodreads said they never saw the ending coming.........really? I thought it was obvious what was coming, but kept reading to see how it played out.
When my husband read The Notebook he said,"that's written by a woman! No man would write such a perfect man!" Well, the perfect man is back in Safe Haven, thoughtful, considerate, accepting. I see it was made into a movie. I didn't know that. Have any of you read it?
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I read all of one and part of the second of Nicholas Sparks, but gave it up. Too too goey and predictable.
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Wow what a great description - that is how I see all his novels.
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He makes pots of money. People seem to love sentimental type romance.. Just not a favorite of mine. Reading a John Sandford..latest in paperback.. Lucas is a serious police type.
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Just finished the latest Anne Perry, Thomas Pitt book "Midnight at Marble Arch". I do wish she wouldn't have all those trials -- her strength is in depicting emotions, NOT in logic. And the law is about logic. My logical mind cringes at her lack thereof.
Having said that, I'm glad she deals with the problem of rape, and how it shames the victim. How do you stop a serial rapist, when his victims keep quiet or fear of being blamed?
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In real life, it seems our women in the military have this problem They end up being blamed because a male who is higher in rank than they are takes what he wants. I think this is so far beneath human behavior to make the man into some form of beast.
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Well, it didn't take me long to read Carol Goodman's, The Sonnet Lover. It was a good story, written in the same style and similar plotting as her others. Always a female academic or academic/arts association, a mystery and a personal problem, intertwined, to be solved. Her protagonist, as usual, over-thinks things and dismisses her gut feelings, jumping to wrong conclusions which get her into jeopardy as she tries to untangle a mystery. I had the bad guy pegged early because her main characters in her books consistently and stubbornly refuse to consider certain persons even if there is evidence that that person is lying or otherwise shouldn't be trusted.
The story is set in New York and in a villa near Florence. The mystery is whether or not a certain woman is Shakespeare's "Dark Lady" to whom or for whom he wrote sonnets. Was she also a poet? Did any of her own sonnets survive although the legend is that she destroyed all before she was forced to seek asylum in a nunnery? There are hints that the sonnets were found by student who was planning on making a film about them and the Shakespeare/Dark Lady connection. The student supposedly commits suicide (yeah, right). The villa is to be the setting for the film, the home of the sonnets, and the current owner (who wants to bequeath the villa to the college in NY) is embroiled in a lawsuit over ownership. Oh, the love interests? Current - president of the college. Past - married Italian professor who she had an affair with 20 years before. So, after two murders and several attempted murders, our heroine finally figures it all out. The book ends in England where she is tracking down a possible site where Shakespear may have met his Dark Lady.
According to her book, Shakespeare wrote his sonnets primarily for or about this Dark Lady and some guy. It is not a story I have ever heard. I have not studied nor read his sonnets. I haven't looked into it yet, nor have I looked up the Uffizi she mentions several times. Right now, I am trying to type sitting on the floor because Oscar has commandeered my computer chair. Please excuse any typos I may have missed.
Oh, I've started her Arcadia Falls. We are back to teaching at a private academic arts school as a widow with a teenage daughter in tow this time. It also looks like we are back to a fairy tale connection. Only into it by two chapters so far.
As much as I like her writing, I think her main characters are becoming a bit too predictable.
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I have trouble getting into her books.. I am reading non fiction just now. The Covert Affair, which was supposed to be about Paul and Julia Child..However I find this is a misnomer to make you b uy the book. It is mostly about two women that I find unpleasant who also worked for the OSS during the war in the same areas, plus the author is plugging the theory that one of thewomen appealed to Paul more than Julia..Bah humbug..
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Well, if she did appeal to Paul, it's a good thing it fell through. The Child marriage was a great thing for all concerned.
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Read "At Risk" by Stella Rimington
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/stella-rimington/
I think I've mentioned Remington before. In real life, she was a spy for MI5 and eventually became the first woman to head MI5. So presumably her spy stories are realistic. This one was good, fast moving, suspenseful, but some human interest. Told from both the spy and spycatcher's point of view: with one as the alterego of the other.
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I saw the movie THE NOTEBOOK, but I did not read the book.
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I am 3/4 through The Covert Affair and finally she seems to be able to at least mention Julia and Paul and falling in love. I am truly disappointed in this book. I love pretty much everything on Julia Child, but this is an author who uses a famous woman all over her book reviews and not much in her actual book. I think she adores the other two women.. ONe is OK, but the other should never have been in OSS, spent her entire time sleeping with the world and drinking herself into a stupor and this author seems to admire her.
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I'll read any mystery set in Alaska. But I'm disappointed in "the boy in the Snow" by Mcgrath.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/melanie-mcgrath/
Billed as about the iditarod, it's mostly about things that happened during the time of the Iditarod, but are unrelated to it. It has the elements of a good book, but too many different plots stuck together (Iditarod, trafficking in young girls, religious minorities, Alaskan politics). it's like a bad recipe where a bunch of good ingredients are mixed together and fight with each other instead of blending.
Too bad. I remember liking her first. For the Iditarod, try Sue Henry, "Murder on the Iditarod Irail".
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/sue-henry/
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Like you, I do love books on Alaska. I dont have them with me, but did buy a whole series of books in Sitka, written by a man, allmysteries and excellent. If I still had a memory, I would remember his name. It will come, but not just now.
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Aren't the Dana Stabenow books set in Alaska? I have enjoyed the ones I have read so far.
Rosemary
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Just got Donna Leon's latest book about Commissario Brunetti The Golden Egg. Thanks Joank for mentioning this book. I didn't realize she had a new one. Looking forward to a good read.
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Steph, his name is John Straley. In 2000, we went to an Elderhostel with several days at a group of seminars in Sitka. We heard him speak - an interesting guy.
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Glad to help, jean. that's what this site is for.
I hadn't heard of John Straley, but here he is:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/john-straley/
I've got a sample of his first (the Woman who Married a Bear)on my kindle. Ahhh, instant gratification! (somewhat damped when i get my credit card bill).
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Aren't the Dana Stabenow books set in Alaska? I have enjoyed the ones I have read so far.
Rosemary
They are. And you're right, Rosemary, they're good.
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Yes, the Stabenow books are set in Alaska, too.
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The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey was set in Alaska.
Julia Spencer-Fleming has a new book coming out on Guy Fawkes Day called Through The Evil Days. A Reverend Clare Fergusson book!
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Yes, Strahley... I loved his books and read at leas five. Dont know how many he wrote.A excellent writer who can surprise you. He made Alaska quite real to me and would have loved to hear him in person.
I am reading the very first Cara Black, since everyone talked of her.This first one is dark indeed..But good.
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I just started a Cara Black: I liked the first one, didn't finish the next one I tried. This is the tie-breaker, I guess.
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And a sample of The Snow Child on my kindle, too. I won't let myself buy a kindle book til I've finished my library books, though.
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I see on Dorothy (the University of Kent's regular mystery/thriller update) that someone called Ellen Ehrig has said how much she is enjoying McGrath's 'White Heat', also set in Alaska:
'The book is M.J. McGrath's "White heat" which takes place in the far north
of Canada-on and near Ellsmere Island in Nunavut. The sense of place is
absolutely amazing. I've read lots of books set in Alaska, but Ellsmere is
so much further north that Alaska might as well be in the lower 48. At one
point mention is made that the nearest tree is 1000 kilometers south!
The story involves a Inuit woman, who is both a hunting guide and a part
time elementary schoolteacher, who looks into the deaths of men she has been
guiding and then someone in her family. She is looked upon by many as a
troublemaker. The descriptions of life in such an environment was
absolutely fascinating.
Took me a while to get into it, but once I did it was a page turner.'
Rosemary
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This first Cara Black is dark indeed, so I am using it in small doses, so picked up an older book that I know a lot of you read, but I never had. The Camel Club.. Sort of weird thus far, but I know people really seem to like him.
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I agree Steph. I too have started the Cara Black books and have read two of them. I find that just a couple of chapters hold me for a while and I read something else. I find them interesting as they use the technology but need something lighter at the same time. I have also started Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti series which I am finding interesting and well written. I like the characters and the interpersonal relationships.
Mary
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I also have "White Heat" on my kindle, been meaning to read it.
Of the Stabenow book, the one I want to reread is the one set on a crab fishing boat, "dead in the water". When I read it, I could not follow her descriptions of what they were doing on the boat. Now that I've become a fan of Deadliest Catch on TV, a reality show about crab fishermen, I can reread and understand it.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/dana-stabenow/
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Put down the Camel Club, dislike conspiracy type books.. ThCara Black is fascinating. I find myself wanting to be in Paris and walk the streets with her.
I am having one of those weeks, where I pick up and put down half a dozen books.. Cant settl.
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I really enjoyed Donna Leon's latest " The Golden Egg". Also read "Widow's Tears", the latest China Bales by Albert. This latest book is more about Ruby, her very interesting friend and business partner. It really fleshes out her character. Now I have a couple of Raine Stockton dog mysteries by Donna Ball On my iPad I bought with my Kindle app for $3.
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Just like Steph,I have started 4 books and can't keep a interest in any of them. I even downloaded to my IPad one so could read in bed "Mary Coin"still can't read it.
Got swollen feet today, so humid. I have the DVD of the life of Pi, think I will watch it.
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FlaJean: I also read through the Donna Bell mysteries. Time to check if she has a new one.
And look for "Widows Tears."
It looks like I'm with those of you who have to read a little Cara Black and put her down for awhile.
Read "Princess Elizabeth's Spy", the second in a series about a woman mathematician who is a spy and code-breaker in world War II. here she is undercover in Windsor Castle, trying to foiled a plot against Princess (now Queen) Elizabeth. The plot is interesting, the portrayal of children Elizabeth and Margaret charming. But somehow the writing didn't hold my attention. We must all be suffering from mystery-itis, or something.
(But oh boy did I relate to trying to be a woman mathematician in those days. Been, there, been through that as the only woman math major in my university!)
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/susan-elia-macneal/
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Hope to be back.
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I'm reading two now that are the same. So-so, not particularly compelling. I keep hoping they will pick up a bit. I think I am just getting tired of Carol Goodman's basic plot formula which doesn't see to change from book to book. The writing itself, as always, is excellent.
The other is a SciFi that would probably interest a teen or near teen much more than it does me. The main characters are still in high school, so the part of the story dealing with that and other family dealings is less than interesting to me. Other characters include a religious nut, an evil scientist (in government employ, naturally), and a security guy with a nasty hobby and deadly expertise.
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Maybe its the weather.. I just feel so unsettled. Found an old Sharon Mc Cone.. before Hi... but an interesting plot, so am trying that.
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I just read Nancy Bartholamew's Miracle Strip. This is my first of her's and i think her first book. I picked it up because i had looked for books set in Penna and her name came up, well, the lead character is from Philly, but the story is set in Florida!?! The character is a stripper, a first for me! But a smart, good self-esteem stripper! LOL. The story was not complicated, but entertaining, light. I'll try another of hers then decide if i'll continue reading ber.
Evanovich has a new book, with a new co-author and new characters. I'll be anxious to check it out and hope it has some of her humor and interesting characters.
Jean
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I love Stephanie Plum and tolerate Diesel, but most of the rest she does with a co author, I dont like.
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I got a notice from my library that my Sarah Jio "Blackberry Winter" was ready for pickup. I was on the reserve list so long I can't even remember what it is supposed to be about. Well, I guess I'll find out when I pick it up.
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I’m playing catch-up here, and getting so many good ideas for lazy summer (if it ever starts) reads. (We have the heat, but not the lazy.) You all are reminding me about authors I seem to have ignored lately. Will have to correct that.
My f2f group read Linda Castillo’s Sworn to Silence, Steph. Do all her books have “silence” in the title?
I don’t know why I haven’t read any Donna Leon’s lately. Hers are always good. Thanks for the reminder.
As one who just bought her obligatory "once every 10 years whether you need it or not" new purse, I have a hard time relating to a narrator who spends all her time thinking about what purse to carry, and what one to buy next (when she's not thinking about how to avoid having to do any work). But some of you may feel differently.
But a very brave woman, JoanK. For me, changing purses is a major undertaking requiring much forethought. And for sure, some necessity will be forgotten and not make the change.
Looks like many of us are not Nicholas Sparks fans. I agree with your comments.
It was good to see Carol Goodman’s name again, Frybabe. She met with SeniorLearn when we were in New York in 2008? 2010? (Can’t remember which trip) Brunch at the Ritz Carlton – wow, what a treat. Goodman brought her mother, both lovely women. We read her Night Villa.
I appreciate the comments about The Covert Affair. It has been on my TBR list, but maybe not anymore.
Love the Sue Henry books about Alaska, and glad to learn about the Sitka writer, John Straley. I spent two weeks in Sitka several years ago with a church group. We had gone to help spruce up Sheldon Jackson College, which unfortunately, has since closed. Looking forward to the Straley books.
I enjoyed the first Cara Black, but unfortunately was trying to read it at the same time I was reading Daniel Silva’s first -- The Unlikely Spy. Both good, but too much WWII. Best read separately. The Silva required a lot of going back and forth, re-looking things up. Glad I wasn’t reading it on a kindle.
Has anyone read Sharon McCrumb’s The Ballad of Tom Dooley? My f2f group is reading it next month. I have it from the library, but haven’t had a chance to start it yet.
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Good on you, JOANK. For being the only female math major. There are a lot more of them now, but not nearly what we should have. I think various influences during childhood and early girlhood tend to lead the females of our species to believe mathematics are a male discipline. Of course, that is pure hogwash, and math can be a barrel of fun.
One of my 13 granddaughters, Angela, was in the first semester of her second year of college when she realized, to her great amazement, that her favorite courses had been the math ones she had been forced to take for catch up. So she talked with her counselor and switched her major, albeit in her case it meant a 5th year of college. Her parents were dismayed, but not daunted. Goodness knows, Bob & I encouraged her. And she duly graduated as a mathematician and landed a job RIGHT AWAY as an actuary. Me, I just barely knew about those. So I Googled and found it is considered one of the best jobs in the country!
Well, Angela, who is 30 now and married with an almost 11 month old daughter, loves, loves, loves her job. And she has progressed and taken courses the company pays for and gotten promotions and is extremely well paid.
So Gals, encourage your female descendants to consider Mathematics!
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Pedlin: " For me, changing purses is a major undertaking requiring much forethought. And for sure, some necessity will be forgotten and not make the change."
I agree. For me a purse is a tool, meant to hold and organize my things so I can take my life with me. Once I get one that is just as I like it, I don't want to give it up.
URSA: I hope you'll be back, too.
MARY: Girls are encouraged to believe that they "can't do math." Boys too, but not as much. Then they freeze, and don't really try. Having done some math tutoring, I see that many kids with problems simply do not know how to study math. They don't pay attention in class, don't take notes and don't look at the book. Then they stare at a homework problem: of course they don't know how to solve it, and say "I can't do math."
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Somewhere I read of a study that concluded it only took one bad math teacher to turn a person off of math. ("Bad"=someone who puts you down, makes you feel inadequate, or is so confusing you give up.)
My daughter used to tutor math, and had a reputation as the one to go to when you were scared you wouldn't pass a test. What she really had was the ability to see what the snag was in a person's understanding. She told me that mostly, once you explained the theory so they got it, they could do the problems, but that the teachers hadn't bothered to see if their students were getting the point.
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The other is a SciFi that would probably interest a teen or near teen much more than it does me. The main characters are still in high school, so the part of the story dealing with that and other family dealings is less than interesting to me. Other characters include a religious nut, an evil scientist (in government employ, naturally), and a security guy with a nasty hobby and deadly expertise.
Don't frustrate me, Frybabe, what's the book?
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PatH, the book is the first in a series (the Rho Agenda), called The Second Ship. I just finished it this morning. It took until about half way through for me to really get interested, then I had to keep reading, staying up late last night. With the Roswell space ship/alien scientific investigations many years after the supposed crash as a starter, it has turned into a classic good vs evil story. Some of the technologies advanced by the investigations include a practical cold fusion energy source to replace oil, a Nanite based system that, after injection into a person, repairs body injuries quickly - even ones that would otherwise be fatal - and quantum and subspace communications. Even though the heroes of the story are teens some of the violence, though not overly explicit or extensive for the most part, doesn't lend itself to reading by the early teen set as far as I am concerned. Of course, now that I've gotten interested, belatedly, I will have to borrow the next in the series.
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Joan - i think the "one bad teacher" study could be true for any subject. I would ask my college students at the first class meeting, "how many of you hate history?" LOL . About a third of the class raised their hands. The next obvious question was "why did you hate it?" The frequent answer was that the teachers only talked about battles and dates. ......... I would have hated history too if that was all i got pushed at me. Fortunately, i had found historical fiction in ninth grade and feel in love with Josephine and Napoleon and was off from that.
In my college history classes i emphasized individual's stories and how they made decisions/choices often based on their psychology and what had happened earlier in their lives. There were only a couple dates (1492, 1776, 1787, 1860-1865, 1968) and a couple battles (Trenton, Gettysburg, D-Day) that i thought they shoud have forged in their brains, it's so easy to learn the details these days. I thought concepts and themes and trends were more important for them to understand (the founders/wives, building a republic/federalism, slavery's importance, the women's/suffrage movement, the labor movement, the youth and 50's influence on the 60's and it's movements, and others.)
The sad thing was that i attended a "teacher's college" and got NO suggestions of how to do that, or any suggestions if creative lesson plans. I just went with what i would have liked. I hope they are doing a better job of creating teachers today.
Many times a student would say at the end of the semester "why didn't they teach history like this in high school, i would have liked it."
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Ah Jean, my younger son ended up a double major in college, because he discovered that History was interesting once you got out of high school. He loved it and even though criminal justice is how he earns a living. history is his passion. military history at that and he reads and studies it to this day..
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Steph, just curious. Does your son have a particular period of military history that he likes best? I am interesting in all things Roman, including military, but branch out now and again. My latest acquisiton is a book on Cromwell's New Model Army.i
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Greetings -
My grandchildren are fortunate that their school district has learned how to teach history. They incorporate history related information throughout the curriculum in middle school and teach it by historical periods across the globe. When they did the Renaissance period they had the children lay on the floor under their desks, tape a piece of drawing paper to the bottom of the desk and draw a picture so that they got the feel of Michelangelo painting the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. They also took the students to a Renaissance fair. When they studied ancient China in history class, they read some Chinese literature in reading & learned to work an abacus in math class. Taking a little time out of the regular math curriculum didn't interfere with current instruction and gave an importance to the history curriculum.
I know that when I learned about the explorers it was just about the explorers and tied in primarily with US history. They learned about the explorers, what was going on in North America that drew them & what was going on in Europe and Asia at the same time. When I studied ancient Egyptians it was just that area. These kids learned about ancient Egypt, ancient China, ancient India - the Incas, the Mayas, the Aztecs etc the same year so they had a world view. Of course, once they are out of middle school they pick their history courses and the topics are narrower. In any case, they received a nice base and my grandchildren enjoy history.
In 6th grade they do a genealogy unit and have to research their own heritage ending in a written report, an oral report, visuals and a food.
It isn't easy for school systems to create their own curriculums as textbook companies control much of what goes on & they cater to the states that have a state system and not those who allow each district to decide how to meet the standards.
I had an outstanding US history teacher. She read to us from "Gone With the Wind" and talked about Teddy Roosevelt as if she knew him. Now looking back, maybe he was to her generation what JFK was to ours.
Mary
Mary
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When I was in the 8th grade, I had a fantabulous History teacher. God Bless you, Miss Lewis, wherever you are!
I did not recognize her as causing my love of History for some years, as many of us at that school did not. Funny, but she was a shy and insecure person, and teenage girls could sense that a mile away and we were all over it. But comparing notes years later, we all realized what a great teacher she was.
She taught us what was then called ENGLISH HISTORY. Actually, it was a history of the English speaking peoples, and basically of England. She had gimmicks to help us learn and remember stuff, and she did not spare us the grusome. Being just barely teenagers, that helped a lot. Divorced, killed, died, divorced, killed, lived. Henry's six wives. That kind of thing. Remember, remember the 5th of November. Thank you, Miss Lewis; I always have and I always will.
Jean, if I had my life to live over again, I would teach History. I envy you your being able to do that.
Speaking of English History, and being in the Mystery forum, is there anyone at all in here who has not yet read Josephine Tey's THE DAUGHTER OF TIME?
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Mary: I'll bet she taught you the same jingle I learned for remembering the British kings:
"Willie, Willie, Harry, Ste ..." (for William the Conquerer, William II, Henry I, Steven ''').
My ambition is to write a similar one for US presidents. I roughed one out once, but it wasn't very good and I've lost it. It started:
Georgie, John and Jeff makes three
Madison, Monroe, and John Quincee.
And goes downhill from there.
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The ditty i learned for the Federalist presidents was Washington And Jeff Made Many A Joke: Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Adams, Jackson.
Jean
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My sons focus is on Viet Nam and a little of Korea. Since he was airborne, he also has quite a library on airborne and the history of it. Viet Nam truly interests him and I try hard not to mention it, since I am so anti Viet Nam..
I love English History. Where I think schools fall down is that Africa has a history and yet you never see classes in that part of the world.. We learn that China is an ancient civilization, but nothing about the other parts of that world. Makes you wonder if we learned more, we would understand better why they react the way they do.
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I agree, Steph. The focus when I was in school was on Western Civilization with only lightly covering a smattering of other cultures. Even the Western Civ had some big holes, like Scandinavian history apart from the Viking Invasions, and Eastern European history before WWI. The only history we learned, barely, involving India and Africa was that they were colonized. China was just highlights of ruling dynasties, Japan practically nothing other than Matthew Perry initiating the opening up of trade. Nothing about Australian or most of the South American countries, little about Canada other than what related to the American Revolution and the French and Indian Wars.
China all by itself would probably take a couple of years for anything really in depth. It must be hard to choose from all the world history which should be included and which not given the time constraints. The best a teacher can hope for is to instill in students a life long curiosity/interest in history, or any subject for that matter. After all these years, I still have big gaps in general historical knowledge of places around the world.
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The mnemonic for presidents I learned was "Washington and Jefferson made many a joke; Van Buren had to pay the fiddler." Our geology teacher (freshman year) had some amusing ones too, but I know longer remember them.
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The more we learn about other cultures and history, the more we will understand the differences in the way we live.
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Right on!
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Absolutely. Sociologists have a saying: the fish can't see the water it swims in. Only by getting out of the water and looking back, can one see it.
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Seems like we in the UK studied a lot more about other part of the world than in US schools. Even in American schools today they seem to teach less. Even American history has fallen off. Guess they can now just (google) what they need to know.
Not as much fun though.
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When i had college students from outside the U.S., they often knew more U.S. history than some of the students educated here. Some knew an amazing amount of details about our history.
Jean
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Britain is so small but for so long we had all the commonwealth countries and so we where taught all about those. India.parts China. Africa. NZ. Aust. Many islands. I think that most those people taught about the u.k also. Most called it their Mother country..
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I needed to get a new fly swatter yesterday so I stopped into the local dollar store. I came out with Preston and Child's, The Wheel of Darkness. The price was right.
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;D and you can use it to swat the flies as well.
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I think they dwell too intensely on the various periods of American History and have to give up. We never got to WWII when I was in high school nor anything after that, but we did memorize the major battles of WWI. Who does that today? You have to pick and choose your history, there's too much, to cover in great depth, even in this young nation of ours.
We, as children in Pennsylvania, also memorized every Indian tribe of the area, how they lived, what they wore, etc...I doubt sincerely there are few people in the world who today could name even one Pennsylvania Indian tribe. We spent an inordinate amount of time on the Revolution and almost none on the Civil War. I wonder if there is a national standard for teaching history. I am pretty sure the battles of WWI are forgotten in today's high schools but I may be wrong.
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Ginny - Delaware and Tuscarora and Lenape .... ;D
Generally wars are taught as causes and results. You're right there is not enough time to teach every battle, or even many battles. Of course, all Penna kids get to go to Gettysburg - or they used to, i realize that most school districts don't fund field trips any more.
Jean
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I've been casually looking for more into on the local Indian tribes, Jean. It started as a hunt for Mom who was interested in the local tribes and the Amish. Most of what I find are bits and pieces.
I remember Gettysburg when we were still allowed to crawl all over Devil's Den.
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Because you, Jean, are from the area. Am I right?
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Just finished a mystery that I liked a lot, but it's a specialized taste. "The Tooth Tatoo" by Peter Lovesey. I loved it because the four main characters are the four members of a string quartet, and that is one of my favorite forms of classical music. Much of the book was about how it feels to play the great works of Beethoven and others. If you are not a classical music lover, this may not hold your interest, as it did mine.
It added to my interest that one of the clues was a netsuke, the small Japanese ivory carvings that a number of us in seniorlearn read a book about not too long ago.
I'll definitely try more of Lovesey's, altrhough I gathered the emphasis on music is unique to this book.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/peter-lovesey/
I remember reading a book years ago by an Israeli author with a similar theme, but I can't remember what it was.
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I have always loved everything by Peter Lovesey. I find he and I share much the same sense of humor. His mysteries are always also very funny.
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This one is serious. but looks like I have to read them. Which series do you like?
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Yeah Ginny, but i didn't learn anything about the Native Americans in public school. I thought of Tuscarora (how do you spell that?) bcs of the tunnel/mountains on the Pa turnpike. I learned about the others as an adult in NJ.
Jean
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I knew of the existence of local tribes fairly early, but never anything about them other than there had been an encampment close to where I grew up at the convergence of the Yellow Breeches Creek and the Susquehanna River. The owner of an Indian jewelry store in New Cumberland my Mom liked was a member of a local tribe. The father of one of my girl friends in high school was a full blood Indian of the Turtle Clan whom I associated with the Delaware Indians, although I now know that many of the Eastern tribes had Turtle Clans. What a handsome man he was: tall, straight, square-jawed, and dignified.
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I guess the way American history is taught depends on where you live. In Tennessee in the 40s we never got past the War between the States (local designation).
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Lovesey is all over with what he writes, but I like him and have read quite a few of his. Never heard of that one however.
I came from Delaware, but remember being told that the Delaware tribe was actually in Pennsylvania. Sensible Indians came to the peninsula to harvest oysters, etc, but went back to te mainland to live.. less mosquitos..
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Ginny . Not taught about WW2 Maybe that is why some US students were asking ."
" Who were we at war with then"
Floored me when I heard that.
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In high school, 30+ years ago, one of our daughters history teachers taught US history 'backwards', starting with Vietnam. He said otherwise they'd never get to that era, and they'd already had stuff about the Civil War and the Revolution. Definitely different.
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MaryZ, I love that way of history. Seems to me, we did the revolutionery war over and over.. but I do know when I started in genealogy, I ran into a lot of Indian information from the east coast, that I never had even heard of before. King Philips war for example.. Learned a lot of American history from researching my family.
Cara Black. The further I get into Marais, the harder it gets to read. Whew.. This is one intense lady.
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If each of us was able to trace all of our lines back, and by "line" I mean the direct descent of each and every one of our ancestors, sooner or later we would all find ourselves a bit of everything. That is my sincere conviction because the math itself proves it.
In my lines, through my mother's great grandmother, I have Mohawk blood. A French Canadian ancestor, and my mother referred to him as a Canute, but I understand this term is not politically correct these days, named Collier married a Mohawk squaw and they settled in the Au Sable Forks Valley in northern New York near the Canadian border. My mother's mother was of English stock and my mother's father was almost pure Irish. These peoples had settled the Au Sable, Jay, Mohawk and Champlain valleys prior to the Revolution, and mother was a member of the DAR from one of these. Those valleys were Mohawk territory. The Mohawks were one of (some say) 5 or (some say) 6 tribes of the Iroquois nation; the only Native Americans with a written language.
I can prove my ancestry, so supposedly I could get on the tribal rolls; I do not actually know what it takes. The Mohawk tribe is officially in Canada these days. I have no desire to prove anything to anyone, except my children, who will inherit the family papers. And I feel my blood ties are way too watered down now for me to claim to "be" a Native American. But I do not hesitate to say proudly that I trace back to peoples who were here long before this continent was "discovered." Sort of pleasures me. My ancestor's name, for she was given one acceptable in her husband's community, was Phoebe Collier.
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MaryPage, I agree that we all have bits of everybody in our heritage. One comment, though. The Cherokees from our area (the ones forced on the infamous Trail of Tears) also had a written language.
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"sooner or later we would all find ourselves a bit of everything."
Clearly true, if we're all descended from Adam and Eve. I like knowing who my ancesters were so I can find out a little of how they lived, what there lives were like. But it irritates me when people play the "my ancesters are better than yours" game. Human nature being what it is, I figure we all have about the same mix of really fine folk and real stinkers. And (as PatH points out), we all have the same mix of our ancestors not being who we think they are.
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Membership in many tribes depends on how diluted your blood is from the original Indian. Has to do with the tribal payments to tribe members.
I loved doing my genealogical background. A little bit of everything, but a good deal of Dutch and German on my paternal line.. They spoke Dutch and German at home until the mid 1800's.. Upstate New York..
Finished Death in the Marais.. Whew.. hard to finish.. Powerful, but I will put off her next one for a while.She is a bit too gory for me.
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A gentleman I used to work for always stated, proudly, that one of his ancestors was a horse thief! I thought to myself, if that's the best brag he can come up with, well.... history being what it was, I would imagine we all had a horse thief in there somewhere, LOL!
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" I would imagine we all had a horse thief in there somewhere, LOL!". Got that right!
I'm reading "Wobble to Death" by Lovesey, and so far, I love it. It's about a walking contest: who can walk the furthest in six days. Apparently these were really held in England in the 1880s: the record was 600+ miles. Can you imagine?
Since it's called "wobbling", I imagine they use the funny-looking gait that race walkers in the Olympics now use. It's a real sport, but they look so funny, it's difficult to take them seriously.
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Race walking is truly hard to do, but if you want to drop weight, wow,, it will do it.
Lovesey is a funny funny man.
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I like the two books I read: one funny, one serious. He's good with men: he writes about women as though they're alien creatures from a strange planet that he's read about, but never known.
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600 miles in Britain. That takes in England.Scotland and wales. That is doing something in 6 days.
Will say that "rambling" as we called it is still a big thing. More clubs than ever.
Most all land is open to the public .one can pass over making shortcut easy. Always surprised me in the USA seeing all the fences and KEEP OUT SIGNS.
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I know that MDH and I always talked of going on a long hike in the countryside in Britain. There are several touring companies, that plan it. take your luggage from place to place and give you maps, etc.Never got the time though.
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Reading the new Deborah Crombie "The Sound of broken Glass." I was excited when I saw it in the library: her last one was so good. This one isn't.
She has the problem of a lot of series writers: she wants the characters from her earlier books to be in this one too (as do her readers) but they get to be too many. So far, I've counted 12 from earlier books, that she has to construct little subplots for, or at least tell you how they are doing, and the main plot is getting lost in the shuffle. (Or maybe, this is just the lazy way of making a book out of a short story).
In any case, don't read it if you haven't read all her others. Crombie fans (like me) will want to read it to see how so-and-so is doing.
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Janet Evanovich does that as well and although some of her character are fun, I am truly sick and tired of Lula..
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I think she should make up her mind which man she wants to sleep with. The men don't seem to care. Each seems to know.
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I agree that Stephanie needs to be decisive about her men, but am sure that Evanovich has too many readers on either side to let her choose.. Thats the trouble with series..
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Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini, our mystery story husband and wife, have a new book out "The Bughouse Affair". It features a man and woman detective duo in San Francisco in the 1880s. They are aided by a man claiming to be Sherlock Holmes (they don't believe him since Dr. Watson has written that Holmes was killed by Moriarty).
Wooden writing and slow plot make this not as much fun as it should be. And I think they cheated on the solution to a locked room mystery. But I'd certainly try another one, if there is one. The detectives' reaction to Holmes' endless pontificating is funny. And the description of San Francisco of the time.
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I am a huge Marcia Muller fan.. but surprised to hear of wooden dialogue, etc. Probably will try it, since I do like hr so much. He is OK.. not great, but generally worth reading.
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STEPH: let me know what you think. it may be me: I seem to criticize everything I read lately. Maybe I'm just grouchy.
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Dont worry, I have been grouchy for weeks. Think it is the weather.. I checked notes and I have one that says Marcia writes better by herself, and she has in fact done at least one other book with her husband and I did not like it. So we will see.
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I think it's the weather, too. Where's a good funny read when you need one.
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Just finished another Inspector Gamach novel by Louise Penny. I think it's about my fifth book in this series. I obviously really enjoy these novels. The characters build with each book, so it is helpful to me to read them in order; although each can be a stand alone. The first one in this series is Still Life. Thank you to the person on this sight that introduced me to this author.
Sally
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Ihave not read the latest Penney, but will in bit. She is a good writer and always interesting. I do laugh, her little village is like Miss Marples.. Lots of crime for a teeny spot.. Still its fun.
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Joan, you mentioned the weather's effect on your temperment, a friend and i who both have chronic pain issues were commenting this week that for a month or so everyone we know who has pain - fibromyalgia, migraines, back pain, etc have had worse pain. We determined it can't be anything other than weather and the constant changing pressure. Have any of you experienced this?
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I have had bad pain in my shoulder, but thought it was because I strained it.
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Absolutely, Jean. I've suffered with it for 38 years now...changes in weather pressure bring lots of pain to my joints. This entire spring has been very, very bad. We here in Iowa have had so many different weather fronts through...and everyone I know with arthritis, fibro, etc. has suffered, as you say.
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I know that I am really suffering from .Lazyitus. I cant blame it on weather as the last two days I could have gotten lots done. I just keep playing around. Fun things.
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This spring for several weeks my back was giving me trouble (more than usual). Since yesterday, I have a pain across the top of my foot I cannot attribute to anything yet.
The biggest pain, however, is the mystery of why my wireless isn't staying connected or won't connect and which device is causing it. The modem has been dropping out and resetting some, but with the wireless connected it really screws things up. I've been spending two days looking at new wireless routers and modems. I may try to do a reset back to the factory settings on the modem, so if I disappear for a few days, it will be because I really made a mess of it.
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I have been out of sorts for several weeks and two days ago started sneezing,coughing, headaches.. I assume something is in bloomthat is unusual.. I knowI did not have the problem up here in the mountains last year,so I think all the rain here has made something bloom that is not generally blooming. Bah..
On the other hand, my wireless printer insusts it is not communicating with the computer.The computer on the other hand insists it is communicating with the printer.. Sigh.. I may have to uninstall the printer and reinstall it.
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I hope you all are right about the weather being the cause of some many of our aches and pains. So maybe this fall, when things settle down, we'll feel better. I've been blaming everything on the arthritis, but the knees, never good, seem to have picked up some new painful wrinkles. Hurts to walk, but can still peddle. Come on, sun.
Time seems to have gone away. I've got a couple new free mysteries from BookGorilla on my kindle, but can't find a time to just settle in and read.
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Steph, I don't know if it will help with the printer, but when I have to reset the modem or wireless router, I have to shut everything down, pull the power plugs, wait 30 seconds or so, re-plug and restart. It is warm and humid up here on the second floor even with the AC going, so I guess the weather is wreaking havoc on the equipment as well as me. At least my foot is feeling better, not gone completely, but better.
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We're having a hot spell here, which is miserable for some folks, but great for me. I don't mind the heat, and my shoulder feels better. But I admit to missing rain. I called PatH yesterday when it was raining, and she opened her door for me and let me listen to the rain over the phone. Is that pathetic? Sigh.
No new mysteries till I finish a long non-fiction book.
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It was a really heavy rain. Made a sound worth hearing.
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It's been raining here off and on for several days. I'm ready for a complete day of sunshine.
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The humidity is what gets me. This is an old house. The humidity creeps in, and the air conditioning can't keep up with it. In fact, the air conditioning has a hard time keeping the temps down up here on the second floor. The walls are uninsulated (except the bathroom which I had remodeled several years ago). Unfortunately, I can't have insulation blown in because if the plaster walls have to come out, the insulation will be all over the place.
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Joan K, thank you for recommending Wobble to Death by Peter Lovesy. I had never read one of his, it's really engrossing, and kind of hard to put down. I read half of it last night (it's not that long a book) and wanted to keep on this morning. It sure throws you right in the middle of that strange walk/race thing I've seen at the Olympics, and is amazing, really.
Of course I have no idea who dun it and never do, (tho I have my suspicions) but it's fascinating stuff. One thing I'm not understanding is the score card at the end of each chapter. I don't know what the category of LAPS means. Some will have 0 tho many miles walked, and some will have 2 or something. Will it spoil the plot if you tell me? Is that laps left to go or what IS that?
It's an amazing thing. After WWII people walked across whole countries, which is absolutely astounding to me, and here these people are walking amazing miles, much farther than a marathon in 6 days. So far, I agree, I love it.
Thank you for recommending it. I get the best recommendations here!
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J. D. Robb's newest book is quite interesting. Delusion in Death. The premise sounds gruesome, and it would be in real life, but the resultant investigation is very interesting.
People at a happy hour in a bar suddenly become angry, aggressive, delusional, attacking each other with what ever is available. It lasts for about 12 minutes and then stops. Is it a terroristic group, has an individual concocted some compound they can put in the air, is it a revenge of competition among the companies or prople who work in the area? How is the compound delivered? Is the perp in the area? Is it a reinitiating of the "old" Urban War from 2015? Will it be duplicated by the perp? when and where?
Sorting out all those facts makes the story compelling, but Roberts (Robb) does a nice job of weaving in Eve's and Roarke's feelings from the past. There is also a little break in Somerset and Eve's battles. I'm enjoying it and think it may be one of the best of the series.
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GINNY: thank you for the kind words. That's what this discussion is for.
I was completely confused by the "laps" column too. I wanted it to mean number of laps of the course completed that day, but that didn't seem to fit the numbers they give.
Does anyone else know?
I've started an interesting series by Rhys Bowen. The first one is "Murphy's Law". A young Irishwoman immigrates to America in the 1880s, and becomes a suspect when another immigrant is murdered on Ellis Island during the intake process.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/rhys-bowen/
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
JoanK, I love Rhys Bowen. I have read several in the Molly Murphy series. Thank you for reminding me about this author---more books to put on my tbr list!
Sally
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Aha, you mention the laps and I remember reading the book and being totally bewildered by the laps a the end of each chapter. Now I cannot remember if they were ever explained.
I loved the J.D. Robb. fascinating premise.
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JoanK, thanks for reminding me about Rhys Bowen. She also wrote the Royal Spyness and the Constable Evans series. I bought Mom a Constable Evans book some time ago, but she had trouble, at that point, following multiple story lines. I never got around to reading it or any of the others. I am particularly interested in Constable Evans because of the Welsh setting.
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Thanks, JoanK and Steph. I've finished the book and still don't see an explanation for the "Laps," but it was a fun read, and quite different. I enjoyed it. As always, I failed to guess the real murderer, but I enjoyed learning about Pedestrianism, and I now find out there are ultramarathons today. Lots of them. Not sure where I've been, but I'm glad to know about them.
On reading further I found astounding facts on this (to me) little known sport. One man in the 1800's walked one mile an hour for 1000 hours. That's just unbelievable.
I'm going to try another Lovesy, had never heard of him, and apparently this is the first of 8 in a series.
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JoanK and Ginny, my library didn't have Wobble to Death, though it has a lot of other Peter Lovesy titles. I've read a few. And today I needed to pad out my Amazon order for free shipping -- valences for the bedroom, so the Lovesy was just perfect. Good recommendations and a good price. (But that blows my book-buying resolution -- NOT TO)
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Me, too. It looks like he's done one on crew, if that's what you call rowing, which Ruth Rendell recommends, and all kinds of interesting stuff with this Victorian detective, Cribb. They are very cheap (I guess because they are oid). I love the covers of the paperback 2008 reprints, and look forward to reading another great one on a subject i know absolutely nothing about.
When you figure out what the "Laps" are, (and I know you will), let us know! :)
What do you all think about Carol Higgins Clark? I read one of hers on my last trip and enjoyed it?
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I think I read one of hers but have no memory of it. That's not as negative as it sounds: my memory is getting really bad.
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I've read most of CHC's books and like them a lot.
Jean
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Have read most, if not all, of Peter Lovesey's books. I love him for a good yarn, but also because he is so very funny. I can remember laughing out loud in some of his books.
I am really excited because I have found a new mystery writer whom I love. Am just a ways into the first book of his, THE SNOWMAN by Jo Nesbo, and I am so enamoured I have this very day gone on line and ordered 4 more of his Inspector Harry Hole books from ThriftBooks. I find they always have almost everything I am looking for, and el cheapo.
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Have a Glorious Celebration of this grand day for us all!
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I love Peter. He is truly funny sometimes.. Not that big a fan of CHC.. I have read several of them, but they are sort of forgettable.
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MaryPage, I may have to give Jo Nesbo another try. My daughter gave me his Nemisis a few years ago, but I just really couldn't get into it. Guess I was tired of borderline alcoholic detectives with dicey love lifes.
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MaryPage, Guess I was tired of borderline alcoholic detectives with dicey love lifes.
Amen, pedln. ;D
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They do seem to be popular, don't they. "The Snowman" sounds familiar. Where is it set?
And isn't it great that mystery writers can appeal to a wide variety of tastes.
Had a problem with my library last week that PatH has been complaining about for years with her library. I got a Rhys Bowen Royal Spyness book out and was looking forward to trying it. But it smelled so strongly of some perfume I'm allergic to that I couldn't read it. I think it's some bug spray or cleaner they used. I tried it again yesterday after a week, and it was better, but still not readable.
This is only the second time I've had that problem, but PatH says it happens to her all the time. We are both allergic to a number of cheap perfumes: they cause our throat to close up so that we have trouble breathing.
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Not as bad now as when lots were smoking and the books stayed in their homes. I suppose could do what they tell us for bed bugs on books. Just spray a little and put in MW for a second . ( not on high)
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what is MW?
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Oh, I guess you mean "microwave"! I was having a "moment"! Won't the MW melt the glue that holds the pages?
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Must not as it was the library that told me to do it on the problem with the bed bugs. It is just a second . MW heat is different from dry oven heat.
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When I was a child, there was a notice inside the books saying 'if this book has come into contact with anyone with an infectious disease, please notify the librarian' - I was always desperate to have reason to do this, so I was almost pleased to have had measles so that I could. I have no idea what they then did with the book.
When my mother was a child she had scarlet fever and was taken to a sanatorium. On leaving, her one and only doll was confiscated and destroyed. She has never forgotten that. I wonder if any of this ever did any real good - surely most infectious diseases (I know that is not what you were talking about above) are spread primarily in the air?
Rosemary
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The Snowman takes place in Oslo, Norway and is about a serial killer who calls himself The Snowman because he leaves one at each kill site. The books are translations, which just amazes me because they are SO very well written. I love a book that just carries you right along; sort of like one of those rafting trips through the white water where you hang on for dear life and trust the pilot to get you through, in the meanwhile getting a kick out of where you are and what you are seeing. This book is written by a man, not a woman, and is not a cozy. It is quite bloody.
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Rosemary,, I too wondered about contagious diseases and books, etc. I know that both of my sons had chicken pox. and the teacher sent home books and homework. and we returned the homework when they finished, so the teacher mustnot have worried.. Lepers used to not be able to even write to their families since the contagion was very high.
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That rule for lepers was totally unnecessary, since leprosy is actually not very contagious--needs prolonged close contact.
Jeanne--spray a little and microwave a second: spray with what?
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I suppose just any mild thing other than bleach is ok. Cold . Now for years I have always kept a large bottle of hydrogen peroxide 3 percent mix with half water on my kitchen sink. Safest .best .mildest antiseptic there is. hurts nothing. Cleans great. I just spray sink all around were I have worked daily. Done this since Ww2in UK? Get a cut on it goes.
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That's an excellent idea. It's totally safe, since it breaks down to water after it's sprayed.
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Hansons Disease ( leprosy) was once so feared.They isolated the people and never tried to reintroduce them to the general public. Now they understand it and all of the asylums as far as I know are gone.. It is not contagious, but way back noone believed that. I read a book many years ago written by someon who came to the asylum in Louisianaas a teen, married there and lived out her whole life.. Sad..but interesting.
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I was thinking that the one in Louisanna still open as a hospital.
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Read the first "Her Royal Spyness" mystery by Rhys Bowen and loved it. The protagonist is a minor Royal (34th in line for the throne) who is trying to escape from a life of hanging around cold castles waiting to marry a minor prince whom she cant stand. Unfortunately she is broke and not allowed to "work! heavens!" Of course she finds a body.
It's hilarious. Unfortunately, I bought the next in the series from kindle (A royal Pain) late at night and got another book by the same name by mistake. Didn't find out my mistake until I couldn't find it in my alphabetical by author list -- too late to return it. 9.99 off my book allowance.
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I've got the Snowman, maybe I'll move it up to the top of the pile while waiting for the next Lovesy. The Royal Spyness sounds so cute, JoanK, I'll put it on my list too.
I've been seeing Bad Monkey around everywhere and I've seen everybody here talking about Hiassen but have never read one. I read some of the Bad Monkey online, in those preview things and liked it. I like the way he writes.
Which of Hiassen would those of you who know him recommend for a first read of his? Which stands out for you? I would rather read a paperback and the Monkey is not in paperback here.
(Too bad I'm not in London, that ability to put books in paperback when all we can get is hardback is amazing, and I love the editions.) I was just in Memphis and can attest that the Hudson (books and sundries in airports, not many books as junk) chain would suffer if WH Smith moved in. In Heathrow a couple of weeks ago there's a stand alone WH Smith with only books to complement the big WH Smith, with drinks, magazines, junk just across the way. It was full of people too. Too bad nobody likes to read any more.
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Hiassen, I have read all of him except the new one. He is funny. Dive in anywhere, but for my favorite character,, you should start at the beginnin to see how an ex governor became the character in the swamp.. Hiassen also writes a column in Miami and that one is mostly serious, since Florida politics in many ways is the weirdest of all areas..
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Thank you! Do you know the name of the first one? Don't you wish it would quit raining? I don't know what to think because it's soo nice and cool for walking, and on the few days the sun does come out it's blistering.
Maybe since it's July I need to be thankful! :)
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Is this the author?
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/carl-hiaasen/
STEPH: Which series has the ex governor in the swamp?
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The ex governor is in all the books in the only series. The stand alones are clear. I wish I could tell you the first book, but I do know that Amazon generally has a place where they list them.. I just started a book that I am pretty sure someone here recommended.. John Hart "The King of Lies". Only 35 pages in and I am sucked into several forms of mystery.What a treat. A southern author I have never heard of or read. He is good.. Hooray. I love finding new authors
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Finished THE SNOWMAN, and loved it. Have to warn you, it is not for the faint of heart. It is not often that a book, for crying out loud, can get my heart to beating as hard as do the scary parts in a movie. But this Norwegian is a Good Story Teller!
I can usually type into Google: list books by ____author's name_____
and it will give me sites that do just that.
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Steph, I read John Hart's The Last Child. It was very good. I'll put The King of Lies on my tbr pile.
Sally
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MaryPage -- There is a site, Stop You're Killing Me, that lists mysteries by author or character in order of publication. Then, when you click on the link for the book, you are taken directly to Amazon. It's located at: http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/ (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/). It's an easy to find books in a series.
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Thank you all about the Hiassen. Yes, that's him, JoanK, thank you for the link: I see he's on tour, too.
That looks like a super link, Winchester Lady, I think we need it in the heading for other authors, too, so MANY mystery authors!!! All I see on the page is non series. I think I will start with his Tourist Season, because it's the first one apparently he wrote in the mystery field about Florida and go from there.
I'm well into Swing Swing Together or whatever Lovesy's Victorian mystery about the rowers is called. I love a book which starts with a poem or quote, he does the Victorian era so well, and don't want to put this one down either. I'm going to try Hiassen and if I can't get the first one, I'll pick one I can get. :)
Also love the idea of The King of Lies, I'll look for it. I am so enjoying having the time for pleasure reading and such a pleasure it IS~! I need to structure my year with more of this, it's so fun.
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STEPH and GINNY: Stop Your killing Me is in the heading, along with another one, Fantastic Fiction.
FF lists four series for Hiaasen. But "Skink" has the most books.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/carl-hiaasen/
(It doesn't hurt that Hiaasen is so good looking).
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I picked up ( The Snowman )today. Have one more book before starting it.
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Skink is the exgovernor.. He is in most of the books, sometimes important, sometimes not.
The John Hart. Thus far no characters that are cheerful or up.. Hmm. I may read this in segments, since I can only take depression up to a point and then need relief from it. Good book, good writer, but a downer.
You can really start anywhere with Hiaasen. I saw him on Today promoting the new book.. He always makes the point, that they may be funny, but it all comes from things in Florida, just a bit overdrawn..
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By the way, the links I post when we mention an author if you scroll down list their books by detective and order. I'm with those that prefer to read the books in order, although if I see a book in the library that looks interesting, I'll pick it up.
Did that with the last book I read "When Maidens Mourn" by C. S. harris. About a couple in the Regency period of England (1812). A lot of background that reveals what happened to the couple in earlier books. By an author of Regency romances. Stayed up to finish it, but don't think I'll read another. Good historical background, but not my style somehow.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/c-s-harris/
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
The Hart mystery is really wild. I just want to reach out and shake the narrator. He is scared of his own shadow or something. A very very damaged man.. but then the police woman is not a rational human either.
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I appreciate all the lists. It looked to me as if Tourist Season was one of his first ones so I got it today but I have to admit, shame on me, that I read so much more of Bad Monkey online I wanted to see how it ended and the local Ingels store had it at 40 percent off, so I got it, too.
I'm also glad to see that list in the heading, it's really a good one, I didn't even look!!!! hahaaa
I went on a bit of a binge today actually with books.
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And I went on a binge with chocolate. Your binge is healthier!
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Tourist season is funny as I recall.. Hmm chocolate and books. my two favorite indulgences.
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Especially when enjoyed together!
I'm still working through "Her Royal Spyness" books. Usually, I don't let myself read two in a row by the same author; I get tired of them. But sometimes I get hooked.
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Finished the King of Liars..Fascinating writer. But a complicated story. At the end, I was into him, but I still think he was a wimp... The women in that story were the strong ones.. Even his sister.
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I'm reading Dorothy Cannell's The Thin Woman which i think someone mentioned here.
It's a good read, except for the premise of the book - "the thin woman" :) ........ I get exasperated at her talk of dieting and the food she eats or can't eat, and the need for a woman to be thin and always thinking about food. I wonder if i had read it 50 yrs ago if it would disturb me so much. I recognize that we all need to be healthy, but the focus on THIN these days is psychologically and physically UNhealthy to many.
Of course, i may be biased, i was so skinny when young , in the days of Marilyn Monroe's figure being the ideal, and i was soooooo conscious of being SKINNY, i hated it! I am now overweight, but don't worry about it much except i have a pounds number that i won't go over and have kept a pretty steady weight for two decades. I figure that some where between 30 and 60 yrs old, i must have had an "ideal" figure for the time.........but i missed enjoying it. ;D ;D
Jean
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" i was so skinny when young , in the days of Marilyn Monroe's figure being the ideal, and i was soooooo conscious of being SKINNY, i hated it!"
We women can't win! I've fought to keep my weight down all my life. And surgeons say half their patients want breast enhancements, and half want breast reductions.
There are a number of more modern mysteries with the theme of an overweight detective. My mind blanks at the names for now.
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I never finished The Thin Woman because of the obsessing on food.. Just turned me off.
I too was skinny, flatchested and wore glasses. Definitely not the ideal in the 50's, but I survived,fell in love and enjoyed my life. Now I am a bit overweight, but dont really care. At 75, I seem healthy and do a lot to keep this way. I think that major overweight is dangerous,but I also think it is most important to keep active.
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Exactly: it's health that's the point, not weight or looks.
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I have read a small series that uses an overweight woman as a detective.. Her boyfriend/husband is in a wheel chair. Fun reads. and if my brain worked I could tell you the author.
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How can one say, "this book is too good to be a first novel?" Too complex, too compelling?
I never heard anyone say that about Harper Lee or Margaret Mitchell. But apparently a large number of self-made critics are saying that about Robert Galbraith's Cuckoo's Calling. Well, whatever they say it's going on my TBR list.
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PEDLIN: let us know what you think.
STEPH: that's the series I'm thinking of, too. And for the life of me, I can't remember the author's name.
There's another series where the narrator is a dorm manager for a thinly disguised NYU on Washington Square. Since my hubby did a postdoc at NYU, I enjoy it. Can't remember her name either.
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Steph, are you thinking of Sue Ann Jaffarian's books with Odelia Gray as the overweight detective. Too Big to Miss was the name of one of them.
Speaking of trying to remember books. Does anyone remember a book where the bride is pushed overboard by her husband. They were on a cruise ship. She is saved by a bail of marijuana that was floating by. It was an amusing story, but I can't think of the name or the author. Help!!
Sally
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Pedln, Robert Galbraith is the pen name of J K Rowling. She hadn't wanted that to leak out so soon because she wanted to see reviews that weren't tainted by her famous name and Harry Potter comparisons. Saw the news about it this morning on Huffington Post.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/13/jk-rowling-pseudonym-robert-galbraith_n_3592769.html
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Sally.. yes, yes Jaffarian.. Odelia is fun for sure.. The dorm supervisor.. Does not ring any bells.. Yes, J.K. Rowling set off quite a hunt..
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Yes, i liked Jaffarian's books.
Well, The Thin Woman turned out to be more interesting in the second half and i just ignored the rantings about food and fat. Part of what helped was the male character assuring her that she was just as interesting and appealing before she lost the weight. Way ti go Dorothy Cannell! Altho i almost gave it up before i got to that salvation.
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I guess the reviewer who thought the Galbraith couldn't be a first book was right. Wonder if they suspected the truth?
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I read an off-beat mystery. Extremely interesting:
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson.
A P.I. gets three new cases in one week. How the cases ,all cold now, intertwine in a very strange way.
I am a Mystery buff. read all kinds. Love Ann Perry. Met someone who knows her personally. What a woman she is.
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Dont like Atkinson.. Wish I did.. I think the critics were suspicous of the bio.. It was quite ornate.. former spy, etc.
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Well I love Kate Atkinson, albeit I have chosen NOT to read her latest. Jude, Case Histories was made into a TV miniseries, and you can get the DVD. I have really enjoyed that series of her books.
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The Rowling sleuths used some really intricate software to ascertain if she might have written Cuckoo's Calling. I hope technology will not take away the magic and thrill of starting a book, getting immersed in it.
That Case Histories sounds interesting. Think I'll try for the mini-series first. Atkinson's Started Early, Took my Dog is on my kindle. Looking forward to reading it someday.
Currently reading Louise Penney's first in the Three Pines series -- Still Life -- love it. Can't put it down. And that's a problem because Sharon McCrumb's Ballad of Tom Dooley is due back at the library tomorrow. I've had it for six weeks and can't get through it. I read the ending. Now just need to find out who done it before my f2f group meets.
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I managed to find " Tom Dooley" in large print .will start it next.
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Sally wrote: "Speaking of trying to remember books. Does anyone remember a book where the bride is pushed overboard by her husband. They were on a cruise ship. She is saved by a bail of marijuana that was floating by. It was an amusing story, but I can't think of the name or the author. Help!!"
Sally, I think the name of the book you're looking for is SKINNY DIP by Carl Hiaasen.
Marge
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JUDE: WELCOME! I love Anne Perry's books, too. What is she like, personally? I'm afraid my knowledge of her past would color my feelings toward her.
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Ordered a sample of Case Histories for my kindle. Ahhh, instant gratification!
I've been meaning to post: for those of you who like to read series in order and are kindle owners, Kindle helps you. If you're on a page in the store for a book in the series, look down under "customer reviews" (on my version- other versions may differ). You may se a line "Book extras -- 8 books in series" (or whatever number). If you click on it, it will tell you that the book you are looking at is number X in the series. If you click again, it will list all the books in the series in order. You can click on any name and get the page where you can buy that book.
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Or you can go to Fantastic fiction:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/kate-atkinson/
FF has four books in the series: Kindle says there are six. But when I click on the Kindle, it tells me to try later.
In any case, Case Histories is the first.
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Just finished a mystery by Marsha Clark (OJ Simpson's prosecutor): "Murder by Degrees". it's long (over 400 pages) but kept my interest. A prosecutor for the Los Angeles DAs office (what else) is angry when she sees that the man prosecuting the murder of a homeless man is not taking it seriously, and takes it over. It leads to resurrecting a cold case, and eventually threats on her life.
I liked it except for the food! The narrator lives in a hotel, and eats every meal (including breakfast) in a restaurant or room service. And she has to tell you what restaurant (it's like a restaurant guide to LA) and what she and her companions ate (and drank: they drink like fishes, every evening). She's always complaining about the small salary the prosecutors get. Well, DUH! No wonder she has money problems. And she'd be as big as an elephant! And in AA!
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LOL, JoanK!
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Marge, I think you are right. I love a book that makes you laugh out loud!
Sally
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I had forgotten that Hiaasen.. It was truly funny , he always writes in a lot of payback..
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Those are good tips, Joan. I always go to Google Search and type in:
list Jo Nesbo Harry Hole books in order
and it usually comes up perfectly.
in other words:
list ___name of author ___ name of hero ___ books in order
Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole books are my latest passion, and I suddenly own 7 of the 10 he has written. Two of the 3 I do not own are not yet available here, as they have yet to be translated from the Norwegian. The third I do not own is available, but only in hardback, and I have it on my list to get as soon as it comes out in paperback.
I read the Kate Atkinson WHEN WILL THERE BE GOOD NEWS on my iPad, and it will sit forever on the little bookshelf there. But I find I much prefer the real, in paperback if at all possible, book. I love to write in the margins, for one thing. And I love to pass them on to family members. And I love to go back and reference them and take them everywhere with me (while I am reading that book, of course; I do not take all of my over a thousand books on hand with me everywhere!) Both ways of doing one's reading have their pluses, but for me, a paperback still leads the parade.
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I've read only Jo Nesbo's THE SNOWMAN. One of the scariest books I've read in a long time. Plan to read more of Nesbo's Harry Hole thrillers.
I find it easiest when looking for a chronological listing of an author's books, to go to StopYoureKillingMe.com. A great place to find mystery books by author, characters, and other ways.
I've read only one book by Kate Atkinson long ago (Case Histories) and wasn't that interested in reading more of her books. However, I will try her WHEN WILL THERE BE GOOD NEWS because of your recommendation.
Marge
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Not much time for reading yesterday. I got to meet MaryZ inperson along with her husband.We had a wonderful day. It is such fun to get to personally meet someoneyou have been on line with for years.
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Aren't MaryZ and John delightful! We've met them when they were visiting family in S. Texas a couple years ago.
jane
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All this works both ways. We had a great time with Stephanie (and jane and Ray) - and it was fun meeting with Gracie and Duncan, too. What a fun lady to spend time with.
We stayed in Franklin overnight and drove the long way around getting home - the Blue Ridge Parkway, through the Great Smoky Mtn Nat'l Park, and on the Foothills Pkwy. We didn't get home until after 4.
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My very favorite road in the world is the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is such a joy in all seasons. The park is wonderful as well. We never missed stopping in Cades Cove. I did love it so much. I have somewhere a wonderful picture, I thought I was taking a picture of very pretty horse and lo and behold, when I looked closely,in back of the horse was a doe.. standing very very still..
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Only on the Blue Ridge Parkway one time. Can't remember the year. Do remember it was a beautiful drive until we got stuck on it because of a accident. Think stopped over 2 hours. Sort of fun. weather nice. People were getting out of their cars making visits.. Kids just our of them playing on the grass . Sharing drinks and food. Nice experience.
Was stuck in Dullas Airport one winter for again 2 days and that experience was about the same. All of us coming in from Europe. Many from Italy. AP ran out of food and many shared their Sausage and Wine. Makes travelling fun. Don't know if my patience would hold up now. But if have my IPad or a book would be O.K I think
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Just finished Back Roads by Susan Crandall. I guess she is primarily a "romance" writer, but this was an interesting mystery - w/ a bit too much romance for me, but i just glossed over that. A mysterious guy shows up in a very small town, an exuburant 18 yr old female had given him a ride into town. He has some previous connection to the town. He meets the woman sheriff who is agonizing about needing a life change - so, of course, he becomes her life change, but the 18 yr old disappears from a still-running car w/ a smashed window and keys, wallet and phone still in the car. Who is this guy? Why is he so closed about his past? What happened to the 18 yr old? Will the sheriff ruin her brother's political ambitions by pursuing the investigations? It was an easy, but interesting mystery.
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Sounds interesting.
I love the Blue Ridge Parkway. We always used to take a long weekend in the fall when the leaves were turning and drive it. I'll never forget.
My husband wanted to have his ashes spread there, but I took them to California with me instead. Didn't want to leave them behind.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
My husband loved where we sailed, so last January, the yacht club and my sons and families ad I spread them on the Lake.Asked permission , but didnt need it.
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A friend's husband died a number of years ago. She wanted to spread his ashes on the lake they loved so much behind their house. She asked permission of the Corps of Engineers (it's a CofE lake), and was refused. So she and two Episcopal priests got in a boat and did it anyway. They didn't figure anybody would challenge a couple of priests. She has since died, and I'll bet her ashes are there, too. :D
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I've been reading the Constable Evans mysteries by Rys Bowen. A small town in Wales, where almost everyone is named Evans (Evans the Post, Evans the Meat etc.) Our Constable (Evans the Law) is Evan Evans.
Lots of local color, and welsh phrases. The books are short: almost novellas. The library has tons of them.
The weakness is that Bowen has to keep importing people into the town to make a plot, or moving the plot outside.
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If anyone likes mysteries set in foreign countries I would suggest Collin Cotterill's series set in Thailand. Very clever and funny: "The Coroner's Lunch" is the first of the series about an elderly Coroner who also has to solve the mysteries.
The author has now started a new series about a female reporter in Thailand :"Grandad, There's a Head on the Beach."
Although they take place in Thailand they are called cozies and the author has been compared to McCall-Smith.
Got these in my library-and hope they're in yours as well.
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I really like Rhys Bowen's Molly Murphy series. I've read about 4 of them.
Sally
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I really like Cotterill's coroner series. they are very funny, but also, somewhat dark, as they portray a dismal situation in Laos. They have a magic element, too.
Didn't know about the new series.
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According to FF, "granddad" is the second in the new series: the first: Killed at the Whim of a Hat
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/colin-cotterill/
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Mary's
I was thinking that if buried at sea you had to go so many miles out. Can't understand why.
I went to one here where his cabin was on the local river running into the Ill. Then into the Miss. He had plans for going
To NewOrleans that week and so we all told him to have Good trip. Sure dif.feeling than at the funeral homes.
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Jeanne, the water I was talking about is an inland lake. I like the idea of your friend's "trip" to New Orleans. :D
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Thanks for mentioning Colin Cotterill's new series. I really enjoyed Dr. Siri. Our library had stopped ordering his newer books. I'll have to look and see what B&N has.
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Our Yacht club had several lawyers, they checked all sorts of laws and said.. scatter, noone cares, but they dont advertise it If the lake is small and belongs to the homeowners you must g permission from each landowner, but this was a large lake.
I dont like the Molly series, but may try the other one.
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I am in the middle of reading a mystery called Backyard Bones by Nancy Lynn Jarvis. The amateur sleuth and her husband are real estate brokers somewhere near the coast of California. I like the main character, a person who tends to be upbeat and cheerful, and I like the author's easy writing style.
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Will look her up. I love upbeat mysteries.
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I read "Backyard Bones" last night (couldn't sleep) and enjoyed it. Got another one for later.
Meanwhile, the Molly Murphy by Bowen is better than I thought. Just slow to get started.
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I cannot seem to catch up. Time is an enemy of mine this summer. or maybe I am getting slower ( hmm, oh well).
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I am reading The Rope by Nevada Barr. It was published in 2012 and says it is a prequel to the Anna Pigeon books. It has been quite a while since I read Barr; and I am enjoying this one. I have read almost of her earlier Anna Pigeon books, but haven't read any for quite a while. I'm glad that I checked this one out.
Sally
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SALAN: I'm glad you did too. I didn't know about it.
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I have
The Rope, but have never started it. She had gotten so graphic, that I stopped enjoyin Anna.. Too much torture, etc. But Iwill try again.
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Also, Anna's getting a little too "long in the tooth" for that type of escapade. ;)
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True! But I gather this is a prequel, when she was still "short in the tooth."
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:D :D :D
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I will definitely try to read this one.. But the newer ones.. no. she wrote excellent books until she decided that violence more and more of it was the way to go. I hate it when mystery writers do that.
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I agree, Steph. I quit reading Barr several years back because of the violence. I checked this one out because it was a "prequel". I am half-way through and it is good so far.
Sally
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I got a C. J. Box out of the library, but I don't know if I'll read it. I stopped reading him for the same reason.
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I know you folks have been on line foe eons.
I don't know if you ever discussed Tony Hillerman and his books about the Indian tribes in New Mexico and Arizona.
I am reading one now and find it relaxing rather than nerve wracking like so many other mysteries with too many corpses.
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Jude, we've loved Hillerman for years. I guess we've read all of his books. We've spent many wonderful hours and many gallons of gas driving the roads he talks about in New Mexico and Arizona. AAA publishes the Indian Country map, and we've worn out two of them. Geography is always one of his main characters. Also, he's so true to his subject, the Navajo consider him one of them.
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I love his books. I have several in hardback that I got on sale at B&N and have read them several times.
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We took our RV to Indian country just to follow his paths.. Hillerman is a gem or a writer. I even read one of his from Viet Nam.
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Some of Hillerman's books are better than others, but they're all pretty good. And you get such a good feel for the countryside and the Navaho people.
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We once attended an Elderhostel in Farmington, NM that studied the Navaho people and also had a class on Tony Hillerman's books. Best Elderhostle we ever attended. I looked forward to his books and am sorry there will be no more.
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I love his books too. You get such a feel for the country and people. I was disappointed in the TV adaptation. Somehow, I got more of a feel of the country from Hillerman's writing than I did from the photography on the TV. You feel every bump in the road.
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ursa, we've been to that one, too. It was a great one. Even with the wonderful Hillerman stuff, the high point for us was getting to hear a talk by one of the WW2 Navajo Code Talkers. What an honor!
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Wow!
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I'm almost finished w/ Carherine Coulter's THE TARGET. It's a Savich and Sherwood, FBI series mystery - altho housed in "fiction" at my library - but they have a very small role in this story. I think it's an early book in the series, Sherwood is newly pregnant. Coulter gives us another appealing couple, who come together after the women's dgt is kidnapped and is found by Judge Hunt, the male of the couple. It's a real roller coaster ride and i'm really enjoying it. They remind me a bit of Roarke and Dallas, J. D. Robb's couple. Hunt is just about as perfect as Roarke, altho not as rich - i guess noone is as rich as Roarke!
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The Target sounds good, Mabel. I'll look for it.
I just finished a very good book. MURDER by Parnell Hall. The Publishers Weekly review was right when they said "2nd Hall novel after DETECTIVE. His timid hero, NY City PI, Stanley Hastings recounts his new exploits here. By turns hair-raising and hilarious." Exactly! I'll be looking forward to his next mystery novel.
Marge
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I thought that Parnell Hall only did the crosswordtype mysteries. Will have to look for this series. Sounds interesting..
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The Crossword Puzzle lady mysteries, and funny videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LBfECGdGUc
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Just finished a Dorothy Parker mystery by some man. Not particularly good, but a lot of detail about New York in that period.
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Just started Dana Stabenow's A Cold Day for a Murder.
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Is that a new Stanbenow?
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers (http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=8402")
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
No, Mary. I think it is the first book in the series. I just checked to see if I had the title right. It should be A Cold Day for Murder. I had an extra A in there.
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A while back I decided to read the Stabenow books in order; I bought the ones the library didn't have. I much prefer her earlier ones when Kate lived as a native (they call it subsistence). This was so interesting to me. Now Kate lives in a Lindal cedar home the community built for her after soneone burned down her home. Hot showers and indoor plumbing; nice for Kate but not so interesting to the reader.
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I finished Nevada Barr's The Rope. I got tired of it before it finally ended. Too bad--it had been good for a while. I'm through with her for a while. I am reading a Louise Penny that I had missed. Somehow, this summer, I can't seem to stick with anything too deep. So I am sticking with my "go to" light mysteries.
Sally
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Sounds like an older Stabenow, but I know she did publish thisyear and have not seen it yet in paperback. I tend to buy her, since I like her Kate very much. Liam is good as well.
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I loved THE SNOWMAN so much that I bought all of Jo Nesbo's books that have so far been translated into English. Right now I am reading the first in the series: THE BAT. I love it! It is fabulous!
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I just finished Payback by Fern Michaels, the 2nd in the Sisterhood series. A group of women, bankrolled by one of them who is very wealthy, wreck revenge on people who have been able to avoid convictions of their crimes, or, in the first of the series, spirit away a woman who is about to be falsely convicted. You must suspend reality to enjoy the story, but they are enjoyable.
In this one they take on a husband, wife and son who own HMO's and deny every claim they can, meaning many people have died because they couldn't get treatment, or have lost everything trying to pay for their care. And they take on a senator who is a huge philanderer and gave his wife - one if the sisterhood - AIDS, but he's not aware he has AIDS.
The Sisterhood is lead by an ex MI6 spy who is now living in Va, with the wealthy woman, under a new identity. He has fitted out a secret room in their McLean mansion w/ every possible piece of technology and, of course, has fabulous "connections" to people throughout the world, including the queen and the White House. Even though one of the "Sisters" is an attorney, they have no regard for the law as they work their revenge.
The book needed an editor, all of who seem to have disappeared these days. Some of the problems may have been printing mistakes, but some was just bad grammar. I guess when you're rolling out 2 books or more a year, it's hard to perfect them. But it needed a story editor for more development of the story, it's a short book and just seemed to come to an end. I'll try another one in the series just because i like the story concept.
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The book needed an editor, all of who seem to have disappeared these days. Some of the problems may have been printing mistakes, but some was just bad grammar.
Isn't that the truth!! I'm aghast at what some are putting out in digital format. The authors sound as if they haven't passed 8th grade English, or at least 8th grade English as I was taught it.
I am pleased that a number of reviewers are commenting on the poor grammar and editing. I've seen that some of the authors have then "released" improved versions. Apparently some do read their reviews.
jane
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I too thought Jo Nesbo's SNOWMAN was great, MaryPage, altho' it scared the heck out of me. I'll put THE BAT on my TBR list.
I've read only one Stabenow book, the first, A COLD DAY FOR WINTER. It was a DNF for me. Maybe I should have given it more time, but after the first several chapters, I found I did not care for the main character and found the story boring. I much preferred WHITE HEAT by M. J. McGrath, also set in the Canadian arctic.
Marge
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I am enjoying A Cold Day for Murder, and am absolutely delighted that she has included an amateur radio operator in her story. She has this operator talking to King Hussein of Jordan who was indeed an amateur radio buff. In fact, a couple here in Camp Hill, also radio amateurs, were friends with the King. They had been to Jordan and when he was in the US they would have a f2f his schedule permitting. I have no idea if his son, the current king, is one or not. I never heard if he took up the hobby.
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FRY: many of the minor characters in her books are real people, thinly disguised. Not sure about Bobby, the amateur radio operator. But the real owner of the airline (I've forgotten what he was called in the book)was the subject of a reality show on Discovery channel the last two seasons. And there was a radio operator who appeared briefly who could have been the model for Bobby.
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I'm just now reading the 18th Kate Shugak mystery, 'Though Not Dead' - I very much enjoy Stabenow's books, though it took me a while, with the first one, to work out what she was talking about - however, I prefer books to be like this rather than spell out every last detail; it's more satisfying to have to 'work' for the information!
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Ilove Stabenow, but did not know that some of the characters are close to real people. She has such a strong sense of nature and the natives.
Fern Michaels has writtendozens of the Sisterhood novels. I have read several. They are fun for an afternoon and totally unrealistic, but still fun..She also writes all sorts of other novels as well, but they are mostly pure romance.
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I finished A Cold Day for Murder last night. While I figured out who did it earlier, the ending was still interesting. It is a bit sad to read about all the drinking and quiet (and sometimes not so quiet) desperation in which many of these people live. But they are balanced by those with an enterprising nature and/or pioneering spirit. I thought her grandmother's attitude toward the lives of the "outsiders" that died somewhat appalling but not too surprising. And, as with every era, we get a glimpse of the very real arguments between those who want things to stay the same and those who represent progress. I feel for Kate who, since she went outside to get a good education and worked and lived outside for a while, now is not particularly welcome at home nor does she feel comfortable on the outside.
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Kate gets stronger and more vibrant with each book.. Stabenow lets her characters grow up and learn.
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Thanks very much for the feedback on Tony Hlillerman. I will look into the Elderhostel too.
We also did a long trip into New Mexico and Arizona but without the maps. When we went to Taos, to the Pueblo village there we were befriended by an Indian Silversmith who we corresponded with for a few years.
If anyone is interested in Indian Lore there is a very good TV mystery series that takes place in Wyoming-"Longmire".:i
It deals with many aspects of life in Wyoming.Try to start at the first chapter and go from there. Enjoy.
I've never heard of Stabenow. What is a good book to start with?
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The Longmire series is based on the books about the character. Can't think of the author, but the books are good, too.
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Dana Stabenow and do start and read them in sequence. You get a better picture of her life.
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Craig Johnson is the author of the Longmire books. Yes, the books are good. All of us down here who started reading him before they decided to make a TV series, were so happy they did. We kind of quibbled with the casting though: Henry Standing Bear and Vic. Didn't know much about the guy who plays Walt, but he does great in that role.
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I think I will try one of the books, but I am not really a western fan.
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These are not really "westerns", Steph - just set in that area.
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I'm going to have to try and remember Craig Johnson, Tome. I didn't know the series was based on a book. I really like the show. Even though I haven't read the books, I was a little surprised to see Lou Diamond Phillips among cast of otherwise unknowns to me, I thought. I looked up Bailey Chase since he looked vaguely familiar. He was in Saving Grace which I used to watch. Robert Taylor was in Balleykissangel as Father Vincent Sheahan, so some of you may remember him. I never watch it. He was also in The Matrix as Agent Jones, but I don't remember that part. I didn't look up the others.
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I don't hear about anyone attending "Elder Hostel" anymore. Are they still goin? I thought that they started getting pricy and stopped getting their magazine
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I think Craig Johnson's latest book on Longmire is either his 11th or 13th, can't remember which right now. He has a website and does a short newsletter every now and then, which, for the most part, consists of anecdotes about his life as an author. He, like Louise Penney seems to be, is very down-to-earth and suprised by his following and the success of his novels.
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Jeanne, Elderhostel changed its name to Road Scholar several years ago. They wanted to get away from the idea that it was only for old people who stayed in dorm rooms. The programs are now available to any age adult. They are more expensive now because folks didn't want to stay in dormitories or places with "bathrooms down the hall" - they wanted nicer motels, etc., and more upscale amenities. Also many of them are more active now, emphasizing hiking, cycling, etc. Click here (http://www.roadscholar.org/) to get to their web site. We still participate in them - did one last year. The educational parts are still very good.
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Thanks Jude for mentioning Longmire. I'm so glad I found "Longmire" on Netflix. Really enjoying the series.
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Thanks for the info on the written Longmire series by Craig Johnson. I am going to the library today to see if they exist in my branch. Glad to know that someone besides myself and husband watches and likes this show.
Re: Elderhostel now Road Scholar. We have been on ten of their programs. The last one was especially good.: The Art Museums of Los Angeles. We stayed in a beautiful downtown hotel and visited four wonderful venues. Morning prep, great docents at the museums and lectures and movies about the museums in the evening. Outstanding food as well.
Am reading "Hornets Nest" by Patricia Cornwall. Not as good as her first few books. Full of clichés. Still I have to finish it to see what happens.
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Looks like Stabenow's first was "A cold day for murder"
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/dana-stabenow/
I've gone from a cozy village in Wales with the Evan Evans mysteries to a cozy village in Cornwall "The Valley of the Shadow" by Carola Dunn. I couldn't get into her Daisy Dalrimple mysteries, but I like this "Cornish mystery", an older woman and her niece, a policewoman. Smuggling and caves.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/carola-dunn/
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Thanks Mary
No wonder I don't get the Elder Hostel paper anymore. I did now sign up for whatever this co. Send out. Bet not as big as the one EH sent.
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Jeanne, the catalogs are bigger, and they send even more of them.
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I have been to a number ofRoad Scholar and particularly like them, because as a lone woman, there are other women always.. I get a single room because I really dont think I could room with a stranger, but it is not that much more.
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Except for the one SeniorNet bash I went to with Bob, I never shared a room at bashes or Elderhostels or any such. Just could not bear the thought, and hang the cost!
I did enjoy making friends, and have kept up with them. But sharing is a room too far for my sensibilities!
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I went to the library and found two books by Craig Johnson:
"Junkyard Dogs" and "Another Man's Moccasins".
They had one of Stabenow's books:
"A Grave Denied"'
However just browsing among the new books I found a really funny mystery. The author, Ruth Dudley Edwards, won The Last Laugh award for the funniest crime novel in 2008 for "Murdering Americans".
Her new one which I borrowed is called "Killing the Emperors" and it is indeed very humorous so far.
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Here's Dudley. If you like her, there's lots more books to read.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/e/ruth-dudley-edwards/
Help! I have 65 samples in my mystery collection on kindle, many of them books you all have suggested! Stop reading such good books!
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;D ;D i agree Joan!!! My lbrary has 6 Edwards books. I need a laugh, i may get all six.........
Jean
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Road Scholer. Now the ones I looked at if you went Single were about 40% more.
The one I would love to do is the 9 day one on the Queen Mary. "Emigrants and Ireland" But one has to pick it up in Ireland I believe and price starts at $5900. so that would be about $7000. I think.
That is the thing with them. If start start far from where one lives then you have the cost of getting there to add on. The 5 day ones are about $590 double If Illinois or Indiana. They are doing a couple.
I have only done a room with another person one time. She was even a friend but I didn't care for it. I have a hard time with my own family.
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We went on an Elderhostle that involved a cruise on a very small ship. I was glad I was with my husband; my bunk was four inches shorter than I am and the only way I could sleep was to put my feet in his bed. The toilet was two feet from my head. If either of us wanted to shower the other had to go sit in the lounge. This was too intimate even for a couple married nearly fifty years.
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Now thats a funny story. A very very small boat indeed. My Road Scholar trips have not been that expensive for a single, so it varies..
I will look up Edwards. I love funny mysteries.
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I crossed the ocean on the Queen Mary in 1963. It was boring: the weather was bad, and we couldn't go out on deck at all. Everyone else was seasick, so I didn't even have company. Of course, we were in the cheapest rooms: no entertainment provided. And it was Winter.
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Oh how sad, The Queen Mary in the upper levels was said to be gorgeous.
Ordered the Edwards book that won the prize. She has written a lot, I see.
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That sounds like us on the QEII one year but not trans Atlantic. It's interesting the difference in travel on the liners of the past and the ones today. Loved that, JoanK. At any rate my husband said never again. hahaha
Unfortunately I tried the Hiassen and I'm afraid he and I are not on the same wavelength. He IS a good writer and writes well. I read about 1/4th of the first one, the Tourist one, but for my taste (and I'm not into that type of mystery, the hardened PI, the police procedural), there were too many characters introduced in a short time, roughly sketched, just too many, like Emperor Joseph II said to Mozart: too many notes. And we know what we think of that Emperor hahaha. And while I liked his humor, his overarching attitude, to me, is too facile and sarcastic. He also manages to get in a lot of little snide digs, some of which are definitely not PC, which I also did not appreciate. So I've let him go.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
The funniest mysteries I ever read were the Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman, and the second funniest were all the books by Charlotte MacLeod, most expecially Rest You Merry. But the THIRD funniest I simply cannot remember either the author or the name of the female sleuth. Helllllllup!
She was, like Mrs. Pollifax, older. I think older than Mrs. Pollifax.
And she lived somewhere in New England. I think.
And she was a avid gardener. Very avid. Almost full time.
And the books were a hoot, and I haven't read one in, oh, at least 21 years now.
Please, can anyone identify her? A book?
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Now the first ship I came over on was the "Queen Mary." Can't say that the cabins were luxury but every thing else was. I crossed back and forth 4more times on Cunard lines and loved all of them . The now have a new one last few years. The Queen Victoria. Would like to try it. I will never use a cruise line type they are packing people on now. Last one awful.do without their type of entertainment.
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MARY: no, wish I could. Sounds great. The Mrs. Polifax books are among my favorite books of all time. She's who I want to be when I grow up!
Got a nice surprise when I checked my e-mail: two books I'd ordered on kindle for when they were published, arrived, including a new "Her Royal Spyness" You know what I'll br doing today!
Read another Camilla Lackberg "The Stranger". I liked her "Ice Princess, and I liked this one too. Better if I had read them in order, since "The Stranger contains what I'm sure is a spoiler for one of the earlier ones I hadn't read.
She has the bleakness that Swedish Writers seem to have (everyone has -- drum roll -- "A PAST"), but mixed with a softer streak that gives some characters the chance of a happy life.
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I like Camilla Lackberg a LOT!
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If you live in Florida, you get Hiaasen, he is very very close to truth and makes it sound like sarcasm..
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Just started Fire and Ice by Dana Stabenow while I wait for the next Kate Sugak book I ordered from the library. The library also has Craig Johnson's Longmire books. Oh, Goodie.
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Speaking of Florida and mysteries, Steph, have you ever read any Michael Gruber? Set in Miami. Very, very dark, but he is a WOW writer.
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Steph
I think Carl Hiaasen is a clever and interesting writer. Problem is , for me, when I finish one of his books I need to take a breather and read something else. So it's one Carl Hiaasen a year that fits my schedule.
He does leave you with the feeling that the world is full of very weird people who you'd rather not know. They are very Florida specific people.
Thanks for all the new names of good Mystery writers.:Sugak, Gruber,Lackberg. Wow! I'll never have to pine for another new mystery writer again.
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Jude, Shugak is the protagonist in the books by Dana Stabenow. ::)
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Yes, once Hiaasen every year or so suits me as well. He really gets way out there sometimes. But if you read our political news from Florida, you know he is not far off in his estimate of idiocy.
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From NPR, seen on Twitter
Barbara Mertz, Mystery Novelist Of Many Names, Dies
The Egyptologist and wildly prolific writer Barbara Mertz died Thursday morning, her publisher tells NPR. She was 85. A formidable scholar with a PhD in Egyptology from the University of Chicago, she wrote works of history under her own name, and dozens of mystery novels as Barbara Michaels. But perhaps her most lasting identity will be Elizabeth Peters, the author of over 30 novels about the adventures of Amelia Peabody, Egyptologist and Victorian-era amateur detective who wielded her parasol as a deadly weapon.
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I liked the Barbara Michaels books better than the Elizabeth Peters. I liked them BOTH, mind; but the Michaels were favorites of mine.
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I agree.
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In reading her obit, I found out, for the first time ever, that her pen name Elizabeth Peters was for her two (and only) children: Elizabeth and Peter!
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I am a total Amelia Peabody fanatic. I adored the books and know that I would have loved to have been that character. The other books were ok,, but Amelia.. ahhh Amelia.. I was so sad to hear of the death.
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Yes, Steph,. Me too.
Amelia died along with Elizabeth Peters.
Have you read the Archeological mysteries of Agatha Christie?
Her second husband was an archeologist and she accompanied him on a number of digs. Of course Hercule Poirot accompanied her there as well.
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I didn't know Agatha Christie wrote any mysteries set on archaeological digs. Do you know the name(s) of any, Jude?
I am reading a very interesting book by James Michener, THE SOURCE. He writes about a (fictional) site near Israel being dug by some archaeologists. They bring up some interesting artifacts, and then the book goes on to talk about the people who owned the artifacts and the culture in which they lived, starting with the oldest group at the bottom of the dig and moving up to the later ones. A long book, but it's a rather fast read.
Marj
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We have a new opinion poll here in the Mystery discussion, appearing at the top of this page, and we're experimenting with this one.
We're going to ask who is the greatest mystery writer of all time. But we're not going to supply all the answers, you will fill them in as we go. Let's see how it works. I'll start with Agatha Christie and then there will be "Other." You click on Other if you wouldn't have voted for Agatha, and nominate your choice here and we'll put your choice in the poll. Let's see what we can get, and who agrees with you or has their own choice, should be interesting. Again it's just an experiment, as these do not allow normally for fill in the blank.
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Hmm, I will really have to think of the greatest mystery writer. There are so many different ways to look at it..
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I nominate Josephine Tey.
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Thank you for that nomination! A choice now of three, so far for voters. There ARE a lot of things to be considered, who is the King (or Queen) in your opinion of the Mystery Hall of Fame?
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I would have to ask "what kind of mysteries"? Classics; cozies; thriller/mysteries? Just too many different kinds to choose.
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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
John La Carre
Edgar Allan Poe
There are just too many. My favorites may not necessarily be "the greatest", otherwise you would have to list Henning Mankell, Lindsay Davis, Lee Child and others. I am currently enjoying the Dana Stabenow novels (both the Liam Campbell and the Kate Sugak). Her novels are not lengthy, but she manages just fine to get across the scenes and people without an overabundance of description.
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Oh Dear. Conan Doyle probably deserves the honor, and it's my fault that (don't tell anyone) I just don't LIKE him. But I'll just vote for Agatha.
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I see I get 4 options, and there are only three people listed, so I'll wait.
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Good points, All!! Ok now John le Carre is added and also Edgar Allen Poe. Good points on the type of mysteries, I have changed the question a little, thank you for the input, to read Who belongs in the Hall of Fame as the greatest mystery writer of all time?
This time the one which gets the most votes will achieve the same results and we'll have a nice group of the best, I like this?
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But now as the slate is getting longer people have to vote too. And as there is a possibility of more than one vote, that means that we should see (theoretically) the top ones. Possibly. :)
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I voted for Christie and Doyle! Hooray.
I have so many authors that I really love, but don't know if they're in the same league.
I keep thinking of those who were important in the development of the genre. But most of them aren't read any more, unlike Christie and Doyle. The early "Tough Guys" (Chandler, Hammett) have really dated: they are hard to read now. The early procedurals and psychologicals are virtually unknown.
I'd put Dorothy Sayers in and the author of the Dagliesh mysteries(having a senior moment here).
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Super! Well that makes two of us but when somebody comes up with it, I'll put that author in, too. Adding Dorothy Sayers as we speak. :)
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JoanK
I too read and loved the Adam Dagleish Mysteies. The author is P.D.James who is certainly in the top ten, if not the top five
mystery writers.
Please put her on the list.
How about Anne Perry?
Three million books in print in 42 languages. World famous now.
What say others on this writer?
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PD James is up! What's the verdict on Anne Perry?
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Ruth Rendell has written 70 crime novels, some of them under the name Barbara Vine. I definitely think she should be included.
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I was just looking at one of her books and thinking the same thing. Up she goes!
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Oh! gosh. this is a hard one. I have read so many thinking that was the best writer and then another would come along. Got to see if I can remember who wrote what.
Will get back. Soon as I pick one I will read and think. Now that is the best writer.
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So many have been made into movies now which then thought a great movie not thinking the book that good. Come up with some other names soon. Not a Agatha Christie lover.
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Marjifay
The two Agatha Christie mysteries that relating to Archeology are :
They Came to Baghdad
Murder in Mesopotamia
Hope you enjoy them.
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Elizabeth Peters... This was Barbara Mertz, who just died. She wrote under several names and genres.. I was trying to decide what authors I can hardly wait for their novels to come out.. Janet Evanovich is another one.. Julia Spencer-Fleming.. Oh me, I dont think Could ever vote for just one..
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Elizabeth Peters is now up in our own Hall of Fame.
Have I missed anybody nominated?
You can vote for 4 as belonging. Or none, as you choose. :)
What's going to be interesting is seeing who the majority thinks belongs there most.
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Julia Spencer-Fleming is most definitely a top, top, top all time favorite of mine. As is Margaret Maron. And Stieg Larsson. And Dorothy Gilman.
I like Peter Robinson, too.
We MUST NOT forget Ngaio Marsh.
No one made me laugh while a mystery was solved as much as did Heron Carvic, later Hampton Charles and still later Hamilton Crane. These comprised the highly entertaining Miss Seeton series.
Minette Walters is a must up there!
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Thanks for adding Dorothy Sayers. I was going to list her, but with three already listed I really felt I was hogging the list.
Now to vote. Oh, Wilkie Collins isn't up there.
Sometime, I think I will take a look see what the bloggers and publishing people use as a criteria to make their all time greats lists. It has to be more than just popular.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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He is now. I hope I've got them all for our All Time Mystery Hall of Fame! :)
It will be interesting to see who comes out on top, or the top two, in the opinions of our very well read readers.
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I see that the "other" reverted back to 0% when you added Wilkie Collins. I had intended the other to be him, but he is 0%. Oh well.
Part of the problem for me is that I haven't read quite a few of those who could be or are on the list, so I have no way to gauge them against the ones I have read.
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Yeah that does seem to be a drawback if you remove the category it seems you lose the vote
Just vote for him again? We'll get the hang of this sooner or later I appreciate everybody's patience.
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I'm reading THE CUCKOO'S CALLING by Robert Galbraith (the pseudonym of J.K. Rowling), and finding it very good. She has a terrific vocabulary and the mystery is keeping me turning pages. Love her descriptions, e.g., "His hair was gray and brush-cut; his face a crumpled mass of folds, bags and moles, out of which his fleshy nose protruded like a tumor."
It's so good I may have to read one of her Harry Potter books.
Marj
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marjifay, you've definitely missed some good reads by not reading Harry Potter. You should read them in order, though - as the characters grow and develop.
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Harry Potter was just the greatest treat ever. A feast of fun! Definitely not just for children.
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Poor little poll, we've had to remove it. Looks like all the added choices confused it and influenced the ability to vote again. So I guess one way around that would be to get the nominees first and then vote? Anyway here's the result:
Question:
Who, in your opinion, belongs in the Hall of Fame as greatest mystery writer of all time?
Agatha Christie 6 (30%)
Arthur Conan Doyle 4 (20%)
Josephine Tey 0 (0%)
John Le Carre 2 (10%)
Edgar Allan Poe 2 (10%)
Dorothy Sayers 1 (5%)
P.D James 2 (10%)
Ruth Rendell 1 (5%)
Elizabeth Peters 0 (0%)
Julia Spencer-Fleming 1 (5%)
Margaret Maron 0 (0%)
Stieg Larsson 0 (0%)
Dorothy Gilman 0 (0%)
Ngaio Marsh 0 (0%)
Heron Carvic 0 (0%)
Wilkie Collins 1 (5%)
Other: Nominate in the discussion and the name will appear here 0 (0%)
Total Voters: 9
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I finished Dana Stabenow's Dead in the Water last evening. I must say that for once, I was happy to have seen the "reality program" Deadliest Catch a few times. It certainly enhanced my reading, since most of the action took place on a crabbing vessel. For the book, opelio crab were in season. She also managed to get in a little Aleut history/mythology and traditional basket weaving. I also learned that the final shots of the Civil War were fired in the Bering Sea several months after Lee surrendered. The Anchorage Daily News has an article about it.
http://www.adn.com/2011/04/16/1813998/civil-wars-last-shots-were-fired.html
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If I had been able to vote, it would have been Christie and Sayers.
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It's a shame we had to stop that one, maybe next time we can get up the selections before hand. Thanks for being guinea pigs and helping us test it out! With your new votes, Jean, Agatha Christie would have had (so far) the most votes in our Hall of Fame.
I wonder how anybody ever picks anybody like athletes, for those Hall of Fame things.
I'm reading Her Royal Spyness, recommended here, and I'm really enjoying it. Love the humor of the author, it's fun and lighthearted and clever, but not cloyingly trite. Strangely enough I was just looking that morning at photos of Balmoral, that's something else, isn't it? A real fairy tale looking thing.
Do they really leave the windows open in the winter?
I love the images she creates, it plunges you into another world, so far I'm really enjoying it and wishing that I could just once wake up to a crackling fire I did not start in the winter. (As I'm typing that I realize that my husband actually does do that in the winter. He does get up early and starts a fire. Unfortunately we don't live in a castle, so the room fills with smoke for a bit, not healthy and not appreciated by me. . Ah the joys of castle living. hahaha)
It's a fun book. Thank you to whoever (and I'm sorry I am not reading back over the comments to find out who) recommended it.
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I've never read ,or heard of, "Her Royal Spyness" series so I looked it up.
The Author, Rhys Bowen, has a website under her name- and she posed an interesting question:
"Will E-books take over the world?"
According to the 20,000 answers she got it is a definite no.
She says it was about 20% yes and 80% no. Most people still like the feel of a book, to look at books on a shelf and remember them and to browse among books. E-books are mostly for traveling or for text books. She was surprised at how many people were audiophiles and listened to her books on tape as they did other tasks like driving, walking the dog and housework.
I will give her books a try at the next opportunity. She has two other series as well:
Molly Murphy Mysteries and Constable Evens series.
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Oh yes, Margaret Maron,Sharon McCrumb, on and on.. I think that it depends on the day and the mood..A woman named Virginia Lanier wrote a small series involving awoman who trains bloodhounds in south Georgia.Absolutely wonderful series,, but she died ( she was older when she started writing) and I think only wrote 5 books.. Another woman who died , but wrote wonderful books was Anne George..
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JUDE: I'm working my way through all three Rhys Bowen series, contrary to my usual habit of not reading two books by the same author in a row, so I wont get tired of them. I'm not tired of her yet. But definitely light reading, not great literature.
"Do they (the British Royals)really leave the windows open in the winter?"
I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised. They don't seem to expect the kind of luxury that we Americans usually assume goes with Royalty. Would the tartan wallpaper in the bathroom bother you as much as it did Bowen's heroine?
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:) I'm not sure. I'm not sure I've ever seen any tartan wallpaper, so I have no reference. I know wallpaper tends to take on a life of its own. I put a beautiful pattern in my kitchen in the old house and it was so busy it nearly drove us all out of the house. I guess I'd have to see it first. What was your opinion of it, didn't she say also the drapes as well?
This book sure makes me want to see Balmoral, tho. You can stay right on the estate. Only thing is, the activities mentioned as available are not those I would normally enjoy, except for the walking.
I wonder why Glamis is not where the royal family wants to go. Wasn't that the childhood home of the Queen Mother? Maybe it's still owned by her family. I've always wanted to see IT, too. Oh I see the present Earl lives there.
How OLD that thing is. They seem so hopelessly romantic when you aren't involved with them. I bet they aren't.
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Glamis is probably entailed, so the Queen Mother would not have inherited it. I wanted to see it when I was in Scotland, but it is not open to the public as far as I know.
We went to a wedding some years ago on the Balmoral grounds. Very very old chapel and then the reception was in a shooting lodge on the grounds. No private cars, we all came in small buses.
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I went on a short tour of Balmoral Castle when we visited Edinburgh some time ago. It seemed such a dark and dismal place, I was surprised the Royals would want to live there, even temporarily.
Marj
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No more wallpaper for me. I remember papering my apartment's small downstairs bathroom during the 1970s. When I finished, I stood back and looked at it. The lines in the design were just enough off-kilter to make one slightly dizzy looking at it. Had to do it all over.
The people who lived in my house before we bought it had papered the bathroom. But the steam from showers gradually made the wallpaper fall so we finally had to remove it all and use paint.
Marj
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For all you tartan wallpaper fans: http://www.fabricsandpapers.com/category/view/Tartan-Wallpaper?kw=%2Btartan%20%2Bwallpapers&fl=703337&ci=7248777980&network=s&pm=&gclid=CPLNqsfX_7gCFUyk4AodHmkAQg
Glamis Castle website: http://www.glamis-castle.co.uk/ Nice looking place. It is open to the public this year.
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Mystery: If anyone saw CBS Sunday Morning, the segment on Marisha Pessl's new book was highly interesting to me as I had just "won" an ARC of the book. I started reading it that night, and I don't know what to call it, other than a "mind bender". It is so spooky, and is reminiscent of something I've read or a movie that put me on edge (which of course I can't think of right now!) It is a whopper of a book - 580 pages in ARC form. She writes very well, and I understand her previous book "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" was a prize-winner for First Novel and was on NYT Book Review's 10 Best Books of the Year. (I didn't read it because of "calamity physics" in the title which made it sound boring) At any rate, I am enjoying this new book, while I am being "creeped out".
I believe they said she's only 26 years old, which is neither here nor there, but there is a greater level of maturity in the writing. Guess it'd be nice if I said the Title: "Night Film"
Going along in the story, I can absolutely "see" a movie being made of this.
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That sounds good, but what is an ARC?
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Advance Reader's Copy = ARC
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Oh, wow. Thanks for explaining. How did you come by it?
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Marisha Pessl's debut novel, Special Topics in Calamity Physics, was not compelling enough for me to read to the end. I read about half of it, and decided to quit. The first part was interesting and in parts very funny, but after awhile her cleverness began to wear on me and got rather old, as if she were trying too hard to be clever.
But I'll give her second book a chance, after Tomereader's recommendation, and have put her NIGHT FILM on hold at my library. At 624 pages, tho,' it is longer than her first book. Amazon readers give it 4 stars which is pretty good.
Marj
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Publish date for Night Film is August 20th.
Okay, ginny, I get on the publishers website, and from time to time, they have like a sweepstakes, where you can win an Advance Readers Copy or even a published book.
I have won several books this way, I also frequent several other sites which offer sweeps for books, sometimes just win, or sometimes you comment on the book after you read it. I will put the sites here in a later post. They might offer 5 copies, or 10 copies.
As a book club, I was fortunate to win enough copies of a book to give each member one.
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A great place for entering these contests is BookReporter.com
They also do great reviews! They have a newsletter.
I got Night Film from Random House Publishing.com
I only need to comment on it when I finish.
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WOW! The castle looks beautiful. And the tartan wallpaper doesn't look too bad -- I had envisioned something bright red with bright stripes: overwhelming in a small bathroom like mine!
I admit, as a popular science reader, "topics in calamity Physics" sounds interesting.
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Tomereader. for heavens sake. I'm proud of you, I never read anything. That's marvelous.
That PLAID is really PLAID. I am not sure that any of that on the wall would suit, even one wall. :)
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Just finished a very light mystery.. about a dog walker in NYC.. A few nice twists.. She has written several books..Judi McCoy.
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Another place to try and cadge free books is: ReadingGroupCenter.com
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For anyone interested in reading a real review of "Night Film", I submit the following:
Underground Idol NYT Sunday Book Review
By Joe Hill
The true believers come out at night. They meet in condemned buildings marked by the symbol of a stylized eye to watch a “night film” — one of the psychologically punishing horror pictures of Stanislas Cordova, a master filmmaker who has shunned publicity with a zeal that makes Thomas Pynchon look like a shameless attention hog. Adding to the mystique is a sense that Cordova might have retreated because he has something unsavory to hide. Bad things happen to those who try to pick his locked closet for a look at the skeletons. Consider the star reporter Scott McGrath, who plunged into disgrace after a preliminary investigation into Cordova’s secrets blew up in his face. McGrath has a score to settle, so when Cordova’s achingly gifted daughter turns up dead in a Manhattan ruin, it’s Take 2 for the unemployed journalist. Nor is McGrath the only one who wants to know what’s been going on behind the camera; in short order he’s joined by a shabby but smoldering drug dealer named Hopper and a breathless ingénue, Nora Halliday. Together, the three make an adorably awkward family of misfits, who will be even more appealing should George Clooney, Ryan Gosling and Alison Brie be cast for the movie adaptation.
NIGHT FILM
Marisha Pessl
602 pp. Random House. $28.
No one can accuse Marisha Pessl of unfamiliarity with the tools of the modern thriller. With pages of faked-up old photos, invented Web sites and satellite maps, “Night Film” — Pessl’s second novel, following “Special Topics in Calamity Physics” (2006) — asserts itself as a multimedia presentation more than an old-fashioned book. There are over a hundred chapters, most of the James Patterson two-page variety, a technique that adds a giddy accelerant to Pessl’s already zippy pacing. She also italicizes two or three sentences a page, an insecure tic like a child poking you in the ribs to ask if you’re paying attention. Unfortunately, all those italics serve to draw the reader’s notice to exactly the wrong sort of lines, clunkers like “It was too quiet” and “Had I just sealed myself inside my own coffin?” Pessl is capable of fine prose, so her willingness to serve up “Hardy Boys” nuggets like these suggests she’s willfully dumbing herself down. Still and all, “Night Film” has been precision-engineered to be read at high velocity, and its energy would be the envy of any summer blockbuster. Your average writer of thrillers should lust for Pessl’s deft touch with character. Here’s McGrath on his ex-wife:
“When I met Cynthia our sophomore year at the University of Michigan, she was flighty and poor, a French studies major who quoted Simone de Beauvoir. She wiped her runny nose on her coat sleeve when it was snowing, stuck her head out of car windows the way dogs do, the wind fireworking her hair. That woman was gone now. Not that it was her fault. Vast fortunes did that to people. It took them to the cleaners, cruelly starched and steam-pressed them so all their raw edges, all the dirt and hunger and guileless laughter, were ironed out. Few survived real money.”
Cordova himself — a dark riff on Kubrick, with a pinch of Friedkin and a sprig of Banksy thrown in for good measure — stays offstage, casting his long, creepy shadow across the actors throughout the course of the drama. Pessl would like “Night Film” to work as a meditation on the question of whether one must be a monster to effectively portray the monstrous in art (quick real-world answer: no). But her conception of the monstrous is sweetly innocent. The book leaps from bondage clubs to mental hospitals to witchcraft supply stores, as if evil were more a matter of setting than a person’s actions. To be fair, the witchcraft emporium — which turns out to be like a voodoo Apple store, right down to the Genius Bar in back — is an exquisitely charming side trip. But the evil-as-scenery tactic grows wearisome in the novel’s central set piece, when the heroes break into Cordova’s sprawling compound in a scene that lasts almost 50 pages and feels at least twice that. In the first two-thirds of the book, Pessl captures the feel of one of Kubrick’s compact, relentless chillers, but during this not-quite-climactic climax, “Night Film” begins to feel more like one of his glacially paced statements — “Eyes Wide Shut,” without the redeeming value of celebrity nudity.
For all we get about Cordova and his films (the story lines, memorable characters, favorite motifs and symbols, casts, costumes, everything except what there was to eat at the craft service table), the story isn’t really about him at all but about his daughter, Ashley, an equally larger-than-life figure, matter to his antimatter. “Did she fall or was she pushed” is maybe a less intellectual concern than what a work of art reveals about the artist, but it serves Pessl better. Ashley Cordova at least feels like a person, whereas her father feels more like the world’s most sinister IMDb entry. She’s busy, anyway: she records a virtuoso piano performance at 14, lights a man on fire, escapes a mental ward and has more than a little of the devil in her. (This last is not necessarily a metaphorical statement.) I’m not sure the reader ever becomes fully invested in her either, but no matter. Piecing together the events of Ashley’s last days keeps the heroes moving and in constant contact with a personality that does connect: Manhattan itself, in her best-looking summer dress. In a book of colorful settings, this is a backdrop that refuses to drop back. Pessl’s renderings of Chinese grocery stores, tattoo boutiques and the dog run in Washington Square Park are bound to remind readers of the grungy thrills of a whole different director: Martin Scorsese. Cue the Rolling Stones.
More crucially, the mystery of Ashley’s death gives the heroes plenty of opportunities to leap into trouble, fast-talk their way out of it and gradually wake to the realization that they love one another. Pessl is at her best here, when she’s least ambitious and her focus is pinned to her three amateur detectives as they negotiate the unmapped terrain of affection and trust in sweet, breezy dialogue: “I told you. I love you. And not as a friend or a boss, but real love. I’ve known it for 24 hours,” Nora tells McGrath, who responds, “Sounds like a stomach bug that will pass.”
In simple, unadorned moments like these, when her heroes seem at least as interested in one another as in a dead girl or absent auteur, “Night Film” settles into the relaxed rhythms of a Ross Macdonald mystery, with a dirt and hunger and guileless laughter that are all Pessl’s own.
"/>Joe Hill is the author of several novels, including “NOS4A2,” and a comic book series, “Locke & Key.”
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I loved the review almost as much as I'm enjoying the book. LOL!!!
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JoanK, Pessl's book, Special Topics in Calamity Physics, is not about science, popular or otherwise. If it had been, I'd not have gotten thru the first chapter. (Science is not my cuppa, LOL)
It's about a 16-year-old very intelligent girl, Blue van Meer, who follows her college professor father as they move from college town to college town. In her senior high school year, she iis befriended by the Bluebloods, an elite group of students. Their teacher is found dead, hanging from a tree.
Marj
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Hmm,another new author for me. Will look her up..
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I have a sample of Calamity Physics: I'll let you know if I get through it, when I finish my Rhys Bowen splurge. The current one features Harry Houdini as a character (Molly brown, detective) "The Last Illusion"
And here is Judi McCoy. I have her sample, too.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/judi-mccoy/
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McCoy is very light fiction, but fun.Her heroine talks to and understands dogs..Interesting to a dog lover. Since I have at least one dog who can count ( just tryand cheat him on treats) and when you talk to him, he rolls his eyes and tilts his head..
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Remember Jackson Brodie? He was the main man in a Masterpiece Mystery a while back, a policeman, had a very cute little daughter, his sister was murdered when he was a boy. I'm reading about him again in Kate Atkinson's Started Early, Took My Dog, several years later. (Marlee, the daughter is now an adolescent.
Warning: Do not read this on a Kindle. I'm enjoying the book immensely. It draws one to it. But there are so many different paths and different characters, I keep wanting to turn back the pages and check on something. Not the easiest thing to do on a kindle.
Different subject: Really looking forward to tonight's Masterpiece Mystery. I didn't know The Lady Vanishes was originally a Hitchcock film. Sounds good.
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I read that, and all of the Jackson Brodie books, as well, Pedln. Am hoping Atkinson comes up with a new one featuring Jackson.
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I just finished a great mystery, EVA'S EYE, by Karin Fossum, a Norwegian author. This is the fifth Inspector Sejer mystery, but the first published in America. Investigating the murder of a man who had been missing for months, Inspector Sejer and his team discover that his death is linked to the murder of a prostitute and to Eva, a struggling artist who holds the key to solving both murders. Excellent, suspenseful mystery. Very good writing.
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Wish I liked Atkinson,So many people do. I just seem to struggle with her.
I am trying another Rhys Bowen.. Did not like Molly, but am enjoying the light royal one.
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Marjifay, I like to read books by foreign authors and about "far away places" and Eva's Eye sounds interesting. Will check with my library for it.
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Marjifay...Eva's Eye is actually the ninth book (I believe) by Karin Fossum to be published in the U.S. It was the very first Inspector Sejer novel that she wrote in 1995. I don't know why they waited so long to publish it here. I really enjoy her books and she was the main reason I started reading Scandanavian crime stories. Love her books!
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So Eve's Eye is actually the first of the Sejer series as best as I can tell. Is it better to read these in order if possible?
I just checked. My library system has it in, but it is listed as local processing. I suspect that means it has arrived at the library but hasn't been labeled and put on the shelf yet. We just got a big stack of new books last week. I don't know how often they order books.
Oh, good. It let me request it. I also have the first Longmire book by Graig Johnson on my request list.
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So Eve's Eye is actually the first of the Sejer series as best as I can tell. Is it better to read these in order if possible?
Frybabe...No, they don't have to be read in order. I like to read a series in order, but that's just my personal preference. Anyway, it's sometimes difficult to do when the books are published out of order. For some reason, the publication of Scandanavian crime books is much slower here in the U.S. I learn of a lot of books from the British blogs I read. Books like these are usually published across the pond a long time before they are here.
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I've only read one Kate Atkinson, Steph. Case Histories, which I found to be just so-so. But I have her LIFE AFTER LIFE waiting to be read. It is going to be discussed in a favorite group of mine, Constant Reader at Goodreads, in September. The book description asks, "What if you could live again and again, until you got it right?" which pretty much says what the book is about.
Marj
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FRY, WINCH: check Fantastic fiction below. Eva's Eye is the first in the series, but wasn't published here until 2012, and is published under a different name (In the Darkness). But there are 8 other books listed, published starting in 2002. The second one ("Don't Look back") is available from Amazon both on kindle and in paperback.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/karin-fossum/
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Another sample. My kindle mystery collection is becoming a last-in-first-out queue. If I get a batch of samples at once, the oldest gets buries and can sit there forever. Like the dish at the bottom of the stack that gets dusty around the edges because you never use it.
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and I was not impressed with Life After Life. Sorry.
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I am having fun with the Rhys Bowen... England in the 30's and dishing on Wallis Warfield.. Hurray.
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My library does have Eve's Eye. I'm #5 in the queue. This makes three I have on reserve. Two of them won't be published until the fall but the library has them preordered.
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Only three on hold, FlaJean? My hold list at the library is 15, LOL, and that's a short list for me. Thankfully, (dangling adverb some here hate) a couple are still on order, and some have several people ahead of me. Thank goodness for libraries, eh?
Marj
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Rambling through a thrift shop, happened on The Far Side of theSky by Daniel Kalla. Not a mystery , but a book about Shanghai before WWII and the number of jews who fled there. Interesting so far.
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I had a "3 at a time" pickup at the library the other day. Now, there is nothing on my Request list, oh wait, yes there is. A new mystery I just read about yesterday, "After Her" by Joyce Maynard. Sounds like a good one, and the author has written many other ones.
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Tome: let us know. I'll hold off on putting it on my TBR (to be read) list (i.e. samples in kindle) until I hear from you.
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JoanK, I put the book on my Request List, but according to the library site, they have four copies on order, but not in circulation just yet, and to compound that, there are seven (7) requests in front of mine, but I shall "beat on against the wind" and wait till the book comes in.
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Joyce Maynard. Joyce Maynard! Tomereader, that is ringing a bell for me. Steph, wasn't she the one who was a mistress to J.D. Salinger when she was a teenager and he was old enough to be her father and then some?
Or is my daffy old age playing tricks on me?
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I don't know if any of you like his books, but Elmore Leonard passed away yesterday. He was 87. A number of his books were made into movies, including Get Shorty. I haven't read him, but he was very popular.
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I've only read one Elmore Leonard -- Killshot -- and that was because part of the film was shot here in my town some years back. I still have yet to see the film. But when I come across something about Leonard I'm always reminded about a very nice older couple from my church. Years agoI would run into them occasionally at the library and the husband and I would talk about the mysteries we'd read and liked. He was an Elmore Leonard fan, and I'll never forget him speaking of his wife, "of course, I wouldn't want Dorothy to read him." A true gentleman of the old school.
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Joyce Maynard, yes she was either his mistress or married him. Dont remember which.She has written some interesting stuff..I will look for her new one in paper.. Good writer, but something of a celebrity hunter.
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Oh, I am enjoying BROADCHURCH on BBC America so very much. The acting is superb. Wednesday nights at ten o'clock here on the East Coast. I dreamed about it last night. Dreamed old smart mouth me ran after the (swoon) detective and told him who did it. They were upset with me because the show had weeks to go yet. Crazy things, dreams, yes?
I, also of course, cannot stand to wait until the end. I like to know who did it all the way through. So I Googled spoiler for Broadchurch and found out. Now I am content to just adore the show and not sweat it.
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I don't think they are running it on my PBS station, MaryPage. They ran two Novas last night. I don't recall seeing Broadchurch on the schedule. Will look again.
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BBC America, Frybabe. I don't think PBS is running it at all.
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Well that explains it. I cut back on my cable service to save some money now that I don't work. BBC America was one of the channels got dropped. I also lost the Science Channel, FBN, and SciFy. Except for FBN, I don't miss the rest because they have turned into marathons of programs like paranormal, alien sighting, and reality shows that I just do not care to watch once let alone over and over again. Even the channels I still get run the darn things ad nauseam.
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I would have to up my TV package to get BBCA. :( I did watch the 1st episode on the BBCA website and really enjoyed it. I'm hoping Netflix will pick it up later so I can see the whole series.
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Oh, thanks for the suggestion Jean. I didn't think to check the website.
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FlaJean
Thanks from me as well. Missed the first episode and was dumped into the second with no real understanding of what had happened. I like David Tennent so enjoyed watching him anyway. Won't be home for the next two episodes but will record them on my DVR. A machine worth its weight in gold since you can fast forward through all the commercials and record any
of your favorite shows when you are not home or just not available to view the show when its on.
Any of you heard of A.D.Scott ,"Beneath the Abbey Wall"? Scotland in the 1950s.A newspaper staff probes the murder of one of their own.
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I am currently reading Gone Girl. It's my ftf book club suggestion for September. I am about half way through and am not really enjoying it. I will finish it since it is a selection, but it's so easy to put down and hard to pick up again. I find myself losing patience with the characters & I think I have figured it out. Have any of you read it?
Sally
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Yes! I loved it. Hahaha
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Sally, I read it all the way through and hated it.. Not one singlecharacter, I would enjoy as a human.. But it is a popular book.
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I finished and enjoyed Her Royal Spyness, it's light, you can't deny that, and kind of unbelievable, but it's great fun and I enjoyed it. (Of course I never guessed hu dun it, but I never do, so that's nothing new). I'm going to try another of hers which I hope to get today. It's a good thing to read before going to sleep.
For sheer light reading pleasure with just enough hints and a good mystery, so far she's right on target.
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The city fathers and powers that be here in Southeast MO are hoping and praying that the Gone Girl film will be in part filmed here in river city. Rumors are flying and the daily rag printed a "Gone Girl Guide" in today's publication. There was a casting call (?) last weekend that brought out about 1400 hopefuls. THe book is on my TBR list, so someday.
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I hated Gone Girl. Really, honestly and truly hated it. Ghastly stuff about people you would most earnestly hope you would never meet or even pass in the night.
Only you well might. Urrrrrrrgh!
My next door neighbor loved it, so I gave her my copy to pass on, as I most certainly did not want to pass it to any of my kin.
Recently I watched the movie Beasts of the Southern Wild with that adorable little Quvenzhané Wallis. I had been sooooo certain it was my kind of movie and I would love it.
Hated it. It made me absolutely miserable.
My son Chip said: Mom, I think you just don't get it.
It being that they were happy in their homes and way of living.
And I explained patiently that I indeed got it.
And I understood. No one knows MORE than do I the power of the thought of HOME. Oh yes, I understood that movie.
But my empathetic heart burst open and almost did me in. It is more than I can bear emotionally to think there are people like those in Gone Girl and those in Beasts of the Southern Wild living the lives they are living in the places they are living them.
Put me back in Grandma's kitchen with a plate of bacon and her buckwheat cakes and a copy of one of L.M. Montgomery's books. Home and happy and safe in my expectations of normal.
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Unfortunately, i'm with you MaryPage. At this stage i generally don't want to read about misery. In my present mood i probably would not read Lord of the Flies or Animal Farm today, maybe not even some more popular classics. I can be miserable enough with what real people are doing intheir real lives today. That's probably why "cozy mysteries" are so popular, there are a lot of us out there now. Maybe it's the aging of the population, we've been through so much and are now just looking for entertainment.
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From my perspective of 84+ years, and believing as I do that we only have this one life to live, I agonize over any story, real or otherwise, of a live misspent, a life without love, a brain boiling over with the wiring gone haywire, cruelty, wanton or otherwise, misery and poverty, and all the rest. I want to scream at these people that they are SO wasting the resources of their years.
It wears me out. Yes, give me a cozy. Or a beautiful.
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I loved Gone Girl.....Thought it was an interesting way to write a novel.
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I have to go along with MaryPage, I hated the book and could not figure what all the hullabaloo was award-wise. The silly thing is still on the NYT list. I just barely finished it, because I'm one of those that when I start something, I feel I must finish it. There have been a few that I have not finished, but I kept going on Gone Girl because I thought there might be something "redeeming" about it, and maybe I would see what the literary gurus saw in it.
Blah!
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Well, so much for the local Barnes & Noble. There was not one Rhys Bowen Royal Spyness book in the whole store. I really am disappointed. And she's written so many.
Isn't it interesting the violent difference in opinion on the Gone Girl book?
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I really liked Gillian Flynn's GONE GIRL. What an imagination the author has. Of course I didn't like either character, altho' I sympathized at first with the husband, but I found this book about them fascinating. I now want to read some of her other books -- SHARP OBJECTS (2007) and DARK PLACES (2010).
Marj (who is not a fan of "cozy" mysteries)
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i really liked the Rhys Bowen book on the royalty.. I have sent away for the first and third in the series on my swap club. Hooray for them, they tend to come through withno problems on cozies. More obscure, not always. I would not go to see the Movie Gone Girl, either.. Bah, a horrid book.
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I know I'm stepping on eggs, here, but I can't help but wonder (and have been ever since I saw the various remarks here on Gone Girl), what we're really looking for in a book?
We all have things we have violent reactions to or that we won't read, I think. But looking at some of the comments makes me think that some of you need to "like" the character you're reading about? Or identify with that character? I think it's fascinating, why one reads, what one is looking for when one reads. Would make a good poll. hahahahaa
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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I love Susan Hill’s Simon Serrailer series. She has written seven books in this series.
I think the main reason I like these books so much is the fact that she develops her characters in such an interesting way. Not just the main characters of the novel, but also the victims of the crimes she writes about. You get quite involved in their lives and suddenly find yourself caring very much when they die. With every book, you get to know Simon a little better, but he is not a very easy person to get close to. She takes you into the lives of his family, friends, and co-workers and you care very much what happens to them.
All of this background is what makes this series very special to me. These are not fast paced crime novels….that is not to say that there isn’t violence. It’s just not the main subject of her books.
All of this said, I would have to respond to Ginny’s question about what we’re looking for in the books we read by saying that the actual story and character development is what is important to me. I don’t have to like the characters or identify with them. But I do enjoy books that spend more time on character development rather than action.
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Interesting question, Ginny.
I don't care whether I like or dislike the characters. Just want them to be "fleshed out" and interesting, probably not all good or all bad, but like most of us--some of both.
I don't like a book to be so predictible that I won't want to bother finishing it after 50 to 70 pages. I'm quick to toss such a book. Surprises are nice.
I like a little humor in a book, dark humor is fine; wry, subtle humor is best.
Marj
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Those are wonderful responses, what a perfect poll this will make!! I'm going to put this in the Library, thank you both for those great ideas, and if people have others, perhaps after the new poll goes up we can discuss it in the Library where I guess I should have asked it but I was so intrigued.
Many thanks for those thoughtful ideas!! I'm going to put them both as choices!
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I read that book Gone Girl back in the spring I think. I bought it in an airport mainly because it had been talked about here. I can't remember much about it tho, which means I must have thought it was kind of boring or predictable, all I remember about it is that it was about whether the wife murdered the husband or vice versa.......?? and done in the first person of each I think.
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Read an interesting first mystery by an author who had written some non-fiction "City of Saints" by Andrew Hunt.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/andrew-e-hunt/city-of-saints.htm
Salt Lake City in the 1930s. A lot about the history of the city and Mormons. A Mormon detective, anti-tough-guy (soft-boiled? He meets his sources secretly in ice cream parlors where they guzzle banana splits)
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Interesting difference of opinion on Gone Girl. My friend, who says she values good writing above all, loves it. I have to try it. I'm guessing I'll come down on the "Hate it" side. Books don't have to be happy for me, after all, life is not always happy, but there has to be some fundamental belief that people and life have some goodness and joy in them.
I'll let you know.
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Absolutely hated "Gone Girl".
Thought there was something wrong with me after all the praise it received.
Really happy to hear that there were others who felt as I did. Especially "So easy to put down . So hard to pick up."
What am I looking for in a mystery?
In general I read mysteries after breaking my brain on a really in-depth novel (Last one was "The Wind Up Bird Chronicle" by Murikami, a Nobel Prize contender).
Or after an in depth Non-fiction book (Last one, "In the Garden of the Beast" by Larson).
I'm looking for a character I can understand and identify with, like Longmire (Craig Johnson) or just something different amusing and clever like the Mma Ramotswe series by McCall.
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Ginny, I read mostly for relaxation and humor. I hate "black humor". I like to like my characters. If there are no characters that I like, then I tend not to like the book. I like to care what happens to the characters. I do force myself out of my comfort zone sometimes, especially if it is a book that is being talked about a lot. I always try to read my ftf book club books, as I think it makes for a better discussion if all have read the book.
Sally
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Thanks, JoanK, for your recommendation of City of Saints. Sounds interesting. (We're planning to stop and sightsee in Salt Lake City in October on our way to visit in the Midwest.) I guess the Mormons get banana split bellies, instead of beer bellies.
Marj
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I used to love many different mystery authors but after bringing home some of my favorite authors from the library last week, I must admit that I am no longer so taken with them. But I am making a list from some new (to me) names that some of you have mentioned here. Thank you so much.
I am still liking David Baldacci's writing. He has a new main character in his newest offerings and IMO(humble, of course) he has another winner. For me, he's a first class mystery writer. Like joanK, I am not looking forwarud to reading "Gone Girl".
We lost two very entertaining people this week in Elmore Leonard and Marian McPartland(/color] NPR rebroadcast a fine interview with Elmore Leonard and shortly thereafter, they did the same with a Marian McMcPartland interview that I had heard a few years ago. Used to listen to her musical program every Saturday. They will both be sorely missed.
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When I was young, and all the way up until about age 70, give or take, I wanted to devour everything available to read. I wanted to get the many different perspectives on Life and the living of it, and especially the differing reactions to words and events. Lawence Durrell's Alexandria Quartet was fascinating to me back in the nineteen sixties because you got the same story from four perspectives. It was all a learning process, and I sponged up everything avidly.
That was about the time in my life when I gave up on my species, more or less, around the age of 70. Mostly more. Having grown up with World War II, and fiercely believing it was the war to end all wars and bring Peace to mankind forevermore, the following decades just brought more and more news of misery and death and unkindness and hatred and sordid lives lived out in nasty vitriol. I am a fanatic about reading the newspapers and news magazines and catching all the broadcasts. This was handed down to me from my father, especially; but all of my family were involved in this way.
Now I am old and sick, and my spirit needs hope and bounce. No matter how great the writing, I find perverted personalities make me physically ill. I am no longer able to absorb the dreadful mentalities of many of my fellow creatures without it deeply and unpleasantly affecting my own hours left to me. I want to retain that tiny silver edge of hope. I want the good guys to win and the bad guys to reform and, yes, I want and need now, in my dotage, a happily ever afterwards.
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Gosh what wonderful, thoughtful points. It's really interesting and speaks to WHY one reads in the first place. They are all different points of view and they are all valid. Really interesting discussion.
I am not sure what I am personally looking for. Good writing and escapism, I think. Certain themes which transcend the ages, a new approach to an old theme, maybe? Be nice to learn something useful but if not, one can enjoy the ride. But I'm picky what escape I want. I like cleverness, and good writing. If we made a list of the books we really liked mine would be Brideshead Revisited, Remains of the Day, the House of Mr. Biswas, The Palace Thief (short story from which the movie The Emperor's Club was made), Gentlemen and Players, etc.
I hear what you're saying, MaryPage, and am sorry you are sick. As far as the news goes, I'm almost the opposite of you in newspaper habits. I can't, simply can't stand to read the latest atrocities, spelled out in loving detail in the newspapers and magazines we take. I have nightmares for weeks.
In fact, I've begun only looking at CNN and BBC on the ipad. We take three newspapers and I do admit to reading the Sunday NY Times.
But on CNN on the ipad, I can somewhat cut the parade of horror off. I can choose without being exposed to the lurid articles, which news items i want to read. I check CNN on the ipad, every monting, you get a choice of 248+ stories just as they were broadcast, and you can pick and choose, you can watch the broadcast and/ or read the headlines, and/ or read the longer article which accompanies it.
Man's inhumanity to man is spelled out daily in the news, I like to try to control my exposure to the atrocities if I can, and still stay somewhat informed.
In that way, even tho I have to read the headline I don't have to read the rest, (and for some reason I can't NOT read the rest). Or experience it. And they have begun to put in things which are NOT news but which are funny or quaint or interesting. We take Time. Newsweek was better written but I have not looked once at the Daily Beast or whatever she called it.
I don't have a need to identify with any character in a book, or live vicariously thru them. The writing in Gone Girl was superb and it kind of spoke to the dark side most people have but would not act on or even admit. We've all had negative thoughts, it's a hard book to categorize. I'm amazed so many people hated it, but if one were looking for a character to identify with, one would not find it there. It's all mental, tho, all thought. Why do so many people read Vampire books? Surely none of them harbor the idea for a second they are vampires, do they?
Gone Girl is more suspense than anything else, it's a very well written book.
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I dont feel I have to like everyone, but do feel the need to identify with someone in the book.. Sometimes it is the victim ( Louise Penney has a few of those)Gone Girl,, is a good example for me of not liking a single human in the book.. I cannot imagine living close to any of those people or wanting to be friends.
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Further confessions of a bookaholic:
I have a dear, dear friend of over 40 years standing who began as someone I met through my Bridge Group. She recently celebrated her 35th year of sobriety; in short, she is a recovering alcoholic. She explained to me once, years and years ago, that when the weekends were approaching she was most anxious to make certain she obtained and hid about the house enough bottles of booze to get her through until husband went back to work and children to school come the Monday.
OK. All of my life I have been like that about books. And so it is that I now have over 1,000 books in my possession that I have not yet read. One set, for many are sets, consists of 24 books (there is a 25th just published) by Peter Robinson. His detective is DCI Banks, and BBC has made 2 seasons of him which are now appearing on my PBS station. So I figured it was time these stopped taking up shelf space "for a rainy day" and I started in reading them. Especially as BBC has found the series popular on the telly and has opted for a third season. So I have begun, and now am on book #2. Delightful. But basically this morning I want to share something I find at the back of book two in the way of advertising: remember the funny, funny Charlotte MacLeod? She of Rest Ye Merry? Well, she also wrote a series under the name Alisa Craig! Who knew? I never HEARD of Alisa Craig. The series is about a club in Lobelia Falls called the Grub-and-Stakers, and they solve whodunits. Has anyone ever heard of, let alone read, any of these?
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MaryPage -- I'm also a raging bibliophile and have tons of books still to be read. Like you, I have many of Peter Robinson's DCI Banks novels. I have read a few but am still making my way through them. He is one of my favorite authors. I thought you might be interested in a stand-alone book he wrote called "Before the Poison" which I loved. Here is the info on it from Amazon:
Chris Lowndes built a comfortable career composing scores for films in Hollywood. But after twenty-five years abroad, and still quietly reeling from the death of his beloved wife, he decides to return to the Yorkshire dales of his youth. To ease the move, he buys Kilnsgate House, a rambling old mansion deep in the country.
Although Chris finds Kilnsgate charming, something about the house disturbs him, a vague sensation that the long-empty rooms have been waiting for him—feelings made ever stronger when he learns that the house was the scene of a murder more than fifty years before. The former owner, a prominent doctor named Ernest Arthur Fox, was supposedly poisoned by his beautiful and much younger wife, Grace. Arrested and brought to trial, Grace was found guilty and hanged for the crime.
His curiosity piqued, Chris talks to the locals and searches through archives for information about the case. But the more he discovers, the more convinced he becomes that Grace may have been innocent. Ignoring warnings to leave it alone, he sets out to discover what really happened over half a century ago—a quest that takes him deep into the past and into a web of secrets that lie all too close to the present.
You may have read this, but if not, I heartily recommend it!
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Here is Peter Robinson:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/peter-robinson/
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Thanks, Winchesterlady, for your recommendation of mysteries by Peter Robinson. I've never read anything by him. Have put his first Insp. Banks novel, GALLOWS VIEW, on my TBR list, mainly because it got such review at Amazon. Then I'll read the one you recommended.
I have so many mysteries on my to-read list, that I now rarely add one that gets fewer than 4-1/2 stars at Amazon.
Marj
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MARY: Try getting a Kindle. My TBR list (only about 100 books) is samples on my kindle. They are free and I don't let myself buy the book, unless I read the sample and want to continue reading RIGHT THEN. They usually give you enough of a sample so you can tell.
I read the sample of "Gone Girl" and didn't have that "Oh, I want to go on" feeling, so that's that. I saved the time, effort, and money.
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AdoAnnie wrote: "I am still liking David Baldacci's writing. He has a new main character in his newest offerings and IMO(humble, of course) he has another winner. For me, he's a first class mystery writer."
I agree with you about Baldacci. I love his Camel Club series about those old retired guys who get themselves in trouble delving into mysterious situations, and also like his series with Sean King and Michelle Maxwell. He has a new book, KING AND MAXWELL, coming out in November. I also like his new series with John Puller.
Marj
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Not me! Sorry, Mary! I am checking on several of the authors mentioned here.
Have you tried the books written by Ginny's favorite authors, have forgotten her name, who wrote the Agatha Raisin series or the Scottish policeman? Just fun reads! And there is always Martha Grimes comical writing with her titles all being names of pubs. My favorite was "The Horse You Rode In On", the title is my favorite, not the story. What about Elmore Leonard who just left us last week. I'm not sure about his books but I know folks like him a lot.
Are you an aficionado of "The Cat Who" books? But they are "cosies" and someone else mentioned those. Some of my softer authors were Ruth Rendel, Laurie King and Navada Barr. Barr writes Anna Pidgeon series.
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Just last week a friend was telling me how much her husband liked the books by Peter Robinson. I've never read any of his and would like to start with the first one -- Gallows View. My library doesn't have it, the University library doesn't have it, the local used bookstore doesn't have it, and the state downloadables have it only in audiobook, which doesn't work for me.
I guess it's time to start checking out the bargain basements.
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Have any of you heard of Robert Barnard?
He has written 44 mysteries and won every award there is for a mystery writer.
I always think of him as a "blood and guts' crime writer.
This week in our library, as I was browsing the new books I came upon a "Cozy", by Barnard and thought it strange but took it out.
The book is about a small English town and the "inquiring mind" is a female author who has just had a baby.
It deals with castles or manor houses and those that live in them, use them or rent them out.
It deals also with pseudo-royalty, property ownership of large British estates and how things pass from generation to generation.
An excellent and fascinating read (for me). It's called "A Charitable Body" and is really well written.
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At one time I got on a Charlotte MadLeod spree and read all of hers and Alisa Craig's too but I thought none of them, particularly at the end, lived up to her Rest Ye Merry, that thing was genius. I finally quit reading them, but I remember the excitement as a new one would come out.
I also used to love Robert Barnard, I never thought him as blood and guts, maybe I only read his "cozy's" but they are good. He's an excellent writer. I'm not sure I've read that one, Jude, I'll see if I can find it. He and Simon Brett and who's that author who lived in Tromso? They were all really good. Along with Ngaio Marsh. I once went on a jag of hers, so clever. I think you have to be in the mood for a person's style. Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't.
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hahaha it's ROBERT BARNARD who used to live in Tromso, Norway, he used to teach at the University there. I read everything he wrote while he was there, really liked him. He wrote a wonderful one about a huge manor house in the snow, I've tried to find it ever since.
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Yes, I have read them all, and I never thought of Robert Barnard as a blood & guts, either. I have quite a few of his still on my shelves unread, but I do like him.
I agree that Rest Ye Merry was genius. Oh god, how I laughed while reading it. I mean to say, laughed out loud in the middle of the night sitting up in bed reading! I never read her Alisa Craig books, but did just discover that is an island whose name she took as a pen name! What fun she must have been as a person.
Yes, I love The Cat Who, and owned all the books and have read about half of them and passed those on to a granddaughter who loves them. The other half remain smiling at me from their place on the bookshelves. Fun for whenever I feel like it. I have some of them in audio books.
Ngaio Marsh was a master of the craft. I put her in my top ten, indeed, in my top 5 list of all time. I have no qualms about saying: If you have not read Ngaio Marsh, DO!
You can find cheap, clean used paperbacks of all of these at ThriftBooks on line. Extremely reliable booksellers.
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I know a lot of people like Ngaio Marsh's books. I read two of them, A MAN LAY DEAD (her first) and ENTER A MURDERER (her second, a DNF) and vowed never to read any more of hers. Can someone give me the name of one book of hers that really impressed you?
Marj
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I loved them all, every single one of them, but my very favorite, which is one I often think back on, is A Clutch of Constables.
I thoroughly enjoyed the actors, the acting, and the filming of the series The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries back in the early nineties. BBC.
Perhaps my affection for these characters as people is proof of the pudding that, at least for me, identifying with people in fiction is important to me for enjoyment.
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I've added Robert Barnard's last one, A DECENT INTERVAL (5 stars from Amazon readers) to my TBR list. I've always meant to read one of his books after seeing the clever title of his first, CAST, IN ORDER OF DISAPPEARANCE.
Marj
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I went through Charlotte McLeod and Alisia Craig years ago and adored them, especially the ones that were in Boston. I lived there at the time and they are quite accurate in the area and attitudes. I have never been a Robert Barnard fan, but will look up A Charitable Body.. since I thought of him as more of a hard boiled writer.. I am indulging in one of my favorite series ( sinful and good) J., Robb.. or Norah Roberts,, Calculated in Death..Fun as always. I am fond of Peabody.
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Thanks, MaryPage, for your recommendation of Ngaio Marsh's A Clutch of Constables. I'll give Marsh another try with that one.
Adoannie wrote, "Have you tried the books written by Ginny's favorite authors, have forgotten her name, who wrote the Agatha Raisin series?"
I read Beaton's Agatha Raisin mystery, THE DEADLY DANCE. IMO it was dreadful! Too many characters, many of which were superfluous, and whose personalities were not consistent throughout the book (acted in ways that did not jibe with the way they were described). The book started out well with some humor, but the humor soon became really silly. I tossed it out around page 100. Do you remember one that you thought was well written?
I have not read Beaton's Hamish Macbeth series.
Marj
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I recently watch the Inspector Alleyn series on Netflix. Loved them.
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Marjorie, I like Hamish MacBeth better than Agatha. Also there was a BBC series based on Hamish...absolutely delightful! And available from Netflix.
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I've read McLeod, but not Craig. My library has 6 of Craig's, i'm going to try her. Thanks MaryPage for mentioning her.
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Thanks, Maryz. I'll give the Hamish Macbeth book series a try. Then will try the BBC TV series. I've watched several other of the BBC films that were also wonderful.
Marj
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Great lists all. Never cared for Agatha Raisin, somehow. And I never heard of Barnard. Another sample to get.
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Done! Love this instant gratification!
Started a Peter Robinson last night. Kindle didn't have the first four in the series, so this is the fifth (forgot it's name -- I was really sleepy, so didn't get far.
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Her Royal Spyness had one out in 2012 and it was a Christmas mystery, apparently with all the trimmings. I got it today and am going to save it for Christmas, I love a good holiday mystery , read one every year, and it looks just the thing.
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If you see a listing on your PBS channel for a show titled: DCI BANKS, that is the BBC series made from the books by Peter Robinson.
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One of my available PBS channels, the one called Maryland Public Television or MPT, has recently started all over again showing the BBC series created from Reginald Hill's Dalziel & Pascoe books. Very funny and very cerebral mysteries. He is dead and gone now, but Reginald Hill would also be in my Top Ten favorite mystery writers.
So if you see your own PBS channel is showing something titled Dalziel & Pascoe, give it a whirl. I have owned the DVDs for ages now, but I STILL enjoy watching them again and again.
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JoanK, I thought I was the only one who didn't care for Agatha Raisin.
It looks like the US format DVDs for Peter Robinson's books are just starting to come out. One, titled Aftermath is due to be released next week. I hope it doesn't take Netflix forever to get it. Thanks for the info, MaryPage. I wouldn't have thought to look for DVDs by him.
I'm reading a Sue Henry (musher Jessie Arnold) that I overlooked earlier -- Murder at Five Finger Island. I've always enjoyed her descriptions of Alaska, and am especially enjoying this one because I've been to some of the places on the Inside Passage that she talks about. After finishing a Kate Atkinson that goes off in 15 directions at once, it's relaxing to read something that just goes 1, 2, and 3.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
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Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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I liked the Hamish books, but tried the tv series and the accents simply threw me.. No idea what they were saying. Sigh. Some of the English series are like that. Others not.
Agatha is a once a year sort of thing for me. She is irritating in so many ways, but still interesting upon occasion.
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My computer this morning told me that the new Louise Penny book had been delivered to my computer. Hoorah.
DCI Banks was on Sunday, opposite a new series "Silks", and I opted to check that out. I'd give it a "fair". I'll give it a chance, but I hope they don't continue at the same time.
"Silks" is a woman barrister who has applied for "the silk" at the same time as the (sexist and sneering) head of her chamber. Mostly showed her running around, followed by a young male pupil and dealing with the conflict of defending an accused rapist.
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Are they on BBC or PBS. I cannot get BBC index and have to sort o just tune in and hope..
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JoanK, how did you like the "SILK" show? I started watching, then got distracted and tired, but I've taped it and it's still available.
What channel shows "DCI BANKS." That's what I'd really like to see.
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pedlin: I'd give it a "wait and see." The plot line has potential, but I found all the running around hard to follow. They wanted to give the texture of a young barrister's life, I guess. The end, when they settled down to the cases, was more interesting. I'll watch again.
Along with my usual trouble understanding people, I couldn't tell some of the men apart.
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Finished the Robertson, and ordered another. Good police procedural. But I have to read the new Louise Penny first. It has a character based on the Dionne quintuplets. remember them? Wonder what really happened to them.
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I looked them up. The fictional quint in the book is the last surviving sister, but in real life, two of them are still alive. Two of them died young, and a third at 67. They always resented the publicity they received, felt it had scarred their lives, and in adulthood, sought privacy.
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My interest in "Silk" waned also. Are they going to continue repeat bad lines and poorly written happenings each time I watch it. Very weak program. IMHO!
I remember seeing "DCI Banks" somewhere before but I can't remember where.
Rewatched an old Lewis and an old Morse. They have also started reshowing Sherlock Holmes played by Jeremy Brett. At least I can understand the lines.
I watched something else back in the olden days which was done by Scottish actors and couldn't understand most of it.
We went to see "The Butler" yesterday. One of our reasons for going was we knew the original author. He wrote a column (Baltimore paper?) about the butler and another author fleshed it out and wrote a whole book about the butler. Our author is from Columbus, OH and we read a book of his for an FTF group several years.We also met him when he came to Columbus and gave a nice talk about his family history and the book. The book he wrote, if anyone is interested, is titled "The Haygoods of Columbus". He also has written a book about Sammy Davis, Jr. but I haven't read it yet. The movie was very good and well done. Again IMHO!
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Did not realize that any of the Dionnes were still alive.. They really hated the publicity. Dont know how the current multiples feel, although the octuplets are going to have a really hard life with that mother.
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I thought Silk was a bit frenetic. If I had a job like that I'd quit and get something that gave me a life....mind you, she had enough free time to get pregnant....I did catch myself wondering when she managed that......
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Silk and DCI Banks are both on PBS.
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Thanks, Mary. Do you have a day that they are shown?
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My mountain PBS station seems to be into reruns of Celtic whatever and very little series. Darn.
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Every single PBS station is different. They work up and run their very own schedules. DCI BANKS is on Maryland Public Television Saturday nights. SILK is on Masterpiece on Sunday nights on both MPT and WETA, which is in Virginia, but I can get it. WHUT in Washington D.C. always runs them during the week and a couple of weeks later. These are the only three public television channels I get, so it is impossible for me to tell you when they will be shown on your local channel. Google your local channel and click on schedule and find out. I send a once a year contribution to both MPT and WETA, and they both mail me their monthly schedules as a result of my "membership."
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Yes, since I live in two widely separated places, I can get the PBS in Clermont easily, but up here, I think it is in Asheville. Not sure.
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I got the DCI Banks series at a PBS in Idaho on the Internet and streamed it thru my iPad to my TV. Usually I like the British shows but didn't care for the actor playing DCI Banks or the way he portrayed the character. I should give it another try.
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I finished the new Louise Penny. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who is not following the series. the plot is more outlandish and makes less sense than usual (a "They're plotting against me in corners!" kind of plot). but those of us who are hooked have to see what is going to happen to the continuing characters. She wraps up a lot of stories, so maybe she's going to end the series.
Penny makes clear in a postscript that, while the idea is based on the Dionne quints, she didn't look up to see what actually happened to them and made up their life story.
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I remember being fascinated by the Dionne quints many years ago and reading all I could find on them.
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Me too, and all, but then I was born in 1929 and they were the very FIRST set of 5 ever to survive as far as history knows. They were born in 1935 and the newspaper headlines, which were much larger in those days, were full of nothing else for at least a week. I can remember looking at the pictures in the newspapers. Then Canada went commercial with them, and there were calendars galore and all sorts of things. In 1940, I got a little woven basket that was sort of a miniature dog basket and it had 5 little dolls, maybe 4 inches long each, as I remember it, and each dressed in a different color starched lawn dress and bonnet: lavender, blue, green, yellow and pink. Yvonne, Cecile, Annette, Emily and Marie. I remember Emily was my favorite, and I was crushed when she died first. An epileptic fit, as I recall.
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I think that the parents of those 5 babies were taken advantage of. Some say the Church took over and made lots of money for the publicity that was done. I believe that I even had them when young. Remember you could get the cardboard cut outs with lots of clothing on most of the people well known. I had theirs also Shirley Temple was another one. Those things are now worth a lot on EBay. Didn't realize that as I had some that were 40 years old and gave them to a little girl down the street just about 3 years ago.
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I don't believe it was the church, although I could be wrong. I believe it was the Canadian government, and that they made them wards of the state.
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Yes, I think it was the government and the doctor who delivered them. The parents were not educated and did not understand much.
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Feather Crowns (http://www.amazon.com/Feather-Crowns-Bobbie-Ann-Mason/dp/0060925493/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378131835&sr=8-1&keywords=feather+crowns)
This discussion of the Dionne quints reminds me of the Bobbie Ann Mason novel Feather Crowns about a woman who in 1900 gave birth to the first recorded quintuplets in North America.
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I am big on researching old cemeteries . Found one in a village few miles from me . Had 4 little head stones from early 1800s saying the first recorded births of 4 .seems they did not survive as birth and death dates close.cant make out most of it. Not a novelty anymore.
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JeanneP, you and my mother. She loved exploring cemetaries. It didn't matter where they were or if she knew anyone buried there. She just liked walking in them and looking.
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Me three, I never miss a cemetery if I can help it and have been to some incredible ones. Wrote a graduate thesis on the subject, actually. :)
De gustibus. hahahaa
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If you ever get to Arizona, be sure to go to the little town of Tombstone and see the Boothill Cemetery. You can see a listing of who is buried there, and how they died at BoothillGraves.com
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Tombstone was soo neat. I loved the steer in the middle of the town.
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Boothill. Been there,done that. Great. Most interesting hobby for me since I was young. No matter which country. Got to research them. Found 2 last year in Salem. Mass. And in Boston some good ones.
I followed the Mormon Trail and the Trail of Tears tracking the burials on those..
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The tiny little cemetaries in New England and New York are fascinating.They were allowed to bury ontheir farms for many years and many are all fenced and stil tended now.
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I see that Sam Eastland (pen name of Paul Watkins) has a 4th book, THE RED MOTH, in his mystery series with Inspector Pekkala.. I read the first book in this series, EYE OF THE RED TSAR, and really liked it. (They should really be read in order. The second is SHADOW PASS, and the third ARCHIVE 17) All four get 4-1/2 stars at Anaheim.
Per an Amazon reader, "the author's name is not really "Sam Eastland," though it appears he was advised to take a pen name for this series. He is actually a literary author by the name of Paul Watkins, educated at the Dragon School in Oxford, Eton, and Yale. He is probably making more money from this series than anything he's written before, but the reader can really tell he is more of a literary than genre author by the excellence of his writing. Inspector Pekkala is a Finn in Russia, former top investigator for the Tsar, and current top investigator for Stalin. For me, at least, he is one of the more interesting characters I have enjoyed reading about for the last decade."
Marj
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Marj: thanks, got a sample.
Finished reading "A Charitable Body". thanks for recommending it, I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Now I'm into something else: "The Amelia Butterworth Mysteries" by Anna Katharine Green.
These were written in the 1840s and features one of the first female detectives, the one that is said to be the inspiration for Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. If you like "The Moonstone", you'll like green: the style is similar, although less longwinded, more straightforward in describing a complicated plot (hence also less funny and thoughtful, although there are touches of humor).
It takes place in New York of the period, although in Gramercy Park, one of the most London-like areas of New York. It could be in London. She may have been imitating such of the English writers that were available to her (I need to check dates).
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I have Agatha Webb downloaded to my Kindle (free from Project Gutenberg) waiting to be read.
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Found a Dana Stabenow Kate book, I had somehow missed..Breakup and love it. Funnier thanher usual stuff.
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What's the name of the Dana Stabenow book, Steph?
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Marjifay
Thanks for the name of the series by Paul Watkins.
I hope it is as good as the wonderful series about the Russian Police Inspector Porfory Rostnikov.
They were written by a Film Professor, Stuart Kaminsky and he wrote many of them.
Some of my favorites were :
Death of a Dissident
The Man Who Walked Like a Bear
The Dog Who Bit a Policeman
Fall of a Cosmonaut
Great characters, in depth writing and full of suspense.
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The Stabenow is "Breakup" and it is the week or so before the ice breaks. It has made me laugh out loud many times.. Early one, she is in the old cabin. I must have missed it somehow.
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I have not read any of Kaminsky's series with Ispector Rostnikov, Jude, but I will certainly give them a try. Thanks.
Marj
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Company gone. morning devoted to wash,dry,fold, put away,,,stuff and vacuuming with four dogs, it surely needs it.
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I am pinching myself. Son Rob is 67 years old today. Now THERE'S a mystery!
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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I know, MaryPage - how did our children get so old when we didn't?
Anyway, I tried to read Murder in Thrall by Anne Cleeland - the first in a new series set in Scotland Yard. To me, the whole premise was too unlikely and rather "icky" as well. Has anyone else tried this book? I gave it a fair chance, but realized that I wasn't looking forward to picking it up, even though I was almost half way through, so I read the very end and decided that I wouldn't waste any more time, nor will I look for the 2nd in the series when it comes out.
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I haven't tried her. I guess I won't.
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I had an aunt who stuck to her one age... 59, her whole life. All her sisters and brothers managed to pass her, even though she was the second oldest. She just decided it was a nice age.
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It is a nice age. But so is 80!
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Well, JoanK, age 80 is a little better than not being alive, LOL. Too many aches and pains, tho.' My favorite age was my late 30s and early 40s. Had gotten a divorce, and was really having fun.
Marj
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I loved my 50 and 60's.. Children grown and educated and my husband and I retired early, so we had plenty of time to experiment with different styles of part time work and lots of play.
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I agree with JoanK and say 78 is a nice age as well as 80. The other years were good too, but now I don't have to set an alarm clock, I can get up when I please, set my own schedule (or not). I feel completely free. The knees could be better, the hearing could be much improved, but they're mine and we get along. So now my only problem is to find someone to build a new fence, and to not get caught by the cops when I ride my trike on the sidewalk.
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Joan, thanks for the info re the new Louise Penny - like you, I will read it because i have followed the whole series, but I did feel the last one was disappointing, and I have to admit I am getting a bit tired of her endless self-publicising - I know writers these days have to do all their own publicity, but she's now so well known that I doubt she does, and sometimes it's all just a little bit too saccharine for my tastes. However, the very fact that I want to know what happens means she can't be that bad!
Though I do sometimes think I read on because I love the descriptions of the food in the bistro so much.... ;D
Rosemary
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;D
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"...and sometimes it's all just a little bit too saccharine for my tastes."
I agree Rosemary. Her email newsletters repeat so much info about her books. I do enjoy her descriptions of food, the village, and the people. They give you a warm, comfortable feeling. And I do keep buying her books! Just bought her latest but haven't read it yet. My TBR pile is getting quite high.
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Good morning Winchester Lady - glad you agree about Louise Penny; everyone seems to love her sooooo much that I feel bad saying anything negative, but boy does she go on about her perfect life! And as I think we have already mentioned, her last book was heavily overwritten IMHO - there were so many three word sentences that they lost their impact early on. That said, like you I will read on - though I'll probably wait for the library to get the new book!
Rosemary
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I am two behind on the Louise Penney, but like both of you will read them, but wish she would expand a bit. I dont follow her personally,so no idea that she self publicizes.. Oh well. common nowadays. I like Dana Stabenow on facebook, because she talks about Alaska and life in general and is fun.
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Steph, I am also two behind in the Louise Penny series. I am one behind in the Julia Spencer Fleming series. I have these books on request at the library. Both series were better in the beginning; but I want to see what happens to the characters.
Sally
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I love to find a book that I love and then discover it is part of a series.
Today I bought Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. It was just published today and I've been waiting for it. Amazon describes it this way ... "A brilliant literary debut, inspired by a true story: the final days of a young woman accused of murder in Iceland in 1829." The reviews I've read all say it is a beautifully written first novel, even though the subject is very bleak. I'm looking forward to reading it.
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Sally.. I love Julia Spencer Fleming and feel she has worked hard at keeping up the tension..I think I am up to date..The last I read was about Viet Nam vets and a group dynamic.. Interesting.
Almost all series tend to get a bit bogged down.Sometimes if we are lucky, the author picks up on this and changes it enough to make it fun again. I used to love Diane Mott Davidson, but she started concentrating onthat poisonous son and I stopped cold fora while. Now she seems to have gone back to Goldy and I can enjoy them again. I love Stephanie Plum, but really dislike Lula and hope that Evanovich might back her off a bit.. Oh well, not yet.
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I love Julia Spencer-Fleming so much that I have had her next book on preorder with Barnes and Noble for simply ages now.
http://www.juliaspencerfleming.com/
I think I have said before, but will risk repeating, I have never read such an excellent description of falling in love as Spencer-Fleming produces. AND my twin first cousin was a female Episcopalian priest, so the books do a double whammy on me.
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Per a discussion here i read a Barbara Micheals book House of Many Shadows. It was good, an unusual one for me, about "ghosts". But it had an illusion to the Penna Dutch and why they came to Pa, so that kept my interest. In looking at the rest of BM's series, they look like they are all related to "spirits" so i may not get another, altho i may look for her books by another name - which i have forgotten at the moment, is it Elizabeth Peters?
Jean
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Her real name was Barbara Mertz and she lived just up the road apiece in Frederick, Maryland. She had two pen names: Barbara Michaels and Elizabeth Peters. I much preferred the Michaels books. Ammie Come Home was a great favorite, as was Stitches in Time and Shattered Silk. She had a Ph.D. in Egyptology.
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Just pre-ordered the new Spencer Fleming for my kindle. They say it will come November 5th. guy falkes day: a perfect day for a new mystery.
I had no idea Barbara Michaels lived up the road from me in Frederick. Or that she was Elizabeth Peters.
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Well, there ya go!
And remember: it was Barbara Mertz who lived in Frederick.
By the way, and this is of no significance whatsoever, I attended the Visitation Academy in Frederick as a boarding student for 2 years. So long ago. Back in the nineteen forties!
Know the town well, I do, and never used to approach it without having the famous words from the poem about Barbara Fritchie repeat in my head.
Up from the meadows ripe with corn,
Clear on a cool September morn,
The clustered spires of Frederick stand
Green-walled by the hills of Maryland.
Of course, in order to get the beat right, you have to say MERRY LAND.
And those were the only stanzas I ever memorized, except, of course, for:
Shoot if you will this old grey head
But save your country's flag, she said!
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The first of the Longmire series is now waiting at the library for me to pick up on Friday. I am looking forward to it.
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I loved the Elizabeth Peters,,, Amelia Peabody series, Barbara Michaels,, I have read some I loved, but others not quite so much. Still an admired author.. I always liked Frederick , MD. beautiful place.. and so much history in it.
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What I liked best about Frederick when passing through was the huge satellite dishes. Now they are hidden behind highrise buildings. Bummer! Oh, BTW, I have a kept a special collector's edition of Frederick Magazine (A Pictorial History) from about five years ago that I helped ready for press.
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Reading a Charles Finch mystery "death in the Small hours" and enjoying it. The Lenoxes, now husband and wife, are in a small town in England, 19th century.
I think I've read it before, but one advantage of my senior memory is that I can enjoy it again. ;D
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Reading a Sharon Fiffer... "Scary STuff". Interesting, but the plot is somewhat twisty. Jane Wheel who is the heroine bothers me though.All that stuff, she saves and keeps.. Sounds two steps away from a hoarder.
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JoanK wrote: "Reading a Charles Finch mystery "death in the Small hours" and enjoying it."
I really liked that book, Joan, and his first one, BURIAL AT SEA. The protagonist, Charles Lennox, formerly a detective, now a member of Parliament, is sent by his brother at the request of the PM, on one of Her Magesty's ships to Egypt, nominally to meet with the new leader of Egypt, but actually to spy and find out France's intentions toward England (they suspect France is going to attack England without warning). I was not aware of France's interest in Egypt before reading this book, altho I have a book about Napoleon and Egypt (unread).
I had to laugh in Death in the Small Hours because altho Lennox is referrered to as a "commoner" (vs. a Lord), he is well off enough to have a butler, a maid, a cook and a governess for the baby. What I really like about these books is that you get so enthralled with the Lenox family and their friends and learning a lot about the Victorian era. Excellent writing and research.
(I have to keep a list of books I've read so I don't get the same book twice. Before I started it, I found I had 3 copies of one book. If anyone wants a copy of PETERSBURG by Andrew Bely, let me know.)
Marj
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Hi Marjifay
Hey -never heard of the author but if you have THREE copies of his book it must have a great deal of merit (Subconciously you really must feel it was very good).
So send me a copy if you will and I will return stamps for your postage or a book of mine for yours.
Judith Shernock
5019 Moorpark Ave.
San Jose CA 95129
Thanks
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Murder Mystery FUN and a brand new, to me, author. Apparently Australian.
Tonight on Maryland Public Television (MPT) their Friday Night Mystery Hour brought us a brand new detective: Phryne Fisher. I have never previous to tonight heard of this series or this name. It seems to be pronounced FRY KNEE. Imagine!
The books are by Kerry Greenwood and are set in the Roaring Twenties. The clothes are TO DIE FOR! Seriously, if you had a dislike for mysteries, you would love this just to watch the outfits she wears. I should have been born in the twenties. Oh, Oops, I was! And my mother wore these clothes, so probably that is why they turn me on so.
http://www.phrynefisher.com/
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I checked and I seem to have read Kerry Greenwood, but dont remember that heroine.. Hmm.
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I'm reading a new-to-me mystery/author - The Muffin Man by Brad Whittington. The protagonist is a sheriff in a Texas Hill Country town. I'm liking the characters, and the writer's style and humorous, succinct descriptions. I'll look for some more of his books.
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I've looked up the history of the name Phryne, and it is fascinating. From Ancient Greek History, but not mythology. It means toad, but the real Phryne, whose name that was not but who was called that as a publicly given nickname, was a great beauty and very rich. There is a famous court case involving her. Makes me wonder if Hawthorne took the name (Hester) Prynne from Phryne. I'm betting big time that he did, because back then when everyone educated studied Greek History quite thoroughly, he would have known all about Phryne! She lived hundreds of years before Jesus was born.
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I've read some of Greenwoods books -- in fact I have one in my library pile to read now. Phryne Fisher has been called a female version of "The Thin Man." She's very exotic: should make a good TV series.
What is the name of the TV series?
I see there are a ton of books in the series:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/kerry-greenwood/
She has another series about a woman baker who lives in a building with all kinds of weird characters. I see she has other series too.
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MaryPage.
Now do you remember your mother wearing a corset. Made the small waists. She would hold onto the bedrail and I would put the laces as tight as she could stand it.
Bet they had no back problems wearing them. She was born in 1907. Did dress smart and was a great dressmaker.
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No, my mother did not wear corsets. She was born in 1903, and was most definitely of the "flapper" generation that threw away corsets. I was born in 1929. We sometimes wore girdles to cinch our waistlines, as did my mother, but never a corset. Never. I remember my grandmother wearing a corset when she got dressed up.
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http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=20299596
http://www.kqed.org/tv/programs/index.jsp?pgmid=21435
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Possibly the wrong discussion for this book, but it does not fit into a category. It seems to be classified in the Young Adult section in book stores. Author is Cassandra Clare.. and I am reading the first one of The Mortal Intrument series.. City of Bones. Odd and interesting.. Not making the Harry Potter fuss, but plays on that in some ways.. A fantasy, but set on this earth in this time. Anyone else heard or read it.There seems to be a lot in the series and there is also supposed to be a movie being made.
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No, I haven't. Does my sis over in Science Fiction know it?
Started what I thought would be a good book, but it reeks of some perfume, and is giving me a headache. I HATE IT when my library does that! My kindle needed charging, and the electricity was off for six hours, so I couldn't do it, and was stuck with smellybook!
I've gotten so used to instant gratification in books! Boy, am I spoiled!
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I am well into the second Liam Campbell series from Dana Stabenow. Really enjoying it. Can hardly wait to see what Liam's Dad is up to, not to mention who did the murders.
My library is missing the next two Kate Shagak series. Bummer. I requested the next one which is only available in an audio book. After listening to Basil Rathbone and Vincent Price doing Edgar Allen Poe (recommended if you can find it) years ago, This will only be my second audio book experience.
Steph, I think Amazon has been advertising one of the Mortal Instrument series but I didn't pay much attention to it. Some lean hunk with wings is on the cover which reminds me of those popular Christian mystery/romance books for young adults and teens. I would not have thought Harry Potterish from the cover art. Next time I'll take a closer look.
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Just finished the latest Kate Shugak book, "Bad Blood." It had an interesting theme: a Hatfield and McCoy feud between two neighboring small towns which threatens to blow up when someone from one town is accused of killing someone from the other.
But I was disappointed, with the development and with the ending which seemed just stuck onto the end, and made no sense to me.
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JoanK, maybe after so many Kate Shugak books she is running out of steam or just needed to finish in a hurry to meet a deadline. I've got a while to go before I get to Bad Blood.
As far as I can tell, she only wrote three of the Liam Campbell books. I wonder why. I get a kick out of Campbell's vanity when it comes to his uniform. Everything has to be pressed just so and the hat is worn just so. He can't find a laundry to his satisfaction where he is stationed, so he posts his uniforms to Anchorage for dry cleaning. Woe is him when he has to wear civies because both his uniforms are out. Hah!
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
==========================================================
I love Dana and have read all of the Liam and Kate, plus her three sci fi.. Do not likethe sort of spy one she did however.. Just not interesting to me.
Yes, the fantasy is a bit Harry, a bit darker...and has an interesting premise. Liked the first one very much.. Will look for the others.
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The pre-discussion for our October book is now up: Persuasion by Jane Austen.
Come join in here: http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=3997.0
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Those of you, like me, who are both mystery fans and Jane Austen fans must know the several mystery series based on Austen. Especially Stephanie Barron's books. There's another series with Elizabeth and Darcy from Pride and Prejudice as the detectives (no, not P.D. James "Death Comes to Pemberley"-- another one).
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I have bought them all: the mysteries and the continuing stories of various Austen heroines. They are in special stacks on one of my bookcase shelves (no longer room IN the shelves!), but I confess to not having read a single one of them as yet. I think, years back, I read a book called JANE FAIRFAX, and did not much care for it. Not like Austen at all, in my mind. So I buy them and stack them and plan to get to know them "one day," because Austen remains my darling favorite and I crave to possess everything having to do with her.
I adore Persuasion and own DVDs and videos of all of the films made. But I cringe in discussions of books I love, as I find various incoming points of view to be like ruinous hurricanes storming down the pathways of my precious imaginings.
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I like some of her stuff, but did not like the current mystery stuff about her at all.
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Well, good for Valerie Plame, the CIA agent outed by Scooter Libby back in the days of an earlier administration. She has written a spy novel about an agent dealing with Iran and nuclear proliferation. Apparently a big media rollout coming in about two weeks.
Valerie Plame novel (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/wp/2013/09/19/valerie-plame-pens-a-spy-novel-about-surprise-a-covert-cia-agent/?tid=pm_lifestyle_pop)
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That should be interesting!
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Finished Artifacts by Mary Anne Evans (not George Eliot). It is the first of a series featuring an archaeologist named Fay Longchamps. In this first novel, she had to quit college before completing her degree due to family illness. She lives on a low-lying island just off the Florida panhandle in an old mansion she inherited. She is doing some archaeological field work for her former mentor, augmenting her low pay by "pot-hunting" and selling on the black market items she finds. She is necessarily secretive in her efforts to keep the tax assessor at bay and in where she finds her artifacts (some of them illegally dug) in order to keep and restore her old family home. Of course there are several murders (some old, some new and all connected) to solve without bringing attention to herself or her friends who may otherwise be implicated.
I was surprised to find that this is not a new series. She has written eight so far. I'll have to check see if the library has any of the others. Ms. Evans is a chemical engineer with an added degree of Engineering Physics. She has a cat that helps her write, so automatically I like her.
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Ohmy,another writer I have never heard of that sounds interesting. Ah, the list grows and grows and grows
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For the fans of mystery writer, Jo Nesbo, I can now give you the definitive answer to how one pronounces the name of the main character, Harry Hole. It is pronounced "Hari Hula".
Also, did someone here in the Mystery Corner mention a series of novels by Kelly Underwood, featuring Phryne? I understand there is a TV series now.
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TOME: It's Kerry Greenwood
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/kerry-greenwood/
Don't know Nesbo yet. But I'm glad it's Hula, not Hole.
I love the Evans books. Dripping with atmosphere. An unbelievable but sexy male sidekick. Good mysteries. And info on things I know nothing about.
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I looked up Mary Ann Evans on Fantastic Fiction, and got George Eliot. It seems MAE was Eliot's real name. (I'll bet there are more little jokes hidden in our Evans' books that I don't get.
Here is the modern one.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/e/mary-anna-evans/
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Speaking of Hula and Hole, I'm reading a book now about spelling (no, I'm not just a mystery reader), trying to explain why English spelling is so crazy.
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Yeah, JoanK, I found out my error on the Phyrne author when I tried to search it on my library's site. Also, unless you are in Australia, the video clips on ABC1 are not available.
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Maryland Public Television (MPT) is showing another Phryne Fisher murder mystery set in Australia tonight: Murder On The Ballarat Train. Fun! I love her SO much!
http://www.phrynefisher.com/
And I love Jo Nesbo and own all but 3 of his books, and those three have not been translated as yet!
http://www.goodreads.com/series/51155-harry-hole
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I am so far behind in these authors, but not that crazy about Nesbo. May grow on me.
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Just got"The Cuckoos Calling" by Robert Galbraith (pseudonym for J.K. Rowling). It is touted as a classic mystery. It will have to be good to keep me interested for 455 pages!
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FlaJean, I'm reading it now, and finding it good reading. I've gotten it as an e-book, so didn't know about the size (although that's not an issue with me in reading a book). So far, it's a good story and very readable.
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I've heard mixed reviews in the other discussions.
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Now I read one of her book a month or so ago. Shocked me as she wrote the F... word on every page. Can't think of the name of it now. Will have to check.
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Just put my name down for the Cuckoos Calling. That is not the one I read. I am Number 74 on the waiting list. No LP at this time. Maybe have it by the time gets to me.
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The complaints are the f- words and characters that are unlikable. Since I worked for the army, I got used to f-words (although I don't like them! And often they're a substitute for rational thought!) But I want at least one character I can relate to.
I'm reading "The Stonecutter." I normally don't read books where children get murdered -- too close to the bone for me. But I like the series, and thought I'd give it a try. I see it's depressing me though. I may not finish it.
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That F...word was not used anywhere like it is today. Now a every day word. Kids use it that way. Don't think they realize how awful it sounds. Maybe it will wear itself out. Not read a book lately where it was not used. Even a movie. Next will be TV.
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Why do I have this award show on when I have books to read. So boring. I havn't seen most of what they are awarding.
Not heard any awards going to Dalton Abbey. Surprising. But I suppose not many in Hollywood watch Masterpiece theatre. Not seen any awards going to it.
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The f word. Something I have never written or said out loud in my life. I have heard children of 12 or so use it however. Always stops me dead in my tracks.
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With many people, teens to thirty-somethings, it's just another word in their everyday language. It seems to be similar to the word "like" that some seem to have imprinted into their speech pattern and they are unable to say two words without including "like" and the F bomb.
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I'm reading an unusual - for me - Lisa Scottoline book. It's not the women's law firm group. It's still set in Philly, but the protagonist is a woman pediatrician and story centers on the death of her ex and her dealing with ex-stepdgts and a present fiance who is NOT happy with her being involved with the dgts. One dgt is sure her father was murdered, but the cops said no. So, of course, the pediatrician starts to investigate.
Its a good story, but there are some strange mishaps in the writing which i never noticed in Scottoline's writing before. She writes a behavior that is out of sequence - like she turns on the ignition of the car and then in the next paragraph she's entering the car w/ a key. I swear there are no editors anymore. She has the character, while doing her investigation, doing things that anyone w/ any common sense would not do - constantly talking on her phone while driving, ( a pediatrician !?!?!), touching items where she would leave fingerprints when she doesn't want it known that she's been there, etc. every tv viewer these days knows you never touch anything at a crime scene. Lisa was an attorney and she knows better.
Jean
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I did get to watch the Phyrne Fisher mystery the other night. Rather a cozy with some gunplay, but the costumes she wears from that period are wonderful!
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I read my first book by Karin Slaughter, UNSEEN. Tossed it after 4 chapters. Gruesome, violent. Unbelievable characters, especially the female detective who was horrible. No character I could care what happened to them. No more Karin Slaughter!
I did read a good mystery, A TAP ON THE WINDOW by Linwood Barclay. Altho' it needed editing (almost 500 pp), it kept me turning pages. A man, Cal Weaver, is stopped at night in his car at a stop sign in a pouring rain. A young girl taps on his window and begs for a ride home. Cal is hesitant, but she recognizes him and says she knew his son (who had recently committed suicide while under the influence of drugs). Cal decides to give her a ride. She asks to be let out for a minute at a restaurant because she feels ill. When she returns to the car, he realizes it is not the same girl who left. Then things get more interesting.
Marj
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Jean: I swear there are no editors anymore
Isn't that the truth!! And there are, apparently, no proofreaders/critique partners, even another literate person reading the finished manuscript. Some of the errors I see from "published" authors stupify me. Their manuscripts wouldn't pass muster with a 9th grade English class. If they don't have proofreaders, etc. available, hire a local English teacher to read the manuscript before it's "published" and out there for sale.
jane
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Tomereader, I'm atellin' you, and everyone I can collar, that Phryne Fisher is worth watching JUST for the clothes!
Heaven!
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Everyone loves the Phryne Fisher show, and my PBS isn't showing it. Rats!
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Jean: which Scottoline is it?
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/lisa-scottoline/
"A Tap on the Window" sounds great!
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"Tap" was $10.99 on kindle, but they had another of his (her?) books on special for $2.99. So I got a sample of that instead.
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Yes, which Scottoline. I thought I had read them all.
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"Come Home." I finished it last night and it ended with various twists and turns, well done.
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Will make a note on that. I am actually reading a John Grisham.. The Racketeer. Seems to have no point whatsoever.... What a weird book.. Will finish, but it is a stupid book.. At least I got it used. and paperback.
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Gosh, Steph, I Read Grisham's The Rackateer last year and thought it was one of the best mysteries I'd read in a long time.
About a lawyer, Malcom Bannister, who has been in prison for five years and has five more to go. But he has an ace up his sleeve. A federal judge has been murdered, his safe emptied, the FBI have been unable to solve it, and Malcom knows who did it! He engineers his release under Rule 35 (is there really such a rule?) whereby when a prisoner solves a crime that the Feds have an interest in, the prisoner is then eligible for release and commutation of his crime. But there are a couple of neat twists to this scheme and you are amazed at what happens. IMO, a great story!
Marj
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I'm continuing with The Cuckoo's Calling by Galbraith (Jk Rowling) but it's slow going because Netflix keeps getting in the way. ;) The old Inspector Morris detective series is being streamed on Netflix so I've been enjoying them. Detective Lewis looks so young! However, Rowling's story is a good one.
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I should have said Inspector Morse. I had a senior moment :)
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| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
==========================================================
I liked The Cuckoo's Calling. Altho' the book was too long, it kept you turning pages.
Marj
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I am reading one that I just picked off the shelf. Not heard of writer before. Harlan
Coben his name " Six Years" the book. Quite good so far. .mystery
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The only Coben I've read so far was Tell No One. I couldn't put it down. My sister, on the other hand, started it, got busy with other things, and never got back to it. It is still waiting for her to finish. There is another Coben in my TBR pile, but I don't remember the name off hand, something like The Woods or In the Woods.
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I really did not like The Racketeer.. loved the Litigatiors,, from last year though. I thought the whole book was mostly descriptions of things I did not care about and that did not lead the plot forward. No idea if there is a rule 35, but I would bet that the idea of letting the guy loose before a trial is unusual.
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I loved Coben's Tell No One, as well, and saw the movie. I just checked the shelf where I keep him and find that I have nine of his books on hand unread as yet. I always pass them on to my granddaughter Paige as soon as they are read, as she loves him, too. The buying and setting aside is not a matter of preference, but there is so much else having to be read. Coben is one of the many authors I have to keep a tabled list of on WORD. I set them up with 4 columns: "Own", "Read", "Year", and "Title." For Harlan Coben, under title I always add whether or not it is a Myron Bolitar and, if it is, the number, like this:
Myron Bolitar #10 LIVE WIRE.
I have a file called BOOKS in which I keep all of my author lists, just to make sure I don't miss one in a series. My Coben starts in 1995 with Myron Bolitar # 1 DEAL BREAKER, and of course the own and read columns are checked off and that book has long since left my home for Paige's. Tell No One was 2002, and was most definitely NOT a Bolitar.
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Steph wrote, "I really did not like The Racketeer.. loved the Litigatiors,,
I also loved The Litigators (loved them both, actually) Have Grisham's Sycamore Row on hold at the library. It is to be out in October.
Marj
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Looking back over some of the posts here, and I see that Joan K was reading The Stonecutters (by Camilla Lackberg?) and thinking about tossing it. Did you finish it?
I read it earlier this year and rated it 3+. It kept me reading to see who had killed the little girl, but the book was too awfully long with too many characters and too many red herrings. The writing IMO was just okay, kind of a long melodrama. I also read her book The Ice Princess, and think that will be my last read by her. Both books needed editing. The author is pretty long-winded.
There are better books out there to read.
Marj
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Gosh, looks as if I also am getting too longwinded. This will be my last post, as I want to get back to reading Zealot; The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, a fascinating new nonfiction book by Reza Aslan, an internationally acclaimed writer and scholar of religions with a PhD in the Sociology and History of Religions.
I just finished a mystery, DEATH IN KASHMIR, by M. M. Kaye. She wrote The Far Pavilions. I did not know she had also written several mysteries. Death in Kashmir was very good, a bit long but interesting. I had trouble with some of her British expressions and slang, but enjoyed the story. Almost made me want to travel to beautiful Kashmir. Not as I have always pictured India, as urban and crowded with poor people, but a gorgeous place of mountains, valleys and lakes.
Marj
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Marge: "This will be my last post".
I hope not forever. Mysteries seem trivial, compared to the life of Jesus. I read them in between more serious books. Come back to us later.
I did finish "The Stonecutters", and liked it. I didn't find it too long, once I got into it. I did feel that the murderer was obvious, and the extremes of character TOO extreme. As someone said, the good people were good, and the bad people REALLY bad.
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Mary: you're lists on the computer sound like a great idea!
On the kindle, they give a free sample of the first 30 pages approx. After realizing how much money I was spending on kindle, I made a strict rule that I'm not allowed to buy the book until I've read the sample. I can't count how many samples of books I thought I "had to have" have been sitting there unread forever. That rule cut way down on my expenses. As it is, even with that and the library I spend over $100 a month on books.
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MaryPage, I wish I'd started what you have done several years ago. You are so organized. I think for me it would be too late, plus there is so much other stuff that has to be done. I'm lucky to have made a TBR list.
JOhn Grisham and Harlan Coben are two of my favorite mystery writers. I loved Grisham's The Litigators and also The Appeal, and could watch the films Pelican Brief and Time to Kill (I still think that is one of his best) over and over again. Didn't care so much for the one that focused on death row -- don't remember the name. Too long. And this discussion about Grisham has reminded me about A Painted House -- we read it here, and I'm really surprised that I have yet to see the film. I just now put it on my Netflix queue.
I liked Coban's HOld Tight. Haven't read Tell No One, but liked the film. Strange that it's French.
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Pedln, I think I read somewhere a long time back that Hollywood had bought the rights to film Tell No One, as well, but as far as I know they have never done so. Apparently the French really liked the story. Well, so did I! Of course, as is usually the case they changed the story in the film from the story in the book in a number of ways, but it was, basically, still the same story and I hugely enjoyed seeing it come to life.
I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Camilla Lackberg's books. Am a fan of hers.
Have been interested in reading Zealot. From reading details about it in all the many reviews, I gather the author and I share a lot of the same opinions about Jesus and the period and the real history. Marjifay, do let us know how the book affects you.
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Compared to the book, I thought the movie was a little "quieter" than the book. The book was more action oriented.
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Looks like our library does not have "Tell no One" in LP and the DVD looks to be in French . To many DVD to watch so will skip that one. I don't mind Subtitles sometimes but not right now.
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Cobins stand alone are wonderful, although I like Myron as well.. I have the Lackburg, Princess book, but it is stll in my tbr pile..Was down last night. Picked up an old Amelia Peabody, that I had read years ago and started in.. within a mnute was laughing and marveling at how delicately she manages to write bout amelia and husbands love life..
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JoanK wrote "I made a strict rule that I'm not allowed to buy the book until I've read the sample. I can't count how many samples of books I thought I "had to have" have been sitting there unread forever. That rule cut way down on my expenses. As it is, even with that and the library I spend over $100 a month on books."
Good heavens, Joan, I can only imagine what you spent on books before you decided to cut down! Do you ever go to the library?
Oh well, I 'd rather spend money on books than on clothes. And I would hate to think what I would be spending on cigarettes now had I not quit about 15 years ago.
Marj
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JoanK wrote, "Mysteries seem trivial, compared to the life of Jesus. I read them in between more serious books.:"
I do that too, Joan. Have to ration mysteries or I'd read nothing but. There is an interesting Yahoo group of people, many of whom I think must read only mysteries -- 4_Mystery_Addicts. I get a lot of my mysteries from that group. They are SERIOUS mystery readers.
Marj
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Steph, I read the Myrons for laughs. His parents are Too Much! And I agree with you: his stand alones are great mystery/crime novels. Well, some of them. Kind of remind me of Dennis Lehane, though I would have to ponder a while or more before I could tell you why. I guess basically, those guys seem to have their thoughts run along the same lines and notice the same things. I have pretty much noticed myself over the decades that I generally like the thought processes of women writers better than those of men. 'Cept for Shakespeare, of course, and I kind of sort of think the guys who believe one of the folks who wrote Shakespeare WAS a woman were right on target!
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MaryPage wrote "Have been interested in reading Zealot. From reading details about it in all the many reviews, I gather the author and I share a lot of the same opinions about Jesus and the period and the real history. Marjifay, do let us know how the book affects you."
I will do that. The book will be discussed in the Yahoo group All_Nonfiction in October. I'm looking forward to that discussion.
Marj
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Never thought, but you are right. I love Lehane and Cobin... Both look at life in a different sort of way. Mystic River as a great book and movie.. But I like all of Lehane, even Shutter Island, which was basically as strange as it gets.
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Talk about serendipity!
I've been away from this site and didn't read your discussion on Coben. When I went to the library to pick up a new mystery without knowing anything about him I picked up his latest (2012) book..
It's called "Stay Close" and now I want to start reading it immediately after your "get acquainted with" introduction about his writing. Glad I'm back in the thick of the mystery genre again.
Have been entranced by one novel: "Tell the Wolves I'm Home" by Carol Brunt and not entranced by another: "The Tiger's Wife" by Tea Obreht. Both first time novelists.
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Finishing aKathy Reichs.. Way too much information on diamond mines. I think she pads the plots nowadays. What a shame. I like that Temperance, but dont like the tv one.
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JudeS, I received The Tiger's Wife as a gift, and like you I was not entranced.
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Just finished The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackburg.. Loved it, but she needs a firm hand on the wheel about digressions, but otherwise.. excellent plot
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I see that Tom Clancy passed away. I've seen some of the movies from his books, but never read any. One is, however, in my TBR pile; it is a non-fiction book, Shadow Warriors.
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We were Tom Clancy fans right from the start and have all of his books. We liked Harrison Ford's portrayals of Jack Ryan. I think he made four and was considering a fifth which was not carried through. It was going to star Harrison Ford and that Star Trek star in it. He's not my favorite actor? Well, he can't act is the problem! :D :D
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I didn't know Ford had considered a fifth. You must be talking about William Shatner. I never thought he was all that great an actor.
The Hunt for Red October has to be my favorite Clancy movie. It looks like that was Clancy's first novel.
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Shatner does wonderful funny commercials, but is certainly not a great actor.
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I am reading the latest Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In. We are back in Three Pines and I am glad. The one before this (The Beautiful Mystery) was good; but I missed the characters in Three Pines.
Sally
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I'm reading Susan Wittig Albert's latest Darling Dahlias mystery "The Darling Dahlias and the Texas Star". I like reading about the 1930/1940 era. Albert brings out some of the actual history of that era, and she is particularly good with her facts. A cozy, to be sure, but a nice escape from the reality of today.
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Thanks to Jude for recommending "Tell the Wolf I'm Home." I liked it a lot.
Spooky coincidence. Last night I was reading one of the mysteries by Julie Hyzy featuring the Executive Chef of the White House, where people are always threatening the First family. Then I hear the news this morning. No fun in real life!
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/julie-hyzy/
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When I got to the library this afternoon, the library branch manager had some of Tom Clancy's newer books out on display. She was surprised that very little has been said, so far, about his passing, especially from those who made such blockbuster movies from his books. She is right. I haven't seen anything either. The only condolences and statement I've seen is from the people who bought the video game franchise he started.
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Tom Clancy's death was on the NBC Nightly News, and was in our local newspaper the next day.
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I think Today show had some stuff on Clancy as well..
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I don't know what the Library Branch Manager watches or doesn't watch, but the various evening news programs had various interview clips of Clancy over the years, and info about his writings, etc.
jane
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I've missed them too, but then I haven't watched much TV this week. I think she was expecting people like Harrison Ford, Alex Baldwin and the like to come out with some kind of public condolences. Our local paper had an article, and I saw a few others, but they were relatively short. I think the one I saw with the statement from Ubisoft (the company that bought his video franchise) was the BBC News article. No mention of what he died of.
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Charlie Rose dedicated his show one night this week to a memory of Clancy and our local paper had a huge write up on him, complete with a number of pictures.
This is what I wrote about him in a posting in another forum this week:
Annapolis is mourning one of its local area celebrities, who died Tuesday at the early age of 66. A world-famous author, he sold his very first piece ever published right here in 1980 to the nonprofit Naval Institute Press.
He never cashed the check he received in payment. One presumes he framed it?
The same publisher printed a later piece and then, in 1984, his first book. This author wrote a lot about the beautiful Chesapeake Bay and Chesapeake Country in general. Dying just up the pike apiece in Baltimore, he lived in rural Calvert County. Natives pronounce that "Cullver." I have no idea why; just local accent, I expect.
The hero of this writer's books, portrayed on screen by actors Alec Baldwin, Ben Affleck and Harrison Ford, worked here in Annapolis at the United States Naval Academy.
You have probably read at least one of his books, or seen at least one of the movies made from them.
The Annapolis Bookstore down on Maryland Avenue has pulled out all of his books for a window display in mourning. Included, of course, is that very first book: The Hunt For Red October."
We salute Tom Clancy. He was one of us.
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And in the latest issue of Time Magazine, Colin Powell wrote about his friendship with Tom Clancy, and what a remarkable man Clancy was.
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Sunday Morning on CBS this morning did a piece on Tom Clancy. He had SEVENTEEN number one best sellers! Wow!
And his last book will be published in December.
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I'll have to catch Charlie Rose on a rerun.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
==========================================================
Okay, one more Kate Shugak series and the last two Liam Campbell series read and ready to go back to the library. I am wondering if Dana Stabenow will write more Liam Campbell. The fourth book seemed like a good stopping point, but then it could be an opening to a new "chapter" in the life of Liam and Wy.
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I love to read about Alaska in the summer when it's hot.
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Since my air is off and am waiting for a callback on who is coming, I will read about anything cool.
Thinking of crawling into the fridge..
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Sigh. And we had our first cool night last night. I feel cold and achy. When I moved to LA, I laughed at the natives who complained about changes as the temp varied from 60 to 80. Now I'm just as bad as they are.
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We've just finished The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (pseudonym of J. K. Rowling), and really enjoyed it. It was very readable, and we liked the protagonists.
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I found an Ayelet Waldman that I had not read. I do enjoy her.
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I don't know a Thing about her books, Steph. Never heard of them. Do tell me a little. Would I like them?
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Found in the library another book in the series by Gary Corby about a detective in Ancient Greece: "Sacred Games"
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/gary-corby/
the narrator is Socrates' older brother who has become a "Murder Investigator" for Pericles in Athens. Socrates is this annoying younger brother, who sometimes makes a deduction that sets big brother on the right track.
This one takes place at the Olympic Games. An Athenian athlete is accused of killing a Spartan athlete, and our guy must combine with a Spartan detective to find out the truth, and cool the bad relations between Athens and Sparta.
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Oh no! Another series to look into. Now that Lindsey Davis has discontinued her Didius Falco series I could use another ancient detective series. Of course, I haven't read any of Saylor's ancient Roman detective yet.
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Ayelet Waldman writes a small mystery series,, dubbed
The Mommy series. All about a lawyer, who has three babies , lives in Hollywood, her husband is involved in hollywood horror films. She gives up being a lawyer when the first child is born, but then realizes she cannot be a stay at home.. They are light and funny.. She has also written a few stand alones and does ( I believe) either a blog or column on line. Her husband is Michael Chabon and she considers him a genius and herself as a journey man writer.. I like her, dislike his..
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As you say, another series to check out!
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/ayelet-waldman/
That sounds like me: I love my kids but didn't like being a stay-at-home mom. There were no handy murders for me to solve, though.
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Rats! kindle doesn't have any of her mysteries: only a couple of her other books.
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Her others are supposed to be serious, but I have not read them..Will eventually
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The Cuckoo's Calling was good and the characters interesting, but too long IMO and too "wordy". I just don't seem to have the patience anymore to stick with a long story.
The library just notified me that Eva's Eye by Scandinavian author Karin Fossum is ready for pickup. I usually like mysteries by Scandinavian authors, although they can often be a bit depressing or dark ( like their weather ;))
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I liked The Cuckoo's Calling - and hope she writes another book with those protagonists.
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I agree with you, Mary Z, I liked the protagonists also. I liked both Strike and Robin--an interesting contrast of characters. But I've noticed lately that if a story goes on too long my interest starts to wander---old age getting to me? ;)
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FlaJean -- Eva's Eye is the first Inspector Sejer novel that Karin Fossum wrote. It was originally published in Norway in 1995 and I've heard that it's very good. I have a copy waiting for me on my bookshelf...just have to get around to reading it. I've always wondered why these popular Scandanavian series by different authors are published out-of-order. Doesn't make sense to me. Anyway, I love Karin Fossum's books.
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http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/karin-fossum/
Kindle has Eva's Eye.
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Karin Fossum's EVA'S EYE is a great read! Suspenseful and very well written. I'll read more of her books when I find the time.
Right now, I can't put down Stephen King's UNDER THE DOME. Fascinating and lots of suspense. Not a horror novel.
Marj
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Any one remember Per Wahloo and Maj..?? They were my first experience with the frozen north type detectives so many many years ago. Very dark, but fun..
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Oh, I remember every one of those; I adored them! There were a couple of movies made, as well. Per Wahloo and Maj Sjowall. I started to mention here myself, just as you did, but then I was afraid they would be totally out of print and unavailable. Perhaps Thrift Books? They were soooooo good! Martin Beck was the detective. One movie was American made and set in the U.S. instead of Sweden. "The Laughing Policeman."
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I have The Laughing Policeman, Roseanna, and The Fire Engine that Disappeared . I bought them all as "used books" from Amazon. But....I haven't read them. After your comments, I will have to bring them forward in by TBR pile!
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Oh I did love them. Martin Beck was interesting and gloomy at the same time. They were good.
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The Martin Beck movies Swedish with English subtitles are sold by Amazon.
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Winchesterlady, you are right. Eva's Eye is a great read. I did notice that it was originally published in 1995 but didn't realize that she had newer books published in the US. I am adding her to my list of special authors that I try to follow.
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My library actually has Karin Fossum's books. I've added Eve's Eye to my wish list. Right now I am in the middle of another of the Kate Shugak series, after which are two SciFi books and a non-fiction about the Charlie Chan crime mysteries. I read all the Charlie Chan stories way back and saw many if not all the movies.
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Charlie Chan! What fun!
Eve's Eye is next, after I finish a nonfiction book on Antarctica. Wish I'd read it during the Summer, I'll have to turn the heat on!
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Charlie Chan.. what is the name of the book./ Sounds so neat..
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Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History by Yunte Haung. Non-fiction
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Thanks, will look it up onAmazon, sounds like a nice book to request for my birthday. I almost always ask for non fiction hard back for that.
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I'm enjoying the book a lot. There are a number of books on Antarctica. This one is by Gabrielle Walker.
http://www.amazon.com/Antarctica-Intimate-Mysterious-Continent-ebook/dp/B006R8PHW0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381865132&sr=8-1&keywords=antarctica+gabrielle+walker
t's a scientist-tourist view of Antarctica. She mixes layman's descriptions of the scientific work being carried out there, the history of exploration, and her personal impressions and those of the people who work there. It's long, but it carries me right along.
Did you know there are fish with anti-freeze in their veins there? and rocks from Mars? and dinosaur fossils? And snow that fell millions of years ago? Do you know why penguins collect rocks?
You can see I'm enjoying this.
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That book on Antarctica really sounds interesting, JoanK. I've added it to my TBR list. Where did you hear about the book?
Marj
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Ihave always wanted to go to Antarctica.. but MDH was not in favor.Now I find that you must book for two, no singles.. Bah..
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Me, I've never entertained the teeniest speck of desire to actually go there, but I have read a lot of books about it and seen a lot of documentaries, and indeed, it is fascinating.
One grandson-in-law, working on his post doctorate in Biology, went for 6 weeks in January/February a few years back with a shipload of other scientists. He emailed back and forth with my daughter Becky's First Graders in Kansas City, Missouri and both sides, Aaron and the kids, had a ball. The ship's times for emailing were confined to a certain portion of the day, something to do with where they were, I don't remember the details of that, but Aaron would receive an email with 3 questions the kids had and then the NEXT day he would send them his answers, with photographs of himself and the ship and all. It was a great learning experience for the kids, Becky, me, and Aaron swears himself!
I do not like to punish my body, and my body likes not COLD temps!
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We went on an Elderhostel to Antarctica over Christmas in 1996. It was fabulous! I don't know what we had expected, but we had not expected it to be so beautiful. We did have wonderful weather (which is not always the case, of course), and were able to make all our scheduled landings. On our first landing, I think everybody wore all their clothes, and wound up peeling off layers because the temp got into the upper 40s with sunshine. Loved seeing the penguins and the icebergs and all the birds and sealife. I'd definitely recommend a trip if you can manage it financially and health-wise. We had one woman in her 80s on our trip, and she made every landing.
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Our library does a lot of displays (partly because there isn't enough shelf space any more) and this month someone, maybe in honor of October or Halloween or school colors, pulled books with orange covers and set them out near the check-out. Of course, I had to look to see what was there and found Ash & Bone by John Harvey, a Frank Elder mystery. I have read one of the Charlie Resnick books by Harvey, but wasn't aware of Frank Elder. I am enjoying meeting a new character. This is the 2nd in the series, though, so I'll have to go back for the first.
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NLHOME: let us know if it's good.
WOW! What great experiences with Antarctica! Your Grandson-in-law must be a special person, MaryPage, to share his trip like that. How wonderful!
And MaryZ has been there! You're the only person I've met who has. What a great experience.
I would never actually go there. I'm so cold- blooded, that here in Southern California, I'm always wearing heavy sweaters and jackets when everyone else is in t-shirts. But paradoxically, I love to experience the cold vicariously. I watch every show Discovery Channel has on Alaska, and read all the Alaskan mysteries of course.
I guess I'm not alone in this -- they are very popular!
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I think the very best COLD murder mystery I ever read was Smilla's Sense of Snow. I mean, it was the best, but I am not sure that was the exact name. And they made a movie of it that was not near as good as the book. Not near. Was it by Peter Hoag? A Dane. I must look it up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Smilla's_Feeling_for_Snow
Well, there it is, and I did not spell his name correctly. My book was most definitely NOT titled with the "Miss." I did correctly name the book I read. I thought it wonderful, but it was most definitely a book you either loved or hated. Apparently someone in Hollywood thought it wonderful, as well; but then just did not know how to translate it to the silver screen.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120152/
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Did not like the Sense of Snow..and I generally like the northern authors.. My air conditioning is fixed.. Hooray.. I can live again without carrying a towell to dry my face constantly. Now for Lowes to stop futzing around and delilver my microwave. Stop talking to me that it is in and actually schedule a time.. Nuts.
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I've meant to read Smilla's Sense of Snow. Thanks for reminding me, MaryPage.
It will have to wait, tho,' until I read the book that's up next -- TEARS OF AUTUMN by Charles McCarry. It was recommended by someone in another book group whose book preferences I like. He said this book remains one of his favorite books in the suspense genre.
Marj
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
==========================================================
I read "Sense of Snow" decades ago, and liked it. Time for a reread, maybe.
Another one dimly remembered: "Ice Station Zebra"
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My copy was titled Smilla's Sense of Snow too--a much snappier title. I liked it, though I did have a few quibbles. I'm good at quibbles.
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still more things wrong with the air conditioner.. I am so tired of being hot and sweaty and unhappy.. it is also my 55 wedding anniversary.. I miss him so..
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Oh gawd, Steph; I know, I know.
I am so sorry.
And I am sorry about the a/c, too. I cannot bear breathing in the hot, humid air and being all sweaty. Feeling for you, deed I am!
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Anniversarys are tough. I just passed my 58th, 8th one alone.
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I try really hard to do what the counselors recommend and remember all the fun and love we shared, but sometimes it is so very hard. I just want to see him one more time..hear his voice, feel his touch.. Sorry..I will shut up now.
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Oh, Steph, I still feel the same thing sometimes after 11 years. It gets a lot better, but it never stops completely. Don't ever feel you have to shut up; we're all willing ears.
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I will second that, every word Pat said.
For me, it will be 8 years in January, and I believe I have finally become certain he is not going to be on the line when I pick up the ringing phone or on the doorstep when I answer the chiming doorbell.
He used to email me that he loved me. From his recliner in our living room to my computer in our den, he would shoot off these adorable little love notes. I printed out a lot, and now, as my eyes drink those sentiments greedily into my soul, I regret not thinking to print out and save every one, no matter how insignificant.
Sigh! Life is so very full of regrets.
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One regret we don't have: we know we married the right guy.
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Yes, I know for sure that I married the one man who made me happy. Talking to many other widows, it is surprising how many women didnt..
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Yes, we are the lucky ones.
I'm reading the latest Joanna Fluke mystery "Red Velvet Cupcake Murder." So far (first 100+ pages), I'm disappointed -- it's all recipes and almost no story. It was a poor choice to take to bed last night: I got soooooo hungry.
(Actually, checking ff I see it's the next-to-last Fluke. My library is always behind!)
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I am not that fond of the Fluke mysteries.. A bit more cooking recipes than I want in a mystery.. I am reading a Rita Mae Brown Fox type mystery.. Fox hunting and Sister Jane.. Always fun,, not serious but fun.
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I'm reading the final book in the Miss Zukas series by Jo Dereske. I've really enjoyed these books about the prim Miss Zukas, Librarian---cozy and fun. I believe Dereske is writing a "Ruby Crane" series now, but I haven't read any yet.
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I haven't read a Miss Zukas book for a long time. Thanks for reminding me.
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Oh, no. The last one is called "Farewell Miss Zukas"
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/jo-dereske/
But there seem to be a whole bunch I haven't read yet. I think I would have remembered the raven's wing, birder that I am.
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With my terrible memory for names, I just realized that two series that I like are written by the same person, Amanda Flower.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/amanda-flower/
The India Hayes series is funny: a librarian with hippie parents who are always protesting something. I'd swear I've read more than two books.
The Applewood Creek series is more serious: an "Englischer" who becomes involved with the Amish community. Both are in Ohio.
I haven't read the new series yet.
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Now that is an author that sounds like my kind of author. Will check her out on my swap club.
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I had read the first of Fern Michael's "Sisterhood series" and thought the concept had great possibilities - a group of women who had not, or knew someone who had not, gotten justice for a crime committed against them, who seek out their own justice. One of them, the oldest one, is married to a retired MI5 agent who has many contacts and many skills at gathering information needed to exact "justice."
I got another one at the library and was soooo disappointed. The writing didn't flow. It was several books along in the series and she threw in many names without explaining who they were - the book did not stand alone. She had non-sequential behaviors of the characters. I did keep reading bcs i wanted so badly for this to be a good series, but it was awful to the end!
Jean
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Ihave read the Sisterhoo series, at least some of them and yes, they go all over the charts. No idea why.She had a good idea, but she expanded the characters until she has a small army..
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That's the problem with many series. If you start reading in the middle, forget it. Even if not, after so many books, the author has to spend so much time updating each character's activities, there's no room for plot.
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I had so much fun tonight. Chip took me downtown (on a Saturday night in Annapolis, which, like New York City, is a place that never sleeps!), and the crowds were huge and I saw sidewalk artistes playing with hoops and violins and guitars and singing groups and about the whole brigade of Midshipmen from the Naval Academy and just plain Annapolis out on a Saturday night. The restaurants were all doing a huge business. We went over to Maryland Avenue to the Annapolis Book Store, which is about 2 blocks from Gate 3 of the Academy and the Navy Chapel with its real gold tower.
And I bought 2 copies of: "ANNAPOLIS: Murder At High Tide" by James Schneider and had a great talk with him and got him to sign one to my granddaughter Maria and one to my granddaughter Paige. Maria grew up here in Annapolis and went to school here and now owns her own home here. She started out in her law practice here, but then moved to Crofton because her clients had such terrible parking problems. Paige lives in Baltimore and grew up on the Eastern Shore, but she has known Annapolis all of her life.
I intend to give Maria her copy for Christmas and give Paige hers just as soon as I get around to reading it.
Schneider, who has lived here all of HIS life, is about to move to Cape Coral, Florida. He says he has 4 more books planned with the same lead character and set here in Annapolis. He sold real estate here for years.
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I just started "The Sauvignon Secret" by Ellen Crosby. The cover says it is a Wine Country Mystery and the back cover comments on two others--"The Reisling Retribution" and "The Viognier Vendetta". There are three or four more listed inside the first pages. We'll see! So far, I find it an easy read but mysterious!
Oh, MaryZ, your are a brave woman! Cold weather is no longer my friend.We used to ski and play with kids in the snow and I loved going out to walk in the colder weather but no more.
Like, JoanK, I would be wearing my sweats with a bulky sweater just reading the book on Anarctica, even in southern California.
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MaryPage, what fun.
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MaryPage,, glad you had fun. We always felt that way about Cambridge when we spent 10 years outside of Boston . So much happening. Will look for the author. Coming from the Eastern shore,, llove anything from that area.
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Sounds like the perfect delightful evening MaryPage.
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MaryPage, I checked on the book. It and another I can get on my Kindle. Question: Any chance that the cover art on Murder at High Tide is his own? I noticed a bio that said he also paints (acrylics).
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Sent a sample to my kindle. What fun , Mary.
Annie: are you in Southern California too, or was that a reference to me?
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I do not know about the cover art. We did not discuss that and he never mentioned being artistic. He is Gay, so he is very likely artistic in ways besides the writing.
He did say this to me: "I won an award for my first book and another one for my second. With this third one, I have FIRED MY EDITOR because she did such a lousy job. I am afraid you will think I am a terrible writer when you read it."
I guess there was just too much money put into the publishing to make the needed changes.
And I explained that I had not read his other books and was only there at the signing because I had read a piece about him in THE CAPITAL in which it mentioned the new book SET IN Annapolis and full of Annapolis places and told about the signing. I look forward eventually to getting into the book and having fun with the various places. He also puts a lot of his friends and their actual names in the book.
OK, I have the book here in front of me. Good picture of the Annapolis skyline from Annapolis Harbour.
I find nothing inside the book that attributes it. Photo? Painting? I have NO idea! Sorry!
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I discovered (thru what, I don't know) a new mystery author: Jussi Adler-Olsen. He is Danish, and there are lots of Danish names and places. First in a series is "The Keeper of Lost Causes" and it was a doozy! Loved it, and have requested the other two from my library.
If you try to pull it off the shelf at your library, look under "A". I started with Olsen, and came up empty. They shelved it under Adler. I guess I don't give the proper credit to the Hyphen!
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I am finishing a John Sandford, that is a takeoff on the old Bonnie and Clyde motif..Not Lucas, but Virgil.
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I love your quote, Tomereader!
Agree with you about Jussi Adler-Olsen's Keeper of Lost Causes. A terrific mystery/thriller. Loved his wry sense of humor. I have his A Conspiracy of Faith on my TBR list.
Marj
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I've had a sample of "Keeper of Lost causes" on my kindle forever. It's kind of a last-in-first-out queue --- if other suggestions come in too fast, it gets forgotten.
I went to recharge my kindle this morning, and my plug is missing! My son recharged it last, and he's not here. I looked everywhere. I'm in a complete tizzy, like a drug addict who fears their source will be taken away. I didn't realize how much I depended on that kindle. I've only had it a few years, and lived happily without it. Sob.
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I'm glad you have it on your Kindle, but to me, it seems it would be better to actually have the book in hand. The story goes back and forth from 2002 to 2007, and on my Kindle, I hate trying to "go back" and reread something to clarify what's happenin'
Sorry about your charger plug. Call him and ask him where he put it.
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Believe me, I am.
I agree about trying to go back and forth on the kindle! Sometimes "search" helps, but it's not like flipping book pages.
I'm reading "Daughters of Gentlemen" by Linda Stratmann (fortunately a library book). Like Molly Murphy but in England, a woman is trying to set herself up as a private detective and is hired to find out who is sneaking suffragette pamphlets into an exclusive boarding school. So far, it's good.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/linda-stratmann/
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No,JoanK, I don't live in southern CA but wish that I did. :( :( I'm the one who lived in Torrance for 4 years back in the '80's. I believe you live in Torrance now, right? You lucky lady! Perfect weather all year round. Well, almost! :)
I finished the mystery "Sauvignon Secret" by Ellen Crosby. She has several more out about the wine growing country in Virginia. Good mystery. I intend to reserve another at my library.
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I found James Swain original book titled Grift Sense and am reading it. I had read several of his ( always about gambling) and never found the first one.. Bu walked into a thrift store and boom.. there it was.
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Of course, Annie. I remember now. yes, I am lucky.
My son fixed my kindle problem in one second flat. Made me feel silly for fussing so. And I got a pleasant surprise. I love to pre-order new books. The new Scottelini (one day I'll learn to spell her name!) is waiting for me, and I forgot I ordered it.
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Grift sense gives you a totally differeent feeling about Las Vegas.. and gambling.
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I've never read anything by James Swain, Steph. My library had his SUCKER BET, so I put it on my TBR list.
Some time ago I read a good nonfiction book by Ben Mezrich, Bringing Down the House; Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions. (257 pp, 2002)
Marge
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Finished "Daughters of gentlemen" and have to qualify my recommendation. I like the premise, but the plot seemed unnecessarily complicated and confusing.
But I'll try another of Stratmann's.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Swain is interesting in that his specialty is cheating at gambling .. mostly the casinos and the many ways to do it. He also gives you a very clear picture of how many ways you are watched in any casino. I love them for the details involved..
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Annie, the Ellen Crosby series looks good. And I'll have to pass that on to Son and DIL, too. They love to visit wineries, and like it even better if they can bike to them. So it was nice for them, after our Ozark family get-together a week or so ago, to take their tandem up to the KATY Bike trail which has a fine wineries along side it. Missouri is developing quite a wine business throughout the state, as is southern Illinois. Are all the Crosbies set in Virginia?
I've only read two of LOuise Penney's Three Pines series, but today, Book Gorilla was offering three of them for less than $2, so I bought them for the Kindle, along with Tom Perotta's Little Children, which was also a bargain book. Now, to find time to read them.
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Pedlin, I splurged on Wednesday at Barnes and Noble and bought one of several series that have been mentioned in the past six months and that I could not find in my swap club, so I m knee deep in books..But then I know I will never catch up and think I dont want to actually.
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Don't you love those splurges! I always cap one off with coffee and chocolate cheesecake in their café. Books and chocolate. Ahhh.
(although I may have reached my chocolate limit last night, trick or treating with my grandkids).
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Ah JoanK,, I can just see you on the trick or treat circuit.. I grew up in the country so never had any tricks or treats until my own children were little. Unfortunately in the country, the tricks are what prevailed. that and the always present.. That must be a witch ( actually our algebra teachers houses) and haunted houses. anything old and empty..
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Lucky, lucky me! I just got home with the latest Reverend Clare Fergusson murder mystery by Julia Spencer-Fleming!
Gonna be holed up with this for a while! Thrilled!
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nd I just got it delivered on my kindle. I was going to go to the library today, but I'm too busy reading.
I'm in some sort of weather zone. The last four mysteries I've read involve some sort of storm: rain, snow, or ice (including the Spencer-Fleming). Before that, I read a fun cozy, "Mayhem at the Orient Express" with an interesting premise. Three neighbors cant get along and are always suing each other. Sick of them, the judge court-orders them to join a book group (his wife is town librarian, and looking for members) so they can learn to work together. Agatha Christie, murder at a Chinese takeout, a snowstorm stranding thirteen suspects ... you get the picture.
The next in series is "Tale of Two Biddies".
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What is the name of the latest Julia Spencer Fleming book?
Sally
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Just tossed out the latest Daniel Silva book, THE ENGLISH GIRL. 482 pp. Gabriel Allon, the main character, an Israeli spy/assassin has been asked to find a girl, the mistress of the British PM. The kidnappers have said they will kill the girl in a week, but don't say what they are asking for. Money, apparently. I dropped the book after Allon and a friend went to a psychic woman and asked her if the girl was still alive and whether they would be able to find her. That did it. Couldn't see another 400 page of this nonsense.
Marj
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Sally, it is THROUGH THE EVIL DAYS and was just released (published) yesterday.
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I love Silva, but dont understand Gabriel who is incredibly hard headed going to a psychic.
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This was my review on Goodreads of Fern Michael's Sisterhood series after trying to read a third in the series:
I read the second in the series of The Sisterhood first and thought it was a great premise for a series of women getting justice for themselves. Unfortunately after that first moderately good read, the next two i tried to read were terrible. There are too many characters that if you haven't read the series in order, the reader sometimes has no idea who they are. In both of the next two books i read, including Free Fall, it took much too long to get into the mystery and the revenge story, especially in such short books. I didn't finish either of them and will not get any more of this series.
I do like some other books of Fern Michaels, this series just didn't work for me. Maybe i was especially disappointed because after reading the first one i thought it had such promise.
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I was a little disappointed in "Through the Evil days." Maybe I looked forward to it too much. But it seems as if Spencer-Fleming is just creating problems for her main characters so she can keep the angst going. It doesn't ring true any more.
Maybe because it's all about children and parents relationships with children, but the one actual child in the book isn't realistically portrayed, nor do we see actual face-to-face relationships with children.
But still worth reading.
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I share some of your feelings, but on the whole I am still bonded with her priest and policeman and love her characters and attitudes. She is a fabulous writer. I am devastated re some of the last bits (and yes, there will HAVE to be a follow-up), but honestly, these things do exist and townships are facing these choices. Quite a dramatic story, and all taking place in One Week!
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I am anticipating reading the book. Just later..Went to a glorious small library sale yesterday. Actually found two hard covers that have been out about three weeks in print. Amazing.
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Mary Page, our PBS never showed the Phryne (spelling?) Fisher series but I found it on Netflix. I've already watched the first couple of episodes and it is every bit as good as you said. My husband and I are both enjoying it.
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I found it on Netflix and have watched the whole series. I liked it a lot. I didn't realize it was new, only from last year.
Our PBS hasn't shown it. Right now they're showing "Father Brown". Which is OK but Miss Fisher is much better.
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Someone mentioned Charles Finch a bit ago and I finally broke down and bought the first one.. I am h aving fun "A beautiful Blue Death " is his first book in the series. Charles is interesting and and the interaction between him and Lady Jane fascinating.. Good book. No idea who to thank, but I am enjoying him
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About Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, don't you find the women's clothing absolutely delicious? I hate today's fashions so very much, and adore those from the twenties. The episodes are silly fun, but the dresses and hats are to drool over!
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Was it back in the late 50's (57-58) that there was a tiny resurgence of the drop-waist dresses, and shoes with little bitty spool type heels. I know I had both! I took the spool-heel shoes to the shop repair shop and they got lost! Darn. They were green with three-hole laces. Cutest darn shoes, and I don't know who could have wanted them from the shoe shop, as they were size 4.
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Well, you hooked me, Steph. For one thing, I usually like the books you like. For another, my great grandmother on my father's side was Lady Jane! What fun!
So I went quickly to ThriftBooks and ordered 3 paperbacks:
A Beautiful Blue Death
A Stranger In Mayfair
The September Society
Total cost to me of $11.71. I love that place!
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I've read a couple of those by Charles Finch and enjoyed them.
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I went on amazon today and ordered 3 books that were on sale. Just realized I paid more for postage than I paid for the books.
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I started Ellen Crosby's The Merlot Murders, someone, i think it was Annie, recommended her. So far i'm enjoying it. Thanks for a new mystery author Annie.
Jean
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MaryPage
I never cared much for the "look" of the twenties. There were a few outfits I liked but I didn't like her hats. I liked the pants outfits and coats. I didn't like the hair style.
I read on a board that people that read the books weren't happy with the fact that she was supposed to be 27-28 and she is played by a actress that is forty and to them she looks it. Which is one reason why I never like to compare the books to the films. I try to take them as to separate things and find I enjoy them better that way.
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Me too!
Thrift Books does not charge shipping. I got 3 books I wanted for that total of $11.71. The shipping was free.
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I went into thrift books. Great price and no postage. Good choices. Now are they paper backs?. Do they ever have Large print books?
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I will try Thrift books since my swap club has all of the FInch books are the wish lists for a lot of people.
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It was probably me who recommended Charles Finch's Charles Lenox mysteries, Steph. Glad you liked the first one which I missed but will look for. I really liked his A Burial at Sea and A Death in Small Hours. What I like about his books, beside the mysteries, is that you get so enthralled with the Lenox family and their friends and learning a lot about the Victoriant era. Very good writer.
Marj
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Oh Marypage, I love Thrift books and ordered four more books of Finch.. Reasonable, no postage.. Hurray.. I love the characters and since I have also been netflixing Downton Abbey.. Will start the third year next week... but Lady Mary just said.. Yes.. and I was thrilled.. and Bates is in jail for life. They must free him.. Came to Downtton late, but loving it.
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Better late than never, Steph! It is SUCH a treat!
Yes, Jeanne, Thriftbooks has everything. All used books, of course. The books, dozens of them, I have bought have all been precisely as they have said, ranging from like brand new to well read. And you can count on them. They are totally reliable. Will come to you in a sort of shrink wrapped bright orange packaging, from book stores all over this nation. I find myself blessing the person who thought up forming this alliance to sell their previously read books.
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That is a good site to buy used books. The must make money someway in order to ship free. Makes one wonder why the other places charge $ 3.99 a book
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Thanks very much, MaryPage, for mentioning the Thriftbooks site. I just ordered a book I had been looking for.
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Well, you all almost talked me into buying more books at Thriftbooks! Checked out the site and then looked to see if my library has the same titles and thank goodness, they do! I love the site anyway and will pass along a link to this new secret site.
Jean,
You are welcome. I'm awaiting two more of her books FROM the library! Tee Hee!
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I also ordered books from Thrift Books. I had been wanting to acquire books from the Maisie Dobbs series, and I bought several for $30. Thanks for the information.
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It is really a wonderful place to find older series or to fill out a series that you are missing a book from.. Hooray for MaryPage. Thrift should give her some free books since she turned on a whole new set of people.
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Sounds good to me!
And yes, Jeanne, they have paperbacks and hardbacks and everything you might want. I have not specifically checked to see if they feature Large Print; you might want to search that. But I THINK I have seen some described as that when I have been scrolling down among the results of a search for a particular book or author. Do be careful when you are doing a search in Thrift Books to check on the little list to the right of where you are typing in. They need to know whether it is a title or an author you are looking for. I think someone did really well in setting up this site, as it has served me extremely well. And as I say, they have NEVER let me down!
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Marypage.
Yes I notice running along the top. LARGE prints. Will take a look. THanks.
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Ellen Crosby's The Merlot Murders was a good read. A thriller as well as a mystery. I learned a lot about wine making, not that that interests me, but it was interesting to read a little bit about it. This was another book where the author puts in more characters then it's easy to keep track of. Margaret Maron does the best job of having many characters and keeping the reader knowing who they are, but even she loses me sometimes.
One of the reasons i like Evanovich is she gives us that small base group of characters and then adds just a couple more in each book of the series dealing with that mystery.
Jean
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Jean: too many characters is a problem for me, too. I always had trouble remembering names, and it's only getting worse with age. Nothing worse than finding out who the murderer is and thinking "Who was that again?"
But I also like mysteries that teach me about something new. I often say "everything I know, I know from reading mysteries." I'll try Crosby.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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If you haven't voted yet, December's book discussion is a mystery short story; either Hercule Poirot or Father Brown. Vote here:
http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=309.1080
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Ellen Crosby does try to interest us in wine making but I thought her stories were pretty good for a cozy. So, I have two more of her books on hold and also two Charles Finch books so I am ready to try a new author also.
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I feel that Margaret Marons fictional family is as familiar as people in my long ago hometown. We had any number of large farming families, all interrelated.. So I enjoy the antics and remember my growing up.
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I have thoroughly enjoyed every single Judge Knott book by Margaret Maron.
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yes, I truly do understand and like her family and the town.. Its silly, but I would love to meet Maron and mostly I dont care about the authors, but she writes so knowingly of a life that I lived as a ytoung woman.
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E-mail her, Steph. I did, several years ago, and she emailed me back! Now I am on her fan emailing list, and I get a couple of emails every year.
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Thanks MaryPage, I will do just that.
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Margaret Maron, one of my favorites.
hope someday to get to Sea Grove, the setting for her Uncommon Clay, with all the folk art pottery.
have just started Gone Girl. it's supposedly set in my town, and David Fincher a and crew spent six weeks filming here. son and I both claim there are no mansions along the river as the author claims.
happy Thanksgiving to all.
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Happy Thanksgiving!
It is cold here in Florida today and really feels like Thanksgiving. ;)
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Saturday in Florida and still cool.
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Downright cold here on the Chesapeake Bay.
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Had a wonderful thanksgiving. Home from the hospital with all my problems "antibioticed" away (I know it was really the Seniornet chicken soup that did it!).
Long story short, I had an infection that had some scary side effects. I was sent to the hospital and pumped full of every antibiotic known to man. they wouldn't let me go until all my "numbers" were normal. Came home cured, except for some minor problems caused by the hospital stay (my daughter said "I'm getting you out of here before they do anything more to you")
But I'm weak as a kitten from being in bed so long. Probably won't post much for awhile, but I'll be here. I felt all the love coming my way from you all, and I treasure it. Love ya.
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Joank, it's good to know you are home and enjoyed your Thanksgiving. We had a quiet but pleasant Thanksgiving.
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Hope everything continues to go well, Joan. We'll miss your comments.
Jean
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Aw, Joan. Tough going. Glad you came through that ghastly patch, and hope all will be easy going for you from here til Christmas day in the morning. Upwards and onwards!
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Glad you're back with us, Joan. Take it easy, and get better.
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Cheers, Joan! So happy you are out of the hospital and back with us. Hope you have someone at home to help you. I know how weak one gets from being in bed so long.
Marj
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Thanks guys. I have loads of help. There was a moment in the hospital when I didn't have anything to read, but friends rushed into the gap with two new Evonovitches.
I enjoyed Twenty: those of you who don't like Lula wont. it's Lula all the way. There's also a new series. Evanovitch pairs with the guy who writes the Monk series of books. The book is called "The Heist". If you've read the Monk books, you know his style has as much verve as the instructions for assembling something. I didn't finish it.
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Oh darn, I dislike Lula.. Oh well.
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I like Lulu, but sometimes she's just toooooo much. But it is fiction and many of my LOL moments came via Lulu. I got the "Bordeaux" mystery of Ellen Crosby yesterday at the library. I read the "Merlot" one and liked it o.k.
I also got The Christmas Quilt. I read it before but thought i'd have another go at it in this season.
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My bed book just now is "Earthly Delights" by Kerry Greenwood. Love it.. Good writer.
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If you've read the Monk books, you know his style has as much verve as the instructions for assembling something.
You gave me my laugh of the day with that one, Joan.
I read Notorious Nineteen on the plane coming home. It seemed a little thin to me, but still had plenty of the good Evanovich touches.
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Steph, I just ordered Earthly Delights. It was free on Kindle.
Sally
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good. I have been looking for more of her Corinna books.They are on thrift books, but are 12.00 each. Darn..
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I'm really enjoying my second Ellen Crosby "wine" mystery. This one is Bordeaux Betrayal. A running theme is that one of the wine collectors is supposed to have a bottle of wine that Jefferson gave to Washington - or is it??? How would one know?
Jean
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I enjoyed the first one, and have the second one in my queue.
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Just started my first Longmire book. Craig Johnson can write and hold you.. A darker Tony Hillerman.
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Steph, you'll enjoy all of them. Have you see the TV series based on the characters? It's good, too. It's on A&E - probably available On Demand or online or elsewhere. It's not currently being shown, but I hope will be back in the spring sometime.
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I watched the Longmire series on Netflix, but they are always running behind the Series on TV.
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Net Flix.. Aha.. I will check it out there.
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I've been catching up on the Miss Zukas series, and enjoying them.
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Sally, thanks for the info about Earthly Delights. After I saw your post about it being a freebie, I downloaded it to my Kindle
Was it here where you all were talking about Phryne Fisher -- I just finished watching the first disc of four discs. What a fun series! The other discs are all in my Netflix queue. Is this series still ongoing on TV?
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It is an Australian import, and I have not read a word about it, but have just enjoyed. It is fun and perky and I adore the clothes. I will always be looking for it to be listed as an offering on my PBS channels and catch it when it does. If it does.
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Interesting what does and does not make netflix. I wanted to watch " Harry's Law" and put it in the queu, but it remains as a dont have at the bottom of the page. Darn darn darn.
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There is a second series in the Phryne Fisher series--started showing in Australia in Oct., if I remember correctly. That means months away for showing in US (if PBS buys it) and probably longer if Netflix can pick it up.
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Sigh. My local PBS stations don't have it. Maybe next year.
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The list of the best crime novels of 2013 has come out, and here it is:
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
Harvest by Jim Crace
A Man Without Breath by Philip Kerr
The Hired Man by Aminatta Forna
Every Contact Leaves a Trace by Elanor Dymott
The Infatuations by Javier Marias
Visitation Street by Ivy Pochoda
The Uninvited by Liz Jensen
The Andalucian Friend by Alexander Soderberg
Gods and Beasts by Denise Mina
Denise Mina is the only author I know well here. I have heard of Kerr.
I also want to read Empress Dowager Cixi by Jung Chang. Non-fiction. I have read an awful lot about her before, but it is always fascinating and delicious.
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Finishing the First Longmier.. Author into stoic and pain.. hmm.
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Just got Julia Spencer Fleming's "Through the Evil Days" from the library and realize I've read it. Oh, well, not interesting enough to re-read---means another trip to the library. I used to keep a list but have gotten lazy. ;)
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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I've just started the first of the next two Kate Shugak (Dana Stabenow) mysteries. Waiting to see what the January book discussion is going to be.
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I can't tell you how many times I've done that. Luckily, I always get out a whole stack at once (10 or 12): I figure if I actually finish half of them, I'm doing well.
Picked up a lot of new books at the library. The one I'm reading now "A Time to live, a time to die" is written by an organic gardener. It features the "locavore" movement: people who will eat only locally grown and produced foods.
Unfortunately, the writing is boring.
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I sometimes forget. I actually bought a book at a library sale that I was sure I had read, but it simply did not sound right.. Reread it and then realized I was right in the first place.. Had read it before. I just read a book by Laura Joh Holland. Really liked it and want to find more. Her hero is interesting and his wife is shaping up nicely.
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I've just started Earthly Delights, Kelly Greenwood's baker series, and enjoying it a lot. Thanks to whoever recommended it.
Steph, the reason Netflix doesn't have Harry's Law is because the DVD has not yet come out. Can they stream films before the DVD comes out? I'm stricktly a DVDer, so don't know. But I think they streamed the US House of CArds before the DVD. Of course, that was an in-house Netflix production.
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No, I do discs as well, it is just not out.. darn.. I recommended Earthly Delights and adored it. Have gotten the second in the series as well.
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I've tried to order through Thrift Books and cannot find a Kelly Greenwood. There is, however, a Kerry Greenwood. Dare I believe that is the correct one? Has she written other good books besides Earthly Delights?
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I did a quick search for you MaryPage. It is Kerry Greenwood. If you can't find Earthly Delights on Thrift Books, try www.abebooks.com They list at least two paperbacks in Good condition. It is still listed as free for Kindle ebooks. Herion overdoses and vampires? Doesn't sound like my kind of book.
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Definitely Kerry. She is also the author of the Phryne Fisher series.
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Well, that does not sound like MY kind of book, either; but Steph says she loved it, and if she did, I most likely will.
So what gives, Steph? Is it just another tiresome vampire thriller? I cannot IMAGINE! And yes, Thrift does have it. I was confused by the Kelly instead of Kerry up above.
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It's Kerry. I know two of her series but not one with vampires.
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No vampires.. Kerrys heroine in that series is a baker..She owns a bake shop and in the first one sort of acquires an apprentice.. a boyfriend/ She lives in an interesting apartment building..All inAustralia, but I think that is where Kerry lives. There is a mystery involvedand a lot of very odd characters, but no vampires.. at least not in the first book and it is not a fantasy type.
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Mea culpa, sorry to have mislead everyone about the author >:( At least I had three letters right.
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The blurb I saw about Earthly Delights mentioned vampires. I don't remember where I saw it. The Amazon blurb does mention the junkies and Goths, but not vampires. Sigh. I like reading about junkies even less than I do vampires.
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I agree with you, Frybabe, about vampires. I'll leave them to the younger generation to watch. One of several genres I don't care for, along with "coming-of-age" stories, romance books, cozy mysteries, etc.
Marj
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Ellen Crosby, who writes the Wine Country mysteries, has written a spy story, "Double Exposure" about a woman photographer whose CIA husband is supposedly kidnapped by Russians.
It reads like a tourist guide to Washington DC, including places that I, a Washington native, had never heard of. At first it made me homesick, but it got tedious. Two characters couldn't just have a conversation -they had to meet at a park, memorial, or museum to have it, with detailed descriptions. Never the same one twice: in a city of parks and memorials, she hit a lot of them (although she missed my favorite --- Fort Stevens where Lincoln got his hat shot off in the Civil War, the only sitting president to come under enemy fire).
It didn't work well as a spy story, either. The narrator -- main character-- was too passive. She sat around, wondering what to do while the men in her life took all the action. Ugh.
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There are, it turns out, many, many books with the title EARTHLY DELIGHTS. You have to know which AUTHOR you are looking for. In this case, the Australian one named Kerry Greenwood. None of her books have a single mention of vampires. She is into light comedy mystery.
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Aha... Kerry wrote the "Earhly Delights" that I read and loved. The heroine is Corinna.There are goths and a practicing witch.. but they are gentle parodies of the genre..
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I printed off Mary's list of the Crime Novels. Know no one on the list so will see what my library has available by those authors. Using my Mini, maybe I can get one or two or ten, and read them by our winter fire or in bed before I sleep.
I am reading one Anne Perry about Thomas Pitt and one Charles Finch about Charles Lenox. Both pretty good. I really like the time periods that these books are placed in.
Did you all watch or try to watch PBS's "Sherlock" on Tuesday night? We tried but decided it would make a better program if it was only 30 minutes long. I have it recorded on our VCR box and might try to 30 watch minutes at a time?? Hahaha! No time for that! Not in this busy season.
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JOanK, interesting comments there about the tourist descriptions in your mystery. I think Margaret Truman did a good job with that. I always felt I learned something, but it wasn't overdone and the plot was convincing. Another one who includes place descriptions (about New York) is LInda Fairstein with her Alex Cooper mysteries. I like them too.
It's one way of getting the readers' attention, but it can't be a substitute for a good plot.
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I love Charles Finch and am currently reading the second in the series. He wants to propose to Lady Jane, but seems to be dithering..But he has also found an assistant detective, which is sort of wild.
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JoanK, i think you meant Multiple Exposure by Ellen Crosby (instead of Double exposure). Looks good. I 've added to my TBR list.
Dan Brown had a bunch of interesting info on Washington D.C., expecially re the Capitol Building ceiling in his book THE LOST SYMBOL.
Pedln, did Margaret Truman write any good mysteries? I read one, Murder in the National Cathedral, but was not impressed and didn't read any more.
Marj
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MARJ: sorry about that.
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Steph, I think you love Charles Lenox. What is the title? I like these stories, too. ;). And Finch writes them.
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Charles Finch and I am readin the second in the series..The September Society. It is an interesting take on overseas posessions in many ways. Almost through.. but he surely is dithering about Lady Jane.
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In case anyone is interested, I have heard in another group that Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch mysteries) along with George Saunders and Terry McMillan will be interviewed tomorrow (Sunday, Dec. 22) on the TV program Face the Nation. They thought the discussion would be about best books of 2013.
Marj
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Face the Nation is on after Sunday Morning which we always try to watch. I look forward to seeing these authors and their recommendations might help me choose a title for my DH. Thanks, Marj!
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Marjifay, I think I've read all the Margaret Truman mysteries. I would classify them as "fun reads." Light, enjoyable.
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For something a little different:
I read "Hour of the Red God" (also named "the Honey Guide") by Richard Crampton. A mystery set in Nairobi, Kenya. A Masai policeman it trying to solve a murder during the riots following a rigged election on Kenya. A page turner (I hate that phrase, but it fits.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/richard-crompton/
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I've put Richard Crompton's mystery on my TBR list. I don't know where you get your recommendations, Joan, but you certainly read interesting mysteries.
REMINDER. Face the Nation will be on the CBS TV channel at 8 am this morning (here on the Pacific Coast, anyway) with writers Michael Connelly, George Saunders and Terry McMillan talking about best books of 2013.
Marj
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That sounds like an interesting book. Will look it up.
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Steph, I bet you would really like a very funny movie I recently watched on the Turner Movie Channel (it's also at Netflix) -- THE AWFUL TRUTH (1937). Cary Grant's and Irene Dunne's characters are married and have the cutest little dog that plays hide 'n seek with them (and cheats.) I'm used to seeing Dunne in her later dramatic roles, but she is a real kick in this one.
Marj
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Marj: "I don't know where you get your recommendations, Joan, but you certainly read interesting mysteries."
By listening to you, following up recommendations on kindle, and trolling the "New books" shelves in my library. I think it must be my librarian friend Steve (leader of the mystery book group) who makes sure there are always new mysteries.
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Joan, your friend Steve the librarian does a great job. Give him my regards (lol).
I never go to the library. For one thing, my poor old back and legs can't take stooping to find books, and secondly, checking out books by one's self saves the $.50/book charge from having the librarian do it, but I'm unable to operate the machine that does that. (I got a 6% score on a mechanical aptitude test I once took) My son does it for me and returns my usually overdue books. Happily the Anaheim library does not fine me until the books are about a week overdue. That nasty Orange Co. library system nabs me a $.25 fine on the first day.
Marj
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They charge you for helping you check out??
Hmm. will look up the movie.
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As a retired librarian, I'm outraged at such a charge. My husband reminded me that CA was in such bad financial shape that it's come to that. I'd heard they'd closed a lot of libraries.
Do the banks charge you to talk to a teller?
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I think the library charges that $.50 only for books I've put on hold. They don't charge me that holding fee if I check them out myself using their machine (which I'm too dumb to figure how to use).
Marj
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My local library doesn't charge me to check out, but I think its run by the town, not the state of California. I'll be sure to avoid the state library.
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A favorite author has resurfaced.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/c-c-benison/
Years ago, I read the three books in the "Her Majesty Investigates" series by C. C. Benison. Narrated by a young Canadian maid in Queen Elizabeth's service, and with the Queen as detective. Full of details about how the palaces work. Then the series stopped
At the library, I picked up "Eleven Pipers Piping". The name Benison looked familiar, but I didn't put it together until I read Fantastic Fiction just now. It's a different series and a different tone, more serious and slow moving. But I'm enjoying it. It's too long for a mystery (475 pages). We'll see if it holds my interest. but so far (half way through) I'm enjoying the slow pace. The narrator is a vicar in a small village. Some one is killed at the annual (Robert) Burns dinner given by the local bagpipe society (no, the village isn't Scotch, but clearly fascinated by anything Scotch). Full of details about customs.
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Oh I loved the ones about the queen will look for the book.
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For those of you that like The Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency, I just finished McCall Smith's latest "The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon". Some interesting happenings with Mma Makutsi in this one. I enjoyed it.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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Nanc y Martin has written a two book series quite different from her Philadelphia series.. Pittsburg and the heroine Roxy is hard to figure.. Parts of her are good, but the constand casual sex is stupid by any stretch.
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Unbelievable! The public library charges you if a library staff member checks out your book for you. Complain to the library board, complain to the group that determines it's funding. Like Jane, I'm an outraged retired librarian.
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I just dont understand what the non librarians who work in a library are supposed to do.. Makes no sense to charge except to drive everyone nuts.
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Our library is efficient and always busy. I'm sure that is mainly due to an outstanding head librarian. The only charge besides overdue fines is one they've added the last year---if you are notified that a reserved book is ready for pick up, you must pick it up in one week or pay a $1 fine. I don't know why they made that change unless it helps keep the reserve line going.
Just finished a Victorian cozy "Mrs. Jeffries Turns the Tide" by Emily Brightwell. Needed something simple that would be relaxing during this hectic season. ;)
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I think I've read some of the Mrs. Jeffries books. Did you like it?
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That makes sense for reserved books. I only belonged to a teeny library in Myrtle Beach,SC..back in the 60's.. They charge a nickel a day for anything on the reserved list. That way you read it fast and got it back to them since they could not afford multiple copies.
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Yes, Joan, I did enjoy it. The story moves along but doesn't take concentration or a lot of thought. I'm not into any deep thinking these days. ;) However, I am on the reserve list for This Town---but that won't take any deep thinking.
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HAPPY NEW YEAR AND WISHING YOU ALL OF THE BEST IN 2014.
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I've just ordered my first Kindle "library book" (i must "return it" in 7 days), thru my library. How easy was that!?! I'm thoroughly enjoying it even tho i'm not fond of reading books on my ipad........but then again, it is Janet Evanovich's book The Heist, a non-Stephanie Plum mystery, written w/ a person - don't know if its a man or woman - named Lee Goldberg. I'll check on the gender and let you know.
The story is very good, i'm about 100 pgs in. The protagonist, Kate O'Hare, is a woman FBI agent who has been chasing a con-man for a few years. She is similar but less ditsy then Stephanie, altho SP is a smart ditsy, in my opinion. Is that an oxymoron?
Her physical description is "tall, slender, dark hair, not too concerned with appearance - sound familiar? Altho she has long hair, it's frequently worn in a pony tail. So far, J E has done some good in depth research, i know many if you like a well researched story within which the reader learns new things.
12 hrs later: if you like Berlin - the one in Germany - you'll enjoy the typical JE thorough description of that city and i think there will be more of other places. It looks like O'Hare and her con-man are going to travel the world. It's still at least a 4 out of 5 for me. :) Oh by the way, Lee Goldberg is male, former Navy Seal, former writer and producer of "Diagnosis Murder"!!!
Jean
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Still slogging through the J.K.Rowling..Cuckoos Calling.. page 300 or so .. too too long for a mystery. too too many characters to leisurely look at. Not enough Robin, who might be interesting. This is for my f2f book club, so I will finish, but think the lady should stick to fantasy.
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HAPPY NEW YEAR AND MANY GOOD MYSTERIES!
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Same here! Reading an interesting Amish-country mystery The Names of our Tears by Paul L. Gaus. The story's setting is Ohio and seems well researched.
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Have not read that one, but have read Gaus before, I grew up with Amish in Delaware, but his Amish are quite different from what I grew up with. Still the book was good. Almost finished with Cuckoo and it has not gotten any better. I will mark her off as a mystery writer.Too wordy
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I just tossed Michael Connelly's latest Lincoln Lawyer book with attorney Mickey Haller, GODS OF GUILT. Got almost half way thru it, and decided I couldn't slog thru to the end of the almost 400 pages. I liked the previous books in the series, but the plot in this one got too complicated, and that, along with all the legal terminology I couldn't understand was too much. So many characters, I should have kept a list.
Marj
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MARJ: I love your quote! It took me a minute to get it.
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I do not like Connellys Lincoln Lawyer series and dont read it.Tried twice and made no sense. but I do like Harry.
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I tried too, and didn't get very far.
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Hurray.. finished the Cuckoo and as a reward am reading a Myron Bolitar... Fast fun.. and a nice complicated problem to solve.
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That's what I do! I will read one or two long, deep books, and then follow with a short mindless quickie that is fun! Have a pile of unread as yet Aunt Dimity's and The Cat Who, etc., for that very purpose! Have my pile of Harlen Cobens and Joan Medlicotts, too.
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Just started "Five Days at Memorial", which is nonfiction and hard to read, so will slip in others to keep my spirits up..
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Chose not to read any more about Katrina. So depressing. Wrenchingly so, actually.
Reading an absolutely fascinating article in The New Yorker about a book chronicling the demise of the passenger pigeon here in America. The last one died one hundred years ago. But get this: at one time there were billions upon billions of them here, and they were here when our "Native Americans" came across the land bridge and the East populated the West by walking even further east.
When flocks of these birds would fly overhead, the noise was so great that people would run screaming for shelter. The light of the sun would be darkened.
There was a nesting ground, not the only one by any means, but one of many, in Wisconsin that comprised 850 SQUARE MILES and had more than ONE HUNDRED MILLION BIRDS!
Well, they were here countless thousands of years before mankind, and for 100 years now they have been extinct. All over this world. No more passenger pigeons. Read "A Feathered River Across The Sky" by Joel Greenberg. Mind boggling stuff. I swear!
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I am reading a Nancy Martin mystery for relief from the Katrina book.. Thank heaven.
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Chose not to read any more about Katrina.
It raises some important questions, MaryPage, mainly about emergency preparedness and allocation of resources. Who sets the guidelines?
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I have already read a lot about it and seen a number of documentaries. I just can't handle any more.
I agree that all sorts of regulations have to be put in place for these types of emergencies down there and elsewhere. So many things have just not been taken into account, causing so many really awful things to happen to innocent people all over that town.
To top off this day, daughter Anne, who is an oncology nurse, came home from work tonight so depressed because one of their patients, who had just been given his medication and was resting for the period before they release them, had a ghastly allergic reaction and died right there in the oncology clinic at the hospital. It was one of her assistant nurses who actually gave the med, and it was not that nurse's or anyone's fault, but it was just so stressful an event. Anne had known this very sick man for 10 years now as a patient.
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Yes, but that is something I am taking away from five days.. Afterwards, every one wanted someone to blame.. It had to be someone elses fault.. Wrong.. things happen..
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Oh, how terrible. your daughter is lucky to have you to support her.
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I found that oncology docs and nurses were the kindest, most considerate people on earth! They went out of their way to make me feel "pampered" and "taken care of." They were always welcoming, always had smiles, and did all sorts of "little things" to make chemo sessions more bearable...from having the blood drawers...[I can't recall the fancy name]...come to the onc unit instead of having cancer patients go down there and wait...to warm blankets during infusion, beverages, snacks or whatever one would ask for. Blessings on all of them!
Jane
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Yes, when my husband had several surgeries for skin cancer, the oncology unit was amazing.. so were the radiation people who tried very hard to make him comfortable when he had to don the iron mask every day for all those weeks.
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I had the same experience when I was being treated for cancer 13 years ago. The oncology nurses are the best.
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Finished the Nancy Martin.. She seems to be deciding to drag her lovely lighthearted mysteries down down down.. Oh darn.
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For fans of Sara Paretsky's mysteries, her latest "Critical Mass" is as awesome as most of her books are. It is, truly, a page-turner. I started yesterday, and am nearly finished, but it is 462 pages. I read until 3:30 this AM. She really knows how to "pace" a book, and keep you on the edge of your seat!
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Great! I like Paretsky a lot. Of course, I agree with her liberal politics. If you don't, you aren't going to like her.
In general, I don't like the idea of bringing politics into mysteries. Although it is a way of making your voice heard, as Erin Brockowitz does in her mysteries about environmental issues.
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I don't always agree with her "politics", but I like her writing anyway!
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I love Sara.. I wrote an email about her and the New Jersey mess yesterday and it is not here. Hmm. Someone up there hates me. My library post is also gone.
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In case you wonder what happened to some posts. There was some sort of server glitch/error and nobody could get in to SeniorLearn. So, the server people had to reset/restore the discussions back to a "safe" time....and that was 11:00 pm the night before. Bad stuff happened, but we're back.
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I've been reading the feathering mysteries by Simon Brett.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/simon-brett/
Two Englishwomen with very different characters, next door neighbors in a small town, become involved with murders. Enjoyable.
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Thanks for the recommendation of the Simon Brett Fethering series, Joan. They sound good. I put the first one, The Body on the Beach, on my TBR list.
Love Brett' title in his Charles Paris series -- Cast, In Order of Disappearance.
Marj
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I have read some of Brett, but dont remember any feathering. Will have to check it out.
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I've just requested two more Dana Stabenow books. I liked, this last one. It seemed written a little differently than the others, maybe more background narrative than usual, not sure. Anyhow, this is the beginning of life after Jack Morgan for Kate Shugak. Steph, the pain of this fictional character's loss was palpable; I thought of you. Bless you.
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JoanK, I'm so glad you mentioned the Fethering mysteries. I've read all of them but didn't know a new one was due out. I checked my library and it is on order. I'm #3 on the reserve list. Usually when I find out about the new ones I'm way down the list---so thanks.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
That's what we're here for. ;D
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Stabenow did a wonderful job of handling Jacks death and then her romance after ..
Shows how Kate grows and changes when she takes over the son. Grief is the most overwhelming thing in earth. It pulls you so far down at times.
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And thank goodness the did cut down on the pigeons. Although many cities still having problems with the wild ones. They do so much damage to buildings. Seem to hang around the old ones. Our court house has spent thousands over the years. They make such a mess.
Now with all the new housing estates they have built putting in man made lakes along with some of the mall areas. The Canadian geese now have brought bigger problems. At least with the below zero this winter these have gone further south.
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"At least with the below zero this winter these have gone further south."
Where they have also made problems.
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The Canadian geese have taken up permanent residence here in Ohio and every lake, pond, park paths and grass lawns are covered with their leavings. Annnnnnnnnd, its against the law to get rid of them by gun, poison or whatever else one could use.
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They're starting to talk about opening a hunting season on Canada geese here in TN. They can definitely be a nuisance, just like any protected species whose predators have been eradicated (like deer, etc.)
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I do not see how ANY of you can possibly have any Canada geese in your area, as I swear to you they are all here in Maryland.
It is getting so that you cannot walk on the paths in or around parks with water, because the Canada goose black greasy crap is all OVER the place!
I do not like those birds!
By the way, they are properly Canada geese, not Canadian.
And there used to be so many of those passenger pigeons here in the States that it would take DAYS for a flock to fly over a certain point, darkening the skies for folks for those days. We shot 'em all and et most of 'em. Look it up. They were right purty birds, too! Totally extinct on this planet now. Nary a one left, even in a zoo! The Smithsonian has the last one. Stuffed, of course. A female named Martha.
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We have pink-footed geese here - they arrive around September and leave around March. Are they the same? They don't bother us as they live in the fields or on the bird reserve at Aberlady Bay. They fly overhead in perfect V formations.
Rosemary
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Our geese fly in formation, but they have also changed their habitats and love parks and open grasslands. They are the messiest creatures around. Once in the RV, we stayed in a wonderful state park in south Georgia on a beautiful lake ( Blacksher??). The geese were everywhere. We had picked it because it was listed as a great boating place, but you could not even get to the water withough being ankle deep in poop.. Ugh..
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Ah memory..Cordeele, Ga. and it was called the Veterans park and had tanks and all sorts of old artillery at the entrance..
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Rosemary: no. This is the pink footed goose:
https://www.google.com/search?q=pink+footed+geese+pictures&tbm=isch&source=iu&imgil=R06sHFtvvQEMPM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcReUUJcCtUCbG_gxTWzZp3ELskZmMUDm2Uad4wS4-2ONdaq3IbR%253B300%253B300%253B_Q44ZyUXSwuqdM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fbirkdalefocus.blogspot.com%25252F2011%25252F02%25252Fpink-footed-geese-at-cabinet-and.html&sa=X&ei=rD7YUt-kBtjaoATTr4GwBQ&ved=0CDcQ9QEwBQ&biw=853&bih=570#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=R06sHFtvvQEMPM%253A%3B_Q44ZyUXSwuqdM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F2.bp.blogspot.com%252F-E9qUlF65YKs%252FTV02hDOSJnI%252FAAAAAAAADug%252FVjEKPH7Zgt8%252Fs1600%252Fpfg.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fbirkdalefocus.blogspot.com%252F2011%252F02%252Fpink-footed-geese-at-cabinet-and.html%3B300%3B300
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And here's the Canada goose.
https://www.google.com/search?q=canada+goose+pictures&tbm=isch&source=iu&imgil=J1vMANKN_sfGEM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcRLCPf6R-kCevUqy3FVr-CL7-Koi8-uGSivL8vPryi9XOsS6y70cA%253B389%253B425%253Bk3XEeVF97H_rDM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.allaboutbirds.org%25252Fguide%25252Fcanada_goose%25252Fid&sa=X&ei=JD_YUvmFFM2JogTE0YDQBw&sqi=2&ved=0CDIQ9QEwAw&biw=853&bih=570#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=J1vMANKN_sfGEM%253A%3Bk3XEeVF97H_rDM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.allaboutbirds.org%252Fguide%252FPHOTO%252FLARGE%252Fcanada_goose_1.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.allaboutbirds.org%252Fguide%252Fcanada_goose%252Fid%3B389%3B425
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Thanks Joan - I see it's definitely the pink footed ones we have.
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I expect that no matter the goose, it is a fowl and their excrement is not nice.
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The Math nerd in me likes the mysteries by Ada Madison:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/ada-madison/
The narrator/detective is a math professor at a small university. The books are full of tidbits about math history, a few puzzles, and math-nerdy statements ("I closed my eyes and counted to thirteen, my favorite prime number")
Fantastic fiction above tells me Madison also writes under her real name the Periodic table mysteries. I'll try those out next, although I know little about chemistry.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/camille-minichino/
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I'm going to have to look into those, JoanK. About 10 years ago I bought a set of math history books. No big surprise, I haven't read them yet. I also have a Martin Gardner as yet unread. If I don't quit getting things from the library or buying more books, I may never get all the ones in my TBR pile read. Incentive to live forever. I remember a character who refused to die until she had read the worlds most boring book. Of course, she was able to keep putting that off. (I am thinking it was in one of the Thursday Next series books).
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I am sure I have enough TBR's to live until 100.. but who knows.Some of them have been put off for years. I am even considering going through and pulling some to donate.Hmm. much not lose my head on this.
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You just reminded me Steph of the lady who has 6,000 books and was looking to donate many of them to the library. Apparently her family has been after her to stop buying books and is encouraging her to reduce what she has. 6,000, oh my!
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Thanks, Joan, for your recommendation of Ada Madison's series. Sound good and I've added to my you-know-what list.
I'm going to have to take my books with me when I leave this earth. I remember reading about someone who had his one-room apartment so filled with books that the shelves collapsed and buried him. Forget how long it took for people to find him. My shelves are not quite that bad, but getting that way.
Marj
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I have found a solution to the problem of too many books accumulated over years. My friend lives in an assisted living facility and needs books that are not too demanding for their library. They are glad to get the old Tony Hillermans that the public library doesn't want. The public library won't bring them books because of the problems of getting them back; some people take books without checking them out and never think to bring them back. Giving the books there is a whole lot easier than throwing them away, although I have some very old books that have deteriorated to the point they can't be read. They really must go to the dump.
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Our public libraries are very sniffy about donated books, in fact I very much doubt they would accept any. So mine tend to go to charity shops - the only problem being that often I come out with more than I took in...
I hadn't thought of giving them to care homes - I'll try that next time I have a cull.
Rosemary
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FRY: I am thinking it [the worlds most boring book] was in one of the Thursday Next series books.
I have to agree with you there.
the beauty of kindle: my TBR pile is samples on my kindle. I make a rule I can't buy the book until I've finished reading the sample. (There are over 100 of them on my kindle now. Think how much money and space I'm saving).
There are now over 500 books in my kindle archives. Plus I get out 10 or 12 books every two-three weeks from the library (I don't always read all of them).
Do you think I read too much?
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I'm reading a ridiculous book about tracking humans. I thought it would be about a detective about doing a skip-trace, but no. It's by a Vietnam vet who got his skills tracking Vietcong through the jungle.
Parts of it are hilarious, full of advice I'll never follow. To be a good tracker, you must be able to distinguish the smell of a horse, cow, sheep, camel or llama. (I'd think there are limited places where a camel and llama could be confused. A zoo, maybe).
He said he was going to add elephant to the list, but figured you'd see other evidence of its presence before you smelled it. I'm not sure of that. A workmate told me she fertilizes her garden with ZooDoo: elephant dung sold by the zoo for that purpose. None of the usual garden pests will come anywhere near her garden. Unfortunately, neither will the neighbors, who complain a lot about the smell.
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;D ;D
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JoanK, I think you're fortunate to have the fortitude to stick with your reading and not fritter your time away. If I would push away the computer chair AND throw out the grocery store Sudoku books, I would have more time to read. But there is so much on the computer -- on the Internet -- that is interesting. I mean, well, look at us, and Twitter, and the newspapers and on and on and on.
The Ada Madison math mysteries sound good. Do you have a copy of The Square Root Murder. The mass market paperback is available for $115. I wonder if they put it out in a limited edition. Now there's a solution for those of us whose shelves are bursting. We need to find book collectors, especially those wanting out of print mass market paperbacks.
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Aaaack! Now if I could sell my paperbacks for $150!
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I just finished a light humorous mystery, Louisiana Longshot, by Jana Deleon. It was free on my Kindle and I enjoyed it enough to order another mystery by Deleon. If you like southern humor; I think you would enjoy this one.
Sally
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When I decided to donate my genealogical library to our local library, I went on line at a variety of book sites. I was amazed at the values, but a lot of what I had were limited edition and way out of print by now.. Books are sometimes more valuable than you think.
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You sound just like me, Steph. I have a home with nearly every room full of books. I realize I would have to go well beyond 100 and still reading voraciously in order to get them all read before I clock out, yet still I buy more! A lifelong habit, is my problem. I can relate to the woman with 6,000 books, too; albeit I do not have that many. Well, I am pretty sure I don't!
My library does not want books. Only the local Senior Centers and nursing homes do! But I give most of my books to family members, after reading them. Only if it turns out that I do not like a book does it become available for public giveaway.
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I've often found that when I finally get to a book on my TBR pile, I can't remember why I wanted to read it or I'm disappointed in it. So my pile can get smaller without even reading a complete book. My tastes have changed.
This week I read No Man's Nightingale by Ruth Rendell, an Inspector Wexford book. I hadn't read one of hers for several years.
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Several years ago, I tried to set up a book exchange at our yearly family reunion. It worked pretty good the first couple of years but the last 2 reunions I was the only one who brought books. I left those that were not taken home by family members to the retreat.
Sally
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Various people I know have tried to set up local book exchanges, etc - but there are very few takers. I remember one starting up in Aberdeen, the idea being that you were meant to give a book to the person whose name you were given, then eventually you would get one back or something. I dutifully did mine, but I know that other people who were approached said a flat no - they only wanted new books from Amazon or wherever. Also, I recall that after I had given my book, a friend said 'Oh she will already have read that, OF COURSE' - which rather put me off the whole thing, as I clearly wasn't intellectual enough!
There is 'book crossing' in the UK and I imagine that also exists in the US. I've never done it but I'm interested - must look it up and see how it works.
I totally agree, nlhome, that ones tastes (in all things, not just books) change over the years. I've also found that lately I am not so attached to books as I once was - I don't mean reading them, still as attached to that, just not so fussed about keeping them, unless they are special or have special meaning for me. Maybe it's because we seem to be moving house so often lately.
Rosemary
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Nlhome wrote, "I've often found that when I finally get to a book on my TBR pile, I can't remember why I wanted to read it ...."
I have a computer list of every book I own. (It's a looong list) Very helpful when I look back at ones from sometime ago. As soon as I get the book, I add it to the list with who recommended it or why I bought it, and a brief summary of what it's about (unless it's obvious from the title). Have a similar list for books I want to read.
I give books to the library for their book sales.
Marj
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Our local Friends of the library accepts books and we have a book sale twice a year. We are mobbed for the two days.. People love books if they can get them cheaper than retail. I also used to donate them in the RV parks. Since every
rv park we stayed in, had a small lending library. Now lI live in a 55+ community and it too has a very nice small lending library and accepts donations of books 5 years or so young.. So where I live there seem to be books. I also belong to www.paperbackswap.com and that is a huge trade community.. on line. I love it.
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We are gradually downsizing our possessions, and that includes books. There are some we keep, particularly local history, authors we know, special gifts, reference type - we still grab the Peterson's Field Guide to Birds to identify birds on our feeders - and of course a shelf of "to be read" in case of a power outage, snow storm, or when that library book or download doesn't appeal. I keep a list of what I've read during the year, but whether I like a book or not, most times it's passed on to someone who might like it or donated.
We regularly buy from and donate to our Friends of the Library. They have an ongoing sale outside the library along with one or two big sales every year. We also donate to Goodwill or Easter Seals. And one of our local jails is looking for the type of books my husband reads, so we can take a bag over there now and then too.
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There is a "book crossing" site in a Starbucks near me. I took a book there, and picked one up, but when I went back, there were no new books, and mine hadn't been taken. So I gave up on it.
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Every once in a while, I pick up a book at Goodwill or somewhere like that and it will be a book crossing book..
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My new year's resolution is to clean & organize my library. I plan on getting rid of lots of books. I don't know why I have kept some that I have already read as I don't plan on reading them again. Life is too short & there are so many books out there to read. I imagine that I will give most of them to the library for their book sales. I really must downsize and get rid of lots of things and the library is a good place to start.
Sally
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Yes, do think of the library. I love our book sales. Looking at the people who come in with book bags and boxes and the joy on their faces as they find things they always wanted.. Makes me smile all day.
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One of the fire halls has donated(?) space for a big bag book sale coming up tomorrow and Sat. I may go down if I remember and can get myself to go out in the cold.
The county library system, and according to my sister so is hers, in the process of switch over to the Encore software/database from Horizon. It was just slightly chaotic when I went in this morning. The programmer was there making fixes to bugs that are cropping up. To top it off, the regular staff member I work with switched with another paid staff member for the day, and her volunteer helper showed up too. Her arrival gave me the opportunity to bail out early so I could eat lunch, which I thought I was going to have to skip, before an afternoon appointment.
Continuing with the Kate Shugak series mysteries, I finished the book where her home was torched. I have to say that with all the head bashings she gets in the series, I would have thought she would be either massively brain damaged or a complete vegetable. It kind of reminds me of an old TV series where the PI got punched or otherwise clobbered in every episode. Mikey Spilane's Mike Hammer perhaps? Now she is turning the tables on Chopper Jim, the ultimate skirt chaser, and I have to laugh.
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I love Kate and Chopper Jim is amazed at how he feels over time with Kate. Fun to read about.
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I love the Shugak books. I bought all the paperbacks for the books our library doesn't have so I could read them in order. I like the earlier ones best; they give you an idea how Alaskan natives live, or used to live. Kate now lives in a Lindal cedar home and has indoor plumbing, hot water for showers and a freezer. Not as interesting as the outdoor facility (Kate once met a bear on the way back to the house) and the food cache.
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The old tv series, where the PI got bashed in the head (at least once every episode) was "Mannix". My hubby and I used to laugh about this particular story element. We would watch, and keep waiting for that moment when someone would rap him on the head! I don't think he ever went to the hospital to get checked out...just woke up and went on with his "detecting". If he was playing football in the NFL, they would have benched him already!!!
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Thanks, Tome, I forgot about Mannix, used to watch it.
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I agree Ursamajor, the best thing about the very enjoyable Shugak books is seeing how people live in rural Alaska. Similarly, I like Donna Leon's books because they give an insight into daily life in Venice (no cars, daily food shopping). I suppose even with my beloved Barbara Pym (not a mystery writer, I know..) part of the attraction is recognising how daily life has changed since the 1950s - rinsing the underwear out in Daz and having puddings called 'shapes' (blancmange).
Rosemary
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Rosemary: I'll say it again: everything I know, I know from reading mysteries. They take you to all times and places.
I'm becoming more and more fascinated with Alaska. Strange for someone who feels the cold as much as I do -- I'm always cold, no matter how many layers of clothes I wear. Here in Southern California, I'm always walking around in sweater layers when everyone else is wearing shorts.
I don't think they make enough layers to keep me warm in Alaska. Or at least, you'd have to roll me down the street like a snowball.
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There are several mystery writers using Alaska as their backdrop and they present such a varied opinion on what happens there . I love Kate, but I also love a writer.. John Strahle.. much much darker than Dana, but an excellent writer. Mysteries.
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Had not heard of John Straley whose books Steph said were set in Alaska. Have put his first on my TBR list -- The Woman Who Married a Bear.
I really liked M. J. McGrath's WHITE HEAT set in the arctic Canada and Alaska. The heroine is part Canadian, part Inuit, tour guide and the book was excellent. She has a new one out which I will read.
Dana Stabenow's A Cold Day for Murder was a DNF for me. Just did not find it interesting. I will give her another try. She seems to have a lot of admirers here.
Marj
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I love Strahle and since he is a town dweller, you get a different take on Alaska. Will look up White Heat. sounds interesting.
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I like the Periodic Table Mysteries by Minichino. The author/narrator is a physicist and manages to do plots where chemistry is involved, and explain it simply enough to be understood by a non-chemist.
And it takes place in a small town where my niece used to live, Revere outside of Boston.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/camille-minichino/
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My library system has the series. I just ordered the first one. No telling when I will get it because the bugs are still not worked out of the new Encore software.
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Picked up a Michael Connelly "The Black Box" This one seems to be starting really slow. Hmm.
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I've read all the Camille Minichino books--interesting. Minichino also writes as Margaret Grace and Ada Madison. I've read her Margaret Grace books (not as good as her first series IMO) but not her Ada Madison series about a Professor Sophie Knowles. Think I will try to find one of those.
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I have today bought my first Carolyn Hart - 'Death in Lovers' Lane' - found it in an Oxfam shop. Is she good?
As the books were on 'buy one get one free' I also picked up 'The Flaneur' by Edmund White, subtitled 'A Stroll Through the Paradoxes of Paris' - inside it has the stamp from Shakespeare & Company, the celebrated Parisian bookshop. The cover is beautiful, and the back says 'Edmund White, who lived in Paris for 16 years, wanders through the avenues and along the quays, into parts of the city virtually unknown to visitors and indeed to many locals, luring the reader into the fascinating and seductive backstreets of his personal Paris.'
I only went in to see if they had any good jigsaw puzzles :-)
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Carolyn Hart. I have read any number of hers.Very very light reading..But the original romance was fun.
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I finished reading The Body on the Beach by Simon Brett, the first of the Fethering series. Part way into it I realized that I'd started the book before and quit because I didn't like the characters. This time I was able to finish it, then decided to read one of the later books to see if the characters were any more appealing to me. So I started The Corpse on the Court last night. The first 20 pages were very heavy going, involving "real tennis" and a description of the court and viewing area that didn't make sense. So, this morning I spent some time on the Internet looking at pictures of the courts in England and reading more about the game, so then the setting makes more sense.
One of the reviewers compared this series to Louise Penny books, I guess because of the character descriptions. Other reviewers seem to think there is a lot of humor. Am I missing something? Maybe this winter has done away with my sense of humor.
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I've read all the Feathering series by Simon Brett. Jude remains her likable, and a little mysterious, self as the series progresses, but prickly neighbor, Carole, mellows and is more likable as time go by. Simon Brett's best series by far IMO is his Mrs. Pargeter series. He only wrote six of those.
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I like the Feathering series. Read "Corpse on the Court, and meant to look up "real tennis" but forgot. Probably if I'd understood the game, I would have seen the humor.
I've read the Ada Madison books, but not the Margeret grace. I'll try it.
Rosemary: That book on Paris sounds like a treasure. Let us know how it is, even though it's not a mystery. I haven't forgotten that I owe you a jigsaw puzzle to match the wonderful one of an ancient map of England that you sent me. I worked it with an English friend, and she was entranced. I'm still looking for something comparable for the United States.
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Joan - please don't worry about the puzzle! I'm just so pleased you and your friend enjoyed it! Madeleine and i go through several a week at times, so I am constantly scouring the charity shops for good one - especially as she doesn't like doing anything she deems 'boring' - flowers, Italian lake scenes (which for some reason are terribly popular with puzzle makers) etc.
I was so thrilled to find the book with the Shakespeare & Co stamp in it - I don't think the shop is quite the romantic venue that it was - we visited it a couple of years ago and I felt it had become a bit of a tourist trap ( I not being a tourist, naturally... ;D ) but it still has a lot of romantic associations - Hemingway, etc. I had heard of Edmund White but never read any of his books - I think I once read an article he wrote for the Observer - so I'm looking forward to reading this, and if it's any good, I'll be happy to pass it on to you.
Rosemary
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What a sweetie you are! No, you keep your Shakespeare and Company stamp. You deserve it.
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I just finished The Body on The Beach. I liked it enough to finish, but not enough to read any more by Brett. There are too many others by other authors out there to try!!
Sally
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Reading an older J.P. Jance .... Beaumont book.. That is my current bed book. I like Beau, he always thinks..
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I am reading Jo Nesbo's NEMESIS.
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I like both of JAJance's characters, Steph.
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How do you like "Nemesis", Mary?
GRRRR! Came home from the library with a huge stack of mysteries and thought I was set. But half of them are drenched in some perfume I'm allergic to. I've had this trouble before -- it's some kind of bug spray or cleaner that they use. I'm going to have to open each book and sniff it before I put it in my bag.
I'm going to have to complain to someone. Wish I still had that book on effective complaining that I borrowed from the library a few months ago!
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I am totally drawn into it, Joan, and I love it.
He just writes so well. And what truly blows my mind is that he writes in Norwegian and it is translated!
Yet it flows so well, and so much better than most writers in English, that I just can't figure it out. I hate it that Nesbo makes such a mess of his "hero." But the plots he comes up with, and the people he puts in those plots, are remarkably mesmerizing.
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I have a Nesbo in my TBR pile.. Must drag it out and look at it.
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Marypage, that Nesbo's writing "flows so well" may be due to the translator. Without a good translator, I would imagine that a lot of books in other languages don't fare so well.
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I hate it that Nesbo makes such a mess of his "hero."
I may have to retry Nemisis, Mary Page. I got it for Christmas a few years ago, but at that time all it was to me was another alcoholic cop with a messed up love life. Since then I've heard lots of good things about Nesbo, but have just avoided hm.
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Ys, Ann, that is why the Nesbo is in the TBR pile. I figure I need to be in a good mood to try a cop with so many problems.
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Well, I want rather desperately (This is the 4th Nesbo book I have read, and I own all of the others that have been translated so far) to like Harry Hole (Arry ewe-lay) and to have good things happen to him. But yes, he IS an alcoholic.
That said, he would have lost his job years ago if he had not had this kind of sort of hunch thing that happens to him. He seems to get things wrong, but then stumbles over important clues that only he notices, and he follows up carefully, and he loves the job and the chase and lives it 24/7. He always gets it figured out in the end. But Nesbo likes to keep it dark and make it get darker, so bad things happen to Harry and to people he cares about along the way.
I, of course, like everything symmetrical and clean and tidy and everyone hugs and lives happily ever after. Bad guys incarcerated and good guys living the sweet life.
But seriously, Nesbo is an intoxicating master of writing skills. IMHO
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If I can just get a little caught up in f2f book club and two committees, that keep having more and more meetings , I will try a Nesbo.
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When I retired from the government and was looking for volunteer work to do, I swore I wouldn't do anything that required going to meetings. So far I've been able to stick to it.
At work, the meetings I ran were known for getting a lot done. That's because I knew if I didn't, I'd have to have another meeting! (They were also known for having breaks. Men would rather die than admit they have to go to the bathroom!)
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I managed to successfully avoid meetings or clubs for 51 years, but joined things after he died. I needed desperately to meet people and that was the only way I could think of at my age.
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Sometimes you just have to put yourself out there. I did that when we first moved here - not working, no children at home, not a shopper, not a church-goer, John at work all day. I joined things until I found the ones that fit.
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I agree Mary, but I think you have also to be firm about ditching the ones that turn out to be not your cup of tea. That is what I find hard! I'm getting better at it though, have decided that even at my age, you need to be enjoying as much of your time as you can, and wasting it on depressing committees, etc is pointless.
Having said that, I'm just off to the gallery at which I volunteer! Sometimes it's fun, but I'll soon be living 20+ miles away (in the city) and they are assuming that I will keep trailing out here twice a week to do what I do now. And I'm not quite sure how to disabuse them of that notion....
Rosemary
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Has anyone read any Sheila Connolly mysteries? I saw one that is set in Ireland reviewed on Lesa Holstein's blog and it sounded interesting. I think they are very 'cosy' so they won't suit everyone on here :-) I'm always a little bit wary of reading books set in countries in which the author doesn't live - some writers have a particularly sentimental view of places like Ireland and Scotland - but I understand that Connolly has visited Ireland many times, so perhaps she has got it right. Of course I don't live there either, so I really can't claim too much familiarity!
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I have finally managed to shed most of the groups that I really did not like.. I am still sampling the stuff at the 55+ community. Thus far, there are only a few travel things that interest me. Most of the travel is centered on big boat cruises. and I truly am not interested..My suggestions are generally struck down , with Oh, we tried that and no one wanted it Sigh.
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Oh I am forever getting that response at both of the places that i currently volunteer, drives me nuts.
I also gave up the library book group almost as soon as it had started, as the librarian had seemed so receptive to new ideas, then when it actually began she had reverted to the standard 'here's a book, read it and discuss' format that i had made it so clear I did not want to follow. Her argument was 'people like it that way' - but no-one had been asked, and I felt a bit patronised that she had seemed to enthusiastic about my slightly different ideas, but was clearly just humouring me.
I think I am going to be quite careful about what I get involved in in Edinburgh - though at least in the city there is more choice.
Rosemary
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Here's Sheila Connoly:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/sheila-connolly/
I think I'll try her "museum mysteries". first.
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Thanks Joan, I'll have a look at this :)
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Ah, I knew the name Sheila Connolly was familiar. I love the museum mysteries, only read two of them, they are hard to find.
Yes, I no longer will go to the library book club.. The librarian and head facilitator pick the books based on what they library has or can borrow, and that is soooo boring.
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Not all book clubs are good. I heard there was a nonfiction book club in my local library, and went to join. They told me they were reading Bob Hope's biography. Okay, I liked Bob Hope, could see reading his biography, maybe, but going to a meeting to discus it? I didn't join.
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Steph, that is just what mine did. The librarian even asked me to suggest some books to start it off (reading set books every month was not my plan in the first place) - then every time I did suggest something it became plain that they were only going to provide books of which they had sets, and very soon two big boxes of books were summarily delivered every month - most of them were dreadful 'worthy' reads and I didn't last long with them. Disappointing. This site is so much more fun.
Joan - I agree. I couldn't stand all the 'good for you' books my library foisted upon us, but Bob Hope's biography is the other end of the spectrum! I wanted to have themes around which we all suggested books and talked about them, to give everyone more ideas. They clearly thought I was nuts.
Rosemary
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In my new f2f, we all suggest books.. discuss them in our last meeting in May of each year.Then we find out who is willing to be the facilitator that month with that book.. Works out medium OK.. I love the idea of a theme, and may try to see if they are willing next year.
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The book club I belong to is very similar. We discuss a book a month until November, have a meeting to choose the books for next year, and in December we party. I have read many books I would not have found otherwise. This is a very bright group of women including at least five former librarians. We have about 30 members and at most meetings about 15 attend. I feel lucky to participate. I enjoy our online group for many of the same reasons.
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I find that online tend to wander off in some strange directions sometimes, but then in the f2f group, we have several members with bees in their bonnets and they turn each discussion into their favorites..
I remember on line in seniornet.. we did a biography of Edna St. Vincent Millay and I loved her stuff, but have never been able to see her the same way after discovering her monumental selfishness.
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I love her poetry so very much. Some of it has been dear to me for most of the years of my life, and still is.
However, when you study the lives of greatly gifted authors, poets, composers and artists, you quite frequently find it is just as well you did not know and have to suffer the person possessed of the great gift.
Not always true, of course. I am inclined to believe I would have loved A.A. Milne.
But the greater the creative gift, often follows the narcissism, or some such personality disorder.
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And they often leave a trail of people around them who have suffered from their self-centeredness in order to make them who they are.
I have to do something about my kindle samples of mysteries to be read: they're now over 80 and growing every day! It's a Last In First Out Queue: I hear of something new and it puts the old ones out of mind. Some have been on there for years.
At least, I made a rule that I won't buy the book til I've finished reading the sample. Otherwise, I'd be broke!
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JoanK.
Can't you delete a lot of those books you have on Kindle?. It would confuse me as to what I wanted to read. I have just 2 on my IPad as I still like book in hand. I just use the library and they only stay on for a month unless you renew them.
Now I do have 40 Listed on my LIbrary list some have long waiting and others I just change the date to release when ready. I like this way of doing.
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Finally got around to Louise Penney..The Beautiful Mystery.. Hmm, I cannot believe it is the same author.. Finding it very disappointing indeed. I guess that part of my problem is that I have no feelings for the monks or plain song.. or the wilderness. Very unhappy with her.
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Steph wrote: "I remember on line in seniornet.. we did a biography of Edna St. Vincent Millay and I loved her stuff, but have never been able to see her the same way after discovering her monumental selfishness."
That why I don't like to read biographies of my favorite author of fiction. I love Edna St. Vincent Millay's work.
Marj
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I recently read a biography of the artist Norman Rockwell; we saw an exhibition of his work in Nashville recently. It had some interesting facts but I rather wish I hadn't read it. He had great struggles with his work, his personal life, and his marriages and suffered from dementia at the end. i would just as soon have maintained my previous images of him.
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I think this is a fascinating topic. Don't you think what matters is what the artist, writer, etc., left behind? Rather than who he or she was?
Do you think you can see the real person in the art, I guess is what I'm asking?
Who on earth is not flawed in some way? I'd hate to read a biography of me, tho I'm sure nobody would ever bother, but still, think about it: it would entirely depend on who was interviewed and who wrote it.
I thought (and think) that art is the expression of the real person or soul if you will.
So I don't care what they are like, and some of them are a mess.
Actors, I find actors fascinating. They are fine while acting but when they have to be themselves, a lot of them are very uncomfortable stepping out behind the mask.
I wonder sometimes why we need to identify with them at all. And it's clear we do from the magazines in the stores. "Stars! They're just like us!"
No they aren't.
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Who on earth is not flawed in some way? I'd hate to read a biography of me, tho I'm sure nobody would ever bother, but still, think about it: it would entirely depend on who was interviewed and who wrote it.
Good point, Ginny, about who writes and who is interviewed. I would like to think that I could still appreciate the artist or the writer regardless of the mishaps in his or her life. But then, I think about how I don't want to read anything by Anne Perry, regardless of how much her works have been recommended.
But then there is the novel So Long, See You Tomorrow by former New Yorker mag short story editor William Maxwell, which leaves the message that we should be forgiven, and not condemned by things we did in your youth.
It's a tough question. I think whatever we know about someone affects how we see them. Replace artist and substitute "good friend." Would that be the same.
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?"The only thing an actor owes the audience is a good performance."
I thought I remembered the quote as being from Frank Sinatra. But when I googled it, something like it came up attributed to Humphrey Bogart. I kind of feel like that about writers and performers. Although I guess in today's world, celebrities are seen as role models, thus the public nature of their private lives. An interesting problem.
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That's right: the people we take as role models, actors and athletes, are people who excel in one talent, but don't necessarily know any more than we do on how to live a good life.
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OH I'm with you on Anne Perry, Pedln. You have to draw the line somewhere and bashing in the head of somebody's mother because you feared she'd stand in your way does it for me. I've not read any of her books since I found that out, sorry.
Anne or Ann Perry fans will like to know there's a new biography out on her: read at your own risk, I think.
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Perhaps it is a bit shallow of me; but I can't help but be influenced by what I read/hear about famous authors, actors, etc. I have frequently been sorry that I watched interviews with some whose works I greatly admired. Maybe I would have been better off not knowing......
Sally
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Once I found out, never read another Anne Perry.... But I still love Millays poetry, but was dismayed to discover I would not have liked the person.That is probably what we carry away from biographies, etc.. We always think that we loved the author, actor, artist, then we discover that although we love the work, we dislike the human. Ah well.
Still working A beautiful Mystery, It has now become a divided story.. No idea why she has mixed the two, but I suspect I am not going to like the ending of this one.
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I prefer to think of Millay as the model for the statue of her on the little island where she grew up. The statue of an adolescent girl looks out over the bay:
"All I could see from where I stood
Was two long mountains and a wood.
I turned and looked the other say
And saw three island in a bay."
That's exactly what you see on the island.
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Steph -
I did not like the character behaviors in the "Beautiful Mystery" but found the chanting info interesting. After I finished the book I almost decided not to read any more of hers but did read the next one and was glad I did. It finally resolves all the conflicts we've been dealing with since her first book. I understand her continuing the issues to keep the readers buying the next installment, but I think she carried them on too long. The last book "How the Light Gets In" was a frustrating read but had a satisfying ending. I feel that her books definitely need to be read in order and even then you don't understand the underling current of contention until the last one. At least you can read the next one as soon as you want to instead of having to wait until it's published.
Mary
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Did anybody else see the piece on Phillip Seymour Hoffman on 60 Minutes last night? In an (obviously) earlier interview, he said that he considered he had given a good performance only when the audience saw only the character and not him (the actor) in the role. Ties in with what we've been talking about.
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I just finished J.D. Robb's Indulgence in Death, a later one in the death series. It was great, the best of the series in my opinion. It had a good puzzle, good humor, and just more of Dallas being Dallas. Robb got very gory in the middle of the series and i didn't read her for a time, but i've enjoyed the later ones. I'm enjoying the relationship between Dallas and Peabody, a mentor/mentee relationship, but at the same time Peabody feels confident enough to tease Dallas, especially about her idiosyncrasies and about Roarke. I hope Robb continues in these veins, i look forward to reading the rest of the series.
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Yes, I like the J.D.Robb,, not the Nora Roberts however.
Still plugging away at The Beautiful Mystery.. I simply do not understand the destruction of good characters by an author.
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I felt the same way, Steph.
Went to the library yesterday and got a new, to me, McCall Smith,"The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds". It's in the Elizabeth Dalhousie series. I like those (I know not everyone does), but you have to be in the mood for them. I found myself getting very irritated with her last night: she was supposed to meet someone on business, and never got the business done, because of her endless wondering about theoretical ethical issues. When someone asks her opinion on a practical ethical issue they're facing, she hems and haws.
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I also got a new Anne Perry. Another ethical issue. I debated when I found out she was a murderess whether to read more. I had already read many of hers, and reread them to see if knowing that changed my view of the books (It didn't). I decided that she had served the punishment that society demanded, and deserved a second chance, as any ex-convict would.
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I just cant on Anne perry.. She is one of the murderers who really was punished so lightly being a teen..
Louise Penney and I are on the outs. I truly dislike, but will finished
The Beautiful Mystery. I will read the next one, but if it doesn't get better, then off with her head.
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Steph, do you read the Louise Penny's in order. I read The Brutal Telling when it came out a few years ago, when I didn't know it was part of a series. Then read the first one -- STill Life, which I really liked. But now I know "who done it" from Brutal Telling, and wish I didn't know. Not exactly a spoiler, but I plan to read the rest in order.
I'm trying out Amazon Prime for a month, and probably will stick with it. The shipping is a good deal, I haven't found too many free films that I want to see, but the one free read a month from the Lending library might be good even though most of the authors and titles are unknowns or little knowns. Currently reading A Novel Death, Judi Culbertson's first book -- whose protaganist is an Internet book seller. Kind of interesting to see from the book seller's perspective. (That'd be one for you, Steph.)
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Steph, is your summer place in N.C.? Aren't they supposed to get some really bad winter weather, with power outages, trees down, etc? Do you have someone to look in on the place to make sure everything is Okay?
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I think a book stands on its own. The author may have done bad things, but the book may have real value. I thought Anne Perry's World War I novels were valuable from a historical point of view and well done. I don't have to invite her into my living room. Some people have condemned The education of Littletree because the author, Forrest Carter once belonged to the KKK. The only racial hatred in the book is directed against the characters, who are Native Americans. I found the book very moving and delightful to read.
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Reading a book by Mary Higgins Clark "Daddy's Gone a Hunting." Poorly plotted: it feels like a bunch of different plots stuck together with glue, and I think it's obvious who did it (I'll tell you if I'm right!) but it keeps you reading.
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Well, here again, just for the sake of cordial discussion, I think it depends on the subject of the book.
I wonder how many of us read mysteries to really understand how it feels or what it means to kill somebody. I have a feeling nobody does.
So if I'm reading a mystery, I am not sure I want to read one written by a person who actually did beat somebody to death (20 blows with a brick). Every time I would read a detail, I'd have to stop and wonder is that what really happened?
If that author wrote about something other than murder, that might be different, but again, there are a lot of good authors and books waiting to be read.
Just my opinion.
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I am getting close to caught up on Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak series. Reading Though Not Dead now. Really enjoying this series, especially the interplay between Jim Chopin and Kate as these two independent, commitment shy people slowly discover their mutual attraction and building of trust (well kind of).
While I was at the library the other day, I picked up two Lincoln Child books, Deep Storm and Terminal Freeze, to tide me over (like I don't already have piles to read at home already) during the snowstorm and aftermath.
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Lets see. Yes, I read Louise Penney in order.. Actually I make a real effort in the case of a good author and a continuing series to read them in order. I love Kate and except for one I had somehow missed, I read them in order Even V.I. in Chicago , although the books certainly stand alone, I read in order to keep her friends and family straight..J.P. Beaumont and Jances other series are certainly read in order or be lost.. Hmm, I am trying to think of a continuing series that it does not matter.. Anyone else??
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Susan Wittig Albert has a new China Bayles coming out in April and Donna Leon has another Guido Brunetti also in April. April must be a good month for new books. My library has them on order and I already have several ahead of me on the reserve list.
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I like China and the herb series, but she does another series that I don't like.. Too too gooey..
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On Lois ïPenney. The writer. I thought in reading about the murder it was the daughter who killed her mother with the brick. But Penney was with her.
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Youve got the wrong author, Jeanne. Anne Perry is the one who murdered or helped murder her friend's mother.
Not LOUISE PENNEY.
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I just read some reviews of Dana Stabenow's latest Kate Shugak book, Bad Blood. Not too many people were happy with it. There were some interesting comments about it appearing to have been written like a TV episode or a play, characters were flat, some called Kate a "Stepford Kate" (I never saw or read Stepford Wives so the reference escapes me), the ending was a cliff hanger rather than the usual clean ending, and the book is shorter than usual. One person recommended not reading it until the next book comes out.
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Tome reader
You are right. I had a L.Penney book on my mind I guess.
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I read Bad Blood and yes it is sort o f a cliff hanger, but I enjoyed it. It is a bit different from most of her work. Not as much of a cliff hanger as when her boyfriend was killed years ago.Now that was a cliff hanger.. She was close to death herself from grief and then the book ended.
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Thanks for the input, Steph.
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Why do I even try the Patricia Cornwall.. Her new in paper.. BoneBed.. is starting out with "Oh poor me, I am so bright and the rest of the world is crap" and then tolerating her police man friend, who is a serious pig.. Sigh.. Originally she was such a good writer and then ego got in the way.
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Her topics never appealed to me, so I can't comment on her latest. I do think, however, that authors often seem to get in the same work rut many do. Pretty soon they are doing the same plot book after book with minor changes on characters' names and locations and/or they just burn out on the no. of books they've contracted for. The more successful ones may feel they're "entitled" and their fans won't notice or care.
I also continue to believe that those who publish more than 2 or even 3 some years are, in fact, a "trade name" like the fashion industry where many produce items under a Name Designer label. I think there are multiple "ghost writers" who are pumping out works that are sold under the well-known Book Author Designer Label. That's the only way I can logically understand the logistics of the time it takes to write, edit, proof, re-write and still get out several new, long titles in a given year, year after year.
jane
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Jane, do you think we now have something like the old Stratemeyer Syndicate -- like the Nancy Drews and the Hardy Boys? :D
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I do! It's the only logical thing that explains for me how "one" author name can put out multiple titles a year...and it also accounts for the wide inconsistencies in quality.
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Speaking of which, you can skip the newest Monk book. Why, why does Perry keep trying to write legal thrillers when she wouldn't recognize a legal argument if it hit her over the head!!!!
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"Monk book" = = explain please. Perry?? Anne or someone else?
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I used to enjoy reading Patricia Cornwall, but gave up on her several years ago. I do think that a number of authors use ghost writers. Many are pushed by their publishers to produce faster and many others are just greedy.
Sally
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Very popular writers tend to use paid writers, giving them a diagram of the plot twists.. But they own the copyright.But there are also light mysteries , that if you check the copywright, you realize the publisher owns it. This is the sign of someone who gets paid a set fee for each book and does not use their own name. If the books become popular, they may then branch out . Book publishing is all about volume now adays.
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I knew about authors selling their works outright to publishers. Apparently common when authors know little about publishing and think $xxxx is a lot of money. The publisher can then republish, often under a different title, etc. And author gets no royalties and has no say in anything.
I guess some authors are leaving long time publishers and doing self publishing where they can set their own deadlines and own expectations.
There have been so many mergers of publishers, I've lost track of exactly how many are actually left.
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I have the Kate Shugak Bad Blood book, and I agree it is very disappointing. I don't think it would have been published if not for the reputation of the earlier books. As to the ending, I think she is killing Mutt off because she is too long in the tooth to continue being Mutt.
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Well, if Mutt gets killed off, I don't want to read anymore Kate books.
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Ursa, I had also been thinking that Mutt was getting up there. If each book covered six months, she would be at least ten. I think some of the books skipped a season or two, so more than likely we could say that Mutt is 12 or 13?
There were some interesting comments about it (Bad Blood) appearing to have been written like a TV episode...
I finally found something regarding my prior post: Stabenow had been approached (several times, apparently) to sell screen rights for the Kate Shugak series. So far, she has refused because those who want the rights won't guarantee that it will be filmed in Alaska, a must as far as Stabenow is concerned. Her is her blog on the subject. http://www.stabenow.com/2010/06/25/random-friday-6410
I am now reading Lincoln Child's, Terminal Freeze. So far, it is not as interesting as Deep Storm.
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Just read in the paper that Rowling is doing a second book on her monumentally boring detective. I know I wont buy it.. Disliked the first one and I did so love Harry. It is like two entirely different authors.
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I did enjoy Rowling's book in spite of it being "wordy". I think I'll check whether the library has it on order. It's called The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (pseudonym of Rowling).
No, not on order yet.
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TOME: "Monk book" = = explain please." Sorry, for not being clear. Anne Perry writes two different series, which take place in slightly different tine spans. The earlier one features a detective called Monk (I think it'd William Monk, but he's always just called Monk) The other a detective called Pitt (Thomas Pitt). I get used to thinking of them as Monk books and Pitt books. They are different: the Monk books take place about 20-30 years earlier (1850s-60s) and always, except the first few, feature a court trial. I like them: Monk's partner is a woman who was a nurse in the Crimean War, and you learn a lot about medicine and health issues of the time. BUT her idea of legal cases and arguments drives me CRAZY!
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I stopped on the patricia Cornwall. Just could not take any more of Scarpetta being the only human who knows how to do things.Sigh..
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Have never liked Patricia Cornwall. Not from the very git go.
Have read about half of the Perry "Pitt" books, and have enjoyed them for Charlotte. But I own the other half, and they languish on my bookshelves. Some day! Well, at least they are There. Having books comforts me and soothes and quiets my spirit.
Two writers I can barely wait to buy their latest books: Julia Spencer-Fleming and Margaret Maron (if it is a Deborah Knott book). I used to feel that way about Michael Dibdin, but of course he is dead. So is Reginald Hill, sigh.
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Yesterday, I left posts in two or three places including a rather long one here and they have disappeared. Happened to another of our readers, too. I wonder whats going on??
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I just finished a Margaret Maron in paper. The Buzzards Table, but it was not enough Deborah and too much everyone else.. Sigrid belongs in New York City.. I just ordered a Spencer Fleming that is new to me, published just recently. but Amazon had a used copy already.
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Yesterday, I left posts in two or three places including a rather long one here and they have disappeared. Happened to another of our readers, too. I wonder whats going on??
Ann...you unintentionally sent your posts as replies to the Notification emails you get when people post here. Those emails are sent by the system, and the replies you do to the email end up at the webmaster's email only.
Be sure to come to the discussion and post. That's the only way the post ends up in the discussion.
Let me go check the webmaster email and find your posts.
Jane
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Ann ... Here is the message.
BELOW is AdoAnnie's post:
When I saw the movie about the two girls murdering one of the girl's mothers, I swore I would never read Perry's books. Then I got hooked on her use of the 1800's and all that history about what was going on in England then plus her use of accents of what seems like the actual accents of that time. I wonder if she does historical searches to use the right accents for that time and place in her books.
I have stopped reading about Kay Scarpetta and her niece who now has several college majors under her belt and she owns her own airplane and does all the flying, I gave up and decided it was just too silly. Like reading Richie Rich comics!
I don't read Cross mysteries anymore either or Clive Cussler's tales of Dirk Pitt and his entourage. I even got tired of Tom Clancy and several others in that era.
I want to thank whoever pointed to Charles Finch titles as I am enjoying them a lot.
Isn't it astounding to read these books written about the 1800's and realize how far we have grown from that era?
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I love Charles Finch and have collected most of his stuff and am doling it out when I want a lift. An interesting writer.
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Steph -the new Spencer Fleming (Through the Evil Days) has already been nominated for an Agatha!
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I am excited, I found it used at a reasonable price.. so ordered it.. I am reading a Linda Castillo.. This one seems to be really dark. Disappearing girls, all Amish.. now one found murdered. I like her Kate..
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In case any of you want to write your own detective story...... :D.......Raymond Chandler's Ten Commandments for doing so...........whew, sounds impossible..........but a short, interesting write-up about Chandler.....
http://www.openculture.com/2014/02/raymond-chandlers-ten-commandments-for-writing-a-detective-novel.html
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That's interesting! I would agree with him on much of it. And Christie and Carr are certainly open to criticism for some of their methods of murder, which would never have worked in real life. But I think we're allowed some suspension of disbelief in reading mysteries. Real life murders are often very dull. And these fancy methods and alibis, romances and atmosphere, are fun! Isn't the point of this reading to enjoy oneself?
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This was "quilting mystery week" at the library. I found an Earlene Fowler, who writes about a quilter and rancher in California.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/earlene-fowler/
and one by O'Donahue (not listed in FF -- I'll have to check the spelling) who writes about the owner of a quilt shop in a small town.
I hadn't seen a Fowler mystery in so long, I'd forgotten about her. I see from FF that I've missed two. There was a gap from 2997 to 2011 and 12. Glad to catch up.
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Fowler writes several series as I recall. Have not read one of hers for a while, but always enjoy them.
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Here we go already on the one library in town that tore down a building of only 10 years old and spent 17 mil. Building a beautiful all glass one just 5 years ago.
Out of money now. Wanting city to give another million after giving that last year They already give almost 2 mil. A year to them out of taxes..
In a Meeting last night city said only 250 thousand. They have already laid Off 28 people now saying more will go.( can't see why the had so many along with volunteers) also will cut hours open and no Sundays.
I say way to many people on the board making to much money. Along with people with fancy titles. Amazing what they earn. Just hired a new person at our library which is smaller at salary of 178 thousand a year. We are not able to buy new books at the moment. I have requested 12in the last month and they only have 2. That have over 40 names down for it. Very sad .....hate to see libraries go down this way.
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I see this in Universities, too -- money going to buildings, not to books or teaching.
$178,000?????? I'm glad librarians aren't underpaid anymore, but that's ridiculous!
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Similar to our city's recent acquisition of a new City Manager. The previous one, a wonderful woman who held the job for a many years and did a fantastic job, retired. They decided to hire "from within", and hired a "man" at $450,000 a year,which was about $100,000+- more than she made. How good at the job he will be --- only time will tell. Moral of story: we can't afford to buy books and keep employees at the libraries, but can up a big time salary for an unproven City Manager.
Yuck!
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Hmmm! Now I am wondering what the main library manager (and staff) is making here. I know that the branch manager is not being paid much, nor are the regular staff. If our branch followed the policy of the main library, I probably wouldn't stick around as a volunteer. Apparently, the volunteer staff is not supposed to handle any computer work, leaving that for regular staff. Our branch is too small to strictly follow that policy, so at least I am able to check books in. My sister, who volunteers in another county system, is being trained to do more on the computers. We both shelve, do pull lists, etc. There was talk of increasing the county library tax, but I see they haven't done so this year.
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I was approved to volunteer, but.. the only place they use adult volunteers is in the childrens library and I simply do not enjoy small children. Sorry if that raises anger, but it is just the truth.I explained that and said I would gladly work backstage, etc. nope.. the college kids get that sort of volunteer.So I don't volunteer.
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You are not alone, Steph. I never had children and haven't been around them for years and years, except on a few occasions like family gatherings. The make me a little nervous because I am not used to them. The same with teens who come in but don't seem all that interested in the books. We've had a few who seemed to use the library as a kind of gathering place. One actually asked about a library card, but when he found out he wasn't old enough to get a card without a parent signing off on it, he looked disgusted and declined to sign up. They went in the children's section if no one was there to sit and talk or quietly use their cell phones and generally look suspicious and clam up if anyone came into the room. This lasted about a month until they must have found another hideout.
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Libraries aren't just for books. Young people, all ages, are welcomed in our library as long as they follow the rules. Nothing wrong with sitting and using the WiFi and reading books or magazines. I would think a library would be far preferable to other places where youth hang out. If we want libraries to continue to serve us, we need to make everyone welcome. We have young pages who do more than shelve books. They create displays and schedule teen book discussions.
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Steph, you don'e need to apologize. I raised five kids of my own but they were under control. I don't know what to do with today's children and young people.
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I know, but this particular bunch acted so suspicious. It made me nervous when I went into the room to shelve books or do a pull list because they would clam up and look guilty until I went out again. Made me wonder what no good they were up to. Like I said I am not used to being around kids much, and this was just after I started volunteering there. Most of the children/teens who come into the library are using the computers or looking for books. We don't get a lot of teens during my hours, most are small fry who are with adults.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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Our Library staff are city employees, so their pay is determined to some extent by our city council. This is a town of 5,000. The Library board, however, can raise those base amounts. All salaries, etc., come out of the Library budget.
When the city negotiates with the police, which have a union, the same hourly raise has then been given to the other city employees. While I was on the board, we gave the Director, who has a MA in Lib.Sci and a law degree and is at the top of the state public library directors' accreditation, an annual raise to eventually get her salary up comparable to other city dept heads who had much smaller budgets to manage.
After 10 yrs, she's now at their levels...in the $52,000 range and she just now gets the city raises. Again, this comes out of the budget for the library. The city pays the bulk of that budget; the county, whose residents the library serves, pays now a little better then the state required minimum.
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Are there any good writers having books coming out between now and July 1 I should be on the lookout for?
I like light mysteries, but I'm tired of Aunt Dimitie, Joanne Fluke and gave up on Diane Mott Davidson some years ago. Who are good writers to replace these ladies?
I suspect I have a lot more winter left, so need some ideas, please.
Criteria: light, fun, romance ok, but gore, torture, abuse, horror are not.
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Now the lady they hired last week at out library does have a MA in Lib Sci and 18 years experience. Came from a Library in Michigan I believe. 39 years old. 2 teen age children.
I can not see why, when openings come be it City, County, Police chief, Fire chief. they always go out of State to hire. I am sure some of the people who have been with our library for years could have handled the same job. Had the same experiences. Maybe not have the Degree. I sometimes think that experience Equals that.
We saw that at the company I worked last 20 years for. Went by the higher the Degree and some of the Managers of 20 years service lot smarter in what the job was. couple just Junior College. I think the country now beginning to realize that we need workers for lots of things they just need a training college for 2 years and not stress all needed a 5 or 6 year in a University. Talking now of giving more money in College loans to the Trade schools with not having to pay it back. Get our Electricions, Plumbers. Metal workers etc back again.Maybe then some technical things can be built here in the USA and not over in Asia.
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Woops! got away from books there didn't I? Almost wrote one.
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I've just finished Spider Woman's Daughter by Anne Hillerman. She's Tony's daughter, and the book continues with Leaphorn and Chee. It's not a bad yarn - and nice to see the old friends again.
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Jane, our town is about your size, and we've been trying to keep our director's salary comparable to others in the city as well. Our director has her Masters in library science also, meeting the requirement that the state sets for a good library of our size.
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Jane - do take a look at my on-line friend Lesa Holstin's blog - she reviews light mysteries almost every day, and she's a lovely person too:
http://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.co.uk/
I've just read 'Morality for Beautiful Girls' by Alexander McCall Smith. I didn't take to his Mma Ramotswe No1 Ladies Detective Agency books at first, but I enjoyed this one much more and now I think I'll read them all.
Rosemary
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We get tons of teens, have a teen room with books, computers, etc. I like teens,, its the knee biter type, I really am not comfortable with. I had a husband who adored all children. He never understood that I didn't. I am fine or at least think I am fine with my own grandchildren..
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I am the same Steph, I like my children's teenage friends and enjoy chatting to them. I am constantly impressed with their maturity and their awareness of world events - they know so much more than I did at their age. I find it much harder to deal with smaller children and I didn't really enjoy my own at that age - such hard work and so many tantrums and upsets. Of course teenagers are not immune from all that, and sometimes I do feel as though they are taking it in turns to have a crisis, but at least I can have a sensible conversation with them. Last night a friend gave me a lift home from a meeting. She is the same age as me but had children younger, so hers now have children of their own. She said when you look back on the teenage years you realise that they passed quite quickly - the same, I suppose, as when we look back on all those sleepless nights with little babies.
Rosemary
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Jane: you've challenged me. Check Fantastic Fiction, and hit New Books or Coming soon, but you may have to page a bit to find something light, Rhys Bowman will have several out : I like her "Royal Spyness" series: young English Royal, 39th in line for the throne, no money but of course, not allowed to WORK (after all, she's a royal) so always scrounging fore money while solving mysteries.
Evanovitch will have a Plum mystery out. Scottelini will have a Legal beagle. McCall Smith ALWAYS has something coming out.
Who else? Let me think.
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Jane, I second Joan's suggestion of Rhys Bowen, and it IS Bowen you should look for, my favorite light mystery authors of days gone by may still be available:
MISS SEETON!
You may just be in danger of a severe heart attack brought on by your own laughter. Miss Seeton had THREE (3) authors in succession! Heron Carvic, Hamilton Crane, and Hampton Charles, and was the funniest amateur detective I ever read.
Second would be Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax books
While third prize would go to Charlotte MacLeod.
Ngaio Marsh could be very amusing, though that was not her forte. She was an all time favorite of mine, and I would call her fairly light reading. Definitely not dark.
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I am struggling away with The Accomplice by Elizabeth Ironside. Its not that I don't like it, I do, but you have to keep track to a turgid sort of Russian half and that is hard. Also it is hard to be sympathetic to a good many of the characters.. A lot of good intentions gone bad and a seriously plotting young Russian girl, who will literally do anything to stay in England.
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Oh, YES! If you haven't read Mrs. Polifax, you have to! Among my favorite books of all time, and repay periodic rereading (I think I'll go read one now). Start with The Unexpected Mrs. Polifax.
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Read "Morning Glory" by Sarah Jio. About the community of people who live on houseboats in Seattle. Follows two "women with broken hearts", one in the fifties, and another living on the same houseboat in the eighties. Unusual mystery and solution.
Also read another Caro Peacock Liberty Lane mystery. Liberty is a woman in 1840 London who has a detective agency. Light and interesting.
Boy, I hate reading about the lives of "ladies" then. Liberty is traveling, and, when she stays overnight at an inn, she can't eat in the dining room unless there happens to be another lady staying there. Otherwise, she must eat alone in her room.
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One of the great things about being back in the city is that the Edinburgh central library arranges many author readings. I have just booked free tickets to four of these events, and one of them is Val McDermid, who is well known here for her novels, some of which have been televised as 'Wire in the Blood'. I have seen her interviewed on TV; she is a lovely down to earth, woman and also a great supporter of various charities. I was amazed that I got a ticket, and I'm looking forward to seeing her 'in the flesh'. Another ticket I have is to see Lindsey Davis, who writes Roman mysteries featuring a detective called Falco. I haven't read any of Davis's books yet but I'll try to do so before the event.
Rosemary
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Rosemarykaye, Davis is finished with writing the Falco series. If you don't want to pick up Falco (Silver Pigs is the first and one of my favorites in the series), then I can recommend Course of Honor. It is a novel about Vespasian's mistress.
Oh, I am so glad you mentioned her. I just went over to take a look at her website to see what she is up to now. She has started another series featuring Flavia Albia (who was Falco's adopted child). Sigh, now I have to go buy more books. She is already on her third of this new series. The Didius Falco series has been optioned for a TV series, but she thinks it will be several years before anything really gets started. http://www.lindseydavis.co.uk/
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Nlhome...the Board finally has her salary up there with other dept. Heads. The others are all male, and the Council would grumble about her raises and would make "suggestions" that maybe those raises weren't really needed. [HUH? Really?? Nothing to her with her being female, of course! ]
The Board thought she'd earned the money and she'd saved us thousands in tech work she did herself! We wrote all the things she'd done that would have had to be outsourced before. She also found lots of $$$ that vendors were overcharging because they "forgot" state discounts we were due,etc. The city was just paying those bills, until she asked they be sent to her first for checking.
Thanks for the suggestions on light mysteries. I've read all the Pollifax ones and N.Marsh as well. I'll look into the others.
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Oh Rosemary, do you need a boarder. Val McDermid,,, Lindsay Davis.. I love both and have read most of their stuff. Did not know that Davis had started a new series.. Lucky you.
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Ordered Silver pigs. I think I've read some of the Falco books.
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Here is McDermid. Any favorites among her series?
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/val-mcdermid/
I've ordered "report for Murder" I love the fact that it has a cello on the front cover. It'll be awhile -- I've made a rule I can only read kindle books when I've run out of library books, and I have a bunch.
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I probably have read 75% of the Falco, but need to catch up.. McDermid,, possibly half.She is good, but I must be in the right mood for complicated as she is.
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I saw I already had "Report for Murder in my archives. when I looked at it, I remembered reading it. my memory is getting worse and worse.
read the new Evanovitch/Goldberg "The Chase" last night. One unbelievable "caper" after another. The protagonists, now working for the government, have to steal rare and incredibly well-guarded art works (don't ask me why -- it would take all night) not once, but over and over again. If you're in the mood, it's fun, but you have to stretch "suspension of disbelief" to the breaking point. One weakness: they have unlimited resources, money, and skill at doing impossible things at their disposal, so the "clever capers" don't seem so clever.
I'll read more, but can see it getting old fairly quickly.
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I love Stephanie Plum, like Diesel and Lizzie, but the rest of Evanovich is way too romancy..
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I liked The Chase, yeah, you have to suspend reality, but isn't that why we read!?! :D
On the other hand, i don't read sci-fi, because i can't relate to most of it in any way...... ??? What can i tell you, to each his own, thank goodness! LOL
Jean
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Science Fiction.. I like both that and Fantasy. Some writers have a fully realized world, especially in fantasy.. Anne McCaffrey for one.. Marion Zimmer
Bradley is another. You enter their world with their rules. It is fascinating. I am doing that just now with Cassandra Clare.. She writes for Young Adults, but I love the slightly tilted from our world to hers and am making my way through her series.
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I never knew that we called this Fantasy. What about Marion Zimmer Bradley's "Mysts of Avalon" and T.H.White's book, "The Book of Merlyn" and "The Once and Future King" which spawned the movie about Camelot, King Authur and Guenivere,
plus some of my favorites, Madeleine L'Engle books? "A Wrinkle in Time: and "A Swiftly Tilting Planet". I guess I've always liked fantasy.
I did see "Wire in the Blood" on PBS and liked it. I will be writing down some new authors of mysteries to look for. Quite a few here that I hadn't heard of before now.
I have heard of Mrs Polifax but never read any so will see what's at my library.
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I liked the two scifi stories I read by Marion Zimmer, particularly The Door Through Space. Too bad she didn't continue that into a series. I may, some day, start on her Darkover series.
Now I am all caught up on the Kate Shugak series. Bad Blood ended in a cliff hangar, but unlike a lot of other readers I had no problem with that. The rather abrupt ending could, in fact, serve as a last novel without wrapping everything up in a nice bow. It may be a while until we see another Kate Shugak, no mention of whether she is working on one just now. She is in the middle of another three volume series, the first of which was just published. Looks interesting. http://www.stabenow.com/novels/silk-and-song
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ANNIE: avoid the later Mrs. Pollifax. Gilman went on writing when she should have stopped (just like Agatha Christie did). But any of the first 9 listed below (through 1990) are good.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/dorothy-gilman/
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Finished the Earlene Fowler I got at the library last night "The Road to Cardinal Valley." It's not a Benni Harper, in fact, not really a mystery. Tying up the lives of characters from an earlier book. But I liked it.
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Darkover was a particularly interesting world.Enough so that many fans wrote short stories to continue characters and they publish quite a few anthologies of short stories. I think I read every single one, but after she died, they tried to continue the series, but her touch was gone.. Anne McCaffrey had a wonderful world with telepathic dragons tied to a human.. Loved it, but as she grew older, her son grew involved and turned it into one battle after another.Boo..
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Oh I do like Dana Stabenow - I think I've still got quite a few to read too, which is great. How many are there, does anyone know?
Rosemary
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Rosemarykaye, she has written 20 Kate Shugak and four Liam Campbell novels as well as three scifi's and several stand alones. Her latest endeavor she calls the Silk and Song series. The series follows Maro Polo's grandaughter as she travels from China to England. http://www.stabenow.com/novels/silk-and-song
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Thanks Frybabe - that means I've got lots to look forward to :)
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Rosemary: Fantastic Fiction is great for questions like that! (ourse, you have to be able to spell the authors name correctly to find it -- always a problem for me!)
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/dana-stabenow/
I never heard of her "Star Svendotter" series! Have any of you read it?
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Joan K.. oh yes, that was actually my introduction to Dana. She wrote the science fiction first.. I fell in love with her and looked her up and then started with Kate and Liam ( a favorite of mine and wish she would write more on him)
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Thanks for the links everyone. While adding them to my books folder, I noticed that the "Book Marks" site also offers a choice of adding things to a Reading List. Never saw that before. Its a Safari offering.
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The Reading List on Safari on my IPAD is helpful for putting links to posts I get notifications about. I use that for Goodreads. Unfortunately, I can't delete them en masse unless I delete all my bookmarks, history, etc. Deleting them individually is a giant pain, since I assumed since I couldn't see them they were gone. I do use the SHOW UNREAD which helps, but if you do SHOW ALL, you'll see them all still there.
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Finished the latest Simon Brett Fethering mystery last night "The Strangling on the Stage." This one is about an amateur dramatics production (AmDram in the book). I wonder if in real life, the people involved in amateur dramatics are as completely wrapped up in it as they are in this book? To the point where one is suspected of literally killing to get a part.
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My gosh, I hope not! JoanK. I must list your title and author for my next visit online to my library. Sounds good!
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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You can always do a search for an author's books by simply writing:
List books by Author's name or penname
As in List Books by Michael Dibdin
or you can ask only for a list of the author's books with a particular character
List Harry Hole books by Jo Nesbo
And LO! The Computer SPEAKS!
http://www.google.com/webhp?nord=1#nord=1&q=list+books+by+Dana+Stabenow
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I was very very involved in amateur drama stuff when younger. I knew several women who would literally do anything for leads in the plays.. and then would spend the time hogging the stage, etc. Drama clubs are very very complicated clubs.. I liked most of the people involved but it was hard sometimes.My husband was an excellent amateur director and enjoyed it very much.
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I have never been particularly drawn to the stage. What I would truly love to be is an opera singer, but I cannot sing a note on key! So sad.
When I was advised to try out for all the school clubs, good for the resume and that sort of stuff, I tried out for the drama club on the designated day. And I made it!
Seems of all the students in the school, the drama coach could hear my voice the loudest and the clearest from her backrow seat!
Ah ha! But then they found I had no talent. Nary a one.
So I wound up on top of a ladder at the front side of the stage across from the piano. With little cellophane covered squares I would place in front of the spotlight on cue. Yellow, blue, red. I do not remember having a green one.
When I look back, I realize the job I most coveted was that of stage design; especially the backgrounds. Remember those huge long rolls of pinkish paper they used to put down in new houses you would go to see to keep your feet from spoiling the floors? Well, they used to tack that on the stage walls and draw in the background. Artistic students spent hours doing this, while I would be rehearsing my changes from my ladder top aerie. I wanted the artistic ability and the insight to be drawing those columns and statues and flower boxes and so on and on!
But I have also a total lack of art. My soul yearns, but my body will not produce!
I plan to come back as a red headed opera singer/painter Beverly Van
Gogh. Will also be a bazillionaire!
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You go, MaryPage!!!!!
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OH, MaryPage,
I know how you feel. I had the most wonderful experience with our community playhouse. I was a cue person for the main character in two plays. She also had me helping her learning her lines. I was 12 or 13 at the time and loved being busy with the play. Like you, I wanted to get involved in everything theatre! I did get a bit part in the high school musical, later.
But the most fun I had was in being a backstage worker. There is so much going on that patrons aren't aware of. At one time, in my middle years, I sang in a ladies choir and for their annual concert, I was given the job of searching for a lighting crew plus I had to come up with something for backing the group onstage. I found that I wasn't very good at stage design. But I did find a great lighting crew whom every one loved. Of course, one of my sons worked for them. ;) ;) Hey, I can talk about gels as well as the rest of them!!
And Steph, what wonderful memories you must have of your being part of the cast and your husband doing the directing. What fun you two must have had.
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Your conversation reminds me of an Intro to Theatre class I had to take my freshman year of college. Everyone else in the class were wannabe actors like Brad Pitt or Meryl Streep. Me..not so much. I talked to the prof and asked if I could do something besides be ON stage...and he said absolutely...that there was much more to theatre than being "ON." What a relief. I did have to do a stage audition, and that went well, but that's not for me. So, I did lots of organizing stuff backstage, sets, costumes, etc.
One of the "divas" was a gal about whom the others said "she wakes up and says 'Good 'morning, World. Curtain going up' and her last thought at night was 'good night, World. Curtain going down.'" She went on to get a Ph.D in theatre, so I guess the curtain went up and down a lot. :)
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Just finished J. D. Robb's Vision in Death. It was a bit more gory then i would like, but i know that will be the case when i start a Robb book. But, i think each one is showing us the emotional growth of Eve Dallas. Her learning to socialize, to be more intimate and trusting in her relationship with Peabody, Mira and the other friends, especially women, etc, is interesting. I think all of the lead characters have been shot now and recovered, Robb (Nora Roberts) will have to find a new theme for drama. :D
Jean
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Mary Page: we must be related! I love to sing, but have a voice like an old crow, and can't keep a tune! I sang in the church choir as a child, the choirmaster kept me on because I always came and made one more body. But he asked me if I would just move my mouth, and not say anything.
I would love to find a voice teacher who would teach me just enough so that people wouldn't wince when I sing.
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My husband and I had a firm policy..When he directed, I only did backstage work. I used to be an ace at makeup.. I loved aging people. Then when a play would come along that interested me, he stayed backstage. That way no clashes.. I did a lot of comedy work in revues as well and loved that and actually got paid for some of it.. But would never be a standup..Way too scary.
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Finished "Deadly Row to Hoe" by Cricket McRae http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/cricket-mcrae/
These are "home crafting" mysteries: everything made by hand or home grown. I have to admit they make me feel tired (growing popcorn, so you can have home grown popcorn. All soaps and lotions handmade etc.)
This one features a farm co-op for fruits and vegetables. My daughter buys monthly from a local farm group , but without the commitment to work. She gets whatever selection of fruits and vegetables they have that month. She's a vegetarian, and loves trying out cooking new (to her) vegetables each month, but says they get tired of too much of some of them.
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I belonged to a co-op years ago in Massachusetts.. But I agree with your daughter. Some vegetables just go on and on. All of the squash family, cucumbers, tomatoes..On the other hand, never enough Asparagus..Parsley,scallions..
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Read "True Grey" by Clea Simon last night. This is the series where the detective is helped by the ghost of her cat. I kind of like them: the narrator is a woman writing her dissertation (she never seems to finish it). Having been there, done that, I sympathize. I see there are a lot more in the series I haven't read yet.
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I am having fun with Dodger, which is a Terry Pratchett. Not a science fiction, but simply a story in the early Victorian period.. Charles Dickens meets a young man called Dodger..who becomes a hero and rescues a maiden in distress. Charlie is writing for the newspaper and gets involved. great fun using all of the people of that period.
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This evening I am going to a very nice Edinburgh bookshop, Looking Glass Books (http://www.lookingglassbooks.com/), to hear an author called Nicola White read from her prize-winning book, In the Rosary Garden. Needless to say I haven't managed to find the time to read it first, so I have been cheating with the Amazon synopsis. It seems to be a thriller/mystery set in Ireland, sounds interesting.
Has anyone read it?
Rosemary
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No and don't remember the author either. So do tell us how it goes.
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Steph - it was excellent. The author is a former BBC producer, she's apparently only written short stories before. She started this book in 2006, had it rejected loads of times, eventually put it away in a drawer - then a friend of hers urged her to submit it to the Dundee International Book Prize competition and it won.
It seems that the book is set in Ireland, mainly in the early 1980s - at a time when Irish society was at last starting to change. As female voices began to be heard - even though only faintly - some men displayed what Nicola White calls 'an almost Gothic' fear of women - one bishop apparently said 'there is no more dangerous place to be than in a woman's womb'. There were three referenda on the pro-life issue - NOT with a view to legalising abortion, but to make it even more illegal than it was already. Each one succeeded.
The novel is about a 17 year old girl who finds the body of a newborn baby in the grounds of her school. It eventually links back to events in her childhood and to other babies. Nicola, who was brought up partly in Dublin and partly in New York City, had read a lot about two famous events - the 'Kerry babies' and the death of another girl who had given birth at the age of 15, alone and outside in a freezing cold January. Nobody ever disclosed who the father of the baby was and nobody in the town where she lived would admit even to having realised that the poor girl was pregnant.
Nicola wanted to explore the position of women in Irish society, and the contradictions displayed in a country that adamantly rejected a woman's right to choose, but also treated unmarried mothers with such callous cruelty (you may have seen The Magdalene Sisters, which is set only 10 years before this novel and which was also based very firmly in fact.) She said that, at that time, the most vociferous pro-lifers were men but they were not ever held responsible for births out of wedlock, nor were they ever ostracised by their own communities.
As someone who visited rural Ireland frequently around that time, this all rings true to me. The RC church still had a grip of iron in those days, and it was a very patriarchal society.
She wanted to set the story within a clear structure, so she chose the crime/thriller genre - she said that novels she had started in the past had a habit of just drifting on with nothing ever happening, and she recalled having to pitch other people's work to her BBC bosses, who would always say 'that's all well and good, but what's the STORY?' So this novel has a mystery element and a police detective with his own back story, whom she plans to use in subsequent books.
It was a very enjoyable evening and I think I am now going to have to buy the book, as the library doesn't have it and I've been left wanting to know more, which is surely the mark of a good author event.
Rosemary
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Two great suggestions: I've ordered samples of both Dodger and Rosary Garden for my kindle. My sister (PatH) loves Terry Pratchett, and is always urging me to read him, but I don't care for Science Fiction. This might be a good way to "dip my toe in".
And the Irish book sounds very good, too, although it might make me too mad!!!!!!!!
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I'm trying to save money by reading more library books, and buying fewer kindle books, so it might be a while til I get to them. Just for fun, I've been keeping track of how many books I read. In four weeks, I finished 19 books and read parts of three others, an average of 5 books a week. Even with half of them coming from the library and cheap kindle prices, it's still expensive. Do you think that's too many? Maybe I should get another hobby.
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That's something only you can answer in regard to your financial situation.
I see the amounts people spend on golf, spas, collecting figurines, plates, shoes, etc. and I prefer to spend my discretionary funds on yarn and books. ;D
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I'm with you, jane - although of course, we add travel to that.
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I figure I am not a clothes horse, so books get me money.. Honey.. to quote a song..I am going to look for Nicola White, I saw Philomena and realized how cruel nuns could be in that era.
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I buy a few books, but I get most of mine from the library and inter-library loan. I am trying to declutter my house, so keep only special books on my shelves.
I bought my husband a Kindle for Christmas, and he has only read a couple of paperbacks since. He rarely buys a book, just checks on Overdrive and downloads through our library.
It's not so much the cost, it's the accumulation that we don't want.
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oh boy, we have an intruder, I see.
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Yep, I reported to Administrator. Just now.
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:o I, uh, escorted the weird post out the door. :o
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Thank YOu!
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You're welcome! I have a very fast "escort out the door" finger. ;D
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Just finished a Danish mystery by Jussi Adler-Olsen. (The Keeper of Lost Causes). I like some Scandinavian fiction, but not this. A needlessly nasty and not very interesting story about a woman kept prisoner in a pressurized chamber for 5 years. I ask you....supposed to be an international best seller too.
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Thank you, Tome and Jane for acting so promptly!
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Just finished "The Mystery of Mercy Close" by Marian Keyes. Part of a series about a family of dysfunctional people, the other books are not mysteries but "contemporary women's fiction". This one involves one of the wacky family, a PI, looking for a man who has disappeared.
I enjoyed it. In flavor, it reminded me of the series about the wacky family who run a detective business from their house (who writes those?) although this one doesn't have footnotes.
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The Spellmans???
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I love the Spellmans, but who ever writes them is slow.There are only a few of them.
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Jane, where do you suppose our intruder went??? Someone like that can annoy our whole site, can't they?
Thanks! But I must admit, after trying to plow through that post, I came in here to click on the intruder's name just to see who it might be. But, alas, you used your finger and got rid of the crazy person. Thanks again. Where do these weirdos come from anyway??
I put the Rosary Garden on my library list. Must pick up "Still Alice" as it is our title for f2f group. Has anyone here read it??
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Jane, where do you suppose our intruder went???
Uh...into the dumpster here. ;)
This IP was from a province in India. We get a number of "unusual" people who try, for whatever reasons, to get into our, and others' sites. Many are from Eastern Europe, Asia, etc. Many are trying to sell something apparently.
We try to screen them out before they get in by checking them against some Stop Spam sites, but a few always seem to get in before they've been reported by other sites as spammers.
jane
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The Spellmans!! Thanks, it was driving me nuts!
Thank goodness for "Stop You're killing me" where you can look up the names of characters, as well as authors:
http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/L_Authors/Lutz_Lisa.html
The author is Lisa Lutz, and there are six of them. Told in report form with footnotes (often hilarious) and bibliography. Usually by one of the daughters, who veers between detecting and struggling with mental illness. You have to get used to the unusual writing, but once you do, they manage to be both hilarious and moving.
Looks like there was one out in 2013 which I haven't read.
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The 2013 book seems to be called "The Last Word".
On kindle, there's also available a "Spellman guide to Etiquette: What's Wrong with you people?" for $1.99. You bet I'm going to read that one! (You may not be able to stand me afterwards.
http://www.amazon.com/Isabel-Spellmans-Guide-Etiquette-People-ebook/dp/B00CVQYMBE/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1394918362&sr=1-2&keywords=the+last+word+lisa+lutz
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Over in S&F mention was made of the 50 Shades of Grey books.
As an "aside" regarding the 50 Shades books. First, I have not read them and do not intend to. Now, being a mystery reader, on some site, or in some publication, there was a mention of a book titled "Apple Tree Yard" by Louise Doughty. It begins with a courtroom scene (this is UK courtroom) a woman in is the "dock". It does not mention what type of crime is supposed to have been committed. The first 12 pages are Prologue. Flashback: chapter 1, this woman is typing a letter on her computer to "X" in a kind of diary style, recollecting meeting X the first time. From there it becomes sort of a 50 Shades type, sexually oriented tell-all, reads like fantasy really. I am half-way thru the book, and I still don't know what crime has been committed, by whom, against whom (there is also a man in the dock: "X"). Then the narrator gives us the hideous details of her sexual assault by a colleague. (it's beginning to remind me of "Gone, Girl" which I didn't like at all). Anyway, what I'm trying desperately to get at...I don't think I recommend this book, especially if you believe you are getting into a good British mystery!
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Thank you, Tome. I'll avoid it like the plague.
Read s Chris Nickson mystery about the Constable of Leeds in the 1700s, "Fair and Pretty Ladies". I used to really look forward to his books, but they are getting too dark for me.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/n/chris-nickson/
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I see there is a later short story, "Convalescence". I've ordered it on kindle. I suspect he's winding up this series, he seems to have started a new one.
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Annie, I read Still Alice a few years ago. It's one of those books where you don't feel right saying "I really liked it," but I will say that I'm so glad I read it, and I think I learned a lot from reading it. DIL's book club also read it and members felt much the same way. When I think of it, I think of Pat Summit. Many years ago, when we didn't know much about Alzheimer's, especially early onset, the husband of one of my aunt's friends was diagnosed with it. A guy in his early 50's, comptroller of a major manufacturer. He was in a nursing home for years.
Rosemary, In the Rosary Garden sounds so good. I've put it on my TBR list. Are you enjoying your Lenovo? Does Madelaine let you have it?
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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Pedln - I went back to the Looking-Glass bookshop for another talk last week, looked for that Nicola white book and couldn't find it anywhere - either they sold all the copies that night or (more likely) I was just looking in the wrong place. I'm there again this week so I'll investigate - it does sound interesting, doesn't it?
I'm still loving the Lenovo, and Madeleine has handed it over now that she has my old laptop up and running and my husband has transferred all my documents and photos to the new one.
Tomereader - I don't know much about Louise Doughty, but I did once read a book of hers purporting to tell you how to write a novel in a year. It was culled from a column she had been given in one of the national newspapers, and basically she had set a task each week and numerous aspiring writers had set in their efforts for her to scrutinise. I felt some of them were very good, but she was pretty universal in her criticism. At the time she had hardly published anything else, so that irritated me a little, as she seemed to be setting herself up as some sort of expert (I hasten to add that I was NOT one of the people who bravely submitted their work...) I've noticed more and more lately that every newspaper, publishing house, etc is running 'how to write...' courses, often hugely expensive, and taught by people you've never heard of and who seem to have written very little themselves. Louise Doughty often features. These courses make a lot of promises which, in this competitive world, are unlikely to be fulfilled. So I am totally irrationally 'off' L Doughty, and your post has just confirmed my opinion!
Last week's event at the bookshop was about a Mongolian lady, Uuganaa Ramsay, who grew up in traditional Mongolian society, living in a yurt and having a nomadic way of life - her parents were professionals but still lived in this way and kept cattle. She came to Scotland on a teacher training course and stayed - married a local and has 2 children. Her third child, Billy, was born with Downs Syndrome, and she was horrified when she realised that this was still (unofficially) referred to as Mongolism in the UK, with 'mong' and 'mongol' being used by teenagers and others as insults (just as they persist in calling people 'gay' also as an insult.) Her son died after only 3 months, but she wanted to keep his memory alive, and also to try to address misconceptions about Downs in our society, so she wrote a book called Mongol. At the event, she read from it and talked about her childhood in Mongolia and her adult life here in Scotland. She recently won a major non-fiction award for her book and has been on Good Morning Scotland. It was very interesting and the shop was packed - I had been a bit worried that the audience would be sparse, but how wrong I was - people from the NHS, friends from the local Mongolian community, Downs Association people, children dressed up in Mongolian national costume - and, to my utter joy, none other than Ian Rankin, who does of course live nearby and has a son who has some sort of learning difficulties - might be autism, I can't remember. There was a huge cake iced to look like the book, and Mogolian vodka!
Here is the book:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mongol-Uuganaa-Ramsay-ebook/dp/B00D0UXWWA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395663845&sr=1-1&keywords=Mongol
This week's event is to do with the Istanbul Review, a publication about which I know nothing, but I'm looking forward to finding out.
Rosemary
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PS - I meant to say, re Alzheimer's, Prunella Scales, the actress best known as Sibyl in Fawlty Towers, has recently gone public about her own mild Alzheimer's. She and her husband, the actor Timothy West, have made a series of programmes about their travels on their narrowboat along the English canals - I've so far managed to miss it, but apparently they talk openly about the disease and how they are coping with it. So far her main problem is memory loss and inability to concentrate, but she's as fit as a fiddle physically and apparently runs about the boat like a 30 year old (she's 80 I think.)
Rosemary
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found an author I like Charles Todd
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/t/charles-todd/
the book I read was about Bess Crawford, a nurse in WWI in England. There is another series about a veteran of the war.
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I like Charles Todd's books, too.
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It does seem that more and more people are getting Alzheimer's than in years past.now saying it will be much higher in next 10 years. My friend had I and hs she had to go in nursing home I went an helped. Was amazed seeing that large prt of the people there had been prof. Dr. University professors .well educated. Now I have 3friends local whose husbands now have it. All at home. Hard to see them this way.
With all the millions collected for research. Still don't know what is causing it.
Same with MS now. Getting more every year. Can't say old age now because most are young or middle aged .
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This book is not a mystery, but I want to tell everyone I can reach to get a copy of Jimmy Carter's latest book (he has written 28, I think it is!) and read it and pass it around. It is the book I have hoped and prayed someone would write and publish before I leave this old world.
A CALL TO ACTION, Women, Religion, Violence, and Power by Jimmy Carter
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I'm really enjoying the second of the new Evanovich series with Kate O'Hare and Nick Fox. Evanovich must love food, she's brought Stephanie Plum's obsession with junk food to Kate O'Hare. I just listened to a piece where she's in a food court where she's placing french fries in"straight lines on top of her pizza," and then put pieces of pretzels between the fries. LOL
My only problem with audio books is that sometimes the reader isn't giving a line the read i would have given it in my head if i was reading a book. Inflections of speech give us an analysis of the personality/character of the person speaking. I never thought of that until i started listening to books and realized "that's not the way i think (Stephanie/Kate/Nick, or whomever) would say that, it makes her/him sound weak/whiney/casual,uninterested, etc."
In any case, i will get the actual hard copy books as often as i can and will read the O'Hare/Fox series.
Jean
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Jean...is the new heroine, Kate, more likeable? I'm probably the only one here who simply couldn't stomach Stephanie. I tried to read one of the books, and I got so sick of her I couldn't finish it.
jane
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jane, I didn't like the Evanovich "number" series, either. I'm the only one in our large family/friends group who didn't. Oh, well.....
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Hurrah... I'm glad I'm not the only one. ;D
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Yes, i think Kate is more likable then Stephanie Plum. She appears to be older, or at least more mature. She was in one of the "ops" teams of one of the branches of the military - that was mentioned in the first book and i've forgotten the details - and is now an FBI agent. Therefore she has more sense and more skills then SP. She's single, but has no love interest, altho she is appreciative of Nick Fox' physical qualities :D. She has a similar sarcastic sense of humor as SP, but not as often.
Her father is retired military and assists in Kate and Nick's scams to con the people who have conned or stolen from others. The cast of characters are not as daffy as SP's community. They do take some outlandish risks, as many characters in adventure stories do. As i said earlier, if you remember Robt Wagner's To Catch a Thief, the stories remind me a lot of that. Nick Fox is sort of a James Bond kind of character.
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I just finished Ripper by Isabelle Allende. It was very well written & a good mystery!
Sally
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Thanks, Jean. I'll have to see when our Library has a copy available.
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Donna Leon's new book just came out. Iv'e just started reading it but am sure I'll like it.
It started out with complaints about the big Cruise ships docking in Venice. I thought the ships looked so beautiful when we were in Venice but I'm sure residents have a different "view".
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Jeriron, I'm really looking forward to reading this latest Donna Leon book. I'm on the library reserve list so it will be a while yet, I'm afraid.
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Is the newest Donna Leon book "By its Cover"? She has another one listed as coming out in May: "Lagoon"?
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/donna-leon/
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Yes, it is "By Its Cover". The book coming out in May is a nonfiction book.
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Found an interesting series by Michael Robertson
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/michael-robertson/
The first in the series is "the baker Street Letters" I picked up a later one in the library, and will go back and read the earlier ones.
the premise is that a barrister (trial lawyer) in modern day London has his offices at the building at 220 Baker Street (in reality, there is no 221b). A condition of his lease is that he answer all letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes, including those who think Sherlock is a real person. This leads him into solving mysteries.
I fond it very enjoyable. The one quibble, the book I read (the Baker Street Translation) contained a lot of spoilers about the first two books. So try to read them in order!
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Oh my, Donna Leon has 23 Guido Brunetti novels racked up.
I see that Michael Robertson's creation has been optioned for TV. I'd watch it.
Both books are now on my hunt them down list - not that I need more books to read. :D
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I've never read anything by Michael Robertson. I'll check my library for him. There must be a lot of mystery readers in our area as our library has a large mystery section in regular print and large print.
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I just started another Louise Penny book today. "How The Light Gets In" with Inspector Gamache.
I read the "The Beautiful Mystery" by Penny last month. Its a very good mystery about an abbey out in the middle of nowhere and where a murder has occurred. The description the abbey and monks matches the one in the Trappist abbey in Conyers, GA and LMH's visit. His monks sang in Plainsong and in Penny's book, they sang Gregorian chant. In fact the Gregorian chant and someone's huge ego brings the case to a close. Faced each other in the church the same. Tried to remain silent.
Thomas Merton was a Trappist monk. Remember Seven Story Mountain??
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I just downloaded something about Thomas Merton a few weeks ago, something about Thomas Merton and the movies. Looked interesting. I did some checking. Merton wrote something like 56 books.
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I'm reading the first Robertson book now (The Baker Street Letters). It occurs partly in the US (LA) and definitely has some anti-American bias in it. If I'd read it first, don't know if I would have recommended it.
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I've always wanted to read Thomas Merton. Not sure which of the 56 books, but the name you always hear is "The Seven Story Mountain", so I got a sample on kindle. It is the 50th edition, so I guess a few other people have read it too.
In Blue Highways, Least Heat Moon describes a visit to a Trappist monastery.
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I have a copy of "No Man Is An Island" which I've read and another book written about Merton entitled "The Seven Mountains Of Thomas Merton" by Michael Mott. Also, a very interesting book.
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My first two Brad Meltzer books - reading The Millionaires and listening to The Inner Circle. Both are interesting settings - a financial institution, the national archives - where the "little guy" gets caught up in the "big fish" and powerful people conspiracies......... Did the President hide a book that appears to have belonged to Geo Washington in a chair in a reading room he uses in the Archives? Did someone else put it there for him? ....... Did some members of the Secret Service set up two brothers in the financial institution to appear to have stolen either 3 million, or 300 million, dollars?
They are both quite good.
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The Inner Circle especially sounds fascinating:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/brad-meltzer/inner-circle.htm
Another book for my TBR pile on kindle.
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I remember The Inner Circle. It was fascinating and interesting.
Annie, I just finished Louise Penny's first in the Armand Gamache series -- Still Life, and plan to read many more. Her tenth in that series is coming out in August. The one you just finished, How the Light Gets in has been nominated for this year's Agatha and this year's Edgar awards, both to be announced in May. Many of her books have received various awards. Penny herself was recently awarded The Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian award. Check out her Facebook page.
Has anyone heard recently how Steph is doing?
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Pedln, I've just heard from her - her recovery is coming slowly, but steadily. She has her dogs back with her, and her home-health-care nurse says her wound is slowly healing. Hopefully, she'll be back with us soon.
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MARYZ: That's great news! Maybe you could post that in the Library.
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I am reading God of the Hive by Lauri King.. What a complicated plot that has run now into two books..But it is good.
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Steph, it is so good to see you posting again. We missed you and glad you are doing so much better.
I like Lauri King will look for God of the Hive. Is there another book that should be read first that goes with that one?
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Steph, it is so great to see you back, able to post. Wishing you a speedy recovery from what must have been a horrific experience. I have never heard of the ailment you had, and for the docs to probe it and make it explode, my Gosh.
Bet the pups were so glad to see you, and it is good you had folks around to sit with you and tend your everyday needs. Wonderful that you had the home health care.
Take care of yourself, don't overdo and let the healing begin!
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Ther Language of Bees was the first book and then Hive is the second one.Excellent, but a very very complicated plot and am finished and not quite sure I understand the underlying motives even now.. A brand new character who is charming however.. He makes you want to head for the deep woods in order to meet him.
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STEPH: great to see you up and reading again!
Have to look up the Laurie King. I read the early ones, then somehow she lost me in the desert somewhere.
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Found some "Legal Beagles" I really like by David Rosenfelt
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/david-rosenfelt/
I usually don't read two books by the same author in a row, but these have me hooked - I'm on my third. Wise cracking lawyer (but very concerned for the underdog -- literally, he winds up involved with a dog shelter in book 2) in Patterson, New Jersey.
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Hi Steph, good to see you back. Your are reading one of my favorite authors books and when I looked to see the list of her Mary Russell/Sherlock books, I found some titles that were unfamiliar so will go to the library today and see if reading about the plot in those books will ring a bell with me.
I am deep into another Anna Pigeon book by Nevada Barr. This one is all about the research program for studying the wolves on Isle Royal. The program is 50 years old and famous for its discoveries about the wolves. The one that I am reading about is actually called The Wolfe/Moose Program. Its January and the cold kinda creeps into my bones while reading. I also find in looking up Nevada Barr that she has always been very interested the natural settings of the National Park System in the U.S. I do like her writing.
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I used to Love Nevada Barr, but then she got more and more violent and I have a fairly current book of hers that I have not started.. Why oh why do authors assume they must get darker and more violent. I have started the last Louise Penney twice and just stop with all of the darkness. Boo.
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I fear I may incite hate mail for daring to say this, but I feel Louise Penny has gone off, and I haven't enjoyed the last couple of books much. However, she seems to have achieved authorly saintdom, and I appreciate that I would not have a hope of writing as well as she does, so I should probably keep quiet... :o
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Well, I thought it was me, Steph, but as much as I like the way she writes there is certainly too much graphic violence in "Winter Study". Whew! Am I getting too old for violence plus graphic? Well, sometimes I just skip whole paragraphs to avoid that violence because I want to know who did what to who and why! Then, I don't pick this author for awhile. Maybe she will notice?? :D
And Rosemary, the last two Gamache left me with the inspector having retired and his wife saying that he will be detecting once more after getting bored with nothin' to do. So, I will take a look at the following title and see if he is still at it.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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I m so glad that others noticed besides me. The Gamache is where all people are withdrawn from him.. I just cannot get into the book.. I will switch over to some lighter stuff in my TBR pile.. Something to make me laugh perhaps.
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I agree. Penny and Barr have both gone off. It seems to happen to most series writers.
and me. haven't been able to get into the last 4 or 5 books library I've started. Don't know if it's me or the books.
I seem not to notice if a new page needs a heading. If someone catches me forgetting to put one in, I'd appreciate a quick nudge.
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One of the reasons I like Charlaine Harris,,, Sarah Shaber,,etc. They seem to stay steady.. I hate it in the Penney. I like the little town, do not understand or want to the politics involved in the police department..Boo.
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I so agree Steph - I loved it when it was just about Three Pines and the villagers, now it's all police politics and 'mystic meanings', she's trying to make it far too philosophical for me.
Rosemary
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I've only read Penny's first and fifth books, so can't make any judgement about the violence, and do want to read the rest in the series. I have enjoyed exploring her Facebook page and website. Her latest -- How the Light Gets In -- has been nominated for both the Agatha and the Edgar awards, both to be announced in May. Her tenth Three Pines book -- The Long Way Home -- is due out in August.
Someone mentioned Sarah Shaber. I loved Louise's War and see that there is another of her books set in Washington D.C. during World War II. I haven't read any of the Professor Simon series. Does anyone prefer one over the other?
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I've just returned to the library three DNF books which I would not recommend anyone wasting their time reading.
PRIVATE L.A. by James Patterson. I tossed it after the first few pages which did not make any sense. (I do like Patterson's Alex Cross series)
THE CHASE, first of a new series, by Janet Evanovich. Supposed to be an "action-packed, exciting adventure", but I kept falling asleep at this rediculous book, and when I starting reading the pancake breakfast commercial, that did it. I like books that are at least somewhat believable, and humorous -- not silly.
THE HUSBAND'S SECRET by Liane Morarity. Sent it back after a couple of boring chapters.
I have Donna Andrews' Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon by Donna Andrews up next. Hope it turns out better that the above.
Marj
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I love Donna Andrews. She is truly funny.. Decided to pick up a Craig Johnson.. Longmire is fun..
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We like all the Longmire books. I wish the TV series would come back.
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Marj, I haven't read too many Patterson or Evanovich books, but my f2f group read The Husband's Secret and most of the group liked it, although some thought it jumped around too much. It's set in Australia, and what surprised me was that if the cities had not been mentioned by name, you might have thought you were in the US or UK -- guess we're globally homogenized. At any rate, it offered a lot to talk about.
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I haven't read the Longmire books but enjoyed the TV series.
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Pedln wrote "my f2f group read The Husband's Secret and most of the group liked it, although some thought it jumped around too much."
Wow, looking back at my post, I really put down those three books and was probably too harsh. I was not feeling well yesterday, and it shows. I'll have to give The Husband's Secret another try.
Marj
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Aaack! According to FF, I'm missing two of the Washington in WWII series. I was growing up in Washington then, but really relate to some of it, and like her writing. Haven't read the Professor Simon books.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/sarah-r-shaber/
It seems that I brought back nothing but DNFs from the library this time! I seem to alternate between really good hauls and really bad ones.
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I have taken back the last few Louise Penny book also. Same with a few other writers that I use to enjoy.
I am now wondering if they are being told that they have to write more books. not one a year or two. Then they were good. They also seem to be publishing books now by people who should just not be writing. My library has shelves of some LP that I have never heard of. Some just awful. Use to be one or two who wrote "Amish " Books. Counted 6 different authors the other day. With all the Readers being bought by people now I am sure it will get worse.
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I read an thoroughly enjoyed Louise's War. I'll have to look up the rest. Thanks.
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I loved Louise's war and the Simon books are wonderful..Funny, sad and very perceptive.. I want the WWII books, but boy are they hard to find.
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I got a sample of the first Professor Simon Mystery: "Simon Said" on my kindle. It's only $2.99. But the next WWII mystery, "Louise's Dilemma" is $15.99. Guess I'll wait til the library has it!
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Simon and the small town are wonderful..The college is very funny as well.
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I don't know if any of you read John Connolly - he's an Irish writer but sets his books in Maine. The detective in his main series is Charlie Parker, though he's written others. I haven't yet read any of his books, but last night I attended a launch for his latest novel, 'The Wolf in Winter' It was such am enjoyable evening - he was hilarious, and seemed very nice too.
Connolly started off the evening by pointing out that he has smartened up his clothes since turning 40 - this includes taking to wearing waistcoats, 'the middle-aged man's gastric band.' He carried on in this vein, which was very funny, but he also explained that although the received wisdom is that crime novels are based on plot, he thinks character is far more important. He asked us to think back to the last 3 crime books we'd read and see if we could remember the plots - and for me at least, he'd got a point. He said that readers get very attached to characters in a series, so he tries to allow his to develop rather than churning out the same old book every year - that's why Parker ages, for example.
Connolly also discussed the fact that some of his more recent novels include a small element of fantasy - he said that the received wisdom is that crime writing must be based solely in facts, so that logic can solve the puzzle - but a new generation of readers is coming through who are much more open to experimentation - they've grown up with graphic novels and are happy with mixed genres. He feels that crime writing will only advance by people experimenting on the margins. He thinks the greatest living crime writer is James Lee Burke, and he also admires Ed McBain and Lee Child.
I'm going to try one of his books now - has anyone read any of them?
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I think I've read all of them, except maybe the last one (before The Wolf inWinter). He's very good.
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I haven't, and I'll give him a try. The firt in the series is "Every Dead Thing."
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/john-connolly/
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James Lee.. I am with him. I love James, but oh my, not fond of his buddy at all..But I love the Louisiana setting, but not the western ones as much. James daughter ,Alafair also writes well.
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Just finished "Acceptable Loss" by Anne Perry. Pretty good!
Am trying a new to me author, Qiu Xiaolong" with "Don't Cry Tai Lake". He was born in Shanghai and uses lots of poetry that carries the story along. Different!
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Let me make my apologies...I had John Connolly confused with Michael Connelly, thus I haven't read all of John's book, but I have read a good deal of them (per FF). He seems to recommend a great many other books and authors that look interesting. (as if I don't have enough to read already!)
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Don't worry Tomereader - I kept telling people I'd just been to see Joseph Connolly (whoever he may be.....) ;D
Here's my review of the event for anyone who would like to know a bit more:
http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2014/04/john-connolly-presents-the-wolf-in-winter/
Rosemary
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Oh, dearest friends! I have been too long away from here, and had to pickup the website from Google. Shame on me! I was on a long translation and editing project, pro bono no less, though I kept reading, especially mysteries. So let me put in two cents about Louise Penny's Three Pines books. I have read all of hers. I think everyone fell in love with the first one, as I did, and then I wasn't too keen on the ones that followed, but I keep reading her. I didn't like the police politics (and worse), but I am really bothered by what Rosemary called "Mystic meanings." I have trouble remembering the book titles, but the one where Gamache goes North to visit the native tribes for enlightenment is full of that and so many obscure thoughts and hints that we are supposed to understand? But they are well written. I liked The Beautiful Mystery because it was really about an obsession and the one where Gamache is in Quebec City involving the search for Champlain and the relations between the French and the English speakers, though I've heard many people didn't like that one. And How the Light Gets In, all I can say is I'm glad the police secrets are over.
One author who I think is far superior to Louise Penny is Deborah Crombie. Her mysteries are set in England, mostly in London, the main characters being two police officers who don't go in for mystical philosophy, but are very compassionate human beings. It would be better to start at the beginning with her books because they have a growing family (through the years) and other characters who appear frequently. They do not go in for hints and obscure philosophical wanderings. They face real problems and conduct their life and their work accordingly.
And I have recently discovered a new author, Charles Todd, who writes with his mother but they use his name. They are co-authors who do not even live in the same state. They have a series that features an Inspector Rutledge, of Scotland Yard, in the period after the first World War, sometimes going back a bit for our enlightenment. They are extremely well written and there are many of these books. I think they are a delight to read.
Otherwise, I read Scandinavian mystery authors, but not all. I think Indridasson, from Iceland, is an excellent writer. So is Camilla Lackberg, Swedish. It is not light reading but it is very satisfying and generally deals with serious concerns. I will not read authors who seem to enjoy showing graphic violence, most of it gratuitous, and really piling it on.
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I read one of Camille Lackburg's books and loved it, but am not sure if any others have been translated.
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Hi Zulema. Good to see you back up again.
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Hi, and glad to be back. Lackberg's first translated was The Ice Maiden. I've now read The Preacher, The Stranger, and The Stonecutter all in English, from the library. I like them all, though I think a little too much padding is added talking about the main character's post partum depression. But now so many mystery novels spend time on their sleuth's family problems and such, I am getting used to that, and some are more relevant than others. I love Donna Leon's Comissario Brunetti and his family. He is another very compassionate policeman.
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ZULEMA: WELCOME BACK! We've missed you.
I love all the authors you mentioned, except I don't THINK I've read Charles Todd.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/t/charles-todd/
I see from the link above that in addition to the series you mentioned, he has a second one featuring Bess Crawford, an ex-WWI nurse. That sounds familiar.
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Oh, goody! the first Ian Rutledge book (A test of Wills) is only $1.99 on Kindle! Instant gratification!
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I've really liked the Charles Todd books, both series that you mentioned.
Right now I'm reading Colin Cotterill's The Woman Who Wouldn't Die. I like that series.
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Well, Zulema, you are back! How nice to hear from you! I have bookmarked this whole discussion about authors and titles that I no recollection of reading. Thanks a bunch to all here who added to Zulema's list.
I am still reading "Don't Cry, Tai Lake" by Qiu Xiaolong who was born in China but now lives with his family in St Louis. He is a poet and an author and this book is one of a series about Inspector Chen. Easy read and so far, not bad.
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Charles Todd sounds familiar, but don't remember any of the books. Must check out my TBR pile.. plus lackburgs translations.
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I've read several if Qui's books. I like them, but they repeat a bit.
I see I have a sample of the first Charles Todd Beth Crawford book on my kindle. That means I got a later one from the library and liked it.
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I am reading one of my hoarded Charles Finch. He and Lady Jane have married, he is in parliament and the smallest details are wonderful.. I love this author and he is hard to get.
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I have just found two Charles Finch books on our library catalogue, so thanks for the recommendation Steph. They are A Beautiful Blue Death and The September Society.
Rosemary
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Aoife's Chariot is an eBook which I got "free" on Kindle. Do you have Kindle? Anyway, it is set in Scotland, and I am really enjoying the mystery portion of it. The author narrates more, with not a lot of dialogue between characters, but some places there's dialogue. Mention is made of Lothian and all the other larger cities. The main character is trying to finish up a "family tree" and of course, there's one person missing from the actual tree. Not a bad book for a freebie!
Don't know if it's still free.
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Tomereader: I can't find it on FF. Is Aoife the right spelling?
Turns out I have the first five of the Professor Simon series by Susan Shaber in my kindle archives. I started to reread one, and of course remembered it.
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Yes, Steph, I too have read four (4) of Camilla Lackberg's books in translation, and I believe I read that at least one movie has been made or is in the process of being made. I need to check on it again and try to buy it if available on DVD with subtitles.
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Hi Tomereader - I do have Kindle, and I looked up the book - it sounds fun - I did find it but it isn't free, at least on UK Amazon, which doesn't have the same deals as the US one. I'll check back from time to time as these things do of course change frequently.
Thanks,
Rosemary
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| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aoife is spelled correctly. Probably not on Fantastic Fiction. I don't think the Ebooks would be on FF, there are just too many of them. From time to time a "free" one will reappear on one of the free sites (BookBub, BookGorilla, ereadernewstoday). Hope you find it offered gratis again. BTW, how would one pronounce Aoife?
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Rosemary,, hope you enjoy the books. I like the main characters and the history seems very accurate.. Tells a lot about society in that period of Victorian times.
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Everything I know, I know from reading mysteries. How about this-- "Chocolate may improve memory in snails", quoted by Joanna Carl in her latest.
I knew there was a reason why I wanted more chocolate, but I forgot what it was. ;)
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Well, JoanK, I just bought a nice bag of Ghirradelis Chocolate Bittersweet Chips. Your are supposed to make cookies with them, right? Not me, I just like to grab a handful now and then.
Steph, I know I read one of your posts about your f2f group just reading "Round House" by Louise Erdrich and how much you liked it. Would you believe that I just started reading that title last night? My two favorites of her's are " The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse" and the "Master Butchers Singing Club". But I have always enjoyed her writing and her wit and her teaching the reader about the Indian traditions.
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I finished the Charles Finch.. andloved it as always. Round House was not my favorite of hers, but it was interesting as always.. Still catching up and got my hair cut this morning.. Now if that last drain would fill up, I could be free at last.
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Just finished listening to Evanovich's The Chase. Loved it! Yeah, you have to suspend reality , but isn't that true of most good mysteries. I hope there are more of this series.
Jean
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I just finished reading the first in a series by David Rosenfelt, Open and Shut. The protagonist is Andy Carpenter, defense attorney in Passaic County, NJ. It was a light mystery, but well-written and Andy has a very sarcastic, self-deprecating wit. At first i thought it was going to be too much wit, but as they got into his trial work, it lessened somewhat. I enjoyed it and have just ordered (from my library) the second in the series to read on my ipad.
Jean
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I like David Rosenfelts books because of his Golden Retreiver.
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I just finished Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford.. I liked it, but really had problems with how timid the main character was. She let men rule.. Maybe just the era or Chinese, but did they really abide by Chinese rules and customs even when they were born here?
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I read the first few Colin Cotterill books and loved them, but the last few I am afraid I couldn't keep reading. They brought back such horror, not that I suffered it personally, but I didn't want to keep reading. You are very brave. I just read a cozy by Elizabeth J. Duncan, her main character a Canadian artist in her 50's who moves to Wales, a mystery. This is very relaxing reading. I don't have a Kindle but I'm happy with what is available from the New York Public Library. I request the new ones, and wait my turn.
Another Canadian writer I have recently discovered is C. C. Benison, whose main character is the Rev. Tom Christmas. The first book was Twelve Drummers Drumming, and the third in the series Ten Lords A-leaping. I read both. You get the idea. I am now reading the one in the middle, Eleven Pipers Piping and I find some of the passages a bit padded; you shouldn't really read them one after the other (I found that also with Dick Francis, the horse racing and much more series). But I do enjoy the village milieu and life - this time in Devon. They are relaxing books but toward the end, you do want to keep turning the pages.
Finally, I don't think anyone mentioned Peter Robinson, who came from Yorkshire and lives mostly in Canada. I have read every one of his mysteries over the years, and some twice. Most of them have Inspector Banks as the main character. I have seen a few of the TV episodes they've had, and I don't really like them. The TV Banks is definitely not my idea of Banks in the books and I find them disappointing. Perhaps it's because I prefer reading the books. I had the same problem with Branagh as Wallander, though I liked the Swedish films.
Sorry, I go on too long.
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Zulema, I also like to read Peter Robinson, and I don't really like the TV Banks either.
The Cotterill books have enough spirits in them and enough humor for me to get past the horror. I have done some reading, though, to learn more about what happened in Laos in the 1970's.
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I. too, just discovered the Andy Carpenter books. Don't read too many at once -- there's definitely a pattern to them I have his non-fiction book "Dogtripping" out from the library, but haven't read it yet.
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Zulema: what a lot of riches you've discovered! If you like CC Benison, don't miss his earlier series with Queen Elizabeth II as the detective. Yes, that Queen Elizabeth! The narrator is a maid in the palace who acts as the Queen's gofer. The first is "Murder at Buckingham Palace." Those books, too, are padded and drag in places, but lots of fun in their portrayal of the Royals.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/c-c-benison/
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I, too, am a fan of DCI Banks, as written by Peter Robinson. However, as much as the one in the BBC series does not put me in mind of the Banks I have always envisioned, I DO like him. He is so intense, and basically kind. I like kind, as so many males for some reason I have never fathomed exhibit a rude and brutal persona to the world. I just checked my BOOKS file, and so far I have purchased and read 19 books by Peter Robinson. One of my ancestors came over from Yorkshire in 1645, surname Thornton. So anything set in Yorkshire tends to be of interest to me. My 2nd husband (actually, I think of him as the middle one, albeit 34 years is a long middle!) and I went to Yorkshire in 1971, and I quite simply loved it. And I DO try to catch every DCI Banks episode on PBS.
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I loved C.C. Benison series on the Queen. Did not know it was a male author.
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I haven't read the DCI Banks books so I can't compare them with the show. I do like the show with the exception of the actress that plays "Annie". I wonder if she is the same in the books.There are times when I would like to smack her. I had hoped that because she wasn't in most of series 2 she wouldn't be coming back but she has.
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Just finished Donna Leon's newest Guido Brunetti "By its Cover". I never tire of this series and I usually enjoy the way her stories end, but this one had such an abrupt ending that I had to look twice to see if I was on the last page. I know Ms. Leon has lived in Italy for years and must love it there in spite of the contempt for Italian government and politics she writes about in this series. I wonder how Italians feel about her books.
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Got the latest BookMarks.. was disappointed for the first time. Just nothing that interesting in the articles. Darn..
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We received 2 new Smithsonian Magazines this week and as much as I enjoyed the mag back in the '80's, these are really a disappointment. They just aren't as interesting as I remember. We were offered an annual subscription for a year for $10 and I thought, why not? We used to enjoy them but will have to see what the next one covers. They don't begin to come up to National Geographic.
I finished "The Round House" by Erdrich and I did like that one. She says she wrote it to bring the plights of the American Indian to our attention. The book says she is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa. She lives in Minnesota and is owner of the Birchbark Books, an independent bookstore. She has written 14 novels for which she received many awards and many children's books. My grans favorite was Birchbark House. She also writes poetry.
Last night I opened my first copy of a John Connolly book last and couldn't get past the third page of Chap. 2. The graphic violence spelled out by the female criminal psychologist was over the top. Whoa!!! Just not my type of a good police procedural. So, that new author to me is being returned.
Like Mary Page, I am just not up to that kind of precise offering of the violence.
Last week, I also tried Anna Quindlan's new book "Still Life With Bread Crumbs" which is a great title, but just didn't click with me either.
So, back to the library to pick up my holds. Maybe they will present something more interesting and gentler on my nervous system.
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I generally like Anna Quindlen. Have not seen the new one yet.
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ANNIE: sometimes are like that. I have another stack of DNF from the library again this week.
STEPH: I'm with you: I always assumed the author of the Queen series was a woman too.
ANNIE: I had a Connelly on my "to read" pile: guess I'll give it a miss.
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as I did, don't confuse Connelly with Connolly. John Connolly = not so good; Michael Connelly = Good mystery/detective.
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Oh, I am sorry people didn't like John Connolly - I haven't read any of his books yet, but he was a fantastic speaker at Blackwell's bookshop recently, a very entertaining and genuine sort of man.
Rosemary
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I am curious to know if anyone has read Ann Cleeves. She is writing a police procedural series that is the basis for a BBC series called Shetland. I wonder if we will see it in the US in the future.
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Hmm, I have read Anne Cleaves.. but cannot remember,, she could be the one, who writes of an American who marries a Brit when they are older and lives in a village and solves a variety of crimes??
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I don't know Steph. Does the George and Molly series ring any bells?
http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/C_Authors/Cleeves_Ann.html
http://www.anncleeves.com/
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I'm pretty sure I've read Ann Cleeves, but can't remember her books. I would have remembered the bird watcher, since I'm one too, for my sins. Got to get that one.
Rosemary: he may be very good. The forensic shows on TV are very popular, but I have trouble watching them, because of a week stomach.
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Ann Cleeves does indeed write the books on which the TV series Shetland is based. It has just come back for a second series. I can't get on with it (despite the wonderful Douglas Henshall being in the main role) because I can't understand much of what they are saying, and many of the male characters seem to blend into one another. However, it is very popular so that's probably just me. I've read interviews with Ann Cleeves, who says she started writing because her husband is or was some kind of nature warden or in charge of a bird sanctuary - something like that - and she was not at all interested in birds, so instead of getting bored to tears she decided to write books.
Cleeves also writes the books on which the TV series Vera is based - Brenda Blethlyn plays the detective in the title role, and I love this series (Blethlyn could never put a foot wrong for me.)
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I like her, too, Rosemary.
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I don't remember any series with a bird watcher, so not sure who she is.
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I am so happy to hear Benison's other books are a pleasure to read, I will look for them. Mathew Pritchett (?), grandson of Agatha Christie, once said that he thought Anne Cleeves was closest to his idea of a successor to his grandmother. So I read a couple of her books and I liked them, but didn't see the resemblance. I am not sure I like Annie at all in the later books by Peter Robinson, and definitely did not like her in his new Banks one, Children of the Revolution, which I just read. And Donna Leon has never been translated into Italian, can you believe? She has said this in talks. She doesn't dare or something to that effect.
And one more shout-out for Charles Todd, author with his mother of the Inspector Rutledge post WWI mysteries. I was reading Val McDermid's The Vanishing Point and my library got a Charles Todd I had requested, a 2014, Hunting Shadows, and as soon as I opened it I kept reading until I finished it. He is so pleasant to read and Val McDermid, however interesting and compelling is not what I'd call pleasant to read, so I am now back into her book, but I wanted to share my experience with you all. I will look for earlier Inspector Rutledge books.
Be well, all of you.
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ROSEMARY: " I can't understand much of what they are saying, and many of the male characters seem to blend into one another"
I'm so glad to hear you say that! I have the same problem with a lot of the British TV series, but thought it was because, as a Yank, I wasn't familiar with the various regional accents.
I should have known better. When I lived in Brooklyn, an area of New York City with a strong local accent, I had a friend visit me from Virginia who had a Southern accent. I introduced her to my Brooklyn neighbor, and neither of them could understand each other. I had to "translate."
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Joan, it's definitely not just you - Madeleine and I frequently put the subtitles on for English-speaking programmes - I was born in London and she was born in Scotland (and is only 16, with excellent hearing) , and we neither of us have a clue what people are talking about!
I don't generally have this problem when meeting people face to face, whether in London, Edinburgh or even Aberdeen - though when we first moved to very rural Aberdeenshire from London, the Doric dialect took a while to get used to - eg 'Fit like?' ('How are you? or How's it going?) requires the reply 'Mucktie Aye' (and I still have no idea what that means...) They also ask 'where do you stay?' to which I used to reply 'I'm not staying here, I live here' - till I realised it was the equivalent of a Londoner's 'Where do you live?', and 'Do you have family?' to which I first replied 'Yes, my mother lives in London' - when of course they meant 'Do you have children?- (as they could not understand a woman of 30+ being at home all day (as I had left my job in London and was not qualified at that time to work in Law in Scotland) without a brood of infants at her feet.) It was (probably still is) a very agricultural society. Central Aberdeen is quite different.
Rosemary
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The first time I remember ever seeing Brenda Brethlyn, it was when she starred in Saving Grace. I have adored her ever since. Probably saw her before then and just didn't notice. Now I look for her. Gosh, but she's great! Am dying to see Vera.
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I even have problems in Call the Midwife with some of the slang..
I have been culling TBR stuff. Some of it has been hanging on for over a year and you can see book marks, where I tried and tried to read it. Now I am taking them out one by one,, reading another 20 pages and in many cases, off they will go to the library book sale.
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Serendipity!!! From today's open culture newsletter, Peter Sellers Explains All the Accents of the British Isles......good laugh.
http://www.openculture.com/2014/04/peter-sellers-presents-the-complete-guide-to-accents-of-the-british-isles.html
Jean
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JEAN: that was hilarious. I hope his English accents were better than his American one!
One of the shows I have trouble understanding is "The Bletchley Circle." I like it a lot, but two of the four women are hard to understand, one with a Scotch? accent: the other slurs her words.
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I am struggling with Miss Peregrine's HOme for Peculiar Children... a best seller from a few years ago. It is postcards ,old pictures and test and decidedly odd. I cant decide if I like it or hate it.. Sigh
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Steph, I finished reading Miss Peregrine's Home, just last week. It was rather strange, but I did like it, not hated it.
Loved the old postcards. Thought it was rather well done. I'd guess it's one of those "not for everyone" books!
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I didn't care for the Miss Peregrine book at all. I thought it was just silly.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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I love the post cards and am struggling with it since it is interesting.
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Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch has long been high of my list of faves. How Mike found his way to writing, and what lead to his choosing the crime/police procedural genre, is related in his first person book, Crime beat : a decade of covering cops and killers / Michael Connelly. Reading about his development of Harry's character lead inevitably to my re-reading the whole series. Somehow I missed this when it came out.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/michael-connelly/crime-beat.htm
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I'll give it a try. Like your Goldsmith saying.
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Older is better!
In Josephine Tey's Daughter of Time, her protagonist Scotland Yard Inspector Alan Grant is bedridden while a broken leg heals. Enter a friend bearing a portrait of Richard III. Grant's claim to correctly reading faces is put to the test when his reading of this face conflicts with the popular view that Richard is one of the most vile villains history. This dilemna sucked me in; I've read this many times. There are many others who question Richard's deeds. Fellow Ricardians have organized
here in the US and the parent society is in England. Long leadin to this site, a reading list for those interested in the history of those violent times: the end of the War of the Roses with the downfall of the last Plantaganet, Richard III, and tthhe founding of the Tudor kings and queens.
http://www.r3.org/recommended-reading/
Daughter of Time http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/t/josephine-tey/daughter-of-time.htm
Lots of lovely books to meander through!
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Certainly are. Thank you.
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Daughter of Time is an old favorite of mine and I reread it. I agree with the obvious conclusion.
The winners write the history and that is what happened to
Richard.
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Yes, I read The Daughter of Time, oh, I think most likely back in the nineteen fifties. I read and loved ALL of Josephine Tey's books and she is right up there on the very top of my list of the finest mystery writers. I had read Thomas Costain's The Last Plantagenets (now, was that 3 books in a boxed set, or 4? I have passed them on to a granddaughter, and my memory is now shaky on such details, whereas once I could have immediately told you every title and the years each book covered!), and HE wrote like an angel and I fell in love with that royal family, so that latest, and I believe last, of Tey's books delighted me no end. And yes, I tend to believe the Tudors lied through their teeth in order, through propaganda, to cement their quite illegitimate claims to the throne. Of course, Henry VIII could claim through his mother, if she was indeed the last living. Who knows? But Henry VII? I don't think so. When I went to London, I followed Josephine Tey's advice and went to the National Portrait Gallery and LO! At that time, they had Richard 3 and Henry 7 right next to one another. And she was right. If you asked yourself which man you would trust with your children, you would pick Richard every time. Hey Steph, there's something to put on your list while in the Smoke.
By the way, there are a number of other books out which support Richard's side of things. I would give you a list, but again, I have passed them on to Paige, who teaches High School history classes in an all girl's school in Baltimore.
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It was four books in the Costain series, I think.. I loved it and reread it several times. It has gone in one of my periodic cleanouts.. I have seen the portraits.. One of the ones that got me the strongest was Henry VIII.. Whew.. quite a man at the point of the portrait.. Tim and I once spent an enjoyable hour listening to a teacher and her elementary students in the room with Henry.. They sat on the floor, while she talked of the era.. quite bluntly actually. We loved it and the kids were spellbound.
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I had a GREAT English History teacher when I was in the eighth grade. She taught us all of the sayings Bristish children memorize: "Divorced, killed, died, divorced, killed, lived". I always feel we should have said "outlived." And then there was "Remember, remember the fifth of November for gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder treason need Ever be forgot!"
My daughter Anne was born on the 5th of November. Guy Fawkes Day! Bonfires and "A penny for the Guy?"
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Guy Fawlks is a wild sort of holiday . We were there just once, almost as much fun as Queens Day in Holland.Now there is a party to end all parties.
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MARYPAGE: and did you learn the poem for English kings ("Willie, Willie, Harry, Ste" For William I etc,)?
I tried once to make a similar poem for American presidents. But only got as far as:
Georgie, John, and Jeff makes three,
Madison, Monroe, and John Quincee!
I think my grandsons know a better one.
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I keep thinking that I knew a rhyme for the American presidents, but it seems to have slipped somewhere in the part of my brain that does not like remembering.
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Please finish your verse, JoanK. We need it. After seeing yours, I found a link listing the order, and realized how much I either didn't know or had forgotten. Got really confused with Grover Cleveland and Benj. Harrison.
Presidents in order (http://www.enchantedlearning.com/history/us/pres/inorder.shtml)
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I'll give it a try. It's harder with last names than first, and it would have to be added to every four years. (the version of the English kings that I learned ends with "and George six brings us up to date" so you know how long ago that was! I still remember it on a good day, though).
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Found Daniel Silva.. The English Girl in paper.. Think I will tuck it away for the airplane next week.
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In Blanko, Marjifay recommended a mystery named "Out" by a Japanese writer, Natsuo Kirino. Has anyone read it?
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/natsuo-kirino/
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Washington and Jefferson made many a joke. Van Buren had to pay the fiddler.
Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Munroe, Adams, Jackson .....
There was another sentence for succeeding presidents but I don't remember it.
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Oh, good for you. I'll bet my grandsons know it.
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I like Elizabeth Ironside and have read several of her books. I started one the other day and it is fascinating.. A good Death. I know or knew very little about France in WWII..This is about that period.. A main character is a career army man who went with DeGaulle to London at the beginning.. He left his wife, relatives, etc deep in the country in France. So it is mostly a story retold about what happened.. It includes Vichy,, germans, communists, socialists, French policeman who worked with the Germans, Free French and saving jews. A riveting book for me.. I honestly had never thought about the ordinary people in France and what they lived through. So if you are interested inthat period. it is worth while.
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That sounds interesting, Steph, but doesn't seem to be available for kindle.
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Sounds very good. I've added A Good Death to my library's hold list.
Marj
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My libraries do not have this, and I can get one from ThriftBooks for $4.00 and free shipping. Is it worth it?
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I am almost finished with A Good Death and it is one of those books, that I intend on rereading since it is dense in detail.. An amazing journey and yes I would recommend it. It has a murder, that really turns out to be a variety of murder and destruction.The French are self destructive if only half of the book is true..
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That does sound interesting and my library has it, on the TBR.
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I requested it and the library has many of each of this author's books. Is this one, "A Good Death" in the middle of a series? or does it stand alone?
I just finished Ann Reeves book entitled "High Island Blues" and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks to whomever recommended this author. I will look for another one after I read "A Good Death".
I am also interested in getting another Charles Finch mystery but want to do them in order. So far, I have been able to download his books to my Mini.
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No, all of her books seems to be stand alones. I have read three thus far.. I love Charles Finch and am mid way.. He has married, but they are still trying to decide about babies. The next one, I gather they take the plunge.
A Good Death.. whew.. it really punches you at the end. The French in the country side during WWII were fighting both the germans and themselves. Amazing. I loved the book.
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My library has all of Ironside's books except A Good eat. Bah humbug. >:(
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Hi all,
Speaking of France in WW2, coincidentally I was recently at a book launch for an author called Jane Mackenzie. She has written a story set in Catalonia before, during and after the war. It's called Daughter of Catalonia, and the main character is a girl who goes back to the area in 1958 to find out what happened to her father in the war. He was a Spanish Catalan who had moved to France after the Spanish Civil War, then worked for the Resistance in the 1939-45 war. She knows he has been killed but she doesn't know why, so she turns up in the town that the family lived in (the mother and daughters left France during the war) and starts to ask questions. The action moves between 1958, the war itself and the Spanish Civil War.
I haven't read the book but it did sound interesting. Mackenzie is English (her late husband was from the Scottish Highlands) and lives in Collioure, a Catalan fishing village that I have been to - it's a beautiful place, an old fishing village that specialises in catching and preserving anchovies. It became an artists' colony because the light and the colours are so amazing. Mackenzie has done lots of research, so even though the book is fiction the facts should be right.
Here is the address of her website:
http://janemackenzie.co.uk/
I tried to insert it as a link but I couldn't work that out...
Rosemary
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Rats. Neither Ironside's books nor "Daughter of Caladonia" are available on kindle. I'll check my library.
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Nor my library either. Here is the list for Ironside.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/i/elizabeth-ironside/
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Joan - Daughter of Catalonia was only recently published so it might filter through. I met Mackenzie's literary agent, Jenny Brown, at the launch, so I will email her and tell her people want it on Kindle! You were looking for CATALONIA and not CALEDONIA weren't you? :)
Rosemary
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Joan - me again - I've found Daughter of Catalonia in the Amazon UK Kindle store - would that be the same as the US one, or not necessarily?
R
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When Charles Finch was first mentioned in here (Steph?), I ordered all of his books I could get from ThriftBooks, but have had so much to read that I have only read two of his thus far. I LOVE Charles Lennox. At the end of the second book, he has just gotten up his nerve to propose to Lady Jane, and she has accepted. I am delighted to hear they finally marry!
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Charles Finch is amazing. He has the period down to a T.. Ironside is the same way.. I will look for the Daughter of Catalon since I am now intrigued by France and possibly Spain in WWII.. All of my knowledge is American,Canadian and English ( and German).. France really had problems, since communist and socialist seem to have used the war to further their ambitions.. and DeGaulle was certainly a lightning rod for them.
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My library has two books by Elizabeth Ironside but not A Good Death. It sounds so interesting, I'll check the bookstore. I found A Conspiracy of Friends by McCall Smith at B&N and couldn't resist a hardback for $4.99. This is one of his Corduroy Mansions series--such an interesting set of characters.
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Rats! Catalonia isn't in my library's catalog either.
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It was only published in the UK in April, so it may yet turn up over there - it's not in my library's catalogue yet, even though MacKenzie's literary agent Jenny Brown is Edinburgh based.
Rosemary
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Rosemary: I could indeed have made that mistake. But I tried again, and Amazon has the book, but not kindle (yet. I'll try again).
The Amazon search engine is a hoot. It did tell me that if I want to spend $344, I can have a copy of "Japan and Sherlock Holmes". (Why that should come up under Daughter of Catalonia I have no idea). Reluctantly, I declined.
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Rosemarykaye, have you written other book/movie reivews for your local paper? I'd like to see links if you have. I read one that you posted a few weeks ago. (could have been weeks or a month--my memory???) I had a link to your paper, but have since lost it. Need to bookmark it next time!
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I am so disappointed in Just One Evil Act by Elizabeth George. The darn thing is way way too long.. Lots of digressions.. Barbara Havers should have lost her job, minimum and I am only 1/3 through.. too many threads. Obviously our author insists on giving Linley a new romance ( fine, but unnecessary in this book). Barbara was once a fine policewoman..Now she is a whiny screamer who is making an incredible hash over this whole thing. Why oh why do authors get in these , lets mess up a perfectly good character..
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for reminding me, Steph, that I had only read part of George's JUST ONE EVIL ACT (to page 166) before I had to return to the library. I think I'll buy it used cheap from Amazon to finish it, as it's 732 pages. I agree with you it was way too long, as were others of her later work.
I do like Sgt. Barbaba Havers and her neighbor Mr. Azher and his little daughter Hadyyah. Had to laugh when Barbara, while on vacation, stopped in to her office and upset her's and Insp Lynley's boss with her Tshirt that read "Jesus died for our sins -- let's not disappoint him!"
Marj
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Tomereader, the reviews, etc I write are usually on the Edinburgh Reporter website:
http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/ (http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/)
I hope that link works but if not maybe you could Google it.
The report I just wrote about the launch of Jane MacKenzie's book has not yet been posted by the editor, I'll send it to you when it has. you might also be interested in the bit I wrote about Chris Short's talk on the Scottish Women's Hospitals in the First World War - she was an excellent speaker and her material was fascinating. It's on the site somewhere, although Phyllis (editor) does seem to arrange them in strange places sometimes...
Thanks so much for your interest,
Rosemary
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I've said it before, but am not bashful about saying it again: Elizabeth George lost me completely as a reader when she killed off Helen. I loved Helen. She should not have been killed off. Beastly thing to do. She (George) is not a bad writer. Not a great writer, but not a bad one. But her plots are tedious and tiresome now, and I think she has a negative turn of mind.
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Tomereader (& anyone else who's interested!) - this is what I wrote about the launch event for Jane MacKenzie's book, Daughter of Catalonia, which is set variously in the Spanish Civil War, the 1939-45 war in Vichy France, and 1958 (when Madeleine returns to France to find out what has happened to her father, who stayed behind as a member of the Resistance.):
http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2014/05/daughter-of-catalonia-jane-mackenzie-introduces-her-new-novel/ (http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2014/05/daughter-of-catalonia-jane-mackenzie-introduces-her-new-novel/)
Thanks again for your interest - I have told MacKenzie's agent, Jenny Brown, that people in the US want to read it, on paper and on Kindle, so maybe she'll be able to make that happen.
Rosemary
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MarjiFay... the problem with the book is that Havers destroys any credibility in her search. breaks any number of laws thus far and is busy ruining every one else lives. She also believes her neighbor no matter what. This may be my last Elizabeth George book. I hate that Helen died.Authors love to kill off favorites and then bring down their main character. Linleys obsession with the drunken new chief is stupid. and now the vet, who is from a totally different world than he is. Bah
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Wonderful, Rosemary! Good on you!
I envy you the fun of writing and seeing your efforts in print!
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Rosemary, you are a wonderful writer! Glad you posted this for us! Do you write this column every week? Every month?
A strange question from an American who loves British novels: What is a "council" house? The term arises quite frequently and has always puzzled me.
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Thank you so much! I write it all the time - ie I choose which events to go to, then I write them up and submit them to the editor and she edits them and puts them on the website. As I don't get paid I can choose how much or how little i do, but it takes up almost all my time because I love it so much. However, I have only been doing it seriously this year, so time will tell. I'm just back from a talk by Val McDermid, who was absolutely brilliant - so funny, so down to earth and such a good speaker. Now I'll need to find time to write it up, which is always more difficult as the weekend approaches, as my family do not see this as a 'proper' job....
Tomereader - a council house is the old name for housing built and provided by the local authority (eg in Edinburgh it would be owned by the City of Edinburgh Council.) The people who live in this housing pay a much lower rent than private landlords can charge. Your eligibility for housing is based on need, but of course there has always been masses of controversy about the definition of 'need.'
During Margaret Thatcher's era, the 'right to buy' was introduced - this meant that vast amounts of housing stock were sold off to residents at knock-down prices (you got a discount on the valuation of anything up to 60% depending on how long you'd lived there, and the valuations were in no way commercial ones to start with.) This system was of course royally abused - lots of people paid for their aged parents to 'buy' their properties, so that as soon as the parent died they could sell it on at vast profit. This happened especially in London, where any property within a 10 mile radius of the centre (as many of these flats were) is worth a small fortune. Huge profits were made and the housing stock was almost totally depleted. Belatedly, some councils are now stopping the right to buy scheme - Scotland as a whole is really putting the brakes on.
In my youth, however, there was a huge amount of council housing around London - my mother was born in the council house that her mother died in. Of course when my grandmother acquired the tenancy in the 1920s, there was real need - they were living in 2 rented rooms with a shared toilet and they already had 5 children and no reliable income, my grandfather having been gassed in WW1 and rendered unemployable for the rest of his life. Apparently my grandmother went to the housing office and said she would sit there until they offered her something. People were supposed to be given the choice of three properties, but as soon as they gave her the keys to the first one she said she would take it, she didn't need to see anything else. It was actually a nice, well-built house, much better than many commercial new-builds today. The area was OK-ish and now, of course, is quite smart as it's only a few miles from central London, but after my unmarried aunt died the tenancy was given up.
Sorry, that's a bit of a lecture!
Rosemary
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Don't mind at all. That's what I wanted...a thorough explanation of "council house".
Can't wait to read your piece on Val McDermid!
You go girl!
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Rosemary, thank you for the link to the article and for your explanation of council houses - I had a vague idea before, so this is filling it out.
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Don't get fooled into reading Janet Evanovich's Pros and Cons. It says "short story", but if so it's a really bad one. All it is is an introduction to the characters in her new series about an FBI agent. I've read the first two of the series and liked them, but this came up on Kindle's "free" list (and it definitly should be ) so i tried it. Forget it, you don't need to read it to understand the characters and the premise of the new series. What a disappointment!
Jean
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I like Val McDermott very much. Would be fun to hear her. Reading some essays from Dana stable now and Val is an old friend
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For any of you who might be interested, here is a link to my article about Val McDermid's event:
http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2014/05/val-mcdermid-on-top-form-at-the-central-library/ (http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2014/05/val-mcdermid-on-top-form-at-the-central-library/)
Rosemary
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Another excellent article, rosemarykaye! Keep on sending those links to us!
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Oh thank you so much! we don't get much feedback on the website, so I never really know how it comes across.
Val was a dream to listen to and to write about. I imagine some of these anecdotes are trotted out many times - and when some other authors do that I get a bit fed up - but she makes everything so funny and entertaining that you don't mind.
Rosemary
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PS - has anyone read Val McDermid's Northanger Abbey 're-imaging'? It has had a good reception and sounds like something I would enjoy, I think I'll see if the library has it.
Rosemary
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RosemaryK
Your article was so informative that I didn't realize that Val McDermid had also authored "Wire in the Blood" and even appeared in it several times. It was shown over here in the '90's or early 2000's. So, I will look up her children's books and "Northhanger Abbey" just to see what else she has enjoyed offering her readers.
Because I can't ignore any link offered, I read "A Nation of Zombies" by ????Mike Smith??? in the Ediburough
News from yesterday edition. Pretty funny!
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I haven't read anything by Val McDermid. But I don't think I'd start with Northanger Abby, her latest. It gets only 3/5 stars from 35 Amazon readers so far.
Marj
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When I started reading The Outsmarting of Criminals, Steve Rigolosi, I wasn't sure whether i would finish it. I'm glad I did read it all. It has all the elements of a cozy as the heroine reminds herself though she doesn't use that category. For instance she notes that most Outsmarters have a four-legged companion, usually feline. She becomes mistress of a dog, however, noting that some do have a dog. This after she has purchased the requisite cottage in the standard bucolic village. All the usual characters/suspects live in the village or just outside it, i.e. the Manor. As each new scene or character is introduced she checks them off her mental list. First in a series, I'm eager to read the next one.
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Jackie: That sounds delightful! I've ordered it on my kindle, but couldn't find him on FF..
Started a writer that, so far, I find really funny: Michael Kahn
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/michael-a-kahn/
A (woman) Legal Beagle. I'm reading "The Flinch Factor". Warning:some four letter words and mildly crude humor, lots of Yiddish terms, which I enjoy, but could get old by book 10. But so far, so good!
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My number finally came up on the library reserve list for Albert's new China Bayles series "Death Come Quickly". Will finish "Death in the Garden" by Elizabeth Ironside first. I'm halfway through and must finish this interesting book.
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Tony Hillerman was on my TBR immediately list. C J Box likewise. A TV series which is a meld of the two authors' voice starts its new season Monday on A&E. Longmire. I've been watching reruns lately and the second viewing is as good as the first.
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MrsSherlock, I enjoy the tv series Longmire, too. I have been re-watching season 1 and am eagerly looking forward to the new one on Monday.
Sally
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Jackie: a meld of Hillerman and Box? They both love the land, but a very different land. (Well, maybe not so different.) What land is the background for Longmire? Maybe I have to get A&E -- I've always begrudged the expense.
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Longmire is in Wyoming.
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I have watched a few Longmire and have found two of his books. Like the books better.
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I just finished the first book by "Richard Castle" in his "Nikki Heat" series. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will read more in the series. It is very weird though, no one seems to know who "Richard Castle" really is. I actually found the book more charming and witty than the tv series. There is a lot of pop culture and literature references, which i found kind of fun.
He has a second series about some one named Storm, an ex-CIA agent. Each title has the word Storm in it.
Jean
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Joan: Yes, Hillerman and Box Love the land. It is that love of the land that most resonates in Longmire, love of the land and the reverence for all life. Little things, visual, silent - he caresses the face of a sadly mistreated wild horse before he and the horse go their separate ways.
If you grew up when I did, before TV, voices and the spoken word loomed large. Many times I can identify actors by their voices when I don't know the faces. But authors sometimes treat the visual and the spoken. For instance when an actor is listening to a foreign language lesson but then pronounces a word as it's written instead, it is mentally jarring. Also jarring, the response to a question which should be 'yes' but is written 'yeah' instead. Excuse me, I woke up a curmudgeon today instead of my usual angelic self.
I haven't read Nikki Heat. Storm was disappointing. I love Castle and watch the reruns with as much enjoyment as the first runs. Not many shows as good these days.
Welcome home, Steph. Traveling with family is so rewarding many times, none of that awkwardness one finds when getting acquainted with strangers.
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Thanks, JoanK, for recommending the author Michael Kahn. I'd not heard of him.
I just finished David Baldacci's THE TARGET. If you like thrillers, this is a terrific one. I especially liked the part about the woman who was sent to a North Korean concentration camp as a child. (If an adult is sent to a camp, his/her entire family is sent there also.) It tells about the awful camp life and some of what it's like to live in that horrible country. Baldacci does a great job not only of writing, but of research.
Now I want to read the nonfiction book, DEAR LEADER; POET, SPY, ESCAPEE, A LOOK INSIDE NORTH KOREA by Jang Jim-sung. The book description says, "In this rare insider’s view into contemporary North Korea, a high-ranking counterintelligence agent describes his life as a former poet laureate to Kim Jong-il and his breathtaking escape to freedom. Never before has a member of the elite described the inner workings of this totalitarian state and its propaganda machine. An astonishing exposé told through the heart-stopping story of Jang Jin-sung’s escape to South Korea, Dear Leader is a rare and unprecedented insight into the world’s most secretive and repressive regime."
Marj
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Ah. Here is the Longmire series, by Craig Johnson.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/j/craig-johnson/
Great! If I like them, there are enough books to keep me busy for a long time!
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Marjifay: How timely these books on North Korea are. These sound like good nominations for discussion.
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Steph and I think Marjifay also: I feel the same way about this last book by Elizabeth George. Havers went off her rocker and gets rescued by her alcoholic boss. Linley now is involved with another unsuitable love interest, and though it seems Haddiya (sp.?) is being taken back to Pakistan, I think they will stay in Switzerland until it is safe to come back to England. But what's the point of all that? And over 730 pages. I took a cart to the library to get the book.
I just re-read M. C. Beaton's Death of Yesterday (2013), a Hamish Macbeth book. She writes the Agatha Raisin books also, which I don't care for. But I've always liked the Macbeth ones. There are more than 20 of them, set in the remote Highlands. This last one has so many people killed you might think they are gruesome but these are light and humorous, and very light reading indeed. She wrote a stand alone whose title I can't remember, of course, about a woman moving into a cottage and finding a skeleton in a wall. I really liked that one, and I cannot tell you more about it, so why am I even mentioning it?
Also just read Camilleri's Treasure Hunt. His are always enjoyable, take place in Sicily.
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I love the Hamish books. Have you seen the BBC series based on the books? There are 3 seasons (I think), and available from Netflix. Very good. We've been fortunate enough to visit the town where the series was filmed.
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I like Hamish, but dislike Agatha quite a lot. Still plugging on the Elizabeth George, but the way it is going, this will be the last book of hers, I will try. She has destroyed her main characters as far as I can see.
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I couldn't locate A Good Death so got Elizabeth Ironside's Death in the Garden instead. It's a thoughtful and interesting book about a beautiful, bohemian woman at her 30th birthday party and her grand-niece 60 years later. According to the jacket cover Elizabeth Ironside is the pseudonym of Lady Catherine Manning. I'll continue to look for the other book as she is a good writer.
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I gave up on Elizabeth George after the last one before this. Reading her now is like trying to put breath in a wax museum exhibit.
Ironside's Good Death isn't in my library so I, too, have Death in the Garden but haven't opened it yet. I'm reading several now, did I read here about Ann Purser? It is appropriate accompaniment to Last Tango in Halifax, at least in that the ages of the principals are similar.
Haven't caught the bug after several exposures.
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I do like Elizabeth Ironsides very much and have read both of the books. Also Charles Finch, who writes about a different era, but the two writers for some reason remind me of each other.
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I found out about Charles Finch in this forum, I think from you, Steph, and ordered all of his books from Thriftbooks and B&N. I am now enjoying the 4th one, Stranger In Mayfair. I just love, love, love all of Lenox's friends and assistants, and really soak up his love for Lady Jane.
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Read the latest Laura Levine last night, "Killing Cupid" (Yes, it's a quick read). Pure fluff, and forget any sense of reality, but funny. She's the one with parents who send her loopy e-mails about their crazy shenanigans while she's trying to solve a murder by running around and asking all the suspects if they did it.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/laura-levine/
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D**N! Another must-read author! Have you read Lisa Lutz? Funny, slapstick stories about a family PI firm. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/lisa-lutz/
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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Yes, i've read Lisa Lutz. Thanks for reminding me. I must get some more of hers.
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Lisa Lutz is fascinating and hard to find.. Libraries don't seem to like her.. should look in the Kindle..Hmm.. Only 200 pages left to go on the Elizabeth George.. Then I am officially done with her. At this point, Barbara needs to be unemployed and
Tommy is not far behind. How sad.
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Elizabeth Ironside is not an easy read. A Death in the Garden has more than one plot line going and Ii am less than 25% into it. But she does have word skills galore: 0n page 52, Fanny herself had only erratic employment ...in a bookshop. "How can that be? ...She doesn't know how to read"...When she was not failing to find books for customers
I don't know why but that sentence has charmed me. Someone who can think that way, and more importantly put the thought into words, is worth my time no matter how confusing the plot or cast of characters. Maybe Ironside would be easier to read if I weren't also reading I Infinity Beach, I Always Loved You, and The Enquiry a Blackwoods Farm. To quote Ado Annie, I cain't say no.
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Has anyone read UNDER THE SKIN by Michael Faber (311 pp, 2000)? It has been made into a recent motion picture, and I wanted to read it before seeing the movie. It's a very strange, but fascinating novel. About a woman who drives the roads of the Scottish Highlands looking for large muscular man who are hitchhiking. She picks them up and engages them in conversation to see if they meet with her criteria. In the beginning the author gradually lets out hints about the woman and why she is doing this. Not a book for everyone, especially those who find Stephen King scary. But once you start reading, you will find it hard to stop until you reach the end.
Marj
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Sounds like a horror story and I am not into horror any more. Finished the Elizabeth George. Last book by her. She needs an editor.. That whole mess was ridiculous.
Needed a romp , so picked up the latest J.D. Robb.. this one is close to a horror story with too much detail on a serial killer enjoying his work way too much. Darn darn darn.. need a cozy.. must go and find one.
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Who is the author of the wonderful series about a detective in henry the Eighth's time? We're reading about it in The Story of Civilization, and I want to recommend the books. They give such a good picture of the time -- un-glamorized, smells and all.
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C.J. SANSOM?
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New name for me. Love books on that era.
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I'm reading my second Nikki Heat mystery (Richard Castle author) and enjoying it very much. I like Nikki Heat better than some of the other policewomen protagonists. He paints her as very skilled as a cop, in fact, i think you could read her professional life just as you would read a male detective. No fancy clothes, unwearable shoes or worrying about gaining weight, etc. Yet in her relationship w/ Rook and in her friendship w/ the ME she's very womenly.
In moments of danger or fear he writes her as being fearful, even close to panic, but then she "puts on her (mental) armor" and becomes objective and analytical, no silliness re: Stephenie Plum ( even though i like those stories also), no statement of glamour re: Beckett in the Castle tv series, or high heels like the ME in the Rizzolli and Isles series. She just seems more real than any of those characters.
Jean
Jean
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Have just finished a rather good detective story...The Princess of Burundi by Kjell Eriksson. A best seller in Sweden, Germany etc and available in my library with several others of his,....good!! I've been finding most novels pretty ho hum recently. The characters are really believable (and likeable for a change) and they actually think about life and stuff like real human beings. Plot and denouement nothing to shout about, but that is secondary really.
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Just finished Albert's latest China Bayles mystery "Death Comes Quickly". It was an interesting story without some of the dire escapes that were portrayed in previous books. I like China, and it's nice to read a book with the protagonist portrayed as decent and intelligent.
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C J Sansom! That's the one. Thanks, Mary Page.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/c-j-sansom/
A lawyer/detective in the time of Henry VIII. The books are long, but I find them engrossing, with an ordinary person's view of the times. Without trying to tell us what the historical characters were thinking, as so many historical novels do.
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Reading a real live mystery... The story of Whitey Bulger. He has always intrigued me since when I llived in Ma.His brother was a huge political deal.. I found it amazijng that the same family produced a brilliant politician and a crook who killed with no consequences.
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Finished Death in the Garden, Elizabeth Ironside. Will be eager to read more by her.
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Finished the Bulger book..All true and horrifying.The FBI has a lot to answer for.. Their agents in Boston simply had no sense whatsoever.
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Attention Alan Furst fans: He has published a new novel, Midnight in Europe. Another of his spy in pre-war Europe. He's another of my must-read authors, those I don't need reviews to entice me.
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Just finshed a cozy about a tattoo artist in Vegas.. Fun, but not much plot
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Steph, I really hate when the author leaves out the plot! :D :D
I finished Ironside's "A Good Death" and don't think I will be seeking her out for any more. Strange book! ::)
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Steph: is it worth knowing the name/author of the book?
I'm out of library books, so am reading from the Complete Mary Roberts Rinehart I got for pennies on kindle. "The Man in Lower Ten". Wasn't there a movie of that?
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I have yet to read a Mary Roberts Rineheart book that I liked, including The Man in Lower Ten, which I rated 2/5. Sorry, but I just can't endure her writing.
Marj
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Ado Annie and I loved the book and the author. Strange what affects different people. The Tattoo book: Pretty in Ink by Karen E. Olson.. She has written several books in this series along with several other cozies.
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I just fiiished a very good book by Stephen King -- MR. MERCEDES. This time he has written a detective story, with a very likeable retired detective, along with some other very interesting characters. Not a mystery exactly, as you know who the killer is. Whether the detective will figure out who the killer is and where he will strike again before the killer gets the detective provides much suspense. I am becomming a big fan of King.
Marj
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on Stephen King.. no creepy crawlies and everyone die?? I might try him again then.
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Stephen King is actually an excellent writer and a fabulous storyteller. Me, I just do not care to go where his thoughts take him. Give me fairly peaceful and pastoral or, at least, good beats evil and right wins the battle against wrong. Give me happily ever after. Color me coward; I really could care less, as long as my emotions are not in a state of high turmoil.
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Stephen King takes my imagination to places I do not want to be. I couldn't read him when my husband was alive; and I especially don't want to read him now that I live alone. Why is it that being scared is much harder when you are alone?
Sally
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Marjifay. I'd like to read that. Is there gratuitous violence as there is in Under the Dome? (I am referring specifically to the Angela chapter which I thought was particularly senseless and horrific, I had nightmares for some time afterwards). If so I am going to pass, if not, I would like to try it.
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I don't think there is gratuitous violence, but then the violence in Under the Dome didn't bother me. Mr. Mercedes starts out with some violence performed by the rather weird young killer. I think King did that so that you would be afraid of what worse thing/s he might do next. But King does not write "cozy" type stuff, so if it bothers you, read something else. I thought the book was very good -- it kept me turning pages.
He's a good writer. One sentence I can't remember exactly, went something like: She hurried away, clicking her high heels in a Morse code message of anger and disgust.
By the way, in Under the Dome, I thought King's explanation for how the dome came to cover the town was interesting and imaginative. I don't remember the Angela chapter you mentioned, but he tells realistically what would happen if a huge invisible dome were to actually rapidly descend. It would obviously do some damage to property and to people who happened to be in the way and did not see it coming.
Marj
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Thank you. :) I don't read cozies? And I've read alll of Stephen King till he got to torture, (and that's a lot of books), then I had to leave him off. Some wonderful books. He writes to exorcise his own demons. (Or so he says. Cheaper than psychoanalysis, he says.)
The Angela chapter involved a man coming to the door and the woman who was home alone and who knew him had some misgivings, saying to herself she had seen that look on his face before but even so, (and here of course the reader is solidly in her shoes), she opened the door in a friendly manner and...well, she shouldn't have. With no provocation whatsoever except her teeth, he...well.
My husband was out of town at the time and the thing haunted me, you can't stop reading it and I literally (he's so REAL) kept playing the scenario over and over in my mind. I would not have opened the door to anybody during that time. hahahaa Can't take that type of stuff any more. The book just came yesterday, I think I'll return Mr. Mercedes. I hate to miss one of his good ones, but I've read so many of his which were just outstanding, I can always reread them.
I appreciate your frank assessment of it. Thank you.
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Per Ginny, "I don't read cozies?"
Glad to hear it, LOL. Most cozies bore me to death.
I've just started a new Richard Jury mystery, VERTIGO 42, by Martha Grimes and it has me chuckling. (I like a little humor in my mysteries.) Good so far -- will give a short review when I finish.
Good for you -- never open your door to strangers. I have a decorative, but sturdy locked security screen door. I hate those films where someone opens their front door to see who is there and finds it is a robber or worse. Just heard the other day where an older women in Beverly Hills did that and two men walked in and did a home invasion robbery, beating up her and her husband. (Now, that's scary!)
Marj
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Marj: I hate to tell you but the Martha Grimes books are considered cozies. What do you think of as the ones you can't stand: the ones with silly young women narrators who worry about what brand of shoes they're wearing?
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I didn't know Grimes' books were considered cozies. I wouldn't have considered them in that category because Richard Jury is not an amateur detective, as are most of the cozy "detectives" I've read (I admit there were very few) Then I would have to say I've liked Grimes' "cozies" I love her character Melrose Plant and his dipsy aunt Agatha.
The last cozy I read was Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon by Donna Andrews. No more by her. Other than her, I didn't care for Susan Wittig Albert, M. C. Beaton (Agatha Raisin), Lillian Jackson Braun (cat mysteries), Julia Spencer-Fleming and Louise Penny (She's probably not considered a writer of cozies, but her books are boring IMO).
My favorites are more thrillers, I guess, than just mysteries, i.e. David Baldacci, Lawrence Block, James Lee Burke, Lee Child, Robert Crais, Michael Connelly, etc., etc.
Marj
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Marjifay, some of the best "not cosies" I've ever read were by Michael Dibdin, Michael Gruber, and Jo Nesbo; and I have some Lars Kepler on hand to try. I am most particularly fond of Michael Dibdin. The BBC made films of several of his books, and I enjoyed them on PBS. As is always the case, the books were richer, deeper and more satisfying than the films, although those were good, also. Aurelio Zen is the detective, and Rufus Sewell played the part in the "Zen" series. I had read the books and was both astonished and delighted when the series was made.
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I like all types of mysteries, but no horror.. The closest I come to horror would be John Sandford and I don't think of him that way, but some of the books have had horrific scenes. James Lee Burke can have some tense moments as well, but I love him and hate his buddy.. There are cozies ( sort of) that have no point, no plot and a female who is.. into some sort of hobby or job that is besides the point. Some of them go on and on about clothing or makeup or knitting.. or even cooking.. There are a few good writers working in the cooking line for mysteries though. I like Susan Wittig Albert herb books, but not the others and Donna Andrewss makes me laugh.. So I guess I am mostly omnivorous.
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I try to avoid cozies, but I don't like a lot of violence either. Margaret Maron, a big favorite, some Neveda Barr -- loved the one about Fort Jefferson and another about a northern park and wolves. Setting is fairly important to me. The Sue Henry books that feature the musher in Alaska. Dona Leon's titles set in Venice.
Can't always remember the author's name, I know where to find out if I take the time. Who wrote the Homer Kelly books? I always liked them, until Mary Kelly committed adultery. Isn't it interesting how quickly one can turn away from an author who does something you don't like. Elizabeth George is another -- haven't read any since she killed Helen.
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I hold a deep and abiding grudge because she killed Helen.
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Thanks for your recommendations of authors, Mary Page. I've not read any except Jo Nesbo. Will try them.
A couple I'd recommend that you might like:
Charles Lenox mysteries by Charles Finch. I know Steph also likes these. Very good writing; love the setting in Victorian England.
Jussi Adler-Olsen (Danish author). Loved his first book, KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES. Good writing. Wry humor.
James Sallis. LONG LEGGED FLY and MOTH. Set in New Orleans, with a very literate detective. Good writing, great atmosphere. Keep meaning to read more of his books.
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I also like Martha Grimes' Emma Graham mysteries, about a very precocious and curious young girl.
Another reason I didn't consider Grimes' books to be cozies is that they are recommended in the Rara_Avis reading group whose members read and recommend rather dark noir mysteries.
Marj
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I read Finch and love him; Steph told me about him and I went right to Thriftbooks and bought every book he has written so far. Grimes I have read for years and years. I must say that I think of both as authors of cosies, but have a deep allowance within me for different perceptions in different folks. I mean, basically, what difference does it make? You either like a certain book or author, or you don't. It is as simple as that.
I had not heard of Adler-Olsen or Sallis, and have written down their names. Thank you!
I think you will love, love, love Michael Dibdin. He is dead now, and quite a loss. His detective, Zen, is Italian and works in Italy. Gruber, well, my oldest son, Rob, introduced me to him. He is a bit heavy. Dark. But very, very real for the part of the world he writes of: Miami. I only warmed up to him gradually. He is still alive and still writing. I just bought his latest. As far as the ability to really write is concerned, he is top notch. Just hard to take.
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l have not read Adler or Sallis, but will look for them.. Sound interesting.. Cozies. I think of them as not much plot, a female heroine who owns something like a tea shop or cooking classes or personal shopper, etc. I use them to not think if I am stressed. I am with most of you on Elizabeth George. I hate she killed Helen, that she made it trivial and that she then is plunging him into the stupidest relationships on earth. Bah.. No more George and I am not sure that I wll go back and finish, the latest Louise Penney. What a shame, I liked her so much at the beginning.
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Isn't it great how much our tastes vary. I like light to medium dark (have you noticed the covers of the books are color coded: the darker the color of the cover, the darker the book). The buyer for our library must have changed: lately, all the new books have black or dark gray covers. I like some depth, but don't want the book to make me feel down.
as to Grimes, I guess you could call any book with a policeman or woman as the detective a police procedural. but Grimes' emphasis has never been on procedure. Her early books were more psychological, but as she got more into funny highjinks of her continuing characters they are definitely cosies.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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MaryPage, were there some Zen mysteries (Dibdin) on PBS? That name is very familiar.
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I noticed that with Grimes.Her book used to be fairly serious police work, but now are much lighter.
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YES, Pedln! PBS showed 3 BBC made Zen books in films. They did a pretty good job of following the books, too. But the books are really and truly superior writing. Try one! Michael Dibdin. I loved them all. I think it was Rufus Sewell who played Aurelio Zen. I adored him!
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I picked up a light mystery. Not exactly a cozy.. I note that she does J.D. Robb for the sex part.. Things go around normal and then boom,, way too much rough type sex.. then back to the story.. book is Rumble on the Bayou by Jana Deleon.. I think a new author. It was given to me by a friend, but I would not buy any.. Too many twists to a plot and too much stupid behavior.
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Just finished Martha Grimes' latest Supt. Richard Jury mystery, VERTIGO 42. I like her writing and her humor. Especially enjoy Jury's friend, Melrose Plant. The book was a bit slow for my taste. Too many characters that Jury had to interview and ask pretty much the same questions over and over to try and find who might be the killer.
I've read only one J.D. Robb book, Naked in Death, and I'm afraid that was enough.
Marj
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Turns out Deleon is far from a new author: she has a zillion books out.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/jana-deleon/
I'm going to try the "ghost-in-law series! (clearly a cozy: the covers are pastels). And it's classified as a romance, so that must be her background.
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I thought she had overcomplicated the plot, so probably will try one more to see if the ghost thing is better.
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I just read a Jana Deleon - Louisiana Longshot. I found it on my Overdrive ebooks library. It was a fun read, an outed CIA agent has to hide out as the granddgt of a deceased La woman. It was easy, non-complicated, just what i needed in a down period in my life at the moment. I'll read more of hers.
I'm also reading from Overdrive a Linda Fairstein - Lethal Legacy. Lots of interesting info about the develpoment of the NYC Pub Library. Fortunately its more good mystery then the interacting/socializing of characters that some new cozy mysteries seem to have become.
I'm also reading the Richard Castle "Heat" series on line, but the third one got a little boring which is why i went to Fairstein.
Jean
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I am reading a Linda Fairstien, but mine is all about Central Park. I love the history details. This one is good.
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Linda Fairstein writes a good yarn.
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I'm trying to get a friend interested in mysteries. She says she doesn't like sex, gore, or anything depressing. I leant her Aunt Dimity's Death" by Nancy Atherton (yes, a cozy) and "The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax" by Doroyhy Gilman. What would you have chosen?
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Dorothy L Sayers? Edmund Crispin? Agatha Christie? Hazel Holt?
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JoanK, if your friend likes cats, I recommend the Cat Who series by Lillian Jackson Braun. They are light, fast reads without sex and gore. The main human character comes into an inheritance with which he sets up a philanthropic foundation. Like Rosemarykaye, I think Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie fit the bill. What about Alexander McCall Smith's #1 Lady's Detective Agency series? I haven't read the books yet, but I don't recall much, if any, sex or gore in the TV series. What about Rumpole of the Bailey (John Mortimer) or Sherlock Holmes?
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Oh yes Frybabe - Alexander McCall Smith and Rumpole are both great suggestions :)
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Re mysteries without gore, sex, etc.,:
THE SNOWMAN by Jo Nesbo (JUST KIDDING!!)
THE THIN WOMAN by Dorothy Cannell (funny)
WHY SHOOT A BUTLER by Georgette Heyer
THE FAMILY VAULT by Charlotte McLeod
MURDER MUST ADVERTISE by Dorothy Sayers
THE SINNISTER PIG by Tony Hillerman
THE CAMEL CLUB by David Baldacci
THE MAN IN THE BROWN SUIT by Agatha Christie (stand-alone)
THE FRANCHISE AFFAIR by Josephine Tey
MIAMI BLUES by Charles Willeford (funny)
marj
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Mrs. Pollifax is a good choice; Jo Dereske's Miss Zukas comes to mind, I missed the 2008 Farewell Miss Zukas. This site has handy suggestions for cozies: http://cozy-mystery.com/ What are your friend's interests? General mysteries by genre can be found here: http://www.mysterynet.com/genres/ I like feisty females, pets, recipes, books/library, archeology, forensics, etc. Also what used to be described as police procedurals; geographics, seniors. My sister introduced me to Georgette Heyer's Regency romances (love her sense of humor) resulting in interest in historicals. Some good stories are peppered with too graphic sex but I just skip over these. Robyn Carr's books are fun except for the sex.
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There are so many funny writers I could not begin to give advice.. The suggestions sound good though.
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I am reading Falling Fast by Neil Broadfoot, a new writer and former journalist. The book is set here in Edinburgh and opens with a young girl throwing herself off the Scott Monument in Princes Street. So far it is excellent, well written, fast-paced and gripping. I suppose it is inevitable that it will be compared with Ian Rankin's Rebus books, but so far it can definitely hold its own.
The main character is a journalist investigating both the girl's death and the whereabouts of a man who committed a terrible crime years earlier. It's published in the UK by Saraband Books. I don't know if you can get it in the US yet, but it's certainly worth reading. There is some violence but only where it fits the story, and it's nothing like as graphic as Stuart McBride, for example.
Rosemary
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M.C. Beaton would be another choice - Hamish MacBeth stories are best.
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I just finished the latest Aunt Dimity book, Aunt Dimity and the Wishing Well. So far, I have enjoyed all the Aunt Dimity books for quick, light reads.
Sally
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One of those days yesterday, where reading anything of interest was out.. My internet wentout, took hours to get it back to some sort of normal, then I started to bathe my old dog (16) and found a huge lump attached to a breast. I will call the vet this morning and make an appointment.. Just upset me enough and then it rained off and on yesterday afternoon. I sat on my sunporch and watched the storms come rolling over the mountains. Whew..
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Steph: What a day you had yesterday. Let us know about your senior doggy, you both will be in our thoughts.
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Oh, Steph. At least you had the mountains!
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The mountains with the rolling storms were beautiful.. Incredible watching the storms coming over the mountain tops, stopping as they came to a lower area and then picking up speed again. Appointment is 4:15 today.. I am making sure she gets lots of cuddles even though she is not a cuddly dog. Corgis seldom are. They are herd dogs and want to work. work. work.
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Steph: The cuddling is as much for you as for your 'baby'.
Stop You're Killing Me publishes two emails each month; first of the month reviews a handful of books and mid-month is for updating database of authors. Today Nicola Upson's fourth book in a series about Josephine Tey's world. I can't resist.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/u/nicola-upson/
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JACKIE: I had no idea! Josephine Tey is the detective? I'm all over it: ordered the first of the series on Kindle (only $1.99!)
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Interesting discussion on the Danamaniacs in Facebok.. Who was the author who killed off your favorite character and how do you feel about them.. I voted for Elizabeth George killing Helen.
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If I did Facebook, I would do the same!
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Reading a seriously stupid book.. "The Husband's Secret" by Liane Moriarty.. I know it was a best seller and was a gift to me when ill,, so I am plodding on, but these are people I would run from if I met them.. Ugh
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I am trying to read "Night of the Living Deed" by E.J. Copperman. This is the first in the series, and I'm having trouble with it. I can suspend reality enough to accept that the house the main character is rehabbing has two resident ghosts, but the time line for that rehabbing and how she is doing it all is totally unrealistic and I keep losing interest because of that.
Does the series get better? Does anyone know?
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I remember dropping THE HUSBAND'S SECRET after a couple of chapters. Boring.
Marj
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I think I have a sample of "The husband's Secret" on kindle. I'll erase it -- thanks guys.
Started to read "Hostile Witness" by Rebecca Forster because it takes place near where I live. A lot of the scenes are on Redondo Beach, where I go every week. It's an interesting setting: the courthouse where the lawyer protagonist argues her murder case is right over this beach resort setting so she argues life and death, then goes downstairs to the fishing boats, bars, tourist attractions, and beachgoing families, and walks along the strand with the bikers, joggers, skateboarders, bikinis and muscleshirts etc. I had noticed the discrete signs "this elevator to the courthouse", but never really thought about the contrast.
The only problem is that sometimes the author gets a detail wrong in a way that wouldn't happen if someone was there.
When my son pushes my wheelchair along this strand, we have a problem. There are two paths, one for walkers and one for wheeled vehicles. We're too slow for the wheeled vehicle path, and the walking path has places that are too narrow or unsuitable for a wheelchair. Dan keeps going from one to the other. Minor problem, but I like to tease my mind thinking "are we walkers or a wheeled vehicle?"
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I'm having a ball reading a Mrs. Jeffries (Emily Brightwell) as much required light fluff after finishing a Harry Hole (Jo Nesbo).
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Joan - I've read Hostile Witness (it was free for Kindle) but I can't remember much about it - don't recall thinking it was that great, but it does make a difference when you know the locations.
Rosemary
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I finished The Husbands Secret, but decided they did a copout... Wont try anything by her again for sure. rummaged in my tbr stash.. found another Linda Fairstein.. Death Dance, written quite a bit ago, but I had never read it.. All about Lincoln Center and Broadway theatres. Really love discovering all sorts of facts about the various venues..
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Rosemary: that's right. I'd give "Hostile Witness" a medium. I finished it, and will read the next one if something better doesn't come along. It's not really a "Legal beagle". She's a lawyer, trying a murder case, but the focus is not really on that, so much as on a dysfunctional family.
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JoanK, your mention of Redondo Beach reminded me that one of our very favorite Denny's Restaurants is in Redondo Beach, on Aviation Blvd. Great service, especially the older lady who works there in the mornings. When we're in the mood for a little drive from Buena Park, we go there for breakfast.
marj
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Am really enjoying the backstage visits in Death Dance. I have been in front of the house of many of these places, but never seen the back stage areas. Fun
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I'm very much enjoying the brad Meltzer and the David Rosenfelt mysteries that i just came across recently. Both are available from my digital library and from Bookbub. The Meltzer protagonist works for the White House or a recent president. The Rosenfelt protagonist is a defense atty in NJ. Rosenfelt takes a while to get into his story, but once he starts the court cases he has me hooked. There's a lot of self-deprecating humor and a labrador for you dog lovers. Apparently he also writes a series with the lab as the protagonist. I haven't read an yet, but i'm sure i will.
Jean
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reading a Harlan Coben was on my tbr for a while, so I think it is not that new. Just really started and it is weird. a child molester, a tv reporter...hmm.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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I'll be interested to see if you continue it, Steph. I tried one of his some years ago, and it was way too dark and evil for me.
My Own Reading Philosophy: I don't read about evil, molesters, torture nor do I watch such movies. There are more than enough such true stories on the news daily.
I much prefer and continue to read novels that end happily. I know those are scorned by many here and elsewhere, but that's ok. It's what I enjoy that counts, not the choices of others.
The good thing is there are so many choices these days, now that "self publishing" has become so big. With so many publishing houses merged or out of business, I once feared a couple editors would be deciding for all of us what was published. Now authors can do the publishing themselves.
Yes, many of those self-pubbed should never have been without more editing and proofing, but better many choices than only books that fit whatever a couple editors think is the "popular" thing. For a bit there it seemed all novels published had to be all about paranormal, shifters, shapers or whatever that "form” is the characters take, time-travel, and all of those have no appeal to me.
Ok, stepping off my soap box now,
Jane
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I'm sort of like you, jane - I don't read ones about dark, serial, torture killings - just the nice "clean" crime/murder/detective type stories. ::)
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I also agree with you, Jane. I'm also choosy about the movies I see.
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Me, I love Harlan Coben, and have enjoyed every one of his books I have read. I have about eight unread on hand on the shelf I keep my Cobens on until I get around to them. After reading them, I pass them on to a granddaughter, who loves them, as well.
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I'd not read Harlan Coben since his 2010 book, Caught, which I didn't care for. But I just finished his newest thriller, MISSING YOU, which I read because of the good reviews. This was a fast, fun book. Darn exciting. A little gore, but not bad. Kept me turning pages. I'll look forward to his next one.
Marj
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The only Coben book I've read so far is Tell No One. I couldn't put it down. Last year I discovered a French film based on the book. I thought it was a bit more "subdued" than the book. Coben is said to have liked the movie ending better than his book.
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I did, too.
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There was a feature this am on NPR about Anne Cleaves--will have to look out for her books (Shetland), has anyone read her...?
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No, but love her Vera series (Brenda Blethyn) on TV, and the Shetland series is getting better (Douglas Henshall, without whom I wouldn't be motivated to watch it....)
Rosemary
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Rosemary, this is not mystery...but..... I've been reading Dominick Sandbrook over the past years and rather enjoy his books about Britain, look forward to his next about the Thatcher years I believe. I'm amazed that such a young person could put together such a massive (and mostly readable!) compendium of British politics, mores and culture from Suez on. Its so fascinating to read about the background of stuff one lived thru and sort of vaguely remembers. I think I saw part of a TV series in the UK once. Is that so?
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The Coben is Caught and I keep reading because he is a truly good writer and I still cannot see where he is going with this.. Dark in some ways, but mostly baffling.
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I agree, Steph, Coben is a good writer. I was just a bit disappointed in his Caught. I didn't appreciate all the computer- and teen-speak, as if Coben was trying to show how "cool" and in-the-know he was. I didn't care for the main character's teen-age son whose mom admired him, but I thought he was just a selfish, rude kid. Come to think of it, I didn't care for any of the characters. I did finish it just to see who dunit, and it did wrap everything up nicely in the end.
Marj
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Marj: I'll check that Denney's out. Thanks. Our place is Ruby's Diner, a block north of the pier. great milkshakes!
I like Rosenfelt a lot. In his later books, he gets into massive international conspiracies and they aren't as good IMO.
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Oops. I've been off the computer for two days, due to an electrical problem. Didn't realize I'd missed a whole page.
Thanks Jane for filling in.
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I've tried to read Ann cleaves several times, and have trouble getting into her, even when she writes about bird watching, which I love. (Although she doesn't love it -- maybe that's why I don't like her.).
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Rosemary - you, and others, may know an author i got digitally from Bookbub - Sally Wright. The book i'm reading is Pursuit and Persuasion, set in Scotland. Apparently its part of a series, the protagonist is an archivist from the States whose first name is Ben.......i've forgotten what his last name is. I'm about halfway through and its a good read...........ben reese
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Finished the Coben..Caught.. I see what he wanted. The whole book was about forgiveness and punishment.. Interesting but too long and involved.
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Different strokes for different folks. My f2f group read The Husband's Secret and it was well-received. I liked it. Interesting characterization, lots of little subplots.
We have read a couple Harlan Cobens -- really liked Hold Tight, about parents using software to "spy" on their children.
Rosemary, I read your description of FAlling FAst by Neil Broadbent, went to Amazon to check it further (could only find it under author) and thought, I'm going to order that for my Kindle. Slight problem there as on Wednesday I left my Kindle and reading glasses at my daughter's in Seattle. Hopefully they are now in the mail.
I do have the Kindle app on my iPad, so could probably get it that way as well, but will wait for a freebie before I try that.
Jane and MaryZ, I"m with you -- skip the serial killers, the violence, etc. and the paranormal, vampires and such. I'll include distopian as well.
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Now You See Me by S D Bolton is book #1 in a series whose main character is a deeply flawed young DC,
Lacey Flnt, caught up in this psychological/police procedural. She is one of those actors whose dramatic life moves into my mind and won't go away. Bolton gives life to Lacey in a way that was only hinted at in Elizabeth George's Barbara . IMHO.
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Ben Reese sounds familiar. I'm sure I've read at least one book by Sally Wright.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/sally-s-wright/
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And here is the description of "Now You See Me".
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/s-j-bolton/now-you-see-me.htm
Scroll down for book blurb. I just noticed after all these years that you can scroll down further for availability and prices.
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Finally decided to try Evanovich.. The Heist. Thus far.. not a favorite. maybe it will grow on me.
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The Heist is a new series by Evanovich. I read the second installment, The Chase, and it was a DNF. I kept falling asleep. It was not humorous, just silly.
Try one of her early Stephanie Plum novels. I liked High Five (1999). Loved her crazy grandma and the rest of her family. Funny.
Marj
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Now You See Me looks good, JoanK. I added it to my bloated TBR list.
Marj
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Oh I love Evanovich and Stephanie Plum and even Diesel, but this one is truly just stupid thus far.
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I'm reading THE SILKWORM by Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling). Very good, as was the first mystery in the series, Cuckoo's Calling. I like the main character, private detective Cormoran Strike who was named after a mythical Celtic giant (Strike is 6 ft 3 in tall) I enjoy her writing so much, I may just have to read one of her Harry Potter books.
Marj
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Marjifay, I don't generally like "fantasy" or such-like, but I've read and loved all the Harry Potter books. I'm almost finished with The Silkworm, and like this one and the character, too.
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I am a big time Harry Potter fan. I own, but so far have not read, Cuckoo's Calling. Been a bad girl and purchased and piled up just too many books. Am trying to catch up with the shelvesful and piles and stacks, but new ones keep coming in. But count me as one whose reading enjoyment has been much, much richer for the Harry Potter adventures.
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I love Harry, but dislike the current two books.REad the first one and hated it., so willnot try the second.
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While moving some books my eye rested on an old, old Charlotte MacLeod, The Withdrawing Room, so I had to read it again. This is the one where Sarah Kelling, to safeguard her house from foreclosure, establishes a boarding house. All the usual suspects show up and some new continuing characters are introduced including Max Bittersohn. Now I'll have to read them all again. And the Peter Shandy stories with those horrible puns
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/charlotte-macleod/
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Haven't read MacLoad in years. Time to revisit?
From Macs to Mcs.I'm starting the County Cork mysteries by Sheila Connolly. I've enjoyed her museum series (worker at a small private Museum in Philly). Now I'm learning about land ownership in Ireland.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/sheila-connolly/
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I found MacLoed one of the funniest writers ever. And I list her Rest You Merry as the funniest book I ever read. I laughed out loud over and over, more than I ever did with P.J. Wodehouse, albeit he made me laugh out loud, too.
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I also liked MacLoed. I need a funny book right now, maybe i'll get one of hers.
Just finished the first Lisa Scottoline in the women's law firm series, ( Everywhere that Mary Went) it told me how Mary and Judy got out of the mainstream law firm and into their own. I'm almost finished with the fourth one in the series, Moment of Truth, which i hadn 't read before. I've read almost all of them now.
I saw and heard LS and her dgt, at my library last week. They write a column inthe Phila Inquirer and have published 4 books together, one of those "how life goes" columns, very funny. One of the books is titled "My Third Husband Will Be a Dog." ;D LS has about 4 dogs in real life. And now that i've heard LS talking, i can hear her voice in Mary's dialogue in the books.
I'm in the middle of my second David Rosenfelt book. Andy Carpenter is a defense atty in north Jersey. Since i know that area, it's of interest to me. Plus one of my dgt's best friends is the prosecutor in Passaic Co now and "AC" is practicing and living in Patterson, the seat of the Passaic Co courthouse. DR tries a little too hard to make Andy self-deprecating and funny at times, but he has Andy owning a golden retriever, so i forgive him. :)
Jean
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I love both Scotteline and Rosenfelt. Good reading!
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I like Scottoline very much..
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Jackie, thanks for reminding me about Charlotte MacCleod. I haven't read her in years. I loved all the Peter Shandy that I read. I like a light read in the hot summer months!!
Sally
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I read all of the Boston MacLeods and some of the Maine ones. She is funny.
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The Best Sellers forum has three mystery books I'm reading, posted there by mistake.
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Jackie: here are the three sites:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/y/ovidia
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/adam-brookes/night-heron.htm
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/sarah-rees-brennan/unspoken.htm
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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They all look interesting, although as a birder, I'm disappointed that the night heron is a person, not a bird. I enjoy the black-crowned night herons that hang out at our local docks.
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doing a short story book of female mysteries.. All about housewives. OK, but not great.
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Started the latest Rosenfelt "Hounded". I like him, but wish he would get away from devious plots and hired killers.
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Found a wonderful new book for me. it is Dorothy Sayers ( who I love) and Jill Paton Waalsh.. It is about Harriet Vane , who is married to Peter. He is off on a mission of some type , it is 1940 and she and her two sons and three children of Peters Sister are down in the country. There is a murder and the local police have asked Harriet for assistance, they want Peter, but he is away.. Great fun and very evocative of Britain at the beginning of the war.Oh.. the name A Presumptiion of Death
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Did you ever see the tv series of Strong Poison, Have his Carcase and Gaudy Night with the best Lord Peter ever,( can't remember who plays Harriet)...Edmund Petherige , I think his name. We watched them again recently as we have them all (for the VCR, still have one that works fortunately.) I would hope they're still available because they are simply marvellous.
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I remember watching the versions with Ian Carmichael - he is still Lord Peter to me. And lately I have been watching re-runs of The Royal - a drama series set in a 1960s hospital in a Yorkshire seaside town, which I love despite it being totally predictable - and who should appear as the hospital administrator? Ian Carmichael himself. Wonderful :)
Rosemary
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Ian Carmichael was, is, and always will be MY Lord Peter, as well and all. I still have the video tapes of him, albeit I have finally gone through and thrown out most of those old shows on tape, I could not bear to toss my Dorothy Sayers set. Oh my! The man and Lord Peter are one and the same, and you will never convince me otherwise!
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You are braver than I am. Lord Peter is so very clear in my mind, that I cannot bear to watch anything with an actor.. Sigh.
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Oh no, the Petheridge guy is the perfect Lord Peter and the series of the 3 Harriet Vane stories is BBC at its impeccable best. She is an irritating twit of a person and Lord Peter is too perfect to be true, BUT blame these things on Dorothy Sayer's own psyche which comes across rather too clearly in these stories.... no matter, Lord Peter as played by Petheridge is to die for, as is said....!
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Actually the book written by Jill Paton etc is using the characters by permission, she was the author who was given permission to finish the partly finished book. It is interesting because Harriet is a real person, not some sort of mocked up permission. I know Sayers was making a point, but this Harriet is nice and funny.
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I found Murder At The Gardner at Thriftbooks this afternoon, and ordered it. Thanks for mentioning it! Was it in here, or somewhere else that someone told me about that one?
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MARY: it could have been me: I really like that book. It's unusual, not everyone likes it -- I recommended it to my FtoF book club, and they didn't like it.
Jane Langdon has a very unusual style: all of her books are based on a work of art: a piece of music, a classic book, or (as in this case) a painting. The characters in the book somehow "act out" the work of art. Her writing has an almost musical quality: you have to just accept it and "go with the flow."
I hope the copy you got has good pictures of her drawings -- they are definitely part of the story.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/jane-langton/
Another favorite is "the Memorial Hall Murders", based on Handel's Massiah. I'm not musically sophisticated enough to follow how the plot mimics the music (except at the end, which is spectacular!) but I'm sure a musicologist could have a lot of fun with it.
Like many writers, the ones she wrote at the end of her life are not good. I'd skip anything after about "Death of a Dodo".
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For some reason I thought that Langdon wrote about a crusty newenglander named Homer?? sounds as if no is the answer
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Joan, actually that book sounds just my cup of tea. I love, love, love a teaching book. I loved the Isabella Stewart-Gardner Museum. And, interestingly, I did not love it because it is anywhere close to what I would have done with her money. I would never in this life choose to build a Venetian palace for my HOME! Oh yes, I can and do admire them, their beauty and their place in history. And in Venice. But given a plot of ground in Boston, that is probably one of the last things I would come up with. Neither would I build one to house my collection (and, oh yes, I WOULD have a collection) of art. The rooms are too small and dark. Nor would I make the choices Mrs. Jack did. She was very into religious stuff. I am not. She actually disliked the Impressionists, and I would have had Van Goghs all over the place! No, I loved the daring grand splash of the place, its uniqueness, the whole vivid sense of her and her life and purpose. I admired the works of art. I enjoyed reading everything I could find about her (and oh, DO read Mrs. Jack, if you never have!) and appreciate the memory that I went to school with the granddaughter of one of her best friends. I have no doubt I will enjoy Murder At The Gardner, and I thank you.
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Mrs. Jack was a wonderful book. Actually my introduction to her before I lived near Boston. She was the type of woman that I always wanted to be..
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Well, me too, Steph, and all. Since I am the elder here, I get first dibs at being Belle!
Thrift books has emailed me that Murder At The Gardner is on its way!
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For some reason I thought that Langdon wrote about a crusty newenglander named Homer?? sounds as if no is the answer
She did, Steph -- Homer Kelly - a philosophy professor at Harvard. There are several in the series and several that include Homer's wife Mary. They were a favorite series for me until Langton pulled an Elizabeth George. She didn't kill anyone off, but really made the character disappoint me.
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Mary: "I did not love it because it is anywhere close to what I would have done with her money. I would never in this life choose to build a Venetian palace for my HOME!"
That's discussed in the book. You may not like it -- Langdon is not quite as admiring of Mrs. Jack as you are. She loves having the collection but also presents the European point of view that some of these pieces should have stayed in Europe.
After you finish the book, let me know. I have another comment to make which would be a spoiler now.
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Pedlin: I agree -- "the Thief of Venice" was a disappointment. But you didn't miss anything: all the books after that are badly written and not worth reading (except "The Deserter". Like Agatha Christie, she kept writing too long. I was particularly disappointed in the one based on Escher's drawings, since I'm an Escher fan.
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Jill Paton Walsh has written four Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries.
The first, Thrones, Dominations, is a completion of a partial manuscript left unfinished when Sayers turned to translating Dante and other interests. It deals with the very early married life of Harriet and Peter, the time just before WWII, the brief reign of Edward VIII, and murder amid the fashionable theatrical and social scene.
The second, A Presumption of Death, is a wartime mystery; Harriet and the children are staying at Talboys to get out of the London dangers, and it's full of the wartime atmosphere. Walsh used some wartime pamphlets Sayers wrote to get some of the atmosphere, but did not, I think, get any of the plot from Sayers.
The third, The Attenbury Emeralds, combines a reprise of Peter's early case (never described in full by Sayers) with a current mystery involving the same gems. It takes place shortly post-war.
The fourth, The Late Scholar, is new to me; I just saw it in Fantastic Fiction. It takes place in Oxford.
Any Sayers fan will want to read them. They're a pretty good job, keeping the spirit of the Sayers stories, and reasonable mysteries. Of course a Sayers fan has quibbles, but they are still very good reads.
I won't give spoilers by saying how the personal life of the characters develops, but I think you'll be interested.
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Who is the best screen Lord Peter? Ian Carmichael and Edward Petherbridge are both very good, and neither one is perfect. Maybe if we averaged them together? Carmichael's Nine Tailors is a masterpiece; I own it, and have watched it many times.
By the way, does anyone remember Carmichael from the 1959 movie I'm All Right, Jack?
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I fully and completely agree with you about Nine Tailors, Pat! That is the one that is downright wallpapered inside of my brain. And I own it, as well. No, I do not remember that 1959 movie at all.
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Oh three books I have not read and I did like the one I did read, so I am off on a hunt for the others.
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I always enjoyed Dorothy Sayers! Thanks PatH for listing those four books. I'm hoping my library will have them. If not I'll try one of the book dealers.
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Oh, good. The library has the first two checked in. I've requested Attenbury Emeralds from one of the branches and The Late Scholar is listed as newly required so I put a request in for that also. I haven't been doing much reading lately and need to get away from some of this mindless TV. :)
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I got the three books of this I have not read on my Kindle. That way they are safe and I know they are there when I get time..
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Finished the almost-last Laurien Berenson mystery "Gone with the Woof."
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/laurien-berenson/
I like her, but not everyone would. She talks a lot about dogs and the dog-show world, and her plots are kind of slight. In her early ones, her narrator was just being introduced to the dog-show world, so she gave you an outsider's view which was a good introduction. I like mysteries that take me to places I would never go. I've even watched a few dog shows on TV.
(Hmmmm. How come her heroine has standard poodles and she breeds miniature poodles?)
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Standard poodles are wonderful.. Smart, lively always thinking sort of dogs. Miniature are pretty little toys.
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Am really enjoying the Dorothy Sayers/Jill Walsh "Thrones and Dominations".
We had a smart and mischievous miniature poodle for many years. A little too smart when she unzipped my visiting sister's overnight bag. My sister was quite sure she had it zipped, but we had to buy her a new toothbrush. :)
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Today's mail brought me Jane Langton's MURDER AT THE GARDNER from Thriftbooks. I got the large print version, and it looks great. No pictures, though. Possibly they were only to be found in the regular hardback editions. Anyway, it goes on the top of the heap to be next read. Hurrah!
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It is always interesting the number of dogs who master zippers and buttons and often door knobs.
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Finished Thrones and Dominations and am on to the next Lord Peter Wimsey A Presumption of Death. Thanks again PatH for listing those books. Jill Paton Walsh also has a series of her own which sounds interesting, an Imogene Quy mystery. I checked out The Bad Quarto from the library.
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I loved Presumption of Death.. Harriet is so very sensible and missing Peter so much
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I have requested three or four of the Peter Whimsey books by Walsh. I noticed that the Emeralds title is actually the first one? Is that correct? Would you believe that "Presumption of Death" has a short waiting line? We aren't the only readers discovering these new titles. I noticed the Imogene Quy titles also but deferred from ordering any.
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Here she is. She's written a lot of books!
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/jill-paton-walsh/
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I was delighted when the new Rhys Bowen "Royal Spyness" book showed up on my kindle, "Queen of Hearts." Usually I eat up these stories of the thirty ninth in line for the throne, trying to get along with no money. But this one didn't hold my interest as much. Maybe it was because she goes to Hollywood, with all the usual clichés. (Never mind that she got the weather wrong -- there was always fog. She must have thought she was in San Francisco, not LA.)
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I am thinking of the Imogene Quy series to see what it is about.
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Well, I am more than half way through MURDER AT THE GARDNER by Jane Langton. I DID find some pen drawings by her very own hand in it. In looking for pictures, and denying there were any, when I first received the book in the mail from Thriftbooks, I had been expecting glossy pages with photos or painting reproductions; I had not thought about sketches on the regular book paper.
I find her delightfully funny in the subdued manner I love. She is of the genre of P.G. Wodehouse, Heron Carvic, Mary Lasswell, and so forth. The NAMES she gives her characters are enough in themselves to crack me up, let alone her ability to let you in on their thoughts and motivations with just a few descriptive words. Best of all is her perfect timing. She owns the ability to bring many threads of the tale together in one place and one moment in a stunning climax with seemingly no effort at all, and with absolutely no telegraphing the reader to be ready for this. Great fun!
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MARY: I'm so glad you like her. If you think she's good at drawing threads together now, wait til you get to the end!
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I'm almost finished with an interesting mystery: UNTIL THY WRATH BE PAST by Asa Larsson (a Swedish author). Set in the far north of Sweden. A young girl and her boyfriend have cut a hole in the ice in the lake and have dived to find the wreckage of a German supply plane that has been rumored to have mysteriously disappeared in 1943. Shame and secrecy shroud the locals' memories of the war, with Sweden's early collaboration with the Nazis still a raw wound. And on the windswept shore of the frozen lake a faceless killer is determined the two will not return to the surface so that the past will remain buried forever beneath half a century's silent ice and snow.
Marj
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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I must go back to Jane Langdon.. I got tired of Homer and quit reading her
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I just finished my second Sue Ann Jaffarian mystery, The Corpse on the Cob. It was quite good. The protagonist in the Odelia Grey series is overweight and works in a law firm; her husband works in computer graphics and is in a wheel chair, both interesting premises. It is one of those non-law-enforcement-person-happens-on-murders series. The mysteries are interesting and the writing moves along very well.
Jean
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I love Sue ann and have read three of her mysteries. She is hard to find. Mostly has to be on line book stores. Good writer. I also have just started... Be still my heart... Anne Hillerman... Spider Womans Daughter.. Oh me, she writes in her Dads world and is good.. it is mostly about Bernie, Who I liked very much.
I am also finishing a book recommended here by someone.. A true biography..Don't Let's go to the dogs tonight by Alexandra Fuller. Interesting, sad, manic,, and puzzling to me inspots. Good in many ways, but hard to read in others. Growing up in Africa in the current solution as a white female is not that easy.
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A fan email flew in from MARGARET MARON this morning. She has just today published a new Deborah Knott. It is called DEDICATED DAUGHTERS, and the theme is the children who have to take care of their elderly parents. I adore the Deborah Knott series, so I am quite excited. That being said, I will probably wait for the paperback to come out next year.
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Great, MaryPage. I love the Deborah KNott series, and am delighted to know there is a new one.
I see where Amazon is playing its silly little game with Hatchette Publishing, and Designated Daughters is not yet available. A large print version will be out Sept. 10. LIke you, I'll probably wait for the paperback or maybe the kindle version. I have enough "can't wait to read it" on my TBR list. (Started a reread of Murder at the Gardner last night.)
The Jaffarian mystery sounds good, Jean. I've never read any by her, but have put her on my list.
BTW, there is another Designate Daughter (singular) that you may be interested in. It's by the daughter of Phyllis Greene, sister of writer Bob Greene, about her role and her mother's, when she came to live with her after her father died.
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Steph, we've read Anne Hillerman's book. She's not her dad, but the book(s) are definitely worth reading.
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We used to follow Phyllis Greene on one or another of these boards. Somebody will know which one. It may've been the old SeniorNet.?? I did read that book.
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Margaret Maron's first series with Sigrid Harold have been republished both in paperback and ebooks (Amazon and Barnes & Nobles). I liked this series even more than Deborah Knott series although I am really forward to the new one. There's probably list at the library.
I wasn't aware of Ann Hillerman. I'm definitely looking for her books. Sounds good.
I finished all my Lord Peter Wimsey books (he is now His Grace much to his dismay) and enjoined them immensely.
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I didn't know about Anne Hillerman. Here she is.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/anne-hillerman/
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I noticed that the Emeralds title is actually the first one? Is that correct?
The order of writing is Thrones, Dominations, Presumption of Death, The Attenbury Emeralds, and The Late Scholar, and they are best read in order. Emeralds involves a mystery with roots that start when Peter was still recovering from shell shock, so it's earliest in that sense, but most of it takes place after WW II, hence after the first two books, and it fits in better if you read it third in sequence.
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PatH, I read the three books in that order, but I still have The Late Scholar on reserve. Now I'm reading The Bad Quarto by Walsh. So far I'm enjoying it.
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Hi all,
I was just looking back through all the posts I have missed (Edinburgh is festival city just now) and I happened upon the ones about Murder at the Gardner. Couldn't find it on Amazon until I searched under title instead of author - they seem to have her name as Langton not Langdon, but maybe they are wrong. Anyway on UK amazon the book has two reviews, one 5 star and one 1 star - intriguing! So I think I will order a copy, thanks for that Joan.
I've been at the Book Festival in Charlotte Square - so far two outstanding events and one OK one. The OK one was Stuart MacBride, who writes immensely popular thrillers set in Aberdeen (where I lived for 20 years.) He was a good speaker but he had turned the whole thing into a kind of a joke, with a silly Powerpoint presentation and endless stuff about use of swear words and boy jokes about bodily functions. It certainly wasn't the worst thing I've heard, and he put a lot of energy into it, but I'd have liked to hear about the books and the locations.
The two excellent ones were (i) Judith Kerr and her son Matthew Kneale and (ii) Katie Greene and Matilda Tristram.
Greene and Tristram have each written graphic novels about v difficult events in their lives: Tristram (a children's writer and an animator for TV programmes) was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer when she was 4 months pregnant, and had to have a colostomy and chemo during the pregnancy. She survived to tell the tale and her baby is now a very healthy toddler. Greene suffered from anorexia for many years (she is 30 now) and when she consulted an 'alternative' therapist he sexually abused her. Despite that both the books seem to have a lot of humour in them and both women were engaging and entertaining speakers.
Judith Kerr wrote When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, the Mog books and The Tiger Who Came to Tea. Her late husband was Nigel Kneale who wrote Quatermass. Matthew writes non-fiction. They were both absolutely delightful - Kerr is 90 now but my goodness is she on the ball - a lovely woman, very generous and kind, who spoke about her childhood (the family fled Germany just before Hitler got to her father, an outspoken journalist who turned out to be number 2 on the Fuhrer's hit list, and lived as refugees in Paris before coming to London), her happy marriage and their family life, as well as her numerous books. Kneale also described a very happy childhood and why he writes what he does. The stories about how the whole family had to pitch in to help Nigel with the special effects for the Quatermass programmes (which were all performed live on TV) were hilarious.
Rosemary
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Hi Rosemarykaye, thanks for the update. I was particularly interested in Tristam's fight with bowel cancer while pregnant. I lost a best friend who was pregnant when diagnosed with same in the early 70's. Charlie was given the choice of chemo and the loss of her child or complete the pregnancy at her great peril. She chose to continue the pregnancy, saving the baby boy at the cost of her life. She still pops into my mind on occasion. We were both readers and big Beatles fans. Such "sweet sorrow" to think of her again.
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I am enjoying the Anne Hillerman.. You know it is not Tony, but it is still quite well written and she opens Bernie up more than Tony ever did.
I will wait for the paperback on the Maron, but I do like her very much.I also downloaded a Camille Lackburg thriller yesterday, very cheap on the kindle.. and I loved the first book I read by her
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I like Camilla Lackberg, too. Have read about 4 of her books so far.
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As soon as I finish The Bad Quarto, I'm heading to the library for books by Anne Hillerman. I read all of Tony Hillerman's and enjoyed them so much. I've never heard of Camille Lackburg, I'll definitely add her to my list.
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This book is the first fiction that Anne has done, but she is writing more. I am racing towards the end now and pulling for Leaphorn.
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Jean, not everyone, I find, likes Camilla Lackberg. Me, I LOVE her books, but a I know a lot of people say they will never read another one. I cannot figure out why, but feel compelled to tell you this. The books are set in a real place in Sweden, and are rather intensely Scandinavian. They are translated into English. They are not nearly as dark as Jo Nesbo's books, which I also enjoy, but they are not cozys, either. I find her a really, really good writer, and the fact that her books have been translated into so many other languages puts her right up there with Stieg Larsson, Per Wahloo & Maj Sjowall, Jo Nesbo and Peter Hoeg.
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Our library does not have any books by Camilla Lackberg, but I'm in luck with Anne Hillerman, one. I've never ordered any books from Thriftbooks, perhaps will give it a try. The last time I ordered used books they smelled so strongly of cigaret smoke I couldn't read them.
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Anne Hillerman has only one fiction book out so far. I checked on amazon, and she has another one coming out in 2015.
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I read Camilla Lackberg's The Stonecutter and The Ice Princess. Not bad. I rated them 3+/5. IMO they both needed editing, as the author was too long-winded.
Marj
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ROSEMARY: the Langton misspelling was mine. Really sorry. (never trust my spelling: I can barely spell my own name. thank goodness for spellcheck!)
Here she is, spelled right:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/jane-langton/
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I'm reading another Catherine Coulter FBI Thriller series. I really like this series of Sherlock and Dillon Savage, husband and wife FBI agents.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/catherine-coulter/
Scroll down to "FBI Thrillers" list.
I've read some others of hers, but some are too "romance-leaning" for me.
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I finished the Anne Hillerman.She did a wonderful very tricky job of tying everything together.She is definitely on my read list.. She also makes you understand that Leaphorn and her father are tied together . A wonderful tribute .
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My Coulter wrote a lot of books! I'll try the FBI series.
Having finished reading the Miss Zukas librarian mysteries by Jo Dereske, I'm starting her next series about Ruby Crane, a handwriting analyst with a brain-injured daughter. More edgy, but so far interesting. The first book, Savage Cut takes place on a lake in Michigan, but I see they move around. Hope Dereske keeps her sense of place.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/jo-dereske/
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I liked the librarian series, will look for the new series. I am reading a Dennis Lehane.. Live by Night. not a mystery, but a gangster type book. excellent, but a bit on the brutal side.
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I am relaxing today with number 13 in the Aunt Dimity series: Aunt Dimity Vampire Hunter. After reading several intense books, I like to calm down with some light, silly fun. Then it's back to the heavy stuff. I adore Aunt Dimity, but always read and almost totally forget the stories. The weightier stuff tends to stick to me, I guess because it often gives me a lot to think about.
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I saw a Castle repeat last night where Lehane did a cameo as one of the poker players in Castle's regularly shown mystery writer's poker game.
Jean
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I've only read one by Catherine Coulter in her FBI series, THE MAZE (1997). The writing was so bad IMO I could not figure out how she ever found a publisher. She must have improved since then. I might give one of her later ones in the series a try out of curiosity since Jean likes the series.
Marj
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I have 20 more pages, since I fell asleep last night reading the Lehane. Excellent in that you are interested in Tampa,Fl. during prohibition, he does a supurb job of putting you there. Brutal , yes.. thought provokind, yes again. I do like him.
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Didn't realize Jo Dereske had another series. Read all the Miss Zukas books and liked the way she ended that series.
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I liked most of the Miss Zukas series, but don't think I have seen the last one though. Loved the Lehane. I always forget how much I like him.
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The last one is "Farewell, Miss Zukas." (Don't worry: she's not murdered!)
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Thanks,I will look for it. I like her and did not realize the series had ended. She is one of the authors that are rarely in used book stores. No idea why.
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I'm reading Anne Hillerman's book and it is as good, or even better, than several of you have mentioned. Looking forward to more from her!
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I agree.
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Yes,
Anne Hillerman has a good touch with Bernie.. Tony was better at his male characters than female.
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Clever of her to switch the emphasis like that. Her book follows characters from one of her dad's earlier stories, so it's better if you've read that.
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Out of sorts last night, so pickedup an oldie.. Jane Haddam.... Baptism of Blood.. I do like Gregor..and his crew in New York. Just started,but guess he is on his way to his friend in South Carolina
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Finished another "Richard Castle" book, Naked Heat. It was a good story but he needs a better editor. I'm fascinated by this sham of there being a real Richard Castle who writes mysteries. His bio on the book is exactly like the character in the tv show "Castle". I suppose that someday we'll find out who the real person is who is writing these books.
Jean
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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Hmm, This book with Gregor is hard to read. Haddam has turned this little town into a prototype of bigotry. I have lived all over the south for many years and have never even met this type of human. Hope never have to.
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Bookmarks Magazine came today, and with it an interesting "genre comment." A recent issue featured Canadian writers and someone had a letter in the current issue asking why award-winning writer Louise Penny had not bee included. Bookmarks answered that they had decided to focus on "straightforward fiction." That's the first I've heard that term. If they had focused on Crime, Penny would have been included.
I've just finished Tess Gerritsen's The Keepsake, my f2f's September read. I'm glad it was a book and not a movie. Creepy. Almost too much so. Definitely a thriller designed to keep you glued to your seat. Definitely not a book to read just before you go to bed. The only other one I"ve read of hers is The Bone Garden, which I liked very much.
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Oh, where is my Bookmarks magazine? My mail person or his sub, seems to be adverse to deliverying much mail on Saturday, so monday I will have a mailbox full. That magazine better be there! Today, my mail consisted of a coupon from Bed,Bath & Beyond. Whoopee. At least no bills.
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My bookmarks is not here either. I was not that thrilled with the Canadian article. Some authors I liked were not there and none of the really good mystery writers were included. Now I see why.
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Thanks, Pedln. I'll read Gerritson's The Keepsake. I like well-written "creepy" mysteries. I liked her Silent Girl.
Marj
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I hadn't read a J.A. Jance novel in several years and sort of lost track of her Joanna Brady series. "Judgment Call" published in 2012 was in the New Books Library section so I checked it out. A little slow to start but a really interesting story once it got going. :)
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I like JAJance. We've heard her speak, and she's very entertaining.
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I like Joanna, but really loved J.P.Beaumont.
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Yes, I like him too.
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Finally staggered through Louise Penney... the Light gets in...... I really did not like the main plot.. just too too political and stupid. Did enjoy the sub plot of the quints.. Why does she have to go and ruin a character like she did. Drug addiction like that is never cured,, just treated.. and generally over and over. Boo.
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Penny's new book just arrived on my kindle "The Long Way home." Haven't started it yet: a bit afraid of what she's going to do to people I like now.
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Finished another Catherine Coulter FBI series, Bomb Shell. I'm lovin them and getting them on my ipad from my library.
Jean
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JoanK,, do tell us about the latest Penney. I am hoping that with Gamache retiring to three pines, life will stop getting stupid. I love the little town, Ruth, the duck, and the rest of the characters. Would also like to know Gamache's wife better.
I am reading the current J.D. Robb.. interesting plot,, I skip the silly sex.
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I finished my Joanna Brady mystery and am starting A Flavian de Luce Novel titled The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley. I love little Flavia, but this is yet another series I haven't read in a while.
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I have only read one Flavia,, the first and must catch up.. Just not enough time for all the books.. I am reading an old Susan Wittig Albert.. about the wedding actually. I just missed it and wanted to catch up. Started and stopped two books I have had in the TBR for ages and hated.. The Monster of Florence.. ugh..Dont like Preston and don't think I like Italys idea of justice.
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We read The Monster of Florence (by preston) in our f2f book club. We were all appalled at the Italian idea of justice, as is all too clear in this Amanda Knox (?) case. There is a new book out with the title "Monster of Florence" by a totally different author and I don't think it deals with the same cases. How is it possible to have 2 identical titles within just a few years? I thought many years had to pass before you could use the same title as someone else's book??? I'm Probably wrong on that one...
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Oh thank heavens, someone else saw that Italian justice is not quite the right word.
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Te he! Is it an oxymoron?
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Italian justice seems to start from a predetermined idea of who is guilty and then switching things around to make it work.. I felt that way about Amanda Knox ( she was American and therefore some sort of monster). and when you arrest a newsman since he must be the villain something is wrong with your head.
Oh, found an interesting sort of cozy author. Penny Drake.. the books is Trash Course and it is about two hoarder brothers and how they booby-trapped their house.. etc. about 1/3 through and it has kept my interest. Have not looked anything up, but note the copyright is in a mans name
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Steph, I Googled it because I was curious, as my last name is Drake.
Penny Drake is a pen name for Steven Harper, who also uses the pen name Steven Piziks for his Science Fiction books. Apparently the one you are reading is listed as a Romance, is on E-books only, and gets 3 stars out of five. The book was written by a man.
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I have a hard copy paperback, and it is definitely a mystery,, the romance is mostly fencing.. I am almost through and it has been twisting in some interesting directions.
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I looked p Penny Drake in Fantastic Fiction and got a warning that was being transferred to an "Adults Only" web site, and I should exit if not over 18. So I exited (oh, wait, I'm 81, not 18 -- I confuse the two. ;))
Steph, what are you reading?!
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Whatever, I think she's old enough, Joan. Oh, and so be you!
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Almost done with the Penny Drake, I looked up everything in sight. The man has written under at least three names, but I only find one Penny Drake. Darn because I liked the heroine and the premise of the book. Oh.. the author seems to write a blog as well. I finally got the Stef Penney "The Invisible ones" and I think I will try that next. I put it on my wish list at the swap club at least 18 months ago..but I have some stuff on there from3-4 years ago..
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Serendipity! I love how things come together surprisingly...........You mentioned the mysteries in the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum a while back........today in my women's history newsletter they mentioned ISG, thought you might like to read it and see her portrait......
http://thefreelancehistorywriter.com/2014/08/29/isabella-stewart-gardner-the-lady-the-legend-the-legacy-a-guest-post-by-alexandra-g-kiely/?blogsub=confirming#blog_subscription-3
Jean
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Jean: your post mentions what I was waiting to mention about the mystery: "Murder at the Gardner." The plot of the fiction book is about a fictional robbery occurring at the museum. After the book came out, there was a real robbery at that museum. And, unlike the book, in reality as far as I know the paintings stolen have never been recovered.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who wonders if the book inspired the real thieves.
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Okay, now you have me intrigued. Will see if I can find the book.
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I cannot but feel a really deep doubt that the very professional thieves who performed that amazing heist at the Gardner ever read the book; but who knows. When you don't know, all you can do is make a guess one way or the other. Me, I just cannot imagine men who are engaged in that sort of thing being readers of mystery books! And it is not as if this one was on the Best Seller lists and available in every airport book kiosk.
The book, THE book to read about Isabella Stewart Gardner is MRS. JACK by Louisa Hall Tharp.
I, too, have had the great privilege of visiting Boston and being directed to be sure not to miss this museum. A dear cousin and I made a point of spending time there. I am still in awe of Isabella's accomplishment, her dream, and the works of art. I would not want to live in that palace, but it would be fun to visit someone who lived there were it once again a private home. I am glad it is required that they keep it forever as she wanted it to be, because it is my feeling that we not only come away having seen many precious works of art, but the whole collection is Isabella's conception of HER work of art. For sure!
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At least one Sunday a month many years ago, you could go and have high tea, it was wonderful.. I loved Mrs. Jack.. and no the paintings were never found.. Some stupid collector can sit and gloat that he got them.
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I was just looking at the Gardner website. Now you can even have dinner on Thursdays. I'm currently reading the Jane Langton book (along with two others) and enjoying it. My one regret is that I never visited it the two years we lived in Boston. But I was a "B school" wife with a toddler and an infant. The closest we got to history and/or museums was to visit the public gardens and ride the Swan Boats (w/Mack, Pack and Lack) and to push a baby buggy along Walden Pond. And eat at Durgin Park when the in-laws came to visit.
Am also now reading Likely to Die by Linda Fairstein. I think it's book no. 2, but doesn't have to be read in any order. I do like her and this is fascinating -- the processes and procedures and legalities involved when working with sex crimes.
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Fairstein loves to research and her books are so fascinating to read because of it. I honestly am not sure I care who did it in her books, but I do love the stories about New York.. I am as always reading several.. Sue Ann Jaffarian(Booby Trap) not as much fun as her earlier and W for Wasted by Grafton and Kinsey is always interesting.
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I finally got The Last Scholar by Jill Payton Walsh. I'm enjoying it just as much as I enjoyed all of the Wimsey/Vane mysteries from Dorothy Sayers.
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I've started the George Gently series by Hunter. Haven't decided yet if I'm going to like them. I'm already tired of him talking about himself. but this is the first book, and I assume the writing gets better. maybe I need to start later in the series.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/alan-hunter/
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Joan, I have never read those books, not a one of them. But I adore the Inspector George Gently television series. There have been seven (7) seasons thus far, and I have seen 5 of them and am into the 6th. My local PBS station show them on Saturday nights. What is his name who plays the part? Martin Shaw, that's who! Oh, he is so good!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00clbwj
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Since my PBS is a college affiliate, we don't get much.. and what we get is later at night,, so I must wait or Netflix BBC stuff.
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I've never read the books either but have enjoyed the George Gently series on Netflix. Netflix now has series 14 and 15 of Midsomer Murders with the new Det. Inspector Barnaby, cousin of the retired Barnaby. They sure picked a winner with the Barnaby---love this series.
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JEAN: a friend in another part of the country tells me how good "Midsummer murders" is, but we don't get it here. I'm jealous.
I'm getting into the Gently, and it's more interesting. Apparently, there are 46 books, so if I like him I'm set for awhile. I have the problem with the series that I often have with British TV; can't always make out what they're saying.
I've put off reporting on the latest Louise Penney "A Long Way Home" because I don't quite know what to say. On the whole, I'd say don't read it.
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Why oh Why is Louise Penney turning her books into horror type things. She had such a nice cast of characters and now she is set on destroying. Sad.
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Steph, I am sorry to hear about Louise Penny. I haven't read her latest, but I will in spite of unfavorable reviews. Will let you know how I feel after reading it.
Sally
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FORTY-SIX books about George Gently!!!!! No wonder I have not been inspired to read them!
But I do love the series. Actually, not for the stories, but for the wonderful actor who plays Gently and for the fabulous Yorkshire scenery.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm taking a break from Scifi to read Len Deighton's City of Gold, a WWII spy thriller. His first novel, The IPCRESS File, was made into a movie starring Michael Caine. In addition to spy novels, he wrote history, cookbooks, and travel guides. He also did some design work (starting his career as an illustrator) which included the first cover for Kerouac's On the Road, did a comic strip for a while, and briefly dabbled in film production.
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I have given up on Louise Penny, despite the fact that I love Inspector Gamache and Three Pines. Does anybody know how to pronounce Gamache?
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46,, and all by the same author. Wow..
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And apparently about the same DCI!
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Gamache is pronounced Ga Mash'
If you click on this link, you can hear the pronunciations of the main characters in Louise Penny's own very pleasant voice.
http://www.louisepenny.com/translations/CharacterNames64kps.mp3
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testing
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Sorry about that "testing" but earlier the site would not let me POST reply (I lost one entirely) don't know what's wrong with my computer this morning.
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Interesting comment Tomereader - i have had problems downloading sites today, first on Safari and later on Internet Explorer. Chrome seemed to be working o.k., but i was only on it for a short time.
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I don't know about yesterday, but today some sites are participating in a internet slowdown in support of net neutrality, according to BBC. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-29127179 So far today, I am not seeing it though. I had a little trouble yesterday morning with several sites.
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Oh joy, I ran into a Carol O'Connell new book on Mallory yesterday and am deep in it. She is way past weird, but I love the stuff.
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Welcome to this site, FRYBABE. If you like Deighton, looks like you have a lot of reading ahead. Seems that he wrote a tone of books.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/len-deighton/
Let us know what you think.
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Penny does have a great voice, doesn't she.
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I must not have posted in here for a while. :D
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Still swimming along on Broadway with Carol O'Connell. A complicated book as always and Mallory is still way past weird, but a lot of information on staging plays, etc.
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Sorry, FRY. But you're always missed when you don't post.
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Snagged a Charles Finch that I hadn't read: "An Old betrayal". It's good, and I see there's another even newer one out as well: "The Laws of Murder."
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/charles-finch/
(Boy, he's young to have written so much: 34? But he puts them out fast!)
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I am falling behind on Finch.. 34,, I think I have read five.. oh me.
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For anyone considering reading Tom Rob Smith's "The Farm" - think twice. I am about half way through and IMO, it's hopeless. I had good expectations, having read "Child 44" by him, but this seems an "experimental novel/mystery".
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Thanks, Tomereader, for your opinion of Tom Rob Smith's The Farm. I have it here ready to be read. After your remarks, I won't push myself to finish it if I have trouble with it. I'll let you know.
Marj
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I hope you have a better opinion of it than I had. I took it back to the library. Have some better choices I picked up, all for recommendations to f2f book club (not the Mystery one). I am going to read the following:
"The Invention of Wings"; "A Separate Peace" (Knowles). Also, we are reading for Oct. "
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Read a new (to me- I see it came out last year) book by Felix Francis (the son of Dick Francis). the first two were ok, not as good as his father, but worth reading. This one-- on the plus side it kept me up late last night reading it. But it was stupid. The plot was stupid, consisting almost entirely of the violence that Francis is known for without the counterbalance of learning something about the racing or another scene. And the narrator didn't take the most obvious simple steps to avoid the threats he was under!
And his research was bad. (I'm on a tear about this, so excuse me). the narrator is Sid Haley, the ex-jockey with one hand who has appeared in several other books. He's whining about how terrible it is to have one hand, and as someone born with only one fully usable hand, I get impatient. He's whining about not being able to do things with one hand that I've been doing with one hand all my life. I want to say "stop feeling sorry for yourself and find a good occupational therapist to teach you how if you're too dumb to figure it out for yourself!"
I'll bet Felix just didn't do his homework to find out how one-handed people manage. There, that's my rant for the day!
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Wow, Tomereader, so you're going to read Knowles' A Separate Peace (from 1958?). I remember reading that long ago as a freshman in college and liking it very much. Don't hear of many reading it now.
Marj
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JoanK, you reminded me of a fellow in my classes in high school. He learned to type without having fingers on one hand, and I don't mean using just his good hand to type. He had a can do attitude. I never heard him complain nor did I ever hear anyone bully or make fun of him.
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I don't read Felix. I tried, but he simply is not nearly as good as his Dad, who had his wife to do his research.
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Wow, Tomereader, so you're going to read Knowles' A Separate Peace (from 1958?). I remember reading that long ago as a freshman in college and liking it very much. Don't hear of many reading it now.
Marj
I started A Separate Peace, but don't know that i will be able to finish. So far he's only talked about (described every single solitary thing about Phineas, but where is the "rest of the story"? Guess I need to read further but it's gonna be a long haul for me if this continues.
Read an interesting, funny&serious book "Early Decision". My best friend who was a teacher for a good number of years, said she wouldn't be interested, but I just loved the book. About a woman who coaches high school students who are trying to get into the "best" colleges, and helping them with their submissions, essays, etc. Well-written, funny in a lot of ways,but deadly serious subject matter. If you were a teacher and don't wish to return to that phase of your life, I'd say NO don't read it. But for me, simply loved it.
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I just finished City of Gold. Even though it felt difficult to put down, it took a while to get trough somehow. The characters were an interesting mix. Their lives seemingly separate at first and just briefly passing or meeting each other, gradually came together as the war, and Rommel, came closer to Cairo. What a hotbed of intrigue Cairo must have been. In trying to locate a spy who is feeding very accurate info to the Germans about Allied forces supplies, troop movements, and plans, we run across Egyptian rebels trying to unseat King Farouk, deserters from both sides of the war, and black market dealings primarily trying to secure supplies and weapons for the Jewish movement to unseat the British in what is now Israel. The ultimate source of information the Nazi's got from Cairo was a surprise to me. I looked it up and found this on History Net. If you want to read the book, this is a major spoiler sp don't read it. If not, it may be a bit of history that you, like me, knew nothing about.
http://www.historynet.com/intercepted-communications-for-field-marshal-erwin-rommel.htm
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Oh my, sounds like my kind of book. Who wrote it..
Life was complicated yesterday at my house since my not that old dog had a heart attack.. He was rushed to the vet, had all sorts of stuff done and now is home with five different sets of pills on strict bed rest. Doing a big better, but still very ill.
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That is upsetting Steph. How do you keep a dog on strict bed rest is he wants to get up and move around?
Len Deighton is the author. During WWII he was a photographer for the RAF's Special Investigation Branch (SIB).
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STEF: so glad your dog is all right!
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Who knew Ruth Rendell was still writing? I didn't, anyway. She's 84 and has a book coming out in October. I've got her latest Inspector Wexall book, "Nobody's Nightingale." So far, it's good. He's retired, but is helping his former colleagues.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/ruth-rendell/
I can see I've missed quite a few of her books. Have to catch up.
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TOME: is this your book?
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/lacy-crawford/early-decision.htm
Sounds interesting. Although with a grandson who'll be applying to colleges in a few years, not sure whether I do or don't want to know!
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That's the one! If one has "connections" or would be a "legacy" student, makes all the difference in the world. However, as the book shows, perhaps the young woman/man is not interested in going to their parents' alma mater.
I really liked the book! It might be nice to know some of this "stuff" on behalf of your grandson, and according to the author, it's never too early to start!
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The short answer with dogs on bed rest is a crate. Since Duncan hates crates however, I am settling for one room in the house, next to my chair. He has his bed and also a big fluffy towel next to it, since for some reason he loves towels to cuddle on. He is much much better today. Back to the vet this am, since he wants to take his walks big time. He is a very busy bee and loves walking up and down the mountain, Me, not so much
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I have read a few by Ruth Rendell and/or Barbara Vine, another name she writes under. I have owned and watched all of the DVDs of the television shows the BBC made from her stories. I don't buy her books anymore, because, frankly, they always depress me. Always. I wind up feeling heavily saddened and not very happy about the state of mankind. Hey, I can get all I might wish of that for free just by watching the news!
She is a very talented writer, I will say that; but her plots are sick. Maybe she has changed?
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Mary Page: I agree with you. But her Inspector Wexford books are different: lighter police procedurals. That's the one I read. It's ok -- a little slow and rambling, but not bad for 82 (as she was at the time. It features a cleaning lady who talks all the time, and boy can I relate!!!
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Ken Burns series on The Roosevelts airing now on PBS brought to mind the two mystery series with Roosevelts as detectives. The author of the series featuring Eleanor as detective is her son Eliot. But who wrote the series with Teddy, as police commissioner of New York? Does anyone remember?
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Ah, I found it on "Stop you're killing me" by using the locate on index. It's Lawrence Alexander.
http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/A_Authors/Alexander_Lawrence.html
Acording to fantastic Fiction, he's now writing legal beagles onder his real name of Buffa. They don't list his Alexander mysteries: I assume it's the same person.
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I can think of several books on that era that use Teddy as a character, not necessarily the main character, but he was so vivid they like using him..
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Darm, none of my libraries carry Lawrence Alexander's books about Teddy Roosevelt.
Marj
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How about Caleb Carr's The Alienist and Angel of Darkness.
Marj
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh yes, I loved both of the Carr books.. and that is author I was groping for.
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I picked up an ebook from Bookpub, The Gauguin Connection by Estelle Ryan. I knew nothing about the book or the author but the description was intriguing.
The protagonist is (perhaps, she hasn't labeled herself yet) a high-functioning autustic who works for an insurance company in Europe. She is very good at reading body language so the company films their interviews of clients who say they have been robbed, she then views the video in her own, private, "safe" space and determines if the clients are lying. She is also very good at analyzing information and putting pieces of it together to solve problems.
A Deputy of a NATO-like organization comes to the CEO of the insurance company to help with an investigation of stolen guns from their warehouses and Genevieve is asked to help solve the mystery. It's much more complicated than the stolen guns, of course. I'm just a quarter of the way into it, but am liking it very much, so far. It's the first of a series.
Jean
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That sounds really interesting.
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Yes, will look for that.. Having an asburgers grandson, I know how much he treasures his privacy
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I think someone here mentioned The Art Forger by Shapiro. The library got it for me yesterday. I read about 40 pgs last night. The story has a nice flow. I just got the setup, it sounds like it might be good. Has anyone read it?
Jean
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Now I'm confused. I know I read "The Alienist", but cant remember if it was the book I was thinking of. I'll have to get it and see.
I've been reading Buffa's legal thrillers. I like them, bun not sure if anyone else would. Full of characters who spout philosophy and quote Aristotle (makes me feel like I'm a sophomore in college again, just discovering the joys of thinking!) And he really doesn't like women. But good suspenseful plots.
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Yesterday Jean mentioned a book by Estelle Ryan, went on Amazon and it was free on Kindle. Hooray..
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Thanks, JoanK, for your recommendation of Dudley W. Buffa's legal thrillers. They sound good to me! I've put his first of the series, The Defense, on hold at the library.
Odd, when I was at university, I deliberately avoided any books on philosophy, but now I find the subject fascinating.
Marj
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Usually, I make a rule not to read two books by the same author in a row. But I read the first two by Buffa, and started a third later in the series, ("Breach of Trust")and can't stand it! Little plot, but endless analysis of characters and relationships in a way that seems to have little relationship to reality.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/d-w-buffa/
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Jean, I am one who recommended THE ART FORGER. I adored it.
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Thankyou MaryPage. :)
Steph - i'm about half-way thru The Gauguin Connection and still liking it a lot. It says it's the first of a series. I certainly will look for more. I don 't know if she's published any more yet. I'll have to look.
Jean
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She has several, all are on Kindle but not Free. I was trying to find what you had gotten "free" and discovered I had already ordered it way back (not read it yet).
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yes, I made a note that the others were not free.. at least not now. Possibly you get sucked in with the first one and then spend money to get the rest.
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I enjoyed The Art Forger very much. A little disapointed in the ending, though.
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I've recommended to my library to get the rest of the series in their ebook collection.
Jean
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I ordered "The Gauguin collection" the next one is "The Dante Connection" and is $5.99.
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Curious to have one of you explain to me how it works that a public library has and loans out an ebook collection. Cannot quite figure out how that would work.
I have an iPad, and there are about a dozen books on its bookshelves, bought in a frenzy of enthusiasm when I first got it. Then I discovered I MUCH prefer a real book, so those books languish in there against the day I might need them. That day does not seem to come. In the meantime, all those iTunes gift cards family members showered on me, and my son loaded into the iPad store account for me, sit in there as a fairly hefty sum, waiting to be spent. Have purchased about 30 pieces of favorite music, and 3 movies, but just don't go there very often. It is sort of a been there, done that kind of thing. Much prefer my real books, magazines, and newspapers, followed when it suits me by real movies on the television by way of my DVD player or cable. Have Newsweek and Time electronically on my iPad, but again, have pretty much given up on Newsweek and still read Time on paper.
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I have the New York Times and the Washington Post on my IPAD and read them every day. Also have the CNN site and browse that. I am reading an odd mystery that am not quite sure how I feel about it. Someone recommended Kelli Stanley.. and I got her first City of Dragons.. It is good, but I must confess that I feel like sitting down and writing to her that her heroine does not have to chain smoke and constantly refer to it. It does not move the plot along and makes me impatient with her.
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I have ABC and NBC and CBS and BBC and PBS and MSNBC on my iPad. About the only place I really constantly check is the CBS RADAR for the weather, though.
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MaryPage, I rarely read a "traditional book" at all any more. It's so much easier for me to read on my iPad. I do read the "real" newspaper that's delivered to our door every morning. Different strokes (as they say). :D
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MaryPage - re: ebook borrowing...... Go to your library home page ( or catalogue), they may have a link to ebooks. In the catalogue you may be able to request "mode/type" of material and can input "ebooks". When you choose a "book" you will be asked to register. We have to designate an umbrella library, ours is linked to the South Jersey Regional Library - that allows for a larger collection of ebooks, and audio books, to be available. You may be linked to Overdrive, an app that allows you to access Kindle/Amazon ebooks. Once you register you use it like any other app, or any other catalogue search. The Kindle books are available to you for two weeks and can be renewed. Your library may have a different time frame.
If this is confusing, i'm sure your library has a help page or flyer to tell you how they do it specifically and much mire understandable then what i said. :)
I still prefer a hardcopy book too, but having the ebooks available is very convenient and they have books that my library doesn't have, or are on long hold lists. I got The Invention of Wings months before the hard copy was available.
Jean
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I love love love my kindle -- have over 600 books in my archives. Unfortunately, it's too old to use my library e-book app. But I also go to the library every three weeks and bring home about a dozen books (not all of which I read -- since I have someone waiting for me, I pretty much grab books off the shelf. And my memory is getting so bad: this time I found that four of the books I'd already read!)
I counted once for fun, and I read about 20 books a month. (That's what happens when you're in a wheelchair and have a perfect excuse not to do your own housework. heh, heh heh). Of course many of them are mysteries, which are quick reads.
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Here's Kelli Stanley.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/kelli-stanley/
Sounds interesting. I'll bet she's connected to Gary Corby who writes the mysteries with Socrates' older brother as the detective (note the books she recommends. And her detective is named Corbie).
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Thanks for explaining to me how it works, Jean. I do not plan to make any attempt to get ebooks from my library, as I would run out of time allotted before even starting one, most likely, so I prefer to stick to owning the books myself, but I was curious.
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I'm reading Donna Leon's new book "By It's Cover". Someone is cutting pages out of priceless old books at a research library. Very interesting so far. (And our detective has eaten several meals at home without mentioning what his wife cooked. I'll bet Leon is on a diet. ;)
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I am struggling with the book. She overwrites and I may give it up.. I don't like books, that tell you each step someone takes and every thing they eat and the smoke smoke smoke and all the police are automatically bad to the heroine..
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I love Donna Leon's books and have read By Its Cover, Joank. I always go on the library reserve list as soon as I find out she has a new one. Right now I am rereading Jane Austin's Persuasion.
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Jean: great choices! I'm with you.
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Gave up on City of Dragons.. Just not something I was enjoying. Has anyone noted that the promos for Gone Girl are out and they make it sound like a horror movie?? I was amazed..
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Am reading The Darling Dahlias and the Silver Dollar Bush. This is Albert's 5th book in the series. The story is a little slow in the beginning but soon picks up. Just a light read but Albert does portray a small southern town in the 1930s correctly IMO. A good reminder that we have been in bad times before. I didn't realize scrip money was used during the great depression so the book started me on a history lesson.
"Desperate to avoid disaster, several town leaders—including Alvin Duffy, the bank's new vice president—hatch a plan to print Darling Dollars on Charlie Dickens' printing press. The "funny money" can serve as temporary currency so the town can function. But when the first printing of the scrip disappears, the Darling Dahlias set out to discover who made an unauthorized withdrawal."
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I love the herb series, but don't care for the others as much. I may catch up enough today to actually look at a book.. Thus far, just one huge race to get stuff done.
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I have trouble keeping up with all the characters in the Darling Dahlias. It bogs the plot down.
Another who is getting bogged down in too many continuing characters is Deborah Crombie. I love her books, but I finally got her latest (due to a mix up, Amazon didn't send it to me) "To Dwell in Darkness." Interesting plot, but the murder plot gets left behind in developments in all the continuing character's lives.
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Came home from my chair yoga class yesterday, and decided it was the perfect time to read a yoga mystery I picked up in the library. "Murder strikes a pose" the first in the "Downward Dog" series (Downward Dog is a yoga pose, illustrated on the cover)
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/tracy-weber/murder-strikes-a-pose.htm
The author is a yoga instructor and dog lover, and the plot involves a yoga instructor, trying to solve the murder of a homeless man while finding a forever home for his special needs dog. The book suffers from some first book problems, but I'll definitely read more.
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Downward dog.. a favorite of mine. relieves the back and clears the head.
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Huh?
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A Yoga position is "downward dog"
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Downward Dog is a favorite beginning position in Yoga, It stretches a lot of muscles at once and prepares the body for the various stretches..
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Click on the link for the book, and you'll see it illustrated. (you don't need the dog to do it).
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/tracy-weber/murder-strikes-a-pose.htm
In the chair yoga class we do a modified version standing behind the chair and holding on. Not as downward as the original, but a great stretch. (I do my own version my wheelchair.
Not sure the yoga teacher in the book is a good role model, as she has anger issues. At one point, she is so angry that, thinking she is alone, she throws a cup at the wall and almost hits a women who has come to ask about the "inner peace" workshop. Not good yoga, but funny.
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reading a new (to me) Rhys Bowen, the Molly Murphy series. I see I have missed a number of books. Molly now has a baby, and is running around Paris trying to solve a mystery while always getting back in time to breastfeed her baby.
An interesting look at Paris in 1905.
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I just finished watching a two parter on Sherlock Holmes influence on Forensics and how he changed police procedure. It was a newish (it includes the newest incarnation) PBS program that I don't think my station aired. Very interesting.
During the program the book, Criminal Investigation: A Manual for Judges, Practitioners, and Students by Hans Gross, was discussed. It was the first forensic manual. Lucky me, I found it on Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1320
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I get a kick out of Rhys book on the young woman who is skatey eight away from the throne and cannot work, etc. They are fun and silly. Not as fond of Molly
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Well, I saw Sarah Armstrong-Jones on ROYAL PAINTBOX last week on PBS. Admitting to poor arithmetic, I count her something like 19th or 20th in line for the throne, and she most definitely works. And didn't Prince Edward himself work? Of course, if you count being in the armed forces, a lot more work and have worked. I know Edward's wife worked on after they were married. I admit those books are fun, goodness knows I have enjoyed a few, but I wonder about the can't work thing. Maybe it takes the Queen's permission? But how deep into the succession would THAT dig?
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Fry: I watched that program too, and was fascinated by it. I had no idea that Doyle had that kind of influence. I don't watch the CSI programs, because they're too graphic for squeamish me. But I'm interested in forensics.
If you don't want to download the forensic manual, It's available on kindle for $1:99. I'll read the sample and let you know.
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STEPH: I like Bowen's "Royal Spyness" series better than the Molly books, too. She's 39th in line for the throne, so of course she's not allowed to WORK! But she has no money. She's always scrounging free food but she's always hungry. The queen is always inviting her to tea (with all kinds of goodies which protocol won't allow her to eat) and trying to arrange horrible marriages for her.
They're my favorite, but I like Molly too. And Evan Evans, the Welsh policeman.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/rhys-bowen/
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I am reading a new Sandford book about Virgil.. Virgil is a favorite of mine.. He has a different outlook on life and contrary to Lucas..( who I like, but is violent), Virgil tends to be laid back and funny.. In this one, there are two Israeli women.. both insisting they are the same person.. Fun.
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Steph: is this the guy?
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/john-sandford/
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Yes, Sandford writes two different, but intertwined seris plus a few that are early that I do not like.. Lucas Davenport is the main series.. Violent but compelling. One of the very few violent mysteries that I like.. The second series is quite a bit newer.. Virgil Flowers.. He works in Minnesota as well as Lucas, but in a rural area, he is very very different and somewhat funny.. Sort of a ladies man in an odd sort of way.. I like both series but Virgil is much much gentler. The early ones are the Kidd series and I am not that fond of them.
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I tried to read Catherine Coulter's Backfire, one in her FBI series, but had to toss it after about ten chapters. Really boring. Too many characters (some just names mentioned), too much about the goings on in the various families, too much redundant talk about how was the judge who had been shot doing, on and on. This was my second book in this series (both DNFs). No more by her.
Marj
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I am not fond of Coulter.. Reading an author who does not write much. Abigail Padgett.. "The Last Blue Place Special.. Her heroine ( sort of) is nicknamed Blue and is as odd as they come. Lives in the desert in an abandoned motel.. but is some sort of Analyst. Very different reading.
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I have liked some of the Coulter FBI series. I think they may have been the first two of the series.
I am reading a Margaret Moran Judge Knott book where she and Dwight go to NYC for their delayed honeymoon. They meet up, because of a murder, of course, with Sigrid of Moran's other series. I tried to read one of the Sigrid series and didn't finish it. I just didn't like the character. So, i don't know if i'm going to like this book.
Jean
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I read all of the Sigrid series and liked them even better than the ones with Judge Knott. Totally different characters but both interesting.
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I am now reading The Book of Lost Fragrances by M. J. Rose. It is good, but so far it isn't a can't put down read. Also, I have e-borrowed The Club Dumas. I am only a few pages into that one.
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Flajean - isn't it nice that the world is made up of "different strokes for different folks." ............ :D :D
Remember that 60s cliche?
Jean
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Frybabe, where do you get your recommendations for books you read--some of which sound very intriguing. M. J. Rose's books look interesting. I put her SEDUCTION; A NOVEL OF SUSPENSE on my TBR list.
Marj
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Marj,The Book of Lost Fragrances was recommended by someone on this site some time back. I've had it on my library wish list since the end of January. I forget who recommended The Club Dumas , but, it was either here or on Seniors and Friends not too long ago. The last book on my library wish list from last January is Donna Leon's first book; I plan on borrowing that after reading these two.
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Ah, the joys of mysteries. There is something for everyone there. My only real turn off is if in the first 25 pages of the book, everyone is wonderfully handsome, more beautiful than flowers, etc. You get the drift. I just put them down and go on with my life.
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I read The Book of Lost Fragrances sometime back. I really enjoyed it; and may have been the one who recommended it. So far, I haven't read another book by this author, but plan to do so.
Sally
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It took me a little while, Salan, but I got more involved with the book by the time I got half way through. The separate elements are coming together.
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Here is a description of "The Book of Lost fragrances." Sound interesting. Does it have a fantasy/mystical aspect?
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/m-j-rose/book-of-lost-fragrances.htm
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Well, I am not sure how to classify it exactly. Jac studies myths and tries to find the factual basis behind them. He is the one with the sharp nose and visions brought on by certain scents. Her brother Robbie believes in the legends pertaining to "memory tools" supposedly help people to remember past lives and the family legend that an ancestor found a perfume that does just that and brought it and the formula for it back to Paris. The hunt is on to find it. Of course, they aren't the only ones interested in getting their hand on it. There is some romance, a murder, and plenty of intrigue.
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I remember someone mentioning it, but don't know who it was. Have never read the book.
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Just finished The Book of Lost Fragrances. Good read, although there was at least one scene near the end that didn't make sense. If you must go through a room that, because of its makeup, necessarily makes for a noisy passage, why didn't our intrepid heroes hear someone sneaking up behind them when they were in the next room (no closed doors here)?
Just began The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte and already I am learning things about Dumas and The Three Musketeers I didn't know. For instance, the book was inspired by a real D'Artagnon who wrote an earlier novel, and that the three musketeers and Milady, were based on real people. They may or may not have known each other, however. SparkNotes has several paragraphs of historical background about these people.
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Goodness, I have to put that on my tbr list. Sounds interesting.
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Just finished an interesting book "The Woman Who Walked into the Sea", the second in the "sea detective" series. The detective is an oceanographer who specializes in figuring out where things lost at sea will wash up. He does some detecting, but the focus in on a small Scottish seaside town and an old tragedy.
I'll definitely read the first.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/mark-douglas-home/woman-who-walked-into-sea.htm
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A lot of Dumas (pere et fils) was based upon real history. I think they were very politically aware, and tried to hide their biases in humor. Shakespeare did the same. But Dumas pere has one of the most fascinating life histories of any author.
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Joan, that sounds interesting. Will check on that author.
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Mary: you've got me curious now. have to look him up.
Jean: let us know what you think.
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This non-fiction book has been on my TBR list for awhile now. It is about Alexandre Dumas, Pere's father General Alexandre Dumas. https://www.scribd.com/doc/106362134/The-Black-Count-by-Tom-Reiss-Excerpt Scroll down and you can read an excerpt from the book.
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Way back inmy 20's , read a nonfiction on Dumas father and son. It was wonderful. I cannot begin to remember the title, but it read more like fiction than non and I loved it.
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The two famous writers, pere & fils? Well, fils was one of pere's many illegitimates! Just shows to go ya, since pere had legal children as well and all, that you never know upon which of your progeny the spark of genius will descend. Provided, of course, there IS a spark of genius to pass on, as in this case there most certainly was!
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JoanK, one of our branch libraries has a book with that title by an author named Craig, but no books at all by a Mark Douglas-Home. I wonder if one of those names is a pseudonym?
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Jean: no. it's a different book. I haven't read it.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/philip-r-craig/woman-who-walked-into-sea.htm
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JoanK, I had $11 left on an Amazon gift card so I got the book by Douglas-Home on my iPad with my Kindle App. Boy, that was fast. It was sitting there ready to be read in a second!
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Ah, the joys and mysteries of the speed of the Kindle.. love it, but oh me, it does make it easy to spend money.
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I think that's the idea Steph. ;D George just got the Fire 8.9HDX (I assume the latest, knowing him). I am green all over. He thought he was getting something that he could use as a cell phone too, but no. I didn't ask if he was going to keep it anyway.
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I have the Kindle fire, but not the most current one..I am still on the edge on the phone things. I suspect I will succumb sooner or later.
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The Woman Who Walked into the Sea is a really good mystery. However, I still don't enjoy reading an ebook. For some reason I just prefer holding a "real" book. One of these days I'll change, I guess.
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I read both ways, but I find that my Kindle 2nd generation is just perfect for when one or both of my cats decides to plop down on my lap. Lucy, especially, likes face time and will try to push my reading away. Holding a read book one handed, or trying to use the stylus with my Fire when either one is determined not to have anything between me and them is less then optimal. My 2nd Gen Kindle is the lightest and the buttons are easy to operate with one hand while holding the device. I can hold it behind the cats heads and not get arm fatigue, nor do I have to deal with them trying to knock the devise or book away or grab the stylus. I save reading a real book or use my Fire when they are not on my lap.
I'll be picking up my first Donna Leon book at the library today, although I probably won't start reading if for a few days.
Dana Stabenow is still on writing her Silk Road series, with the second one just out on Kindle only. The third is due out this coming spring. Book one is in paperback, Kindle and audio CD. Has anyone read the first one, Everything Under the Heavens?
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My KIndle fire .. I am reading The Thrones,Dominations.. Peter Wimsey continuation.. I love it and yesterday in the restaurant, it was just right. I have to be careful to be put where there is not intense light since it is hard to use the Kindle then. I get a kick out of the measuring of my reading speed. Tends to slow down when I am eating.
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Put me in the real book corner, rather permanently, I think. I have a whole library of books stacked up on my iPad, and never go near them now the novelty has worn off. Too heavy, for one thing. Just doesn't suit my style of reading.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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I have two ipads - 1st and 2nd generations - and have 2 different kinds of "holders" for them. One just covers the back of the ipad and has a "stand" so i don't have to hold it at all. The second is a padded complete cover designed so i can prop the ipad in groves in the cover, again leaving my hands free. I'm sure there are a dozen different designs and costs for other ipad holders.
I can set either one on the broad arm of my chair or on the table next to my bed and read or listen while i crochet, knit, or "write" as i'm doing now. Or i can listen with or without earbuds and i'm close enough to the outlet that i don't have to use up the charge. No hand pain is involved.
I still prefer holding a book, especially in bed, but i do use the ipad for about one out of five book readings.
Jean
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I'm reading a really terrifying book that I got free on my Kindle. It's not a murder mystery, but something that could actually be perpetrated on a certain segment of the population: Seniors.
The title is "The Planner" by Alexandra Swann. I can't say whether it is available other than via Ebook on Kindle (it was free at the time!). I think it's $2.99 now, below is how Amazon describes it:
Once a top-producing real estate agent with a successful business and a beautiful home, Kris Mitchell is a victim of the economic downturn. She has lost her home to foreclosure, and her long-time boyfriend has married someone else. Then, just when she has almost given up hope for a better future, an opportunity presents itself for her to become a Level 1 Planner for a newly created federal agency that will implement the Retire America Act of 2013.
After persuading her own aging parents to sign over all of their assets, Kris learns that the government’s plan to confiscate the wealth and property of America’s retirees in exchange for lifelong care in the Smart Seniors community has some serious downsides. As she relinquishes more and more personal freedom to hold onto her job, she discovers what it means to trade liberty for a steady government paycheck.
Makes the old saying "I'm with the Government and I'm here to help you" bring chills and goosebumps!
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FRY: no, I haven't read the Stabenov, but I will. Here it is (scroll down to get a description of the book, click on the author to get a complete list of published and upcoming books).
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/dana-stabenow/everything-under-the-heavens.htm
In her previous books, her strength was the Alaskan background, including inclusion of real people as minor characters. I'm curious to see how she does in an historical setting.
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Let us know how you like Donna Leon, FRY.
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JEAN AND TOME: missed your posts. That does sound terrifying!
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My fire is light, my ipad ( original) is quite heavy.. I love real b ooks are well. Sometimes it is just easier to use the Kindle, etc. I travel with both of them.. Email is easier on myIPAD and books on the Kindle..
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Tomereader, that book you mentioned, The Planner, sounds like something a member of the Tea Party would write to scare others of that ilk. Social Security, Medicare, and Obamacare scares the h... out of them. LOL
Marj
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That was my first reaction, as well. As one who is living on the monthly paycheck of a retired federal government servant, I am beyond grateful for the old age rewards for years and years of keeping my nose to the grindstone. And, believe you me, I ain't rich and the end of the month finds me at the bottom of the barrel and looking forward eagerly to the first of the month!
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Yep, Mary Page, as another retired Government servant, I know exactly what you mean. And our children won't even have what we do.
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I like "Legal Beagles." I've just discovered the Rachel Gold books by Michael Kahn.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/michael-a-kahn/
But beware -- her sidekick is a Jewish lawyer with a mouth like a sewer.
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Hmm, I seem to think the name is something that I remember.. Probably read at least one. Still kindling along with
Thrones , Dominions.. No question in my mind, that she telegraphed the murdered, but it is still good.
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I have to modify my recommendation of Michael Kuhn's series. Some of the books get too sexually graphic for me. I think it's the earliest ones, the later ones seem to have gotten away from that.
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I want to thank those who have mentioned Donna Leon and her Guido Brunetti series. What a delight to read. I had to laugh at the description of Brunetti's superior. He sounds so much like the character that plays the captain in the Endeavor series. Since I am almost done with #1, I have put a hold on the next one.
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I finished Thrones, Dominions and am now on Attenbury Emeralds. Jill does capture the essence of Peter, Bunter and Harriet..
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FRY: isn't it a delight to discover a new author, and know they have loads of books waiting for you.
I always have to sit on my hands to keep me from reading them all at once. I know from bitter experience that no matter how good they are, I'll get tired of them after three books unless I dilute them with other authors. in between.
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My now read is The Lost Empress. It's the latest Jefferson Tayte genealogical mystery. Waiting at the library for me to pick up is The Baker Street letters by Michael Robertson.
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I found a copy of the Baker Street Letters at a book sale and have it in my tbr pile, which is truly out of hand.
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;D Likewise, Steph, likewise.
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I just put Donna Leon's first book of the series on my TBR list. Thanks to those of you who recommended this series.
Marj
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I love the Baker Street Letters series. FF says that it's been optioned by Warner Brothers for television. It would make a great TV series, but surely should be done in England.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/michael-robertson/
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I didn't know it was a series, JoanK.
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t's not. A movie company has bought the rights. IF they make a series, it will take a while before we see it.
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This has been a stupid week, but dragged out the newest Donna Andrews. Love all of the animals and people. Not much plot but great fun
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For Steph and others who, like me, really enjoy Charles Finch's Charles Lenox mystery series:
Finch has a new book in the series coming out November 11, THE LAWS OF MURDER. The Amazon book description says, "a friend, a member of Scotland Yard, is shot near Regent’s Park. As Lenox begins to parse the peculiar details of the death – an unlaced boot, a days-old wound, an untraceable luggage ticket – he realizes that the incident may lead him into grave personal danger, beyond which lies a terrible truth."
Yum!
Marj
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I like those, too; I truly do. So relaxing and so much fun.
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I just finished Fern Michael's Hocus Pocus, one of the "sisterhood" mysteries of women avengers. I had read 2 before and liked them.
This one didn't work for me. The story and writing seemed disjointed and incredible. I don't mind some amazing tricks and technology masterpieces to help characters and stories along, but this was way over the top of believability.
I was very disappointed because i like the concept of harmed women working together with some men to get their revenge on their predators.
Jean
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I just finished The Lost Empress. It was just so-so, compared to his others, IMO. It may be because I just wasn't real interested in reading about a WWI spy. Also, I had figured out two of the characters before the ending. I do like the Jefferson Tayte character. He seems geekish, a bit pudgy with a fondness for Hershey's Miniatures, often uncomfortable with people (especially women), a fear of flying, and always with his briefcase either by his feet or on his lap.
Next is Donna Leon's, Death in a Strange Country. Already I am hooked on the story. There is a map of Venice at the beginning of the book, but so far I am having trouble finding any of the mentioned places. I'll have to get a hold of a map of Venice that is easier to read and more detailed. I am leaving Baker Street Letters for after.
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A new Finch.. Hooray for us. Just what I need. Just got my copy of Alice.. the biography of Alice Roosevelt.. Someone had recommended it and I had put it on my book swap wish list.. Huge book incidentally.
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Here is Fern Michaels
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/fern-michaels/
My she's written a lot!
In general, I don't like private vengeance, although there have certainly been times I've felt like it. That way lies chaos: humans have worked for thousands of years to find a legal system that will replace the endless cycle of vengeance and counter vengeance that causes such misery. Just look at Israel and the Middle East for a counter example.
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Fern Michaels is another popular writer in my area.
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Just started a new book and author ( first book).. Playing Dead.. by Julia Heaberlin. 30 pages in and I am hooked..
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Here it is. It sounds gripping!
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/julia-heaberlin/playing-dead.htm
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Just started the new Hercule Poirot mystery, The Monogram Murders" by Sophie Hannah.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/sophie-hannah/monogram-murders.htm
It's not Agatha Christie. The social class stereotyping is gone (I, for one, don't miss it) and the narrator (a young policeman) is suffering from psychological angst (can you imagine Christie writing about that?), but not enough to get in the way of what looks like a good plot. I'll let you know.
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I agree about personal vendettas, Joan, but some fictitious vengeance is fun.
;D
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Playing Dead is a typical first novel.. Could have stood a bit more coherence, but it is good indeed and I see a bright future for her.
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Have y'all discussed or has anyone read the D.I.Banks mysteries - I wondered how closely the PBS series followed the books - I understand the books go back to the late 1980s with nearly every years since an additional story has been published adding to the list.
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Yes, Barbara, I have patiently purchased every single Peter Robinson (the author) book every year when a new one comes out in paperback, because once years ago I read a rave review of him. Like so many other books I buy and put on my shelves, the Robinsons are each carefully numbered on the outside with my stickers, so that I can both keep them in proper order on those shelves and know which order to read them in. I must confess, with so much on hand to read, I completely neglected Robinson until those films began to appear on PBS. By the way, the DCI Banks in the films does not look AT ALL like the one portrayed in the book, but I have become quite used to and fond of him. Anyway, starting with my liking the films, I started reading the actual books, and I have now completed NINE (9) of them and have number ten (In A Dry Season) ready and waiting on a bedside stack. Still, there is so much ELSE waiting its turn to be picked up and read, that lord only knows when I will finish the series. I have TWENTY (20) books, so far, and yes, he is still writing. They are quite good. Not outstanding, like my darling Josephine Tey; but quite engrossing and I am very fond of DCI BANKS!
Oh, and to answer your question, the films DO follow the books quite closely. Sometimes they have to tweek them a tad, but all filming has to do that.
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I've just finished Donna Leon's Death in a Strange Country. Now I'm depressed. Such corruption and collusion in politics and government, threats, coverups, evidence disappearing, and a death purposely attributed to something other than murder, a murder purposely attributed to someone other than the real killer, the rich and powerful thwarting and threatening the lowly police officers and for the most part getting away with it. I guess I just like a good outcome.
Just as disturbing were the several paragraphs throughout the book presenting an ongoing resentment of Americans and the presence of American bases in Italy. Since the author has lived in Italy for 25 years and taught at an American base for 18 years, I assume she has run up against such perceptions and attitudes about Americans (not to mention American attitudes toward Europeans) over the years.
Now on to The Baker Street Letters.
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What is the name of the TV series? I cant seem to think if I know it or not?
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/peter-robinson/
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Ordered a free sample of the second DCI Banks book on my kindle. (It's cheaper than the first).
Mary Page: you might try to con your friends and family into getting together to buy you a kindle for Christmas like I did a few years ago. You can get free a sample (usually the first three chapters) of any book that interests you. I make a rule that I won't actually buy the book until I've finished reading the sample. So my TBR list is free (it currently contains 80 mysteries and about an equal number of other books. And I add to it much faster than I can read.)
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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Frybabe, if you want to be REALLY disillusioned about the Italian law and legal system, read "The Monster of Florence" (not the new book by the same title, but the non-fiction one of a couple years back). It was written by one of our favorite Mystery authors (whose name I can't seem to recall at the moment - I will search later). It is reminiscent of the Amanda Knox debacle, which is still occurring.
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TOME: I just noticed your tag in the post above. I love it. Maybe I'll make a cover of some profound philosophy book, and slip it over whatever mystery I'm reading, just in case.
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JoanK, I thing is was Douglas Preston (or was it his counterpart, Lincoln Child?). Wasn't that one a book discussion several years back? I avoid serial killer stories, for the most part. Suffice it to say I do not watch Criminal Minds.
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The PBS show series is called DCI BANKS.
Joan, I have an iPad and got enthusiastic about reading electronic books and spent a small fortune on buying about a dozen and then discovered with the very first one that I don't LIKE reading that way. So there they sit, on those cute little bookshelves on my iPad, paid for but mostly unread!
I really AM one who loves reading the real thing. I love to underline, highlight, write comments in the margins and pass them on to the one of my 13 granddaughters who is not only my namesake, but turned out to be the one exactly like me, except in looks. I love to race back through the pages looking for something said earlier, or race ahead to see what happens when I just can't stand the suspense. I like the softness of a paperback in my hands and the lack of weight. My daughter Anne has one of those very light weight Kindles, and she is currently reading the OUTLANDER series on it, despite the fact that both I and another daughter, her sister Debi, own them all. Well, given how thick each volume is, I must admit that maybe she is ahead of the game. Still, she has to pay for each book, when she could borrow ours. As a last plus for her, though, she absolutely HATES my underlining and my comments. Paige, her daughter, adores them! So ya win some and ya lose some!
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I occasionally read an ebook on my iPad, but I also much prefer a real book with real paper. Don't know why I feel that way because I enjoy my iPad for reading the news or short articles.
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The only thing I don't like about reading on my iPad is that I have to buy the books and that I can't loan them to anyone. Being Mortal is the first paper book I've read in probably a year or more, and I got that so that I could loan it to others. I am no longer comfortable holding a paper book.
But I love our library, and we've just worked our library book sale. Nothing, IMO, will ever totally replace good old paper!
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Mary I've only bought a few books for my Kindles. Almost all of the ones I have on my Kindles are free books. The reason I don't want to spend money, or much money, on an eBook is that you are only licensing its use, not buying the book. As far as I know, you still cannot lend, sell, or inherit most of the eBooks you buy. If you want to lend or copy an eBook you have bought, look for those that are DRM (Digital Rights Management) free. DRM coding is what restricts you from copying or lending books out. I've noticed that some authors are now insisting that their book(s) be offered DRM free. I don't know about B&N, but on Amazon there is usually some comment the book description or with the author bio section that will state if the author is offering his book DRM free.
Here is an article about what could happen to your eBooks that have DRM restrictions.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/ebook-drm-5-reasons-to-free-your-kindle-library/
Here is a site that sells only DRM free books (there are others). It lists the formats that are DRM free. Kindle accepts .mobi files but not ePub. Many other devices will accept ePub. I learn something new every day. I didn't know that ePub is a DRM free environment. https://www.baenebooks.com/t-DRM.aspx
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MARYPAGE: I agree about real books. I have an "old" kindle, not the first, but one of the first and I think it's much more reader friendly than later ones. I saw an interview where whoever -it-was talked about how much research they had done to make it as close to reading a real book as possible. The feel in my hand, the soft background etc. are very comfortable for reading. And I can make the print larger than most books.
The newer ones are more "tarted up" and, to me, have lost that cozy feel.
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We it's tat time of year again. Another Anne Perry Christmas book is out "A New York Christmas."
If you aren't familiar with then, she does one every Christmas. They are short (about 100 pages) and each one features one of the supporting characters from her long books as the detective. This one has Jemima Perry, Charlotte and Thomas's daughter, who is now 23 and traveling to New York.
A simple story and obvious solution, but if you've followed the series, you'll want to know what happens to Jemima. (Goodness, I can remember when she was born!)
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Thank you for the info on DCI Banks. I'll check him out, as soon as I work through my latest library haul.
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Finished Playing Dead. Really terrific for a first novel.She handled a very very complicated plot with ease.. I will keep her name on my list to check..
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One of the things I love about the DCI BANKS series by Peter Robinson is the setting in Yorkshire and the descriptions of the countryside. David and I spent about a week in Yorkshire. He was just terribly brave (I was not) and we got a rental car and drove all around to see all of the sights, such as Fountains Abbey and the Bronte home and some famous Great Homes and such. We loved the hills all around and the stone fences that went on forever. None of the enclosures are the same size as any others, and the whole aspect is most pleasing and endearing. We were on our own and could do just as we pleased, which was just great. Three days in York itself, where we of course explored Yorkminster and walked the entire wall around the original city.
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That sounds wonderful. I have always wished that the brits and us used to the same side of the road. I have no desire to drive on the other side and living in Florida, where there are a lot of expats,, they cause a lot of accidents, because when they panic,, they swerve to what they think of as their side of the road.
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I am no longer qualified to rent a car anywhere in Europe, but when I was, I braved it and drove in Britain, the first time in 1983, when I drove everywhere for 5 weeks, Yorkshire included, and Scotland. I had my daughter with me, and I remember spending so much time looking for Castle Howard until we found it. I have been twice since, and drove both times. We could never have been in all the Cotswold towns and villages had I not been driving. We did not drive in London, of course.
What I want to tell you is that I just read Ruth Rendell's latest novel (I am not sure I should call it a mystery), The Girl Next Door, and I think it is one of the best books I have ever read, not just by her. It's not a who-done-it, and I am not giving away anything by saying there are murders committed, but for me it was a book for the ages.
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ZULEMA: it sounds awesome: I've ordered a sample.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/ruth-rendell/girl-next-door.htm
Books outside the who-done-it formula are appropriate here. "What on earth happened?" is a mystery, too. Rendell is a well known mystery writer.
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I like Rendell and will look for it.
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Good on you, Zulema! We did not drive in London, either, but David drove in both Scotland and England, scaring me near to death in Cornwall. I was never brave enough to even Think of trying it!
I have found Ruth Rendell and her other name, Barbara Vine, is a really most excellent writer, BUT. But her books always seemed to depress me. I bought the DVDs of all the shows the BBC made of her books and stories, and they depressed me, too! So I gave her up. At almost 86, I find myself depressed enough over the condition of mankind and the overall mess we are in as a species, so I avoid depressing. Did this new book leave you uplifted? That is what I love about the Charles Lenox books by Charles Finch; they leave me happy inside, and not at all disturbed.
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Mary Page,
Yes, I felt very good after I read this Rendell book. Some of her earlier ones I couldn't even read, and I am 83 and know exactly how you feel about depressing books. I am reading some light-hearted mysteries by G. M. Malliet now, village mysteries with some delightful characters and a very warm modern Anglican priest who is the narrator. And I have also been reading Kate Atkinson and Joanna Trollope. They make one feel good while one is reading them, and that is a great experience. Of course, I start the day with the newspaper.
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Thank you! I have put the Rendell book on my list, and also G.M. Malliet. I have not read any of hers/his, but I adore Atkinson and love Trollope. I sometimes get a wee bit down after reading Atkinson, but she is just so very good.
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I like Trollope.. She has such a very different slant on many things.
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Here is Malliet:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/g-m-malliet/
Looks like you're talking about the Max Tudor series, ZULEMA. Have you read the other one?
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Will have to check the author out. Not someone I had heard of.
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I'm reading the first in the max Tudor series, and enjoying it, although I wish max had a few more flaws. The book is funny, pointing out everyone else's warts and pimples: we need to see it be equally sharp about him.
I usually read several books at once. This time, I notice that the new "Poirot", "The monogram murder" is the one I never quite get back to. I've finally given up, and admitted I'm not going to finish it.
There's nothing particular wrong with it. it just doesn't hold my interest. Perhaps it's that Christie could handle a character with as many quirks as Poirot, but in other hands, they just seem tedious.
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I loved Tuppence and Tommy and Miss Marple, but Poiret, alas, he was just way too quirky to suit me.
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Precisely my own response to those books! I just never could cotton to Poirot. If I cannot relate to the main figure in a story, I have to at least LIKE them, and I was sort of kind of revolted by Poirot. If I had known him, if he had been a real life person, I may have held some respect for him, but could never, ever have warmed to him in any way.
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I tend to like Christies stand alones... I also have her house on my to be done list. It seems it is some sort of a museum in England and I do so want to go..
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I never could get into Poirot but all of them were on Netflix and Acorn streaming. And because the last ones where he dies got my interest I started from the beginning. Even though he was rather weird I ended up liking him.
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I love the Poirot series with Capt. Hastings and the secretary, Miss Lemon, that are on Netflix. I believe I originally saw them on A&E Mystery and PBS years ago but had forgotten them.
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I bought the book by David Suchet "Poirot and Me". It was so interesting the way he explained several of the shows and how he read all of Christie's Poirot books before he started filming and tried to portray him the way she wrote him.
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Just finished Girl in a Box by Sujata Massey.. I like Rei, but she does sort of push the envelope here. I would guess she wants to show us the retail world in Japan.
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I'd lost track of Massey. I read her early ones and then forgot to look for new ones. Have to catch up.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/sujata-massey/
I see Girl in a Box is 2006. I see it has been longer than I realized since I read one.
Each of the ones I've read talks about one aspect of Japanese culture: very interesting. Her personal life I find less so.
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Her personal life has changed a bit in this one. The boyfriend is gone..
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I thought that her book in 2008 was going to be her last, but she has a new one coming out.
Amazon has her new book The Kizuna Coast on pre-order for $2.99 for Kindle. I'm glad you mentioned her, Steph, as I had forgotten her. Since I hadn't gotten any ebooks for a while I ordered it for my iPad. Her character's personal life had gotten a little tiresome and it will be interesting to see what has changed.
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"The boyfriend is gone.." Thank goodness!
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not sure that her new crush is any better..I thought she was going to have an interesting friend in this one, but he ended up being a casualty.
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Reading the latest Berenson mystery: "Death of a Dog Whisperer." Of the mysteries featuring dog shows, I like hers the best, because she starts out with her narrator knowing nothing about them and you learn with her. I love mysteries that take me where I never would have gone.
Now later in the series, her original dogs have retired and her 11 year old son is learning how to show dogs. A person claiming to be a dog whisperer is murdered (there actually is such a person: a show on Animal Planet. he comes in and trains problem dogs).
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Just finished an Amish mystery which was a lot like watching a Hallmark movie. I never watch Hallmark type movies because they make me cry for some reason. And, yes, the tears were falling before the end ( and it was supposed to be a mystery). I Think I have a copy of that Charlotte MacLeod Christmas story in one of my bookcases. The one that is funny. :)
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JEAN: what is the name of the Amish mystery?
I'm reading the latest Susan Whittig Albert's China Bayles mystery. "Death Come Quickly". Summary of the plot here:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/susan-wittig-albert/death-come-quickly.htm
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Joan, the title is The Amish Seamstress.
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Did you see that P.D. James died today? She was 94.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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No! I missed that. Surprised to hear it, and also that she is/was so old. Oh my, the lines of time just keep shoving on forward, pushing us all off the cliff eventually. It's sort of like being in a grocery checkout on a crowded, busy day; in the one you don't know which lane to pick to get you out soonest, while in the other you want the one that is not moving all that swiftly.
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Oh my goodness. P.D. James is gone: what a good mystery writer she was.And she was still writing a few years ago. She will be missed.
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I didn't realize she had written two books with a woman detective, Cordelia Gray. I've only read the Dalgleish series. I Like the videos with Roy Marsden.
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The Cordelia gray books are good, too. They have also been made into TV episodes (at least one. Does anyone remember).
My memory is so bad. Hiding at the bottom of my latest stash of library books is the latest Stephanie Barron "Jane Austen and the 12 Days of Christmas."
I can't believe I forgot I had it! My only excuse, I've been busy with the holidays and haven't been reading much (for me). Now I admit to having abandoned Susan Whittig Albert for Stephanie Barron. What a choice! The Texas hill country or 1800s England. But I have a feeling Albert would understand.
Don't you love how mysteries take you through time and space?
They're both due Monday, so I'd better get busy!
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Finished Catherine Coulter's "Countdown", one of the FBI series. I really liked those characters when i read the first three (that i read, not the first 3of the series). The last two that i have read, including Countdown, just didn't work for me. There was an interesting quirk where a 7 yr old girl could "talk" by telepathy to Dillon Savach. On the other hand, an evil family had skills to instsntly hypnotize anyone looking them in the eye. I couldn't make that believable.
I also just finished Mary Alice Monroe's "Skyward". I love the way she teaches us about something while giving us an interesting story of human relationships. This was about raptors! The protagonist runs a rehab center for injured or orphaned raptors. Also his 5 yr old dgt has diabetes, so she teaches us about that kind of diabetes also. I think i have liked all of her books. Beach House was the first one i read and is my favorite.
Jean
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I loved P.D. James and she wrote later than most authors do.
Amish,, if you want a in your face Amish mystery,, Linda Castillo..Excellent, but always a bit violent.
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I read a short story/novella the other day that I thought was a book when I downloaded it. I enjoyed it, liked the main character, was bummed when it ended. The Depot: When Life and Death Cross Tracks by Carmen DeSousa. Not my usual read, but I enjoyed it. Now I see that there is another freebie mini-mystery called The Pit Stop: This Stop Could be Life or Death featuring the same detective. The blurb says Detective Mark Waters is featured in a full length novel called The Library: Where Life Checks Out. The author is billed as a romance-mystery writer. She appears to add a bit of the supernatural into her novels as well.
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Just read and loved a Lisa Scottoline.. Accused. Very good,, Mary is the main character and has just been made a partner by Bennie..
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And about time. I love Scottoline.
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If enough people are interested, I'll be co-leading a discussion in February: "The Boys in the Boat." Not a mystery, but a good read: the story of American boys, at the height of the depression who went to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and to compete against Hitler's crack athletes in rowing.
Check it out here if you're interested.
http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=4517.0
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Don't think I have the time.. I seem to be perennially short of time recently. Must rearrange my life a bit.
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Just read the latest in The Gaslight Murder Mysteries by Victoria Thompson: "Murder on Murray Hill"
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/t/victoria-thompson/
They feature a midwife in New York, who winds up solving murders with her boy friend, a policeman trying to do an honest job in a (notoriously) corrupt police department.
If you're new to the series, don't start with this book: it's about sex crimes, and some of the material is hard to read. But love the series, and will read whatever she writes.
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Yes,I like Victoria Thompson and I think the series is well researched.. Interesting take on New York City in that period.
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I also like the Victoria Thompson mysteries. I just finished an Amanda Pepper mystery - the Philadelphia school teacher who keeps running into bodies. I like them just because she mentions many Philly spots i know and i nderstand her variety of feelings about her students and about teaching.
Ironically, i picked up a J.D. Robb, Innocent in Death, which i just started and it appears a teacher has been poisoned in his classroom. I also got a David Rosenfelt mystery. Some of you are dog fans, this North Jersey attorney in a dog lover and in this book, Dog Tags, he's defending a military-trainedGerman Shepard, in court! LOL. he also owns a no-kill shelter with a guy he got a new trial for when the client was on death row, and ....... Oops i shouldn't tell you that, it's a spoiler. But they are humorous AND have dogs in each one.
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Will look him up, I loved Susan Conants, but then she started writing with her daughter about chefs and do not like those.
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I just finished Kat Martin's #8 in the Raines of Wind Canyon series...Against the Edge.
It was intense, and I couldn't put it down...so stayed up until the wee hours.
jane
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I've just finished Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies. A stand-alone. Australian author, set in Australia. I love the way she lets you know that something bad happened at Trivia Night, but though everyone is talking about it, nobody says what it is. In the meantime we follow the characters in their daily lives and see glimpses of their pasts.
Earlier this year my f2f group read Moriarty's The Husband's Secret. I enjoyed it too but liked "Lies" better.
Don't you love those "wee hours," Jane. That's the way I read this one, too. Usually I"m so slow. It feels good to be so enveloped in a good book.
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Here is Moriarty. Looks like she writes Science Fiction, too.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/liane-moriarty/
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I read the Husbands secret.. Gave it a C,, so not sure I will read any more.. but Sci fi?? hmm.
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I will like it here! I absolutely love mysteries! I recently finished the Sub Rosa series by Steven Saylor. It is set in ancient Rome. The main character is Gordanius the Finder (a detective). He solves a different crime in each book. Very well written. Ancient Rome is an interest of mine; it's the reason I am taking Latin (first year) with Ginny. I am now reading the SPQR series (another whodunit), also set in ancient Rome. It's OK, but I have been spoiled by the writing of Saylor.
I have read most of the dog mysteries by Susan Conant. I really enjoy her writing, since I am a dog person who loves reading mysteries. :)
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Hi there! I always like to mention some of my top favorites with anyone new to our conversation, so here goes: Julia Spencer-Fleming, Margaret Maron, Sharyn McCrumb, Minette Walters, Josephine Tey, Charlotte MacLeod, Ellis Peters, Barbara Michaels. I'd better stop, as there are SO many greats!
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WELCOME WELCOME HYSTERIA!
I don't know Steven Saylor, but now I will:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/steven-saylor/
Is the other series you tried by Lindsey Davis? I read those. They are OK, but not wonderful.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/lindsey-davis/
There's another series set in ancient Greece, that is so similar in style to the Lindsey Davis one that I suspect it's the same author writing under a different name (which unfortunately I can't remember). The narrator is Socrates' older brother, and Socrates is the pesky younger brother following him around and coming up with wise observations.
Does anyone remember the author?
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The Greek series doesn't sound familiar, JoanK. I liked Lindsay Davis's Didius Falco series and her stand alone, Course of Honor. There were a few that I didn't care for too much, but I think that was more to do with subject matter.
I picked up several of R.W. Peake's Marching with Caesar series, but I haven't read any of them yet. I'd like to read more of Ruth Downey's Medicus series. They are on my library wish list but it will be a while to I get to them.
I finished the Donna Leon (Guido Brunetti series) I was reading. I've been alternating that with the Baker Street Letter series. However, right now I am reading 13 Hours (nonfiction) which finally made it back to the shelf at the library.
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I have read the first Didius Falco book by Lindsey Davis. I will get to the rest of them, but am now doing the SPQR series by John Maddox Roberts. Neither author can compare to Steven Saylor. In addition to the Sub Rosa series, he has also written a stand alone history of Rome. Both books (Roma and Empire) are considered fiction however because there is a fictional family that hobnobs with the principal historical figures. Those are two really great books.
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FYI: We just received this notice of server maintenance:
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Here is "STOP YOU'RE KILLING ME''s index of all mystery series set before 476 (I assume CE. Don't know why that date?!?). Egyptian, Greek, and Roman. Keep scrolling down: they keep coming. I had no idea there were so many.
The Greek series I mentioned is by Gary Corby. I've also read the Ruth Downie ones about a doctor in the Roman Empire and liked them.
http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/HistoryCats/ancient-pre476.html
The link to "Stop You're killing me" is in the heading at the top of the page, and you can search for mysteries by all sorts of criteria. Who was it who is reading mysteries set in New Jersey?)
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Now you got me started: I ordered a sample of the series by Doody wit Aristotle as a detective.
Meanwhile, back to the present, just finished "the Cat-Sitters Cradle" by Blaise Clement. The detective, Dixie Hemingway, is a former policewoman in the Florida keys who left the force after a personal tragedy and became a pet-sitter (but of course, keeps solving murders). A lighter version of the detective dealing with personal angst. Lots of food and animals.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/blaize-clement/cat-sitter-s-cradle.htm
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Sounds interesting, will look her up. I like Falco although the newer ones drag a bit.. MaryPage,, it always amazes me how close are our likes and dislikes.. I am not overfond of Ellis Peters, but otherwise, your list is mine.
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I agree, Steph. The Falco books were beginning to drag a little. She wrote two books about his adopted daughter, Flavia Alba, who took up Falco's profession. I can't remember if I read the second one.
I'll have to look into Blaise Clement since I am a cat person.
I never heard of Ellis Peters, but just found out she wrote the Cadfael series. She has written quite a few books under various pen names as well as her own, Edith Pargeter. I want to look into her Llewellyn the Last ( Llewelyn ap Grufudd) series. They are novels about the last king of Wales.
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She is the type of author who uses a different name for each new series.
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I haven't read The Cadfael books but watched the whole series with Derek Jacobi as Father Cadfael a couple of years ago on Netflix and enjoyed them so much.
Right now I'm enjoying the original Inspector Morse series and recently saw the one about the girl, Susan, he had been engaged to when at Oxford. Inspector Lewis looks so young. I guess we all did when these were first shown on TV.
I recently read a dog agility training mystery---short and light reading, but the title escapes me. One of those 2.99 books I downloaded on my iPad. Kind of interesting to read about the agility trials and the training the dogs go through.
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I thought I had read everything that Ellis Peters ever wrote, but I don't know the Llewellyn the Last series. Mmmm. Are they mysteries, or just (my bias) historical novels?
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JoanK, she wrote the Llewelyn the Last series was written under her own name, Edith Pargeter. The series is actually called The Brothers of Gwynedd Quartet. They are historical novels. Publishers Weekly had this to say about the novels:
Without condescending to mimic medievalismsi added s/pk , the precise narrative style complements the historical authenticity of the tale. Readers familiar with Pargeter's Brother Cadfael mysteries (written as Ellis Peters) will find this quartet more serious fare.
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Thank. I'll look them up .
I'm finding the latest Ruth Downie about the Roman medico ("Tabula Rosa") slow going, for some reason. It focuses on the troubled relationship between the Romans and the Britains. And the medico's wife, being a Brit married to a Roman, is caught in the middle, belonging nowhere. When a British boy disappears, taken by a Roman, things get really tense, and the medico is trying desperately to find him before things boil over.
Should be interesting, but I'm having trouble getting into it. Maybe too much detail.
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Just finished a Donna Andrews.. about a county fair. I did laugh since when I was young, I always went to the state fair, slept with my pony, participated in all of the 4-H stuff. It was the highlight of a farm girls years. So I loved the story..
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STEPH: which book was it?
I love her early books. The later ones aren't as good IMO but I see I'm about three behind. My favorite is "Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon." She's taxed by her loony computer nerd brother to find out who has hacked his best-selling computer game "Lawyers from Hell" to produce a rival "Naked Lawyers from Hell." The buzzard is an office pet who has to be kept happy because if he isn't, he throws up on whoever comes near him. It's hilarious.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/donna-andrews/
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The Hen of the Baskervilles.. Anyone who has participated in county or state fairs will recognize themselves in this one. I laughed and laughed. Besides Donna has let Meg grow up and show her organizing activities and not let her mother bully her any more.So she gets more interesting.
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Just downloaded this from Amazon on my Kindle app. ------the latest most moving novel in the Rei Shimura mystery series so far. Her and her sleuth’s love for Japan and its people is evident in this tale involving the destruction of the earthquake and resulting tsunami in the Tohoku region in 2011. While Rei follows clues to locate her antiques mentor and later investigate a murder, readers get an authentic look at what it was like for survivors and rescue workers days after the devastating disaster. Bravo to Massey’s clear- eyed recounting of a recovery that is still ongoing.” Naomi Hirahara, Edgar- award winning author of Snakeskin Shamisen and Murder on Bamboo Lane
Haven't been reading much lately but this sounds interesting.
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JEAN: please tell us the name of the book. I can't find it listed on either Fantastic Fiction or Stop you're Killing Me.
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Joan, the title is "The Kizuna Coast" by Sujata Massey. I got it on Amazon (Kindle) for $2.99
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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Her stories of Japan and the US and her heroines continuing longing for both is good.
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The Gauguin Connection By Estelle Ryan ebook that i read and liked is FREE on BookGorilla.com today. It's the story of the women with autism who worked for the insurance company and helped investigate the stealing of paintings.
Jean
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Ah, the Massey just appeared on my kindle -- I must have pre-ordered it.
The Gauguin Collection sounds great, JEAN.
Oops. Apparently, already bought it. I'm losing track of my mysteries.
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I have the Ryan book on my Kindle, it was free once before on Bookbub.. have not read it yet.
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I have it too. Apparently, according to Amazon, I purchased it free quite some time ago! I haven't read it yet either.
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Make that another one who has The Gauguin Collection but hasn't read it yet.
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Wonder if we could all start it after January 1st, and comment on it here? Not particularly a discussion, but comments?
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Read a good police procedural: "Death's Long Shadow" by Sally Spencer. A policewoman in a British industrial town teams with a retired policeman in Spain to solve a murder with it's roots in the Spanish Civil War. History, personal drama, and guess what? Some real detecting! Don't see that too often any more. However, some wildly unbelievable characters and plot twists,sour it a bit. We don't read detective stories to get reality. But a police officer who gets her information with kinky sex was a bit too much for me. Luckily, no details are given.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/sally-spencer/
I have read some of "her" (turns out to be "his") Blackstone mysteries, and liked them. Now I'll try his other series.
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TOME: "Wonder if we could all start it after January 1st, and comment on it here? Not particularly a discussion, but comments?"
Good idea. Anyone else game?
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Yes, Joan, i'll do that. It's worth a reread.
Jean
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Thanks for the alert about The Gaugin Collection. I have it too, unread. I didn't try to buy it again. And Amazon usually alerts me if I even look at something I've bought before. I'm game for "comments," if I get it read, but am committed to two other books for January.
I've got so many unread books on my KIndle that I've really gotten picky. No buys unless it's being discussed or on the TBR list, and only the free ones if I know something about the book or the author.
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Hmm, try to put it onmy read now list. Just finished a Deborah Crombie.. Had forgotten how procedurals can work.. Must remember to find more of her.
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I really like Deborah Crombie. But, she's fallen into the trap some mystery writers do: she's accumulated so many continuing characters over the series, she has to spend a lot of the book just catching up with them, and explaining who they are to new readers. It really slows things down.
If you haven't read her, start with an early book.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/deborah-crombie/
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I have cheated and started the Gaugin already. Mea Culpa!! Don't know if I can stop! The main character is Autistic, and we have been discussing this either in SL or in S&F so the book is really grabbing me.One of the things that really grabbed me, when the character is feeling "threatened", she grabs music paper and a pencil, and writes out the score to Mozart's Piano Concerto #5, which calms her down and gets her back to "her normal" self. I won't spoil anymore, but this was serendipitous with our talks about autism/Asperger's.
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Mozart's piano concerto's soothe me, but I didn't know that particular one. Here is a version that shows (in the beginning) a sheet of the score. Trying to copy it certainly wouldn't soothe me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVWqAKRJRuA
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I just watched my first ever episode of SHETLAND on PBS and fell in love with it. So I promptly went to THRIFTBOOKS and ordered 4 of the books by Ann Cleeves that make up the series. Have any of you read them?
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Oh to have the time to sit down and read the Gaugin... But not today.. sigh.
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I'm glad you're enjoying Gauguin, i thought it was very good.
Jean
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Darn it all. I decided to at least peek at the Gaugin.. and I am sucked into the story.. An interesting story thus far.. but I did not mean to read it until the New Year.. Oh well.
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Yeppers, Steph. Happened to me too! I'm still just reading right along. Too late to turn back now. But it will still be on my Kindle in the New Year, and we can still talk about it. I just hope we're not being bad examples for the rest of our group. LOL
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OK, I'm hooked. Hate to be left out of the circle.
Brought one of my Barnes & Noble Christmas gift cards to the computer and ordered that book. While I was about it, I ordered a DVD of The Grand Budapest Hotel. So I will be joining you before the New Year is rung in!
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YEAH, Mary Page!
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I put her second two books on my Kindle yesterday. I really really like this character..
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The Gauguin Connection was free on iBooks so I downloaded it. Sounds interesting. Right now I'm in the middle The Kizuna Coast. It is also interesting and it is giving me a much better understanding of what that devastating tsunami in Japan was like for those unfortunate people.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/latin/graphics/hollysmall.gif) Would those of you who are interested in talking about The Gauguin book like to have a Gauguin Connection?/ Collection? discussion to talk about the book informally? There seem to be a lot of people interested in talking about it. It would be a first here, if you'd like to try it?
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I am in. She makes me so aware of Asburgers and what it does to your life and how this woman managed to arrange her life to suit.. So yes.. I would love to informally discuss and I am trying really hard not to finish it too quickly.
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I downloaded the Gauguin Connection but everyone is referring to a book called The Gauguin Collection. I'm wondering if I downloaded the wrong book??
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You're right!! I don't know what the correct title is. hahaha I found this, tho, is this the book everybody is talking about?
The Gauguin Connection - By Estelle Ryan -
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HAH! We posted at the same time, Ginny.
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Is it Connection or Collection?
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Connection.
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OK! Thank you! I'll go change my post. :)
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It is indeed, CONNECTION.
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My fault. I made the mistake, and didn't realize it til I read the posts just now. Sorry.
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:) Not a problem. I said Collection from the get go and then wondered why I couldn't find the book. As the Kardashians say, all publicity is good publicity. They truly are the embodiment of the end of the world's mores. Certainly has aroused interest in the book!
Thanks, Steph. It looks like there's not a whole lot of interest and it would be better just to continue to talk about the Gauguin here. Perhaps in the future there might be a book folks would like to talk about in an adjunct discussion to this one, it's an exciting idea. Or a different idea, anyway. Something experimental for the New Year.
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Oh, that was quick! I thought it was a definite that we were going to do it. My book has not even arrived yet.
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I always thought we would discuss it here on mysteries.. It is interesting on several levels.. The art world, asburgers,forgeries.. and the world of insurance fraud.. Whew..
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(http://seniorlearn.org/latin/graphics/hollysmall.gif)No no no, feel free just as you are, to discuss it right here. There is really no difference in the two. What I was proposing I guess we haven't seen on these boards, in the Books, anyway, was what's called a Child Board, which would be part OF the Mystery discussion. In other words, it would still be IN the Mystery discussion? But it would be like a separate room within the Mystery discussion which would allow you to discuss all these varied points like Stephanie is talking about without losing them when somebody else wanted to talk about Charlotte MacLeod or somebody else? They wouldn't be lost in other conversation. There would be a nice continuity. Am I making any sense? I do acknowledge I haven't explained it correctly.
We don't call them Child Boards which is the real terminology because we had to use them for the Latin classes, because there are two 101's this year? So we now call them Adjuncts. It really works very well.
Bottom line: nothing at all has changed, you can continue to discuss the Gauguin, if you like, whenever you like, and wherever you like. The adjunct board is a novel idea (to us here) that we might like to consider for the future sometime. Not now.
:)
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I wasn't sure Ginny, but now you explain it, it sounds like a good idea. It wouldn't put off anyone wanting to post about something different or who isn't interested in the book. Kind of reminds me of those instant messaging chat rooms that you can go off on for more in depth conversation rather than tie general conversation area.
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But how does one access the "adjunct" boards? I've never seen them!
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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This is new to me, too. But I'm willing to try it, if everyone else is game. I've started to read the book, and it raises all kinds of question (to me, anyway -- unfamiliar as I am with autism).
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(http://seniorlearn.org/latin/graphics/hollysmall.gif) I think it's really an exciting a concept that you've come up with here, a lot of people wanting to informally comment on one book right here and I just wanted to respond with another exciting concept. Hahaha I tend to speak somewhat telegraphically, which is a nice way of saying incoherently, hahaha. Without a proper explanation. Like an electric jolt haha, that the poor listeners have to figure out what on earth she just said.
We'll see how it works this time right in the discussion , and then future we may consider this other thing.... Tome, yes you can definitely see it, but at the moment it's not enabled , in this discussion.
Kind of complicated to set up, some of our technical staff are on holiday and can't do it, so let's just wait till a later date. At least the possibility has been raised to the future.
I do appreciate all the recommendations in here. I'm reading The Hen of the Baskervilles, just delightful. I'm so glad somebody here recommended it, something a little light and cheering for the holidays. We do have chickens here on the farm so I'm particularly enjoying it.
I'm also reading a Christmas mystery called 10 Lords a Leaping. This is a different book, is huge in hardback, and it really plunges the reader into a completely different world, a sort of Downton Abby / Masterpiece Theatre style, and apparently the author actually knows the titled of Britain intimately himself. They are a bit different from what I expected. Jury is still out on that one, have just started, but I read about it here, and again appreciate the head's up....apparently it's a series and I've missed the first two.
Hope you each have a wonderful holiday, no matter how you spend it.
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And a Merry, Merry Christmas Morning to All!
My book arrived in yesterday's mail. Woo Hoo! Now first I have to finish reading Red Bones by Ann Cleeves. Speaking of which, the second hour of the film made of this book will be on PBS UK tonight at ten-thirty Eastern Time, and I shall be glued to my telly for it. SHETLAND is the name of the series.
But then will begin Estelle Ryan's The Gauguin Connection. This is what amazes: this book was published in 2012. Only in 2012. And is the FIRST in a series which already includes:
The Dante Connection
The Braque Connection
The Flinck Connection
The Courbet Connection
How does she DO it? Obviously she is on a mission. But how does she do it SO FAST?
http://estelleryan.com/contact.html
http://estelleryan.com/the-gauguin-connection.html
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MERRY CHRISTMAS.
With my bad memory, I can't remember whether we said we'd read The Gauguin Connection after Christmas or after New years?
GINNY: we've got you reading mysteries! If you like The Hen of the Baskervilles, you might enjoy the others in the series, starting with Murder with Peacocks. I think her earlier ones are even funnier.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/donna-andrews/
The same author who wrote 10 Lords A-leaping wrote an earlier series with Queen Elizabeth II as the detective (yes, the present queen). The narrator is a maid in the queen's palaces, and there are lots of tidbits and gossip about the royals and how the households run (nobody but the queen can stand her dogs who tend to nip all the servants in the heels).
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/c-c-benison/
Both series have parts that drag, but if you can get past those, they're very good.
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I think the suggestion was made to start discussing TGC after Jan 1. I'm looking forward to reading it again. One of the things i remember, besides it being a good mystery, is that the author gave Genevieve a sense of humor.
Thanks for the links MaryPage.
Jean
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Yeah, I thought after January one as well and all. And frankly, I NEED the respite! Have so much to do before I even start the book, and, unlike most of you, I have not gotten into it one tiny speck, and so will be reading along as we discuss.
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Joan, I looked at his website and it appears he's a Canadian ! I wonder how he can have such familiarity with the Titled in England, as he does....that's quite interesting ....I mean his dedication to this book is to some Titled friends. I wonder if he made it up, he is a novelist after all?
I always liked Dr. Seuss, Theodore Geissel, the best. He didn't have a PhD, so we gave himself the title Dr. Seuss.
Yes, and Hen of the Baskerville's is a cozy. So it's going on the list of one of my new things for this year. I'm also going to read the First Man in Rome which is an historical novel by Carson McCullers, something else I don't normally read.
:)
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They sound workable.. and keeping us out of the general discussion while we decide how we feel about our heroine and the people surrounding her.
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I just read, or rather tried to read David Baldacci's The Escape. I have liked Balcacci's books, especially his Camel Club series, but The Escape, the latest of his John Puller series was disappointing. Puller is a military police investigator. His older brother, Robert, has been imprisoned for two years of a life sentence at Leavenworth, Kansas military prison, but escaped. John decides to try to find him. The story would lead you to think it would be about one thing, than go on to something else. It mentioned too many govt. agencies, but often only by their iniutuaks and nothing about their purpose. A young woman, a member of one of those govt. alphabet agencies is assigned to help him. Puller is suspicious of her, more so at times than at others, but why his change in attitude is confusing. Also at times you are led to believe the two will have a romance, but that does not happen. This book was so confusing I almost tossed it several times, but I did manage to finish it just to see if he found his brother and to see if his brother was found not guilty of espionage, but I would not recommend the book to anyone. I hate to write a bad review for a David Baldacci book, as most of his I've read have been very good.
Marj
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Steph wrote "Other than Carre, never read the spy stuff.
I have found Le Carre's books very hard to read, mainly because of all ths spy jargan in them.
Marj
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I moved to the link shown for the "new" mystery corner section but if shows as the Old 2009 section. Is there something wrong with my computer?
Marj
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Time to move to a new discussion area....
See you there!!
http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=807.msg37006#msg37006
I forget who posted this, but when I clicked on this link it took me to a 2009 area, not a "new" discussion area of the Mystery Corner. Am I the only one who had this problem?\
Marj
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The only Matthew Pearl book I could finish was his THE LAST DICKENS which I liked. The others (The Dante Club and The Poe shadow were really boring IMO.
Marj
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If a book's description says it's a "coming of age" story, that finishes it right there for me, and I go no further..
Marj
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Mary Page wrote: "My book arrived in yesterday's mail. Woo Hoo!"
What book was that, Mary Page?
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Well, sorry, I thought it would be obvious, but I erred. I meant THE GAUGUIN CONNECTION by Estelle Ryan which we are to begin to discuss on January 2nd. Is that right? January 2?
I got the latest Margaret Maron, Designated Daughters, for Christmas, and a whole pile of others and a bunch of Barnes & Noble gift cards. Am overwhelmed by how rich I feel surrounded by bookcases and piles and stacks of books enough to last just about forever. Some guilt, too. But more avarice than guilt!
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The link to the PBS Insp. Lewis program shows it will be aired Sept. 6, 2009.
Marj
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Marj,
Time to move to a new discussion area....
See you there!!
http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=807.msg37006#msg37006
I forget who posted this, but when I clicked on this link it took me to a 2009 area, not a "new" discussion area of the Mystery Corner. Am I the only one who had this problem?
Marj
Where are you seeing this? I can't find it anywhere? Page 1 of this discussion, which is what your link above sent me to, is September 16, 2009. We're now on page 176.
On the Gauguin, we decided (see posts 6997 and 7001) that we will just go ahead as normal and discuss the Gauguin right here.
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I believe GINNY had trouble setting up the separate site for the Gauguin discussion, and it's on hold for now. I'll get back to you on this.
January 2 is right.
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I am half way through the book now, and looking forward to the discussion. A dear, dear friend, who is also sister in law to my oldest daughter and auntie to two of my granddaughters, just celebrated her 70th birthday the day after Christmas. Those granddaughters threw a huge surprise bash for her (she thought she was just going over for dinner and cake and ice cream.) I did not feel up to going, and was running way late on the matter of sending her an appropriate gift. It occurred to me she would love this book, so I ordered the first 5 in the series on line and had them sent directly to her. Then I emailed her photos of the two paintings and told her to listen to the four Mozart pieces. She is intrigued and on pins and needles to know what the gift is all about. At this point, I don't think she has guessed books, but one thing I know for certain: she has NOT read this book. Ergo, she has not read the other four. She is as avid a reader as I, so I am feeling a bit ahead of the game.
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I have finished the book & ordered the 2nd one in the series. Thanks to the person who recommended it! Once I started reading it, I couldn't stop. Can't wait for the discussion.
Sally
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Now I can go back to Gaugin with a clear conscience.. Ha... I was feeling guilty at starting it.
My love for Carre was for Smiley.. I don't read LeCarre any more, but I adored Smiley.
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I was feeling guilty too.
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I'm halfway through, to. What a great gift --I love Mozart, and am looking forward to discussing why she copied his pieces, rather than others.
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I've confirmed: we'll be discussing the book right in the regular section: the separate site idea didn't work for some reason.
But I don't want to scare away those of you who aren't interested. Keep coming in and tell us what you're reading. Many of us will be reading two or three books at a time anyway.
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Joan K, That works for me. I always have at least 2 books going & sometimes as many as four!
It depends on the mood I am in and how engrossing the book is.
Sally
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I'm so glad you all have latched on to the Connection books and are enjoying them so much. I got the Gauguin about 6 months ago for free, online, and thought it was a very interesting mystery. I wasn't sure if others might think it too esoteric, but i mentioned it anyway since so many of us have people on the autism spectrum in our families.
I can't wait til i get to read the others. I recommended to the library that they get the whole series.
Jean
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I've started reading the book. So far, interesting. I also have been watching the Scorpion TV series which features a group of high functioning autistics - or is it just one with the others having other problems? Anyway, we have one mathematical genius, one mechanical genius, one computer genius, and one who is some kind of psych whiz. The latter seems more bipolar to me than autistic what with his gambling compulsion; his genius is in probability and stats, and, I expect, reading body language.
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This is going to be fun and yes,, do tell us of what else you are reading. I always have several books going and the Ryans are all on my Kindle.. I have read two by Deborah Coonts.. Las Vegas about a woman named Lucky, who works in a high end hotel.. Light mysteries.. very funny and a bit too too over the top, but still fun.
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The Gauguin Connection is one of the most interesting mysteries I've read in a while. Thanks to Jean for suggesting it.
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I am enjoying it hugely, and I thank her as well! Over half way through it now! Would be all done, but there have been places to go and people to see and chores to do and magazines and newspapers to get through before they overwhelm me and I get too far behind. But I love it and would like to just sit and read it!
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I have been immersed in Snuff, a Terry Pratchet, but will be able sometime today to get back to the Ryan book.. I needed a Pratchett to get through the last few days.. I save him up for down times.. He has the ability to make me laugh about life in general.
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Steph, I've never read Terry Pratchett. What book would you recommend to read first? He sounds like an author I need to read!
Sally
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I've been trying to get my sci-fi loving sis to recommend a Pratchett book to start forever, and all she'll say is that they vary a lot in quality but the best are great! Help, Steph.
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Yes, I second that call. Help, Steph!
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It all depends.. Pratchett ( who is English) writes satire disguised as
Science Fiction. His world Discworld.. started many years ago.. The color of Magic was the very first one. You can read them in order or any way you like.. If you like witches, Wyrd Sisters will start you off.. Death,, well there is Mort all about the grim reaper and his attempt to find a successor, Going Postal,, (lets start a post office by mistake), Monstrous
Regiment,, a most surprising book about war. on and on and on All funny and very sharp satire as well..
Hmm now as to Estelle Ryan,, The attack upset me.. Four truly ugly humans,, I did not expect this.. Whew..
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Pratchett does not sound like my thing. I do not like fantasy.
As for the attack, she survives, Steph. I mean, I do not feel I am blowing the ending for you here, for there are, after all, FIVE (5) books full of her adventures AFTER this one!
2. The Dante Connection
3. The Braque Connection
4. The Flinck Connection
5. The Courbet Connection
6. The Pucelle Connection
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Well, I finished the book and enjoyed it. One of the best mysteries I've read in a while.
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I agree. Which grabbed you more: her character, the other characters, the mystery, the detective process that they went through, (the music?)?
It's typical these days in mysteries that the detective will be attacked or in danger at least once. I don't mean to sound callus. That seems to have become part of the genre recently. I don't remember Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot getting banged up. Have our mysteries become more violent?
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What entrances me most is the way Jenny (I will call her what Colin calls her) can read people. That is a strong thread, if not indeed a rope, throughout the book, and I love it. Because we really need to be in her head to follow her thinking as she visualizes, it is pleasurable to have the book narrated by her. It also gives a warm and lovely feeling that she is so surrounded by an intense variety of strong men who are devoted to her like a pack of sentinel dogs. Not a perfect protection, obviously, but one full of devotion. Would that I had such a retinue at MY beck and call! There are definitely "in your dreams and fantasies" elements to this storytale, but I'll take 'em! This book offered me flowing pleasure, and I reveled in being Jenny.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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Too much information for those of us who haven't finished the book.
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OK, let's hold off til tomorrow.
And no spoilers of who or what turns out to be behind it all, please!
One of my grandchildren (age 11) has been diagnosed with autism spectrum. He is the grandchild I know the least: he has never opened up to me the way the others have. I am looking in the book for clues here in how he might be thinking, and how to relate to him.
Any suggestions from those with similar problems?
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I'm sorry, Mary! I did not think I got into the storyline at all, but was just describing what we learned from the very first chapters about Jenny herself. I did not mean to give up too much information, and I deeply apologize for having done so.
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Jenny is fascinating to me, but I will say that my Asburgers grandson does not watch or look at people like that. He backs away from human contact and feels about his tech objects like she does about the computers though. Colin is a bit irritating to me at this point, but I am at the midway of the story.
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That very point bothered me, as well, Steph. My two little autistic great grandsons were of the don't look anyone in the eye sort of autistic. As was, and pretty much is, my dear friend's brilliant Asperger's Syndrome autistic son. My two great grandsons have had intervention therapy since they were tiny toddlers, and now, at ages 9 and 10, they would strike, let us imagine a complete outsider who suddenly was exposed to them for half a day, as normal-odd. Normal boys very focused on their own interests. One is a math savant and one a music savant, but they are definitely not that much interested in YOU, whoever you are. They have learned to be polite and responsive to people, however.
It is obvious in this book that strangers who meet Jenny find her very strange very quickly. That she would be brilliant fits the patterns on the autistic spectrum, but that she would read people so well does not fit. Except, of course, if we allow for the fact that autistics tend to have one particular genius focal point and this is obviously hers. Or she may have deliberately chosen to learn to do this (the book mentions over and over again her special courses) BECAUSE she did not have natural skills in reading people. I saw a documentary about the brain once that showed babies who were completely normal reacting in a completely normal way to photographs of adults smiling, frowning, looking threatening, looking happy, and so on. Then they showed autistic babies being shown the same photos and not reacting AT ALL. Apparently this is actually one of the tests given in order to come up with a definite diagnosis. Autistics do not, as a normal rule, 'READ" people's facial expressions in the very normal, everyday manner in which even the smallest baby learns to do very swiftly.
But then again, I have to tell myself, there is a very wide spectrum of autism, AND research has just scratched the surface of what we will one day know. I am just so glad that we are finally paying attention and digging into how these human beings function and what can be done to help them live in the real world.
The business of Jenny not wanting to be touched and of her being so OCD perfectionist, those are typical of autism. About her not liking to be touched, I have a very strong comment about that when we get to a particular part of the book; I want to be careful about not getting into the story itself yet; but she does, at one point in the middle of the book or so, make reference to something I found exceedingly strange. It most definitely jarred with my view of Jenny.
Just for the record here, I have finished the book.
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I just have to add something that gives me vast personal amusement, and I'll bet a whole lot of you have been doing it, as well, and that is choosing the perfect cast of Hollywood actors for the movie. Being dead makes no never mind. I have Cary Grant playing Colin and Kathryn Hepburn as Jenny. I cannot remember the name of the big guy I have down for Vinnie, but I remember him well.
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I saw an interesting interview of Jerry Seinfeld the other day. He told the interviewer that he believed he was a little autistic because he had difficulty conversing with others. He said he doesn't get the nuances in conversations and often doesn't understand what someone is saying. The interviewer was quite surprised by the statement as I was, but I thought of that when reading Jenny's problems along that line.
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Yes, Jenny definitely sees language literally, all black and white. She does not understand slang, sarcasm, or idioms. This is most definitely one of the traits of autism, but I have a harder time understanding this than some of their other more blatant handicaps. I am unable to wrap my head around the fact that, like everyone else they do learn language and I find myself expecting these different shadings of speech to just go along with learning to speak. Obviously I am wrong, and I do not argue with that; I just have a terrible time, no, I find it impossible to understand.
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MARY PAGE: "Or she may have deliberately chosen to learn to do this (the book mentions over and over again her special courses) BECAUSE she did not have natural skills in reading people."
That's what I was thinking. But how could she learn in such a subtle way? She reads expressions even when there is no other clue to have taught her what the expression means.
Another thing interests me. Someone asks her how it feels to know what people are feeling, and she says it makes her feel secure. She must have a completely different view of people than we do -- it makes me realize that we all "believe" the false social pretenses of amiability even though we know they exist and use them ourselves. If they were stripped away, we would all be hurt. It's a kind of collective social delusion, that greases the wheels of interaction. Maybe the world would be a better place if we could all read them and learn to accept people as they REALLY are.
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Back to autism: it's definitely NOT true that my autistic grandson doesn't care what people think of him. He is very upset because he feels he has no friends and that no one likes him (which actually isn't true).
We are a huggy family, and when he was younger, he would obviously hate the hugs. So I worked out that we do head-bumps instead: it's our thing. But now, he hugs with the rest. If he has an area of concentration, he hasn't found it yet.
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"greed, one of man's greatest weaknesses". Humans disgust me.
I think this line by Genevieve gives us some insight into her. She sees herself as separate from other people, maybe not even one of the species :), and it shows her internal sense of humor, even if she's not showing it to other people. That humor was one of the things i liked about her.
Jean
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My grandson does look directly at people. His mother spent hours and hours with him, showing him how people react to this. He has in the last year or so decided to hug and is sort of funny in that he absolutely must huge you hello and goodbye.. Very important to him. Jenny mentions over and over the special training and I would dearly love a more complete explanation.
She reads people very well, but I am a bit puzzled because at the very beginning of the book, anything the least bit different sent her off to the music writing and now she seems to be doing the music in her head??
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Well, I don't know, Jean; I feel pretty much the same way that line infers. That is to say, I think we are a pretty amazing species and a very disgusting one! The numbers of our own kind that we slaughter continually without cease is enough alone to condemn us. And yes, Greed rules and we condemn our descendants to spiraling death rather than forego the profits to this generation and choose to clean up the planet: land, sky and oceans. We make perfectly dreadful generalities about other peoples, and rule them out to the last newborn as to any chance of their erasing some of the bleakness of their living conditions. No, I do not find anything uniquely autistic about Jenny's thoughts re her fellow human beings.
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I loved Jenny's reaction to Colin & Vinnie. From the beginning they both treated her differently than most people did. They seemed to have an insight and acceptance of her differences. She, in turn, learned to accept both of them more readily than she accepted others. I did not find it strange that she could read people. Didn't the book state that Jenny spent alot of time studying mannerisms and body language? Didn't you just love Vinnie?
Sally
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I loved Vinnie, Colin and Manny. And Phillip. And Francine. I loved them all. Dying to get into the particulars and peculiarities of the story itself.
I would not mind having a Vinnie of my very own!
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I have a great nephew who has Asbergers, attends regular high school and is in the Air Force High School Reserves. His parents are so proud of him. He plans on applying to the Colorado School of Mining when he graduates which is 3 years from now. His great great grandfather was a mining engineer.
Have any of you read "Born On A Blue Day"? Wonderful book, written by a functioning Autiistic man and his incredible parents of 6 children. Two of whom have autism or asbergers
Syndrome. Actually, he has written a sequel to the Blue Day book.
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To my knowledge I don't know anyone who is a diagnosed autistic person (functional or non-functional) so I am probably getting all kinds of wrong information in this story. However, it is an entertaining mystery and I've really enjoyed it.
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I really like her descriptions of the Alpha male behavior she observes.
I see very little, if any, that relates to my nephew who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome years ago (after first treating him as an ADHD child for most of his school life).
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Flajean - stick around long enough with the next 2 or 3 generations and you may well know someone who has autistic children. I swear there must be something environmental about its presence. I knew noone with the diagnosis and now the third generation seems to be very prone to having it. I don't think it's just better diagnosis ability. One of my dgts friends has two dgts who are severly autistic, a friend of my sons has two boys, one fairly severe, the other not so severe. They also have a dgt who is not autistic.
Both sets of parents grew up in NJ, one set in the north, one set in the south. Air pollution? Water pollution? Plastics? Bioengineered food? I think it must be something that the next generation has been in contact with that generates the possibility of some change in the brain of fetuses.
Jean
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Jean, I agree with you totally, with one small addition. I do tend to think it may be environmental, some things that we now have too much of in our dirt, water, and air, but I also think it may be evolutional. We do change with the years, and normally no one generation notices the changes. We would have to have the ability to jump back or forward a few hundred years at a time to actually see it.
When we were young, there might be one in a large family of children who would be declared "simple." "Oh, don't mind Jack; he's simple." Unable to communicate well, but, if lucky enough to be in a farm family, one who had a special way with the sheep and the dogs and such like. Otherwise, possibly pretty much cast out and destined to die young.
If my granddaughter Jenny had not fought like a tigress to have her children diagnosed and given therapy, and folks, we are talking as many as THREE separate therapists PER DAY per child, week in and week out, they would both be totally lost in their own closed in worlds and her days would be filled with heart wrenching melt downs. As it is, the 10 year old only has two therapists and only two days a week, now. The 9 year old still needs much more help, but he is doing GREAT and will be high functioning eventually. Both are coping well in a regular public school environment. The ten year old is the math savant. He helps his fellow fifth graders, his teacher, and his (normal) Middle School brother. That's another thing concerning brain formation: "seeing" math and understanding how it works from the git go. Absolutely stuns me.
They say that somewhere in the early weeks when the zygote is dividing and multiplying, the developing embryo is given something like a car wash of hormones. This, they now believe, is when sexual mixups can occur. Nature is never perfect; it always makes a few errors in the copies it is making or in the amount and/or mix of hormones secreted. So we get male sex organs with female brains, and vice versa, plus many other variations occur. No doubt the formation of the brain follows a similar program. Now that we can actually, and this has only come about in MY lifetime, see viruses (which are not actually alive as such) with a highly specialized electronic microscope and see what they do in the matter of forcing themselves into cells and forcing those cells to do nothing further in our bodies EXCEPT make copies of the virus; in short, turn that cell into their own private Xerox machine, we (the scientists, not me!) are learning ever so much more about the making of our own selves from the fertilization of the egg on. Fascinating stuff.
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Now we're in the new year, we can talk about anything there is so much to talk about: the music, the art, and even the mystery.
One of the many art pieces mentioned in Gauguin's "The White bowl." I assume it's not real, since it gets vandalized in the book. But he did paint a "Still life with white bowl." Seems rather tame for Gauguin: what do you think?
https://www.google.com/search?q=gauguin+white+bowl&biw=853&bih=667&tbm=isch&imgil=gBQiDOKEDOlNdM%253A%253BGiTJn-v_tgKPRM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.wikiart.org%25252Fen%25252Fpaul-gauguin%25252Fstill-life-with-white-bowl-1886&source=iu&pf=m&fir=gBQiDOKEDOlNdM%253A%252CGiTJn-v_tgKPRM%252C_&usg=__4DMLHf53uwkOOw3e0eDSvHswkMQ%3D&ved=0CDkQyjc&ei=TVSoVIrcCISuogT76oEw#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=gBQiDOKEDOlNdM%253A%3BGiTJn-v_tgKPRM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fuploads5.wikiart.org%252Fimages%252Fpaul-gauguin%252Fstill-life-with-white-bowl-1886.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.wikiart.org%252Fen%252Fpaul-gauguin%252Fstill-life-with-white-bowl-1886%3B1229%3B997
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One of the things I do these days in order to compensate for the years I spent in art galleries, which I can no longer visit, is that I have the Art Puzzles app on my iPad. Gauguin is one of the artists whose gallery of paintings I have purchased, but Still Life: The White Bowl is not among them. I do not recall ever having seen it before Estelle Ryan advised us to check it out, but I do love it. The colors are divine, and it is such a change from his and many other still life works of art. I am delighted that Ryan featured this painting and thus introduced me to it.
However, she also gave us a Degas (Women Ironing) to look at, and I do not recall running into mention of that one in this book. Do you suppose it crops up later in the series? Or perhaps she edited it out of the original manuscript of this book?
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Did I read aboutThe Art Forger here? I finished that one right before I started The Gaugin Connection. I haven't finished this book, but there are lots of similarities in talking about the "professional" art forgers. Interesting.
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I am almost totally unfamiliar with Gauguin's paintings other than his Tahitian period. Still Life with White Bowl is listed as being from his "Breton Period". Did you know he wrote a book about his experiences in Tahiti and the Marquesas? I'm going to check to see if Project Gutenberg or Archives.org have it in English. If you click on the periods listed at the right of his self-portrait you can get a view of his art. Lots of it. Unfortunately, many of the art thumbnails don't show on my computer. http://www.wikiart.org/en/paul-gauguin
I've finished the book. Hopefully, I can get around to the next one relatively soon, but I still am in the middle of Donna Leon's Brunetti series and have one more book for the Baker Street series. Regarding the last, the characters are likable but I do have a problem with a Queen's Council lawyer being such a dunderhead. The smartest of the bunch seems to be his actress girlfriend.
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Gauguin and Van Gogh.. They were friends and actually lived together for a period of time and painted the same things and wow are they different.I saw a show years ago with them side by side and it was amazing.
I find the murder and her being accused as clumsy.. If the evil ones are this smart, they would know she was unavailable at the time of the murder,, but maybe it was just buying time.. The passage of five hours sets me back.. She goes into a fugue state??
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I have at least a dozen such questions, Steph. But I did not want to get into the actual storyline and the anomalies until everyone has finished the book. As to your question, the timing did not bother me, as I think it was deliberately set up for a time when she would be sure to be at home. I mean, it was a time when ANYone would normally be at home, and they had not known about her very long, so why would they guess otherwise? But the thing that stuck out to me was that they did not break into the general's safe and get all the stuff he had on them. It just did not make sense to me that Colin went in after the murder and got those incriminating flashdrives out of the safe and out of the apartment!
I love this book. Pure pleasure reading it. But I do go nuts over the little things that don't fit well. I do that with everything I read. Naturally that kind of perfectionism also makes me go berserk when I hear politicians give camouflaged answers to questions, without ever actually answering them. Which is just about all of the time!
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I agree, MaryPage. There seem to be a number of, shall we say lapses in credibility, but it is a good read anyway. I think it is because I like and care about the characters. I am anxious to read the next book (but others must come first) as the promo states that she is betrayed by friends. I do hope it isn't any of the Fab Five (Colin, Francine, Manny, Phillip and Vinnie).
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Regarding the murder and arrest: The four intruders left Jenny alive but they took her fingerprints (she remembered them pressing her hand against something) so they had already planned for their use in some way. I think the leader was "playing" or testing Jenny as well as possibly buying time. However, their leaving the flash drives in the safe doesn't make sense to me either.
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Agreed. Those professional thugs were so very thorough in searching Jenny's apartment and terrorizing her, and then to just go in the general's apartment and NOT search for a safe and the contents thereof just does not make sense. And on top of that, they did such a crummy and unprofessional job of making it look like a burglary attempt. Even stupid old lady me could figure out that if they actually WERE conducting a search, they would have disturbed ALL of the sofa pillows, and not just a couple of them. Scheesch!
Did it bother you that on page 409 Jenny uses the term: red-handed? It appears to me that is one of those terms she just would not relate to.
And on page 399, that thug who came down the staircase: HOW? Jenny had moved the key from its usual place over the doorway to underneath the footstool. He would not have had a key. And the door was an automatic lock.
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In this mornings email from the Smithsonian, another reason to avoid as many chemicals as possible...........bring on the vinegar!
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/puberty-beginning-earlier-girls-so-what-can-parents-do-180953738/?utm_source=smithsoniantopic&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20150104&spMailingID=21921377&spUserID=NzQwNDUzNjY5NzES1&spJobID=480229148&spReportId=NDgwMjI5MTQ4S0
Joan - Thanks for the links to the paintings, i liked the ones with the oranges and raspberries in them the best. Has any of you read American Pie? Two women friends need to drive across the country and decide to have a motivator/entertainment of searching for the best pie in each area where they stop. (Non-fiction, with recipes) The writer also becomes enthalled with mixing bowls and begins to collect. If my rational self had not been so strong (where would i put them? ) i could have been a collector of such bowls. I had a nice brownstone bowl from my mother and i gave in once or twice and bought some bowls i just couldn't resist, but ones i have used frequently.
I agree, i had some questions about some situations in G C, but i enjoyed the story too much to be upset by them.
Jean
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I agree, some of the mystery plotting is weak, but there's so much else, I'm willing to forgive her. Hopefully it will get better in her later books. The author has a plotting handicap with a detective who can read what people are really feeling. She'll have to keep the murderer and detective apart till the end.
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I hope someone makes a movie of this with the art displayed and the Mozart as background.
Toward the end, she mentally plays the slow movement of Mozart's piano concerto No. 27, saying it always makes her feel peaceful.
I couldn't find a recording with just the slow movement: It's in the middle of the recording below. If you put your cursor at the bottom of the picture, a band will appear with the time a the left. There are three yellow stripes in the band. If you click just to the right of the first yellow band (at minute 13.33) you get the part she's talking about (if you click on the band, you get an annoying ad).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61S3yv_Fwg8
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Meanwhile, FRYBABE, I love the Baker Street series, and am willing to believe in the dumb lawyer, because it's so funny.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/michael-robertson/
The premise is: the lawyer (in modern times) has an office on Baker Street which he is able to rent cheap if he agrees to answer all letters that come in addressed to Sherlock Holmes. course, he's meant to send a form letter, but his dippy brother reads them, and occasionally gets one reporting a real murder, and convinced Holmes is still alive and living there.
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Yes, I'd like a movie too, please.
With the art masterpieces and the Mozart.
Lovely.
Since I cannot have Cary Grant & Katherine Hepburn, who is out there today who could manage?
Colin Farrell for Colin?
Is Cate Blanchett too old now to do Jenny?
Jennifer Lawrence? Bet she could do it!
I honestly wasn't looking for a Colin to play Colin and a Jennifer to play Jenny, but that's what came up!
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;D
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I have an email this morning from Estelle Ryan (I signed up on her website for these) announcing THE PUCELLE CONNECTION has been published today. Number Six in the Connection series.
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Oh me, will look up her website.. I am almost done, but Downton Abbey interfered.. so today at some point, will finish.. The only one we have not met in person is Francine?? or does she appear in the last few pages.
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We hear a lot about her and get great results from her before meeting her in person on page 382. We like her. A lot!
Francine makes Jenny's "team" complete. My take is that each and every one of the "criminals" involved is actually using their criminal talents on behalf of the good guys. Colin is working for Interpol, Vinnie is either working for Interpol or the U.S. or independently when called upon by those we consider the good guys. Francine may be strictly Interpol, but I suspect she, too, is an independent contractor for the good guys. Mannie knows all this, but does not disturb their cover. He and Colin have an old feud going.
So it is all a matter of perspective as to whether or not they are "criminals." We know perfectly well, as sane adults, that both the good guys and the bad guys use illegal means to protect their interests. In the matter of Jenny's team of highly trained and intelligent people, we can rest assured they are working on behalf of OUR interests. Whether we approve or not is determined by our individual perspectives as to the rights and wrongs of using illegal methods to protect and preserve our national interests.
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Maybe even Amy Adams as Jenny? I think she has a more "serious" face, although I love Jennifer Lawrence!
Colin? Hmm, have to give that some more thought!
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Yeah, I bet Amy Adams could do it!
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
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Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
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Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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I've looked at the second book, and it looks like Francine has a prominent role there.
Back to the first book.I admit, I got lost sometimes in the details of the plot. Couldn't keep all the "alphabet agencies" straight.
And I'm a fan of real detecting in mysteries. At first, I enjoyed following as she followed each trail of data, and waited for the next batch to arrive. But it got tedious, and dragged the book down in the middle. I hope in future books, the author has the same methodical method, but lets us go through faster than Jennie does.
In the end, I'm not sure all the puzzle pieces fit, but I'd lost track a bit. And I couldn't swallow her being so completely stupid at the end.
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"stupid at the end"?? How so?
I didn't like that she lost a lot of her "symptoms" as the story progressed, i.e. touching another person etc. I feel the author should have left some of that for future books. But regardless, I don't read for "perfection" of the storyline, I read for enter-
tainment, with a little acquisition of new knowledge along the way (in this case, Autism). Did anyone here see the movie "Mercury Rising" with Bruce Willis, and a boy who portrayed an autistic child. Now when anyone touched him, he really went off like a firecracker, kicking and screaming. The child did a real good job, I thought, especially with the "not looking anyone in the eyes"
I don't have personal experience with autism, but from what folks have said here, I can see where this little fellow kind of personified the autistic personality, as I understand it to be. Of course, there are different "spectrums" (should that be "spectrii?) I really did enjoy this book and thanks to whomever first mentioned that it was Free on Kindle, so I jumped right in.
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TOME: I don't want to be too specific about how she was stupid, in case someone hasn't finished the book. But we know she comes out alright, because there is a series of books. She just makes it harder on herself than she need.
See if anyone else agrees.
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ok
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I read mysteries for entertainment and don't mind occasional inconsistencies. It is an unusual premise (?) for a mystery that the detective is a highly functional autistic person, but I wonder if that might get boring after a couple of stories. I think I'll try one more and see if it stays as interesting.
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It was certainly a stupid move in MY view of things for her to have followed, all on her own, those so very dangerous criminals and to go, heaven forbid, down those stairs with the door locking behind her and all that. Obviously, her team thought the same of her. But her answer as to why she did it seemed very realistic to me: she was focused on discovering and proving who was Piros. An autistic person can truly focus that entirely and have no huge danger signals going off in their brain. Me, when it comes to the slightest hint of fight or flight, you will find me in the vanguard of those fleeing, every time. Bye! Bye!
Remember, too, she felt sure her guys were following her and could see, from the pictures she was sending with her phone, where she was. Of course, she could have been killed right in front of their eyes, too, because the bad guys did not know about the phone camera being on!
When, in the movies, folks under siege go off into their separate bedrooms with a murderer on the loose, my brain screams at them to get their act together and camp out in one room; but they never listen to me, and so get picked off one by one. When the hero, or more often heroine, takes a flashlight and goes outside to see where the noise is coming from, my brain again screams "What the hey do you think you're DOing? Get back inside!" Oh well; the writers have to set the action going SOME way!
I enjoyed this book hugely and will keep reading the series unless or until it gets tiresome, just as FlaJean says she will do.
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Finished the book.. Met Francine.. Hmm, a most interesting addition. I did think the ending was a bit out of character for Jenny.
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It's become almost a given that at the end of the book, the narrator will be in danger from the murderer. So much so, that when it doesn't happen, I'm surprised. But it's nice when the author makes it more plausible.
But given my occasional grumble, I still look forward to reading the next. It's called "The Dante Connection" so maybe there's more in it about poetry, to go with the music and art.
Is anyone familiar with the English poets that Colin uses as aliases?
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Well, sorry, I thought it would be obvious, but I erred. I meant THE GAUGUIN CONNECTION by Estelle Ryan which we are to begin to discuss on January 2nd. Is that right? January 2?
I got the latest Margaret Maron, Designated Daughters, for Christmas, and a whole pile of others and a bunch of Barnes & Noble gift cards. Am overwhelmed by how rich I feel surrounded by bookcases and piles and stacks of books enough to last just about forever. Some guilt, too. But more avarice than guilt!
Since I haven't been posting or reading what you are all reading, I do want to say that Designated Daughters by Margaret Maron is a terrific book; well, all of hers are. It is a very sensitive and enjoyable mystery.
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ZULEMA: OH DEAR! PLEASE DON'T FEEL LEFT OUT!! Is anyone else feeling rejected and neglected? Please don't.
I've started reading a Scotteline book "Betrayed." Some day I'll learn to spell her name).
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Oh, Joan! I did not take Zulema's words to mean that she was feeling at all left out or rejected or neglected. Just that she has been engrossed in a different mystery book and not following along with us regarding The Gauguin Connection. Margaret Maron is a huge favorite of mine, and I am delighted to hear the latest Deborah Knott is so good. It is my next on the stack after the Ann Cleeves Shetland mystery I am into now. By the time I am finished with the Maron, I will either take up the NEXT on the stack, a Peter Robinson, or may get into The Dante Connection, as surely it will have arrived at my door by then. Depends on how well I can resist waiting to see what happens next with Jenny. Also on what is appearing on PBS from Great Britain in the way of mysteries. The Cleeves I am currently reading is on every Saturday night on one of the five (5) PBS channels I have access to. DCI BANKS shows up on another PBS channel once a week, as well. And George Gently. Such fun, but one does have to read swiftly to keep up!
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"Depends on how well I can resist waiting"
My problem, exactly. My to-be-read list tends to turn into a "last - in-first - out queue. Like the towel at the bottom of the stack that never gets used, books get buried for months.
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My TBR is so out of hand. I have had the Sara Paretsky for months and I do love her, But this time V.I. is being foolish.. alone in a drug dealers territory. How silly is that for V.I.
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One thing happens to be quite timely in Ryan's "Connection" books, and I definitely do not get the impression she is attempting to be political, but rather utilizes a fact of life that is, as it were, "out there" these days, is the criminality of most, if not all, of Jenny's team. I am betting Manny, too, has bent a law or two when it suits him to get to the bottom truth of an investigation he is conducting. But for us reading this first Connection book for the first time, it is serendipitous that it was just last month the Senate Select Intelligence Committee report on the C.I.A.'s activities in law breaking was made public. Some months back we had almost more information than we could handle re the NSA also breaking laws in the name of national security. Almost week after week, if not day after day, reports come in of blatant disregard of our laws by employees of various departments and agencies of our official government, such as the police and F.B.I. Apparently there are a slew of well paid personnel working for agencies all over this world, but off the books and on the sly so as to be as deniable as possible, who break laws in order to gain information. Spies, interrogators, investigators, and so on. I rather expect it has been true for thousands of years. My mind struggles with whether it is a good thing or a bad thing for us, the normal everyday sort of citizen, to know these things. The only answer I seem to be able to come up with, given my huge lack of insider knowledge, is that perhaps the possibility of public disclosure will force government officials to try to keep closer to The Law and prevent an all out, reckless, totalitarian rule allowing these agencies to intrude upon our freedoms and our everyday lives. Do I make any sense with all this? I am, like Ryan, trying not to be in any way political; I am just one who thinks about how things work.
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I agree. Power corrupts, and even if people are sometimes acting with good intentions, it's bound to lead to abuses if not for checks.
As the daughter of a lawyer, I believe in the rule the law. That doesn't mean if I had to break a law to save a life, I wouldn't do it - - there is a higher morality. But I would expect to be examined and checked.
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Well, exactly. And you just gave a perfect example.
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The law.. hmm, Living in Florida with our lunatic legislature, I wonder about the law sometimes. Our laws are intricate... make no sense.. and are so very political...
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So, are there anymore comments about The Gauguin Connection? I was hoping everyone would put forth their opinions about reading it and the storyline. Are we agreed that the writing made it a pleasurable read?
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Yes, MP, a very pleasurable read! Glad we found this author. Just hope she doesn't get all "james patterson" on us, with a new book every 20 minutes and co-authored. Also, wouldn't want the series to turn into the same/same with only the title of the artwork changed. I think the main characters were all well-introduced and people who are interesting and that we care about, in some way.
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Vinnie is my favorite. I repeat, I WANT a Vinnie!
I guess his outstanding attribute in my view is that he can cook. You go, Vinnie!
So Jenny has a father figure/boss, a bodyguard/cook, a legal high ranking official expert who can get things done, a handsome lover, and a galfriend supergenius who has talents Jenny lacks. Have I covered it? Comments?
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Which is the high ranking legal expert, MaryPage? Manny or Leon? I think you missed one.
And yes, a having a Vinnie around sounds nice.
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Notice how everyone cares for her and takes care of her. And she's wondering "why are they doing this?" She's learning about love, and feeling it, although she doesn't recognize it.
I wonder how realistic this is? we all wonder how people on the autism spectrum really feel.
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Good point.
I did not mean a high ranking legal expert. I meant exactly what I said: a legal high ranking official expert who can get things done. That is Manny, and he is legal. The rest of her team are off the books, as it were.
I do not believe Leon is a member of Jenny's "team." I may well be proved wrong, but at this point, I do not count him in.
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You're probably right about Leon, MaryPage. He does know about the team and can pull strings when necessary, though.
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I loved the book and w ill continue to read her, but I still have my doubts about Jenny being able and willing to accept this many people in such a short time. Having a grandson with asburgers, I know his preference is one friend.. not a lot of friends. Too many people around him send him into shutdown..At the beginning of the book, it did Jenny as well, so I want Ryan to continue exploring autism in its many colors. I did go on the authors site. She is interesting in herself and has a newsletter, etc.
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I have the next 4 books on hand now, but have many, many others I must turn to and devour before I go back into Jenny's world.
I kind of sort of get the impression, from skimming through all four, that the series is like one continuous story. Well, I guess it would be.
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I liked the book enough to order the next one, but haven't started it yet. Somehow, I haven't gotten in the mood to start a new book. I am trying to finish several I started & am re-reading The Rosie Project for my ftf book club next week.
Sally
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I suspect that Ryan had written several of the stories and then finally began to be published. They sound as if it is a continuous thing.
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My guess as well, Steph!
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Those of you who liked taking more time with a book, might like our month long discussions. This month we're discussing "The boys in the Boat" about the rowers who won gold in the 1936 Olympics. Next month, it's return as adults to a High School nemesis "The Lady of Shallot" with a promise of no bad marks if you don't understand it (I suspect my teacher didn't understand it either!)
There's a new one every month, so check if there's something that interests you.
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Started the second, but oh my,, the first few pages are way past confusing.. Living next to her, her not knowing.. Way strange.
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Boggles the mind.
Is everyone else still around. I'm reading the latest Hyzy about the President's chef "All the President's Menus". not as good as some of her others, but I like the series.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/julie-hyzy/
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I'm here, and disappointed we did not hear more voices with their different perspectives on reading The Gauguin Connection. I was hoping the discussion would go on much longer. Oh well.
Had an email from Margaret Maron yesterday or the day before. She will have a new Deborah Knott out in August: Long Upon The Land, and she also pointed out that she wrote two (2) books featuring Dwight Bryant long before Deborah came along: Bloody Kin was one, and Last Lessons of Summer the other. I honestly cannot remember whether I read those or not. The title Bloody Kin sounds quite familiar.
I am sure you all know that it is easy to subscribe to a particular author's emails just by going to their website and signing up.
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I read Bloody Kin, but not the other one. Gaugin,, the thing that bothered me about it was how fast Jenny was accepting of a wide variety of people. At the very beginning, they seemed to make it clear that she did not handle change well at all. If so, she would not have been able to handle all of the people at once.
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MARY: I was too, and don't mean to close it off, just make room for people who are reading other things. Do you have more you want to say?
You are right, STEPH. And here is a person who has trouble with interpersonal relationships who attracts a horde of admirers and protectors we all would envy. Maybe we should all try being autistic.
I wonder if the author is trying to be realistic. In any case, it makes for a good story, and a warm fuzzy feel. I'll definitely read more.
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I liked the story and the closeness. There are things in Jennys life that are still a mystery and I note at the beginning of the second book,. that hospitals terrify her.
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"hospitals terrify her". She's not alone in that. my husband as well, even if he was just visiting someone.
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I have a son who used to be terrified of hospitals.When he was 7 his grandfather went into the hospital. Small children were not allowed in hospitals in 1970 and so he could not go see him. He adored his Grandpa and begged to go. We told him no, then his grandfather got much much worse and died quite suddenly. For years , you mentioned the word hospital and he would hyperventilate.. Funniest thing was his first wife was a doctor and he was in the hospital most of the time visiting, since she was a surgical resident and worked long horrible hours.
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Is Julia Spencer-Fleming still writing mysteries? She is one of my favorite mystery writers. Is she still alive?
Thanks, Sheila
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Another good question SHIELA. Spencer Fleming's last book was in 2013, and they don't mention a new one coming up, but they don't list her as dead, either.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/julia-spencer-fleming/
In edit.I dug a bit more. her web site ends just before her last book came out in 2013. But Google didn't come up with any obituaries of her. She was born in 1961, so she's 53.
A mystery!
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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Julia Spencer-Fleming has a FaceBook page and posted on Jan. 11th. She passed her physical with flying colors in Dec. there was no mention of work on a new book.
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http://www.juliaspencerfleming.com/
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Then it looks like she's ok. Maybe just tired of writing. Or doing something that takes longer.
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I love Spencer-Fleming.. Hopefully she is not dead, just writers block perhaps..
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Well, Julia Spencer-Fleming is a real, old-fashioned WRITER who works hard on every aspect of her books and crafts them to her own satisfaction. She is not one of our modern assembly line money makers with annual publishing dates in their contracts. We need real excellence these days. Real quality. Refreshing to know that it is still to be found. I don't read her books and find myself lamenting dozens of little holes in the story.
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Thamks for the info about Julia Spencer-Fleming. I willcheck put her website, now.
SheilaThen it looks like she's ok. Maybe just tired of writing. Or doing something that takes longer.
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I think she has always been a slow writer, but her stories are always so compelling.
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I would be interested in knowing who your favorite mystery authors are. My introduction to mystery writing wer books by Mary Higgins Clark.
Sheila
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She's good!http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/mary-higgins-clark/
I see I haven't begun to read all her books. Have to get on the ball.
I guess my introduction (after Nancy Drew of course) was books by Agatha Christie.
I couldn't possibly pick a favorite! Too painful to leave others out.
What do you all say?
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For me it was mostly Nancy Drew, but also Mary Stewart, and Mary Roberts Rinehart. Speaking of Nancy Drew, we have a fellow who comes into the library for Nancy Drew. His daughter was into her, and he got hooked.
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Josephine Tey is an all time favorite. Julia Spencer-Fleming, Margaret Maron, Barbara Michaels, Ngaio Marsh, Minette Walters, Reginald Hill, Peter Robinson, Charles Finch, Ann Cleeves, Michael Dibdin, Michael Gruber, Estelle Ryan, Ellis Peters, Charlotte MacLeod, Sharon McCrumb. Oh, the list just goes on and on and on.
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My first mystery books were the Nancy Drew mysteries. Christmas morning always saw the latest ND mystery under the tree for me. At one time, I had all of them which I passed on to my oldest niece when she reached a certain age. I don't know what she did with them. I also read the Hardy boy mysteries, but didn't love them like the Nancy Drew. Then I graduated on to Agatha Christie, Mary Stuart, Mary Roberts Rhinehart, Mary Higgins Clark, etc. I especially liked the Hercule Poirot books! Now, I like a good many authors: Julia Spencer-Fleming, Thomas Perry, the Jane Whitefield series, and many more.
Sally
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As far as I'm concerned Julia Spencer-Fleming can take her time getting her next book out. I'm not a fan. My notes on her last book, OUT OF THE DEEP I CRY, say " Long and boring. About two-thirds of the way thru it, I got so bored I dropped it. Not worth wading thru the rest of the pages."
Marj
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That's why there are all different kinds of books -- we all like different things.
It's hard to pick up a Spencer-Fleming from late in the series if you don't read them in order. there are too many continuing characters, that she has to bring in somehow even if it hasn't got much to do with the plot, and it can drag.
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Goodness, my introduction.. Mary Stewart who I adored, but Agatha as well. Never liked Hercules, but loved the rest especially Tuppence and
Tommy. Now whew, the list is long.. I started a new series that I like Karen Harper and she writes of Elizabeth I.. as a secret detective of sorts. Interesting.
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My mystery book reading also started with NancyDrew. I also loved Mary Stewart and Christie's Miss Marple. There was a really cute series on Netflix about Tommy and Tuppence a while back. My list of authors I like would fill a page. :)
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Another childhood favorite: the "Tish" books by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Three middle aged ladies who have amazing adventures, including foiling a German attack in WWI. Did anyone else read them?
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Oh! Oh! Oh! I forgot to mention two huge favorites:
MRS. POLLIFAX by Dorothy Gilman
and
MISS SEETON by Heron Carvic and Hampton Charles and Hamilton Crane.
Both series pure marvelous entertainment.
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Oh Tish. I had forgotten them.I loved them.
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I love Mrs. Pollifax. Have read all of them. I have around 5 or 6 of those little Miss Seeton books I bought at a book sale for 25 cents. Every one of them a quick, light and enjoyable read.
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if I HAD TO name one all time favorite, it would be Dorothy Gilman and "The Unexpected Mrs. Polifax." She's who I want to be when I grow up.
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I loved the Mrs. Pollifax books. I also really loved the Southern Sisters mysteries by Anne George. They always made me laugh out loud.
Sally
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me, too. Having a sister...
It was a real shock when I picked up a new book by her and saw in the author bio that she had died. I've always meant to look up her poetry (she was the Alabama poet laureate.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/anne-george/
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Way back, Erle Stanley Gardner and Perry Mason were among the earliest, after Nancy Drew. Then Agatha Christie, and once I found the public library, I read just about every mystery I could find in that Carnegie library. Today I don't have favorites. I enjoy a number of different authors.
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My Mother brought me a subscription to the Ellery Queen magazine. I loved it, It was probably my first mysteries.
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Thanks, everyone, for sharing your favorites. Now, I will begin checking them out.
Sheila
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Working on Dante Connection.. Jenny is back to her original self and the very complex mystery is slowly unfolding..I think better than the first one.
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Glad to hear that, and I will look forward to reading the rest of the series.
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read an intriguing book called "The Persian Pickle Club" by Sandra Dallas. t's a mystery, but mostly its about farm women "making do" in the 1930s.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/sandra-dallas/
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JoanK, I really like Sandra Dallas and have read all of her books to date. However, imo, the earlier ones were best.
Sally
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Do they all have mysteries in them?
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JoanK, I would not describe SD books as mysteries. Sally
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I read The Persian Pickle Club and liked it, but did not like most of the others.
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JoanK, I've only read three of her books -- Persian Pickle, Tallgrass, and Buster Midnight's Cafe. Tallgrass is set in a small Colorado town during WW II and is the name of a Japanese internment camp. I wouldn't call it a mystery, but a murder does take place. I really enjoyed it, Buster Midnight, not so much.
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Jenny and the Dante Connection. The puzzles grows and twists and twines.. Amazing indeed..
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Great! I am reading a Charles Lenox, and then have a dozen more books on the get to asap pile, but 4 Genevieve books are waiting for me to pick them off the shelf I placed them in. Thinking of the pleasure awaiting me is such a comfort!
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Isn't it.
I try to make a rule, not to read two books by the same author in a row, so I won't get tired of them. But I violate that all the time.
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I just finished "The Whole Enchilada" by Diane Mott Davidson. This is not a series I follow faithfully, but it was in the new book display at the library, and I felt like something light so I checked it out. As usual, it stretched believability, but it held my interest.
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I like Goldy and her husband, but cannot bear that child of hers. A completely spoiled brat that she encourages. So I gave up reading her.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That child -- Arch?? ANd all those references to "the Jerk." I used to enjoy that series, but not anymore. Another one that I rarely read now is the one about The Darlings. Death on Demand? Carolyn Hart? Too much mother-in-law.
One that I still read and look forward to -- Margaret Maron. I like the way she focuses on a single industry or location. Linda Fairstein is another I'll keep reading. I loved the fairly recent one about Central Park -- Death Angel?
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I, too, gave up Diane Mott Davidson, Joanne Fluke, Carolyn Hart, Margaret Maron, and Joan Hess some years ago. They've run out of material, IMHO, and need to start new series with a new location, new characters, new character occupations.
Jane
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I know. It seems to happen to all writers, including some of my favorites. Louise Penny.
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I still like Margaret Maron. Never did like the others.
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I thought Arch actually behaved as I would have thought a teen-aged boy with his history might behave, better, in fact. Of course, I had two boys whose teen years certainly accelerated the gray hair. I just find the author crams too much into each book, the days are too full, and Goldie's involvement really stretches reality. But, as escape literature, it worked for me this time.
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I still love and read Margaret Maron.. I had two sons, but never ever would they have tried or been permitted to act like Arch.. Totally controlling of the household. Yes, I think that writers who writer too many stories in a single series get stuck.. Linda Fairstein is good, she loves research and so each book teaches you stuff. I enjoy that.
Oh Jenny.. You liked a touch. You are growing.
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I don't know that sons control the household so much as the mom, in this case, appears to let him do so. Lots of guilt there. However, she seems to be doing a good job of raising him. That's one thing that doesn't bother me about the series.
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I picked up a Craig Johnson short story collection about Longmire... I had seen a few of the tv series and read two of the books, which are quite hard to find.. The short stories are neat for a bed book for me..They just fill in little spots here and there.
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Has anyone read the "Grantchester" books by James Runcie? I've been enjoying the TV series, and thought I'd try the books.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/james-runcie/
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I love the Grantchester series, as well. And no, I have not read the books.
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Did not realize that they were a book before a tv show.
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Runcie is the son of an Archbishop of Canterbury!
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He is? He says his father is a minister, but I didn't think THAT minister.
I'll let you know what I think. The first book is on my TBR list.
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His father was much more fascinating than ANY of his son's books!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Runcie
Bigger than Life, he was! I remember his reign well!
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WOW! he certainly is!
Now I have to read his son's books.
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Still struggling along with Jenny and the problems she and her friends are having. Interesting, but I need to stop and read the book Greyhound for my f2f book club for this month.
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I've started reading the first book inn the Granchester series, and am enjoying it. It's six short stories. Enjoying the third one less than the first two: it's about when are you justified in euthanasia of an old suffering person. I'll let you know on that one.
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The Runcie books sound good. I've not been watching the series. Are the shows "stand-alones" or do you need to watch each week to know what's going on? I can't handle too many TV series. This year it's Downton Abbey.
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Grantchester is a typical mystery series on PBS from BBC in that each story stands alone: i.e., it begins and ends in the one program episode, but the main characters appear in each story and evolve and make progress in their lives. Our hero is a young Church of England priest with the parish of Grantchester, which, by the way, is as real a town and church as London and St. Paul's. Lovely scenery. He smokes and drinks too much, but his heart is broken, as the Love of His Life is marrying, and does marry, another. Sob! The housekeeper is a stitch. His best buddy is the local Detective Chief Inspector, played by a great actor, Robson Green, you will probably recognize. This DCI recognizes this priest can get information from people that he, a policeman, could not in two lifetimes. So he uses him. Big Time. Lovely characters and lovely stories. I am enchanted with the young woman our hero is in love with. Oh, and she loves him, as well and all, but must marry money. So they each settle for someone else and look longingly at one another for, it would seem so far, the rest of their lives. Heartbreaking situation.
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Thanks, MaryPage, for that great summary. I think I'll watch this Sunday's performance.
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I don't know if this woman has showed up in the book yet. he is attracted to two women, but neither seem to fit.
But it's only the first book.
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Show will have to wait until Netflix.. just do not have the time now.
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Joan, the love life thing may well not be the same in the series made for television as it is in the books; I have not read the books, so I just don't know. But in this series, it is clear from the very first episode that these two have known one another since they were small children and have spent A LOT of time together and are very much in love. He has a photo of the two of them together on his office desk where he types his sermons on an old pre-electric typewriter. I think the series takes place in the nineteen fifties. Will need to Google it to find out!
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HERE YOU GO!
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30206813
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Thanks, Mary Page.
"Daisy Coulam will return to write the new episodes, adapting stories from Runcie's second Grantchester Mysteries novel, Sidney Chambers and the Perils of the Night."
That's the book I'm reading now. I can guess they're using a character "Amanda, but changing their relationship a bit. In the book, he's rather hopeless at sorting out his feelings for women, but has them for two.
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Ah the used book sale brought me way too many have to have, no matter what books.. Sigh.. Another book case taken over by TBR.. I even found a short story collection by Tony Hillerman.. Very funny indeed.
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That collection of short stories by Tony Hillerman is a real find. Isn't his daughter continuing the series since Tony's death?
Kizuna Coast by Sujata Massey was interesting. Presently I'm reading Murder and Mendelssohn (a Phryne Fisher mystery) by Kerry Greenwood. Entertaining as always.
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Of interest to those of us who read The Gauguin Connection and anyone interested in art.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31183733
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Holy smokes!!!
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Amazing. but going to the oil rich arab country ensures I will never see it.. I simply will not go to any of them Egypt was bad enough.
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WOW! Incidentally, BUBBLE in the art discussion on Seniors and friends reminds me that Gauguin paintings make great jigsaw puzzles!
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I use the ArtPuzzles app on my iPad, and one of the series of paintings I purchased was the Gauguin. I just love those things for relaxation and pleasure.
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Must get back to Dante connection. Just have still been catching up on everything.
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I've started reading the second of Ruth Downey's Medicus crime series, Terra Incognita. The series so far is set in Britain shortly before Hadrian builds his wall. Ruso is a Roman army medic.
Click on the books to get a synopsis. http://rsdownie.co.uk/books/
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I have Terra Incognita in my tbr, saw it the other day.
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Was it someone here who was reading The Finishing Stroke by Ellery Queen? I ordered that through interlibrary loan, received it from a small rural library, the 1958 printing, and enjoyed it very much. I had read it way back when, quite possibly shortly after it was written, so it was familiar but I read it with particular interesting in the references to the times. References to authors, books and music of 1929 sent me to the computer to research them. It was a good book, if an unlikely plot.
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I subscribe to the Ellery Queen magazine for so many years a long time ago. Loved the short stories and novelettes..
am reading the new John Sandford.. The Virgil series. He does make me laugh. and solves crimes to boot.. This one has dognapping as well as murder and meth. A threebee.
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My family subscribed to the Ellery Queen magazine when I was a child, and I devoured it. Remember the "minute mysteries": A mystery a paragraph long, and you had to guess the important clue?
And some of the short stories are classics.
I may have read "The Finishing Stroke" then, but don't remember. I'm glad to hear his mysteries still hold up. I'll have to get it.
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Just finished an ebook mystery that was free on Amazon a few weeks ago, Innocent in Las Vegas by A. R. Winter. It was entertaining, the first in a series, so the author had to set up the premise. A Vegas coupier has decided to start her own business as a private investigator. It was a little slow getting started and i asked the question "why doesn't she get some training to do this job?" it gets answered as the story continues.
It's not as good as the Gauguin Connection series, but the series may get better with future books. This story got better as i read through the book, so maybe the author is learning his/her craft. ;D
Jean
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It seems to me that a lot of the free ebooks are by authors who are trying to break into the publishing world. Some are good. I am also reading a science fiction one that is fun..
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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I read "The Cinderella murder" by Mary Higgins Clarke and Alafair Burke.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/alafair-burke/cinderella-murder.htm
I like both authors, and liked the premise of the book (A TV series that reexamines old murders by getting all the people involved together to be interviewed). But the book changed point of view in every chapter, and it's amazing how much that kept me from getting involved in the book. The interviewing was weak, too, and the plot as scattered as the point of view.
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I like Alafair Burke, but not Mary Higgins Clark. They do not write books even remotely similar, wonder why they got together??
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I have finished Terra Incognita and have ordered the next in the series, Persona Non Grata.
The beginning chapter or two of Terra Incognita almost put me off. Ruso's "slave", Tilla, is not well behaved and doesn't necessarily explain her behavior/actions. It leaves me to wonder why Ruso likes her. But then, he seems such a dummy when it comes to women. Together, these two make an interesting pair. The story is full of interesting characters, including an "insane", and possible murder suspect, doctor, an aide to the prefect who is their version of a spy/black ops/intelligence officer, and several interesting portrayals of some of the womenfolk.
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They have that weird relationship in all the books. Apparently, the names of all the books have changed?
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/r-s-downie/
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JoanK, I think they are the UK version vs. the US version. It looks like they went with one title for the last two; maybe they sell better under the Latin titles. I certainly would have looked less closely at books with the original UK title.
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I was reading on line this morning, and came across this article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It should be "free" if you haven't read 10 articles there this month. It's about a couple who are getting an award from Mystery Writers of American. They support new mystery authors. They publish Crimespree Magazine, which covers all things crime, including TV shows. I thought some of you might be interested in the article or the magazine.
http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/books/partners-in-crime-milwaukee-couple-honored-by-mystery-writers-of-america-b99441801z1-292037951.html
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I seem to fall further and further behind in interesting books. Terra sounds like fun.. but I am still trying to finish a Bailey White and the Stefan Pipper.. Greyhound, this one if for my f2f book club.
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I was really disappointed in the latest Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher mystery. It was a haphazard story and she has made Phryne entirely too kinky IMO. I love the series on Netflix and that Phryne is much more to my liking. I always enjoyed Greenwood's earlier books.
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NLHOME: an interesting article, and shows you don't have to be a writer to get involved in the mystery scene. Do any of you subscribe to Crimespree Magazine?
STEPH: too many books is a GOOD thing (I think).
JEAN: I've always found Greenwood uneven. Many of them are over-the top IMO.
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I just started Medicus and I think I am going to like him very much..
The slave girl is still unconscious, so do not know how I feel about her.
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One of my snow day enjoyments is The Poisoned Serpent by Joan Wolf. What would fiction writers of English history do without the Plantagenets, especially the Stephen versus Matilda/Maud rivalry? This book uses this rivalry almost as a character, but not overwhelmingly so. It does have an influence on the characters decisions, a young couple who is trying to keep Stephen from deciding they should marry people of his choosing.
I'm loving the way Wolf gives us many enticing (for me - this kind of stuff drives my DH crazy when he's reading mysteries) day-to-day details about their clothing, the pieces of armor, the houses, the games, etc. i would recommend it and others of hers.
Jean
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JEAN: that sounds interesting. I haven't read a mystery about Stephen since the Ellis Peters "Brother Cadfial."
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I'm reading The Braque Connection (#3 in the series). I'm not one of those who figures out things before the end of the book, but I saw two of the main "mysteries" by the middle of the book. I really like the interaction between these characters and have enjoyed the stories. But I hate having this type of non-mystery. I've already bought #4, so we'll see how that one goes before I get any more.
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Maryz - so glad to see you here. When i heard about Tenn's ice storm, i hoped you and your family were safe and warm. Did you see the NBC story about Tyler Summit coaching the women's team at La Tech (i think)? It was very nice.
I'm glad several of you have continued on with the art mysteries. I haven't yet read beyond Gauguin, but it sounds like i should, glad to have your reviews.
Jean
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I mean to read ore, but got sidetracked. I'm reading one now (won't mention name} where the author is so busy describing the flavor of every bite of food the character eats, the plot gets lost. Wonder why I've been so hungry all day? better stop reading before I gain 5 pounds.
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Hi Jean - in the small area right around Chattanooga, there was no snow and very little ice. On the higher elevations surrounding us, there were a lot of problems, but just nothing down near the river. Funny stuff - but we're happy to take it. ::)
We knew about Tyler, of course - and it was a good story. One of Pat's long-time assistant coaches is now his assistant. We wish him well, naturally.
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I am still reading Dante connection, but the plot is sound complicated at this point. But Jenny is beginning to understand that she is changing around Collin.. Medicus is fun ... The slave girl is awake, but wants to die.. and he is bewildered by her to put it mildly.Some of his background is in to describe why he has no money at this point.
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Reading a good English mystery Rest Assured by J. m. Gregson. It is the first book I've read by Gregson, and I'll certainly look for more. It seems he has two different series---Lambert and Hook mysteries (which I'm reading), and the Detective Inspector Peach Mysteries.
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Gregson is new to me!
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/j-m-gregson/
If I like him, I'm set for life: he's written 46 mysteries and "books on subjects as diverse as golf and Shakespeare". And he's still writing at 80.
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46.. hmm. yes, that would set me up. I am reading Medicus and enjoying it very very much. I can see that Medicus has a few surprises where Tilla is concerned.
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80 years old and he's still going strong, sometimes writing more than two a year.
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Amazon doesn't seem to have him. I'll have to look in my library.
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JoanK, Amazon does have Gregson. Lots of interesting titles. Maybe your fingers tricked you.
I was going to check my library, but the server seems to be down.
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Enjoying very much the third of the Medicus series called Persona non Grata. In this one Tilla meets the family. Ruso's family holdings are in the province of Gallia Narbonensis, which includes Toulouse and Marseille.
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Finished Medicus and have requested the second one from my paperbackswap club.. I am enjoying the series.. But need to read my f2f club for March.. Orphan Train and keep my with Jenny in the Dante connection. Just no time. Went to a nice little concert last night here in Clermont. A trio ( men were great, girl singer, not so much). They booked as rock and roll but were more early rock and blue grass. Still a nice night and the two men were of my generation which made it fun.
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Sounds great. I'm sitting at my Sunday morning concert at the "classical Corner on Seniors and Friends while I type.
http://www.seniorsandfriends.org/index.php?topic=3026.0
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FRY: YOU'RE RIGHT. ordered "Making a Killing". Don't know what I did wrong.
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Finished Dante and did not like the ending. For one thing, a continuing villain is not as interesting as a variety is..
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Like you, Steph - I don't like "continuing villains". That's why I don't read books about serial killers.
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I need a good strong book. just finished Orphan Train ( only because it is my f2f did I finish it) How soppy and silly in places. I expected to see Little
Eva traveling across the ice at any moment. Oh well.. Done and I will hunt out somethingfunny or strong today.
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Thanks for the heads up on Orphan Train, Steph. I was thinking of reading it. Maybe not now.
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I enjoyed "Orphan Train". Did not find soppy or silly.
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Sorry, I just found it extreme in what it was trying to say.. Talk about going from bad to worse.. Seeing someone she had not seen after the train and immediately taking him back to her room.. All in all.. just not my kind of book. I am sure my fellow book club members will love it.
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I just finished Persona non Grata. What an interesting story. I think it is the best so far. Liked the ending. In the Author's Notes, Ruth Downie stated that the amphitheater in Nimes inspired scenes in the book, and gave a recommended reading list which included a book I've been wanting to get but disappeared for a while: Roman Medicine by Audrey Cruse. I looked again and found that it is around, but very scarce in the US. It is much more available in the UK. I finally broke down, spent the bucks and ordered a used copy. The last thing Downie recommended (highly) was get a hold of a guide book to Nimes and actually go there.
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Featured in Persona non Grata:
The Port of Augusta:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%AEmes#mediaviewer/File:N%C3%AEmes_La_porte_Auguste.png
The Amphitheater at Nimes:
http://mondesetmerveilles.centerblog.net/161-les-arenes-de-nimes
The text is in French, but the pix are great. They apparently use the amphitheater for bull fights. Amazing.
(Bullfights in France?)
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great pictures. Definitely makes me want to go there.
My-Daughter-The-Doctor would love the Roman medicine book. I remember somewhere on Seniorlearn seeing a picture of Roman forceps, and they were identical to modern ones.
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The second book in the series came yesterday, so if life will just tame down a bit, I can enjoy them again. But I confess that I picked up a J.A.Jance book with characters that I did not know except for Ralph, the attorney of Beaumont. It is placed in Arizona and New Mexico and I am enjoying it.
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Steph - what's the name of the JAJance book? I really like her books, but never can remember the titles I've read.
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Queen of the Night and seems to be a continuing story of the Walker family. I had never read any and chose it because it has a lot of Indian lore and looked interesting. It is, but a slower read than most of hers.
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| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks, Steph - I'll look it up.
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I like those books. Will look for that one.
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STEPH: is that by J A Jance?
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/j/j-a-jance/queen-of-night.htm
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Yes, That's a Jance.. It is one of a small series on the Walker family, but the first one I have ever read. I picked it up because of the Indian sub title thing. Excellent book in so many ways.. Lots of Indian myth stories of creation that I love.
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Queen of the Night is the fourth in a series of four (so far, I guess) - written in 2009 and 2010 (according to Amazon and another web site).
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Thanks for reminding me about J.A. Jance, Steph. It's been a long time since I read her, & have now downloaded a couple.
Sally
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I have been trying on a very very strange book.. The Broken Teaglass by Emily Arsenault.. I like the idea, but the execution is sloooooow.. Will stop and pick up something a bit more to the point today.
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Reading Ruth Downie's fourth Medicus book, Caveat Emptor, she included a description of a "mansio" which had glass windows. Glass windows in 2nd century Britain I asked myself? The search was on. I discovered that glass window panes were first used in Egypt by the Romans about100AD. So yes, it is possible, but a stretch for me to believe that a hotel/inn would have glass windows, especially one miles from London.
My Amazon book newsletter, today, includes a book by Soranus of Ephesus on Gynecology. Soranus was a physician who practiced in the 2nd century AD. I got curious about this one because the Medicus's wife is a midwife. Unfortunately, Project Gutenberg does not have a translation of the book. I did run across some articles about his writings. Well, now I know that attitudes about pregnancy from rape and what constitutes "legitimate rape" have a very long history. Soranus believed that it was impossible for a woman to get pregnant if she did not have a "desire". He further believed that body and mind being separate, even if the woman did not desire cognitively, she could still get pregnant if her body desired. The body trumps the mind in his view. You can see where this is going with rape cases can't you? No doesn't mean no male attitudes/excuses, etc. Soranus writings, according to one account I read, were insturmental to midwifery up into the middle ages.
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FRY: glass windows? Who would have thought? I read that book, and it blew right by me.
" attitudes about pregnancy from rape and what constitutes "legitimate rape" have a very long history." Grrrrr. A doctor friend tells me there is NO basis for the belief that a rape victim can't get pregnant if she doesn't enjoy it. It makes me furious!!
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My sister was telling me that Akins(?) guy who lost his congressional seat tried to use a similar argument. So, the ancients, so enlightened in some areas believed that women's minds are weak and that we have no control over our bodies. Thinking has changed, but ever so slowly and is constantly in danger of slipping back if we are not vigilant or vocal enough.
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Been digging about in my tbr pile.. Found Caleb Carr's "The Italian Secretary".. Sherlock Holmes.. Mary,Queen of Scots,, wahoo.. Wild ride indeed.
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Which Mary Queen of Scots book do you have, Steph?
I was just looking at Conan-Doyle's bibliography. What a list: poetry, an operetta, non-fiction, memoirs, dramatizations (which includes The Speckled Band), lots of other non-Sherlock short stories and some non-Sherlock novels.
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No, I meant that I found Caleb Carrs,, The Italian Secretary,,, It has Mary, Queen of Scots, the whole Holyrood House stuff and is about Sherlock Holmes solving a mystery there, but Sherlock, it seems had some firm ideas of Mary and her entourage, Not sure I agree with Sherlock, but he seemed taken with her.
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I assume taken with her memory, since they didn't live at the same time.
Been tied up with Emma, and haven't read any mysteries worth mentioning. Read one definitely NOT worth mentioning, with the worst motive I've ever heard. So-and-so "is the only one without a motive, so she must have done it." Huh? So they go and arrest her, and she confesses.
I'll spare you the name!
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Sorry Steph. I misunderstood what you were saying. I never heard of Caleb Carr so will look him up.
Ah, he is the son of Lucien Carr who was associated with the Beat Generation, friend of Jack Kerouac and Alan Ginsberg, and long-time editor for UPI. Lucian was convicted of killing a guy named Kammerer who, allegedly, stalked and sexually harrassed him for years. An interesting story. Apparently there was a Fictionalized and romantasized movie version of the events, Kill Your Darlings(2013). Another fictional retelling of the events is Kerouac's The Town and the City. Does anyone rememeber these?
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No, but Caleb is an interesting writer on his own. Sherlock was at Holyrood and talking of the Queen and the stories of the ghost of Rizzo.. Interesting book, since I had been in the venues he was talking of. Caleb has written a fascinating story of Teddy Roosevelt when he was commissioner of Police in NYC..
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Yes. "The Alienist" is the book with Teddy Roosevelt as head of the NY police force.. In the sequel, If I remember, Teddy has already moved on to Secretary of the Navy, but appears briefly. Full of the sights and sounds of New York of that period, one of the most interesting in our history. I've always regretted that he didn't continue the series.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/caleb-carr/
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Still enjoying the Medicus series. I've just started listening to the audio CD (the only thing the library had) for Semper Fidelis. It is set in Eboracum which now York. This is the next to last one in the series, so far. I do hope there will be more, but I see no menhtion on her website. Apparently Downie has a Facbook page set up for Ruso and Tilla. Ever so slightly tempting, but not enough to get me onto it.
I was trying to see if Caleb Carr had anything new coming up too. No mention of anything that I can see. Like you, Steph, there are others who are waiting (and waiting) for a sequel, according to what I read on Amazon's forum. I just signed up for Simon and Shuster's mailing list, so maybe something with pop up there.Also noted, that his last book, The Legend of Broken, received much criticism from the NYTimes back in 2013.
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The Alienist is by far his best book, but I have read most if not all of what he has written. But oh Teddy felt so very very real.
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Wow! What an exciting climax to Semper Fidelis. Featured players included Emporer Hadirian and his wife, Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (THE Suetonius), and Gaius Septicius Clarus, who was a prefect of the Roman imperial bodyguard.
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I like the series, but don't have that one yet. I did finish the 3rd Estelle Ryan.. I like the teen who is about to give Jenny a wild ride indeed, I suspect.
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I don't know that series. is Estelle Ryan the author or the detective?
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Estelle Ryan is the author,I think they are only ebooks . Dr. Genevieve Lenard...is autistic, a genius and reads people by watching and analyzing. She is very very quirky and the mysteries are all Art ones. Fun.. and you learn a lot about autism in its many forms.
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No! No! No!
The author is NOT only in E books! I bought the entire series, to date, from Barnes and Noble. Estelle Ryan wrote THE GAUGUIN CONNECTION, which we all recently read together. How quickly we forget!
She also wrote The Dante Connection, The Braque Connection, The Flinck Connection, The Courbet Connection, and The Pucelle Connection. I have them ALL. Books. On my bookshelves. I do not like to read E books.
http://www.estelleryan.com/
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I've read three of JM Gregson's books---enjoyed both series. The Inspector Peach mystery "A Little Learning" gave me some real laugh-out-loud moments.
I saw the final Poirot mystery (Curtain: Poirot's last Mystery) on PBS the other night. The first part didn't really make sense to me so I am getting the book from the library today. I think if I had read the book first it would have been more understandable and enjoyable.
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Oh duh! (head slap). My bad memory for names strikes again. Of course I read the Gauguin Collection with you all, and the Dante Collection.
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I didn't want to read "Final Curtain", but finally did. Christie wrote it midcareer, with instructions to only publish it after her death.
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I like The Braque Connection the most of Ryans thus far. I honestly did not remember it came in hard copy as well. But I enjoy her and have all of them on my Kindle.
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I finished Final Curtain. The PBS video version followed the book fairly closely. However reading the book includes many details that couldn't be covered in the video and made the beginning more understandable (at least for me).
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I loved Christie, but not Poiret.
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Ditto!
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I think Christie felt the same way. She has her fictional mystery author, Ariadne Oliver, always complaining that she doesn't like her detective.
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Joan K.. I did laugh, but then I remembered reading that as well. I want to go to Christies house in England, the next time I visit. It is supposed to be open to visiters now..
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Hercule Poirot is my favorite Christie detective. Her female detective (can't think of her name) I find pretty boring.
I just finished a great mystery/thriller by Michael Robotham: Life or Death. Excellent writer, and a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat - hard to put down. This is my first Robotham, but certainly won't be my last!
Marj
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It does sound intriguing!
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/michael-robotham/life-or-death.htm
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I posted this first part on "fiction" about a week ago.......
Our church book group is reading Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottolini for discussion next Sun. I started it at the beginning of last week. I won't give anything away, but it is the kind of circumstance that any parent might find themselves in, especially through your children's teenage years. My children are way beyond teenagers, but, of course, even as adults we worry about them getting caught up in unsettling events. I had to put it down last week for i had an important event on Thurs night at which i had to make a speech which had to be coordinated with four other women's speeches. Reading the book was adding stress to the week. But i picked it up on Sat night and it's quite an interesting read, making the reader think "what would i have done at step 1, step 2, etc" as the events unroll.
It's not the typical LS "women's law firm" book. Something quite different.
i have now finished the book. It is a super book for a book discussion, because we have all been in the situation of having to make a quick decision, that may or may not be ethical, or even slightly criminal. This book takes that situation and spins it out if control. Some in our group said they coildn't put it down. It wasn't that compelling to me, but it was a good read. LS set up several good relationships, all with some kind of tension. Father/son; husband/wife; mother/son and another that i won't give away.
Jean
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I like her, so will look for the book. After all she owns a corgi, so she must be true and good.
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I just finished a terrific mystery/thriller by Michael Robotham: LIFE OR DEATH. No one can figure out why a man who had been sentenced to prison for 10 years would escape the night before he is scheduled to be released. This book kept me on the edge of my seat. Excellent writing! This was my first book by Rorotham, but it sure won't be my last.
Marj
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Our library has the new Donna Leon Guido Brunetti book ordered "Falling in Love" and also the new Margaret Maron Deborah Knott book "Long Upon the Land". They will be published in April. It will be awhile before I read them as I am #8 on one list and #5 on the other. :(
There is also a new Susan Wittig Albert China Bayles book "Bittersweet" coming out in April but so far the library hasn't ordered that one.
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I love Maron, so always look for her.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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Thanks. It seems like only yesterday, last week at the most, that I read and enjoyed Designated Daughters. I do so love the Deborah Knott series. I have put this latest on My Wish List at Barnes & Noble.
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hmm, went to doctor yesterday to see what is going on with the back of my knee. Her opinion ( I am going tomorrow for ultra sound and xrays) is that I have a
Bakers Cyst.. Never heard of it, so I am reading up on it. Very strange kind of thing.
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Bakers Cysts are apparently fairly common. I know my SIL had one and then she learned from others that they'd had them as well.
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yes, I mentioned it at lunch yesterday with someother women and all sorts of them either had had one or had a relative that did. One had surgery because the pain was overwhelming, Mine is more of a nag after the first few days,
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Am presently reading Simon Brett's latest Fethering mystery "The Tomb in Turkey". Carol and Jude go on a vacation together to Turkey. Carol is as usual a study of contradictions and Jude as usual her easy going friend and neighbor. The setting for this mystery is different and I am enjoying a visit with these two characters once again, although at times I would love to give Carol a good shaking.
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FLAJEAN: thanks for mentioning the Brett. I like that series and forget to look for new ones. Click, click. I've got it on my kindle!
I've been reading books by G.M. Malliet.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/g-m-malliet/
I've read all the Max Tudor mysteries (cozies about an English clergyman in a small town who keeps getting involved in murders) and am reading the St. Just ones (procedurals: a policeman in Cambridgeshire). Rather simple, straightforward good mysteries.
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Joan, I finished my "Fethering" book and Carol did mellow out towards the end. :). I sure would like to try some of that Turkish cuisine mentioned in the book---sounded delicious.
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Turkey does not rank high on my to be visited list..but the food can be wonderful.
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I've started the book, and I see what you mean about Carol. She is sooo much like a friend of mine.The series alternates between Carol acting scatty in HER way and Jude acting scatty in HER way, but they always pull it together enough in the end to solve the mystery.
Have to qualify my praise of the Malliet mysteries. the last one read ("Death at the Alma mater") had the most improbable solution I've ever seen. It would never have worked for a second! Some of Agatha Christies are like that, but we're ready to forgive Dame Agatha almost anything.
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Picked up a J. A. Jance mystery that has both Beaumont and Brady.. Light, a bit gruesome, but good.
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I am currently reading, for my Mystery Book Club, "The Black Echo" by Michael Connelly. I believe it was his first Harry Bosch novel, and it is, IMHO, one of the BEST detective novels I have ever read! I just love the character, Harry Bosch. Amazon currently has the series "Bosch" which you can watch on your computer, and I had no idea that they started that series in 2014. So there's quite a bit to view. I have watched several of that first season, and plan to watch all the rest. They picked an actor that fits exquisitely into the role of Bosch.
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Oh I love Harry. The books are such a joy.. An excellent writer who created a truly remarkable character.
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http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/michael-connelly/black-echo.htm
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OK! OK! I cannot recall having ever read a Michael Connelly, so I ordered the first four (4) books in the Harry Bosch series from ThriftBooks yesterday and will have a look at what apparently several of you have hugely enjoyed. Thanks!
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Harry is a fascinating character. The author does such a good job of making him human. His back stories are always fascinating and his detective work is outstanding. I think you will like him. I wish they would do a tour in Hollywood and that area to take you to all the places he talks of in the books.
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I agree with you, Tomereader, about Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch mysteries.
I read Black Echo some time ago and was surprised at how good it was for his first Bosch mystery. Harry Bosch is my favorite detective, but I just wish he'd quit smoking. I just finished THE CONCRETE BLONDE, a bit long at almost 600 pages, but also very good. About a serial killer dubbed "The Dollmarker" because he uses makeup owned by the women he kills to paint garrish smiling faces on them. The story keeps you turning pages and wondering who the killer is (they suspect one of their own cops).
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Harrys marriage ( later in the books) was complicated, but he adores his daughter and shows a much gentler side where she is concerned.
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I have never read any of the "Harry" books. So. O ordered the "Echo" book. The begging of this book is a bit rougher than I like.
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serenesheila, you will find most of these books have "rougher" spots in them.
I think, if I remember correctly, it is specifically "dark" in "The Concrete Blonde". Is that correct, Steph?
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All of them are rough in different ways, but the Concrete Blonde is not a good place to start since it is gruesome in a few parts. However he never uses this as the theme of the book.. Watch and listen to Harry.. See what a good policeman should be and do..See how foolish can a strong man be when he falls in love.
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See what a good policeman should be and do.
Wonderfully put, Steph! I just love that he never gives up on finding the miscreant!
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I really like Harry.. I would guess it shows.
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Well, the first 4 books in the Harry series have arrived at my house from Thriftbooks, and have been put in the stacks for reading. I'll be sure to let you know what I think when I get around to them one of these fine days.
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Wow!! Miss a few days here and you get enough recommended mysteries to last you a year or more.
Mabel/Jean, the Lisa Scollitini Keep Quiet sounds terrific and I'll probably purchase the Kindle version. The book must have two different publishers and Amazon is selling books from both -- with different prices.
And a new Margaret Maron -- one of my favorite writers. And lots more to investigate -- have read little Simo Brett or Malliet.
I'm in the middle of a recent (2014) Ruth Rendell -- The Girl Next Door -- hard to put down. We first learn of a murder that takes place during the early days of WWII in a small British village. But nobody knows there has been a murder, life goes on and when the second chapter begins all the village children, playmates in their early age, are now grandparents and great-grandparents, still unaware of the murderer, who is still alive.
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"The Girl Next Door" was a good read. Hope you enjoy it.
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I love it when a book I pre-ordered shows up on my kindle, when I had forgotten all about it. That happened with a new Aunt Dimity the other day: "Aunt Dimity and the Summer King" by Nancy Atherton. Unfortunately, it's slight, not up to some of her others. I think she's running out of material. but she does introduce a new quirky character.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/nancy-atherton/
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I like Ruth Rendell and forget about her. Have to check out the book.
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The Girl Next Door sounds intriguing. Will look for that at my library.
Just finished a good mystery by Linda Castillo "The Dead Will Tell". It was her latest in a series about a female police chief (brought up Amish). I hadn't read the previous books in the series, but it was mostly about the mystery so not hard to catch up with her personal life.
Now reading a cozy by Vanetta Chapman "Murder Tightly Knit -An Amish Village Mystery". This is the first book I've read by her and so far so good.
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The Amish mysteries sound intriguing. here is Castillo:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/linda-castillo/
I see there are 6 other books.
And here is Chapman.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/vannetta-chapman/
I enjoy the "Appleseed creek" mysteries by Amanda Flower: a village in Amish country.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/amanda-flower/
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I see by looking at ff that there's a new Appleseed Creek book out. I haven't worked out a system for keeping up with new books of authors I like. How do you all do it?
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I have read four of the Castillo books. Interesting and done quite well. I will look for the new one.
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I do not toe the line and keep perfect records, Joan, but I do have lists on my WORD, saved by author's name, of those I have read so that I can refer to these to check whether or not I have read a book that someone mentions or I read something about or see an advertisement for. I also print these out occasionally and keep in a real file in my real filing cabinets under the title BOOKS. Hey, there's an easy one!
Finally, I keep a WISH LIST offered by Barnes & Noble to its membership. Once upon a time I was much more rigidly organized, but now that we have computers and Google and I can write in "list DCI Banks books by Peter Robinson," for instance, and receive an instant and up to date listing IN ORDER. Life is good, and I find I am not nearly as obsessed by perfection in these matters as once I was!
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I have the web sites of my most favorite authors bookmarked, and I periodically check them to see if they have new books coming out. My library always list the books they have on order so I am usually able to get on a reserve list before the books arrive in the library. I use to be more organized with lists, etc., but have gotten lazy in old age. :D I have two bookcases full and try not to buy any, but I will occasionally get a book with a gift coupon or buy if something special.
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I also check websites and esp. the ones that have a release calendar and show what books are being released when by which authors. FictFact has such a calendar. As I'm sure you all know, Tuesday is the day when the vast majority of books are released. I also keep track of my series, of which I have hundreds, there:
http://www.fictfact.com/BookReleaseCalendar
In addition, I keep a list of books coming out by publ. date of my favorite, "always buy" authors on my IPAD with Evernote.
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Jane, that is a very good link. Thanks. My DIL also uses Evernote. I downloaded it but just haven't given it a try.
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One of my Mystery Book Club members had, awhile back, suggested Cara Black, with her mysteries in various locales in France. So. Thrift Books just had a buy 5, get the 6th free, and free shipping. I opted to buy the first 6.
We shall see if I like them or not! I know MaryPage has probably read her.
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Tomereader, I have not read a single one of those, but have the first five (5) on my shelves. Someone somewhere here in SeniorLearn mentioned them a year or so ago, and one of my daughters is a High School French teacher who spent her junior year of college at the Sorbonne and has gone back countless times (she will turn 60 in June and her daughter is planning a huge party), so I just had to buy them for her. I googled the list and ordered most of them from Thriftbooks and the rest from Barnes & Noble. Had them all sent directly to her. She is one of those who thinks Paris is the epitome of what the world should emulate. As I understand it, there is one book for each section or arrondissement of Paris, and there are twenty (20) of these. She is passing them to me to read as she finishes them. Her comments so far are that she loves the details about Paris, but does not care for the violence. Debi is not really into mysteries!
The wonders of technology ever multiply! Barnes & Noble has taken to emailing me when an author I have purchased from them previously come out with a new book! Loverly!
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I bought the first four in the Cara Black series. I love the descriptions of the various areas, but I do agree that they are quite violent..best in small doses.
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Wow! I am humbled by your organization!
Reading a book by Laura Child, who writes the "teashop" mysteries. This is in the "Cockleberry Club" series. The narrator runs a teashop that is also a bookstore and knitting store. Sounds great, but she's so busy describing the wonderful food that nothing is happening with the plot.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/laura-childs/
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At least she is not telling you everything they wear and where they bought it.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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I enjoy Laura Child's tea shop mysteries. It was through her books I discovered the tea plantation in Charleston (actually on Wadmalaw Island close by). My husband and I visited it a couple of years ago and found it quite interesting.
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I like the tea shop mysteries too, although don't care for tea.
STEPH: I know exactly what you mean! I just DON'T CARE what brand of purse or shoes the characters are wearing. I care more, I admit, about the food they're eating, but it's a little hard when I'm trying to cut down on sweets.
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I like plot...lots of plot.. I like descriptions of where we are .. So many writers make you wish you were in the town, they write of.. Robert Park did Boston and the surrounding communities so well..
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I like plot too, Steph. I couldn't find an author by the name of Robert Park at Amazon. Only Robert Parker. What did Robert Park write?
Marj
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Robert Parker wrote detective/mysteries. Very good ones, too! IMHO
They were the "Spencer" novels. A TV series was also made, but I was not impressed with the casting of Spencer. If you choose to read these, I would definitely begin with the first ones, so you get a real feel for the character,
how he lives and thinks, etc.
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I'm embarrassed that I've never read Robert Parker.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/p/robert-b-parker/
Plan to change that.
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Oh me, definitely Robert Parker, He lived in Cambridge and loved Boston and it showed in his many many novels.. They really make you believe you are there.
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I've only been to Boston twice on short trips, but was really impressed with it. It's certainly a city I'd like to know better.
Just finished the latest Molly Murphy book by Rhys Bowen. "The Edge of Dreams."
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/rhys-bowen/
In this one, her neighbors, back from studying in Vienna with Freud, are trying to interpret the nightmares of a crime victim, while Molly tries to help her policeman husband solve a serial killing.
This is my least favorite of Bowen's series. I get tired of the endless arguments between Molly and her male chauvinist husband who wants her to stay home and be a proper wife and mother. But if you skim over those, this one is pretty good.
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Joan, yes, I don't read Molly because of that. I like the other series of hers more. I love the royal heiress. Light and fluffy, but fun.
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Hoping you have a terrific Irish holiday, Steph! My principal desire re Ireland is to go to Dublin and do the James Joyce Bloomsday tour. It would be SO much fun to see all the places!
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I just finished The Bat by Jo Nesbo. I think someone here recommended it. It is the first in his series about a Norwegian Detective named Harry Hole. It was good, but I thought it got a little tedious before it was over. I don't think I will read the next one.
Sally
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Am a huge fan of Jo Nesbo, and cannot stay away from his stories, but do find I have to pace them. Read about six or eight books, and THEN go back to a Nesbo. Just finished THE REDEEMER a few weeks ago, and next in the pile will be THE LEOPARD. It is only about four books down in the stack. He is extremely intense, but his stories are always well researched and his inventive mind fascinates me. Another thing that intrigues me is how much his very Norwegian culture thinks in the same patterns we Americans do. You do not find that from most foreign cultures.
Found myself wondering how much of it was Nesbo himself, and how much was his translator. Guessed it was all Nesbo, because most of his characters who are native Norwegians are like that, as well.
Then watched some videos of Nesbo in interviews, and now am convinced. Well, My Beloved was half English and half Norwegian (albeit several generations Minnesotan), so guess I am attracted to something there.
At the moment, am hugely enjoying Ann Cleeves WHITE NIGHTS from her Shetland Island series. She is outstanding in her ability to depict what is going on in the minds of her characters and especially in their reactions to other people. Quite a gift, I think!
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Did anyone see the notice of Ruth Rendell's death?
MaryH
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I saw the news about Ruth Rendell. She was one of my favorite authors. After hearing about her stroke in January, I had been trying to find an update on her condition, but was unsuccessful. Here is a link to her obituary in the Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/02/ruth-rendell-obituary-crime-writer (http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/02/ruth-rendell-obituary-crime-writer)
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Thank you for the article, Carol. I didn't know there was a TV series. I wonder if it is on DVD.
MaryH
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Yes, it is. I have bought all the DVDs and watched them and passed them on to a granddaughter. I did have one very large objection to them, though, and that was that they do not have closed captioning. That drove me nuts, because not only am I hard of hearing, but all of the actors speak various accents of the British Isles, and that is hard enough without being half deaf! I find I really depend upon the closed captioning, but there was none. No subtitles, either!
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MARY PAGE: I have the same trouble with a lot of British shows. I didn't know there was a Wexford series out. I'll try to find it.
CAROL:Thank you for the obituary. I am one of those who like her inspector Wexford books, but find her "psychologicals" too dark. That gives me plenty to work with.
here are the books under Rendell:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/ruth-rendell/
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http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/RUTH-RENDELL?store=dvd&keyword=RUTH+RENDELL
These are the ones I owned and this is where I bought them.
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There are gremlins here. I just had a post and lost it, but maybe it's my mouse.
Very interesting article about Ruth Rendell. Thanks for posting. I have not read many of hers, but did read what I assume was her last published novel, The Girl Next Door, a stand-alone. Liked it very much.
MaryPaGE, re captions -- I've found that the British DVD publishers started with captions a lot later than here in the US. They are much better about including them now.
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Our Friends of the Library had a used book sale last week. I didn't have much time to look, because it was a popular sale and I was working at it, but I did get Learning to Kill by Ed McBain. It's a collection of short stories written between 1952 and 1957, when he got his start in writing and before he moved into the 87th Precinct novels. I used to read his books, when I wanted something that moved fast and could hold interest. He wrote the introduction to the collection and explained the history of the stories. Interesting. Some of the stories are very timely, even though written back before I could read.
So I got to thinking about police procedurals, and remembered reading a couple of series set in southern California. These were by Elizabeth Linington/Del Shannon. I hadn't thought about those in years. Those weren't quite so dark. Present-day police procedure novels seem very harsh to me.
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here is Dell Shannon. Lots of books still in print.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/dell-shannon/
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Thanks, Joan. I understand that she had a very conservative viewpoint. I don't remember that when I read them, way back when. It might be interesting to read a couple now and see if it is noticeable.
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I used to read Dell Shannon, who was Elizabeth Linington,, She wrote several series. Have not seen her in years.
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Thanks, Joan K, for the recommendation of The Edge of Dreams. I put it on my TBR list. Sounds good, especially the bit about the turn-of-the-century-history. Besides your recommendation, I like that Amazon readers give it 4+ stars. I have so many books on my TBR list, that I don't add any more unless they get 4+ or more stars at Amazon.
Marj
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Read a really fun mystery: "the Midnight Plan of the Repo Man" by W Bruce Cameron. The narrator is a repo man who solves a murder in between attempts to steal cars (legally for repo). Very funny.
see his other books are about dogs (children's books, I think).
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/w-bruce-cameron/
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Now that sounds like fun,, a repo man. One of the old time mystery writers Joe Gores?? wrote a small series of a repo company and it was such fun.
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Here's Joe Gores. no mention of repo though.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/joe-gores/
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I just finished the latest Aunt Dimity series, The summer King. I like this series, but the earlier ones were better. Simple, fun, quick reads that take place in the English countrysidel
Sally
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Hmm, none of the Gores titles have repo in the title. They are mostly one word as I recall.. memory is blank, but hopefully some names may pop up.
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Just looked it up. All of the books in the Fantastic Fiction are from the dead skip ( repo) agency.
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I have purchased and read most of the Aunt Dimities, too, Sally. Very light, fun reading. My last one was Aunt Dimity and The Village Witch, but I have so many stacks and stacks of books awaiting my attention that I am not sure I'll continue with Aunt Dimity.
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I love Aunt Dimity, but agree, the last one was slight. the earliest re best.
I missed that "dead skip" meant repo. I'll give them a trial.
Thank you for telling me to go into my amazon account to get a list of my books, and the ability to deliver them. Noodling around, I also found lists of their cheap books, arranged by subject. I went crazy. (I still only ordered samples, even though the prices were only $2-$3.)
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Steph, today on BookBub, for $.99 they have a mystery titled Never Con a Corgi". Thought you might be interested for your Kindle or Ereader.
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Someone gave me the book. I read it and then put it in my trade pile.. Not particularly interesting.. and not anything remotely like a real corgi was involved..
I am reading an interesting Alfair Burke book.. All Day and
A Night.. Seems that is the term for life with no parole for prisoners.. She is good. She is now a professor of Law at Hofstra.. James Lee must be proud of his darling daughter.
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Turns out "never Con a Corgi" is the sixth in a series by Edie Claire
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/edie-claire/
The first one, "Never Buried" is free on kindle, so I read it last night. not funny as I thought from the title, but not bad. I'll invest $2.99 in the second.
I'm reading Carolyn Hart "Ghost Wanted." This is part of a ghost series I wasn't familiar with. I'm probably alone in not liking her "Death on Demand" series (maybe my nose is out of joint because I never get the answers in her mystery quizzes, even when I know the author) but I like her other books.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/carolyn-hart/
So far, the ghost book is interesting. The ghost narrator is sent down to Earth to help another ghost.
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Must look up the ghost ones. I am not reading any more of the death on Demand.. just weary of the whole thing.
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Just finished Donna Leon's latest Falling in Love. It is one of her best Guido Brunetti books yet. There is so much more to her stories than is at first apparent. She is very subtle in getting across opinions about the changes in Opera and life in general in Italy. There are those little occasional digs also at the U.S. However, the story is very good and the characters even better portrayed than usual.
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I am only four or five books into the Guido Brunetti series. I was going to order the next from the library, but forgot which one was next when I got there, so I ended up with a non-fiction, and a SciFi and the first #1 Lady's Detective book from Overdrive. I guess Guido is going to have to wait - again.
As far as Leon's digs at the U.S., it appears she hasn't changed. Falling in Love should be interesting, especially since she wrote Death at La Fenice which involves the Opera.
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FRY: hope you love the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency as much as I do. If so, you're in luck: there are plenty more. And a wonderful adaptation done on HBO with Jill Scott.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/alexander-mccall-smith/
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I found an episode of No. 1 Ladies online: I love the casting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEuaDc7_6cA
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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I truly did not like #1 Ladies.. Isabel is more fun to me.
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That's the Sunday Philosophy Club series. I like all of McCall Smith's. (adult books. I didn't even know he wrote children's books til I read Fantastic Fiction above).
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I just picked up Falling in Love, Flajean. It was on the new book shelf at the library. Now I look forward to reading it even more.
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Finished off another Flavia De Luce.. The characters are so beautifully drawn and Flavia is so oblivious to normal activities.
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I love the Flavia DeLuce stories by Alan Bradley, too
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/alan-bradley/
Just finished "As chimney sweepers come to dust." Flavia is in Canada at a girls school, which manages to be just as creepy as her house.
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I also got tired of Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand series. I think the best book she has written is a "stand alone" titled Letter from Home. From the fly leaf "World-renowned journalist G. G. Gilman does her best not to think of the past. But one day she gets a letter--sent from the small Oklahoma town where she grew up-- that brings it all back. Memories of people she had once known and loved dearly--and of the sultry summer when her life changed forever...." I found the book Several years ago when browsing in B&N and saw the hardback on sale for a couple of dollars. Have read it twice and the second reading was just as good as the first.
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That sounds good. The ghost book was good too.
Picked up a book, drawn by the title: "the girl Who Saved the King of Sweden". it's as wacky as the title, but I couldn't get through it.
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Yes, that is the new Flavia, Do not have it yet, but at the end of the last one, her father told her she was off to a boarding school in Canada. She was not a happy camper at that point.
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Hmm. I went searching through my stacks and piles and heaps and shelves, and pulled out The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and put it on the READ SOONEST pile beside my bed. I had read or heard about these books and invested in the first one, received it in the mail, and relegated it to a distant position for my attention. Just now promoted it in line.
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MARYPAGE: interesting to see if you like them. the narrator is not your sweet little girl.
Read a really good mystery. "A Fine Summer Day" by Charles Todd.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/t/charles-todd/fine-summers-day.htm
I've read some of the Bess Crawford books, but not the Ian Rutledge. This is a prequel, about Rutledge before he fights in WWI. A nice balance between good police procedure and detection, setting the background of the atmosphere as the war develops, and the reality of murder and how it effects those around the victim. Todd does a nice job of drawing you in deeper and deeper.
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Flavia is an acquired taste, but worth every moment.
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Started my first Flavia today. Fun so far.
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Flavia does some truly weird things. I thought I was a strange child, but she is way beyond strange.
By the way, MaryPage,, Confederate memorial day was in the winter.. I think January, but not positive.
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Am about halfway through the book now, and am enjoying it, but not nearly as much as many of the other series I have on hand yet to read, so I doubt I'll buy more. She is a bit too precious, if you know what I mean. And the whole set up seems similar to so very many frameworks for books I've read these many years.
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Yes and No. Flavia goes over the top, but I have read other books with the same premise. I would not read her back to back , but I do like most of hers.
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I just finished a fun, free, ebook from Amazon - The Sleuth Sisters by Maggie Pill. Two, then three, sisters start a private investigator agency. One sister is a retired prosecutor and doesn't need the money, but needs something to do. Another sister knows everybody in the county and has connections that can be important. The third sister has business experience and is good at empathy and getting people to talk. I liked the characters and the story. It takes place in Michigan.
I've gotten a second one of the series, also for free.
Jean
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JEAN: that sounds like just the kind of book I'm in the mood for. It's $2.99 for me, since I don't belong to kindle unlimited (maybe I should) but even my somewhat creaking at the seams budget can stretch to that.
My library haul this week was miserable. Their buyer seems to like noir, and I feel life is noir enough already. I did pick up a couple of British police procedurals that were ok. It's a relief to see some actual detection going on.
One of them, "Star Fall" deals with the death of a star on the thinly disguised British Antiques road show.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/cynthia-harrod-eagles/
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I am finishing up a Maeve Binchy short story collections and then will go back to Sandford.
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I'm reading A BEAUTIFUL BLUE DEATH, the first Charles Lennox mystery by Charles Finch, and really enjoying it. I love Finch's description of Victorian London where his Lennox mysteries are set. He talks about the parliament house and what a beautiful building it is. Says the buildings burned down in 1834, and the huge clock, Big Ben, was added when the place was rebuilt. He says it (or rather that buildings that make up "it" lie on 8 acres. Wikipedia says that it was probably first used as a royal residence by Canute the Great during his reign from 1016 to 1035. How fortunate it was not bombed during WW2. Finch also has Lennox thinking it was time to put on his nightcap and retire to his bedroom. Why on earth did they need a nightcap?
I'm so thankful that I was able to visit London before I became too old to travel that
far. Finch's book makes me want to read more of the history of England.
Marj
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" Why on earth did they need a nightcap?"
because they let the fires (their only heating) go out at night, and it was COLD! I wonder if Eskimos use nightcaps?
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Thanks, Joan K, for your explanation of why men wore nightcaps in Victorian London. Because the rooms were cold when they let the fires go out at night - makes perfect sense, altho they look pretty silly in them. It would seem sensible for Eskimos to do likewise.
Marj
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I love the Finch novels and have read most of them.. Makes you wish you were born then.. The manners were so exquisite.
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I have read and enjoyed every single one so far, with the exception of The Laws of Murder, which is number 8 in the series and which I plan to purchase from Barnes & Noble this very month. I do so love DECENCY, and Lennox is pure decency.
Marjifay, it sounds to me as though you would ALSO enjoy all the C.J. SANSOM books with Matthew Shardlake as the lawyer/detective. I think I own them all, but the one on my Soon To Be Read stack is SOVEREIGN, who happens to be Henry of the Many Wives.
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I like the Sansom books. He really gives a sense of what it's like to be an ordinary person in the time of Henry VIII. Including all the bad smells (I guess if you lived then, you got so you didn't smell them. In one book, henry is traveling with his whole court, and Sansom goes into the questions faced by his host cities of how to provide toilet facilities for hundreds of guests.
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Jean, I read your three sisters book and liked it. Will definitely read more, but my e-mail informs me that two books I preordered have arrived on my kindle. I love it when that happens.
One is the latest "The Advocate" book by Theresa burrell
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/teresa-burrell/
The vauthor is a lawyer who advocates for children caught in the legal system, and her books are based on actual cases.
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Reading an interesting Laura Lippman "I'd know you anywhere. It is a stand alone of her and they are considerably darker than her Tess stuff. This one is spooky in so many different ways.
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There is a new China Bayles mystery out (Bittersweet) by Susan Wittig Albert. Unfortunately, I am #10 on the library list so it will be a while before I get to read it. I do like China Bayles and it is worth waiting for (I hope).
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I like the China Bayles books a lot also. I'll have to check my library for the new one. I think i've read all of the others that the library has.
Jean
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I like China very much,but her other series are a bit sweet for me. Finished the Laura Lippman. An interesting book.. What would you be like if you had been abducted as a young teen and was the only girl who was not killed by the abductor.. Hmm..
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Thanks so much, MaryPage, for your recommendation of C.J. Sansom's Matthew Shardlake series. They sound really interesting, and I've put his first book in the series, Dissolution, on my library's hold list.
Marj
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Thrift books had the first Sansom and I have it coming. Sounds neat.
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I have just discovered that Maggie Pill, author of the Sleuth Sisters series, is also Peg Herring and has a slew of books under that name. One series is about Elizabeth I as a detective. Reminds me of the Elliot Roosevelt mysteries where Eleanor is the sleuth.
Jean
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Let us now how you like him.
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I gave up on The Dante Club. Pearl's writing is excellent, but I am just not interested in reading what looks to be a gory thriller type story, not right now anyway. The book, although relatively normal in size, is packed with small print. I can read the small print, but I get the sensation that it is taking me forever to get through several pages. How impatient of me.
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I am reading a first mystery.. Maggie King... Murder at the book group. Too long.. too draggy.. and the premise is good, but oh my she needs an editor.
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I couldn't read "the Dante Club" either, FRY, although I've loved Pearl's other books. Do you remember the discussions where Pearl joined us?
Too bad, STEPH. It sounded promising.
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Just finished reading my very first Flavia de Luce, The Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Pie. Had it around the house for simply ages, and like so many books I buy because someone in here recommends them, I let it dry out in my bookshelves among many other gems kept by for another day. Am a tetch paranoid about running out of books, which I used to do back in Elementary School days, causing me to run about the neighborhood knocking on doors and begging to borrow anything they could spare. I even, in my desperation, read a whole encyclopedia of World War I which had been my grandfathers; I swear. In those days, I could read (and retain) faster than I could run, and that was pretty fast. Nowadays, I seem to have slowed down to a crawl in both departments. I find myself reading a paragraph over several times to make sure I am taking it all in, and that is time consuming. Then the old eyes water up and start itching to beat the band, and am forced to put the book aside for a bit of shuteye, which quickly turns into an old crone nap. Scheesch, but I really do not like Old Age.
Anyway, I won't crave any Flavia de Luce for a while yet, but I did enjoy her escapades enough that I ordered the next three in the series from Thriftbooks.
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PatH, I remember The Mystery of Edwin Droodwhich I looked in on occasionally, but didn't participate. I don't remember the title, but wasn't there another one?
"Dante" was a little too gruesome for my taste right now. The library has manyof Pearl's books but not Edwin Drood. The Technologists and The Last Bookaneer are on my library wish list. Did you know that Pearl also published a novel called The Last Dickens which is separate from Drood, and that he edited Longfellow's translation of The Inferno? I didn't.
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I just finished the Flavia De Luce book, The Dead in their Vaulted Arches. I enjoyed it. I had read Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie sometime back and this was the second book about Flavia that I have read. I enjoy her escapades, but need a break between reading them.
Sally
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I agree about Flavia.. Finished that first mystery and will be careful not to buy or get any more of hers. She needs to do something elsse. Not a good mystery.. It just goes on and on.. making the heroine into a woman for all seasons. Oh well.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I believe The Dante Club was a SrLearn book discussion some time ago. It was a DNF for me. (I don't remember it being anything like a gory thriller, and if it was I don't think it would have been chosen for a SrLearn book, as most SrLearn people don't seem to care for thrillers) I just remember it being awfully boring. The only Matthew Pearl book I could finish was The Last Dickens which I found interesting. I do have his latest, The Last Bookaneer, on my library hold list, as it also sounds kind of interesting. We'll see...
Marj
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Marj, The Dante Club started out with a maggoty corpse. That was gory enough for me at the moment. Then I read that the murders were based on happenings in Dante's Inferno which I haven't read, but expect were somewhat diabolical (were they?). I thought Pearl's writing was excellent, but perhaps a little too fine for a murder mystery. You may be right about the boring. I didn't pick up on that, but there was something a little too, too about it. Too detailed? Too elegant? Think I will look into the discussion archive to see that the group had to say.
BTW, this reminds me of the movie Seven, which was a murder mystery movie based on the seven deadly sins. Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt as I recall. Anyway, it was dark. Seeing that once was more than enough.
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I did not finish The Dante Club.. Just too involved for me. I went off track for mysteries and decided to try a Jodi Picoult... TheStory Teller.
The reviews sounded interesting and it is somewhat involved at the moment,, but it is old Nazis, who have lived here since the war ,etc.
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I just ordered the next Donna Leon book on my list. It was that or Jane Langton. The Langton, Murder at the Gardner, turns out to be the seventh of a series. Of course the library doesn't have very many of hers; Amazon Unlimited does have her series, but Prime does not. So, she will have to wait awhile.
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I think we have confused "The Dante Club" with a book, not gory, "The Dante ________, I can't think of the last word in the title right now, Which was about the autistic (?) lady who solves Art crimes. I will look up the remainder of the title so we're all on the right track here. I think it was "The Dante Connection". My "search" thing does not seem to work, so I couldn't locate the precise spot where several of us talked about it, and that author's other books.
Yes, it was "The Dante Connection" by Estelle Ryan, who has several other books.
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And Ryan has a brand new book out: THE LEGER CONNECTION
http://www.estelleryan.com/
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Well, I got to page 36 of Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, where Flavia's sister was reading aloud to her from some dumb book she was reading, and I tossed it. Enough for me. Will go on to the C.J. Sansom's Dissolution book.
Marj
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I love Estelle Ryan and have read all but the newest of her books.. But do not confuse her with The Dante Club. I did not finish that.But loved Dante Connection.
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Actually, Flavia's sisters are, like Flavia, geniuses, each with her speciality. The oldest is musical, the middle a reader/writer, and Flavia is a chemist. Daphne (Daffy) was reading all of the classics and already had, at age thirteen, the equivalent of a classics degree.
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I love Jane Langton, and Murder at the Gardner is one of my favorites. But she's not everyone's taste. her writing is like no one else's, and you either like it or you don't. her last few aren't as good -- not surprising since she seems to be 93.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/jane-langton/
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Actually MaryPage is quite right. Flavias whole family are very odd. The sisters are quite unusual as is Dad and so was her Mother As you go through the books, you also discover an Aunt etc. If you like English eccentricities, it is fun.
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Got the new Susan W Albert book "Bittersweet" yesterday. Someone - checked, it was Flajean - mentioned it here and i got on the library list.
It sounds like it's going to be more "worldly" then the previous China Bayle books. It starts with a prologue of two brothers turning their ranch into a place where people can pay big money to come and hunt big animals who are essentially trapped. Ala Dick Cheney hunting quail. They are doing illegal acts in order to get the animals to their ranch.
So far it's a good read.
Jean
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I have read somewhere, that game ranches are common in some parts of the west and although most of them are legitimate, there are some that are not. I cannot imagine the ego of shooting essentially a trapped animal who has been baited to a spot.. Sad,, You want to be brave.. go out and meet them face to face.
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I have never been able to imagine hunting (or fishing, for that matter) just for the sport of it. The fact gives me cold chills. The psyche of someone who wants to kill a living thing just for the conquest and a trophy head or whatever is to me an omen of the killer instinct within my species which will, I have no doubt, kill us all off eventually.
My dad hunted deer with groups, and always brought home the meat, which we ate for ages. I came to love venison. And I can remember when he laid a deerskin out on the concrete in front of our garage and taught me how to work it in the tanning process. My mother's kin, also in my lifetime, took their shotguns and walked off into the mountain woods behind their homes in Essex County, New York and brought home dinner. They literally used every scrap, one way or another. But they never shot more than they could use.
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I'm reading "A Jam of a Different Color" by the Benreys.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/ron-and-janet-benrey/
It's the third in the Royal Tunbridge Wells series, about the British tea museum. So far, it's not as fun as the first two, maybe because there isn't enough about tea.
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I just discovered that Carmen De Sousa has a few more books/short stories freebie on Amazon. I downloaded the four I haven't read yet. I like her. She is a little Suspense/Detective, a little Romance, and a little Paranormal all rolled into one. The first two I read were The Depot and The Pit Stop.
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will check my kindle stuff. I love freebies.
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And here is a list of her free ones:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_12?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=carmen+desousa+free+books&rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Acarmen+desousa+free+books
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read her reviews and descriptions and decided probably not for me. when romance is the first word of the description, I tend to shy away.
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Steph, the first two short stories I read were light on the romance, and as a matter of fact, the paranormal part was hinted at rather than a full-blown spook story. An interesting mix. Neither romance nor paranormal get my attention. That I actually finished the stories, say something of her light touch in both areas. Some of her other works look like they may be heavier on the romance side.
I haven't decided about my next SciFi read, but it will most likely be Jack Campbell's latest Lost Fleet entry. I think I am one behind on his Lost Stars series too. Meantime, I am continuing with my Donna Leon mystery.
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I downloaded the three free books but haven't read one yet. I'm not a fan of romance books but a little romance thrown into the story sometimes makes the story more interesting.
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Frybabe, have you ever read Sir Fred Hoyle's THE BLACK CLOUD? It is Science Fiction, but not Fantasy. Fred Hoyle was an Astrophysicist professor at Cambridge University eons ago. I just bought the book brand new as a gift for my almost thirteen year old great granddaughter Bella, advising her that IMHO it is the very best ever written in that genre. Yep, it is STILL in print after all these years. He, of course, is dead.
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I remember Fred Hoyle for his popular nonfiction astronomy books.
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The Black Cloud is excellent; I'm glad it's still in print--my yellowing paperback was printed in 1968.
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No, MaryPage, I didn't know Hoyle wrote fiction. I have at least one of his non-fiction works downstairs in my Astronomy/Cosmology section. I will look into his fictional works. Thanks for pointing it out.
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Oh my, yes Hoyle wrote very good science fiction, but my all time heros from when I was a teeny were Robert Heinlin, Arthur Clarke. Howver I agree that I am not a big fan of hard core science type science fiction. Lean heavily toward fantasy as Anne McCaffrey or alternate worlds like Marion Zimmer Bradley.
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Sad to say, I did not start out reading Science Fiction. In my teen years, I can only remember an Arthur C. Clark short story (published in Playboy, for heaven sake) and Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Through the years I read some but not regularly until relatively recently. Can't say what exactly triggered the big urge to read Science Fiction, but Greg Bear, S.H. Viehl, the Halo books, and my all time favorites, Jack Campbell and Jack McDevitt, started appearing on my bookshelf. When I got my Kindle, and subsequently discovered Project Gutenberg, well, the dam broke. I have about 140 Scifi books/short stories on my kindle that are waiting to be read. In the meantime, I am also borrowing from my library, the Kindle Lending Library, and soon, the Free Library of Philadelphia.
This does not mean to say that I have totally neglected other genres. I am back to reading Donna Leon, continuing my Roman histories, and next up on my library wishlist is either Murder at the Gardner or a nonfiction about Teddy Roosevelt and what the creation of the National Park system, called The Big Burn...
BTW, there don't seem to be any Fred Hoyle books formatted for Kindle. Hmmmmm.
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Bit of trivia for you SciFi fans. Do you know the work of Clifford Simak (http://www.amazon.com/Clifford-Simak/e/B00MC71AMQ/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1434467298&sr=1-2-ent)? He is an early SciFi writer and, I gather, quite influential. I don't read SciFi, but we know his daughter. She is the retired curator of our local art museum, and is now working on assembling, curating, etc., her father's work. Just an author you might want to check out.
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Yes, Simak is one of the classic writers. It's been a long time since I read any of his works though, so they've kind of blended into the mists of time. It's good that his daughter is assembling his work. Sometimes it's especially hard to track down all a writer's short stories.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/clifford-d-simak/ (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/clifford-d-simak/)
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I know I read Simak, but cannot remember either.. But it should be fun to see and remember some of his stuff. I read nothing but science fiction in the so called golden age, but branched out as an adult and read a wide variety now no romance, just makes me slightly nauseous..
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I am not a fan of science fiction, but I absolutely loved Anne Macaffrey's dragon rider series; plus some others of hers (did she write about the crystal singers??. I loved those too).
Sally
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Yes, she wrote the crystal singers books too. There's a lengthy series by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller that McCaffrey lovers tend to love (so did McCaffrey). They are more space-oriented than the Dragonriders, but there is some of the same feel about the books. The first few have to be read in order. If you think you might like to try them, tell me here and I'll help you sort out the order.
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I finished Susan Albert's "Bittersweet". It was very interesting. As i mentioned she includes the story of big game hunting ranches, but also along with those ranches comes smuggling of non-native deer and stealing of very expensive semen. Non-native animals can be as destructive as non-native plants, ala kudzu and Japanese bittersweet plants. I liked it very much.
Jean
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I've finished Dona Leon's, Death of Faith. Now that I have my Free Library of Philadelphia card and the Overdrive add installed on my Kindle, I have a hold on an ebook version Death and Judgment, which my library doesn't have.
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Since I am and always was a serious Anne McCaffrey fan.. The Ship who sang still makes me cry,, tell me the sequence of the Lee books. So I can get them.
Oh just finished a truly powerful book "Every Last One" by Anna Quindlen. It is about losing everything indeed. Oh my, kept me up after I finished to wonder if I could have survived.
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The first 5 are:
Conflict of Honors
Agent of Change
Carpe Diem
Plan B
I Dare
I recommend only getting one until you see if you like them. They are more military than McCaffrey, and there's a complicated universe and social system to keep track of. They tend to be paired up in a confusing number of ways, so you have to work to avoid duplication or gaps. Sometimes you see the first three together in one book, titled Partners in Necessity. Don't read her Duainfey books; they're dreadful.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/sharon-lee/ (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/sharon-lee/)
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Sharon Lee has a nice website where she introduces herself, has a blog, and lists the "correct reading order" for the Liaden Universe. She breaks them out into several different lists. http://sharonleewriter.com/correct-reading-order/
The first book, Agent of Change, is free on Amazon, as is another book of a different series.
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Thanks, Frybabe, that's a useful list. Either Agent of Change or Conflict of Honors could be the first book you read. Conflict of Honors occurs earlier in time, and is a separate story from the other four, with some of the same characters. The others make a long narrative, but I would read Conflict sometime before you finish all the rest, or you won't know some things about some of the characters.
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I was misled. Fledgling, which is the other free book on Amazon is also part of the Liaden Universe. They list it as book 11.
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Fledgling is the first of a series (so far 4) which runs parallel to the Agent of Change series and eventually intersects it.
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| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Will look for the first two or the book that combines several..
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*just lost a post to this discussion, hope I can remember what I said.
My f2f Mystery Book Club just finished reading "Defending Jacob" by Wm. Landay. Although we had a fantastic discussion, the book was not well-liked by the majority of us. Our moderator did an excellent job of researching and pointing out the "murder gene" aspect of the book (which is frightening in itself and the manner in which it may, in the future, be put to some use, mainly by Defense Attorneys. If anyone here read the book, please post here your like/dislike/comments on it.
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I read Defending Jacob a coupld years ago and gave it just a 3+ rating. I can see why some of your f2f group did not like it, Tomereader. I thought the first half of the book was so boring with all that irritating psycobabble talk and the talk about a possible "murder gene" that can be carried from one family generation to the next, as well as the wife, Laura, always pushing her husband to come out with his feelings (yuk, I know what I'd have told her if I were him ("Shut the he** up!") It was not until the trial began that the story finally began to get interesting.
Marj
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One member stated the book was "uncomfortable". Most of us objected to such a lot of dialogue; i.e. he said, she said. The psychobabble didn't annoy us, as much as the parents' obliviousness to their son's problems. As for Jacob, most of us just wanted to slap him upside the head, and try to wake him from his snarky teenage "rebelliousness" is not the right word. Most of us wanted to give up on the book by the first third of it. Thanks, Marj
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Read Jacob some years ago and note that I did not like it. Like your members, I just wanted to make Jacob sit down and listen to reason of some type.. Felt the same way about several books recently.. The belief of parents to simply let their teens start to react to normal life with such disdain for all but themselves is stupid,
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Read "the Ice Queen" by Nele Neuhaus, a German mystery writer. A holocaust survivor is murdered, and when the body is examined, he had a tattoo worn only by SS officers. Perhaps a little too long and bloody, but carries you along.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/n/nele-neuhaus/
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Also read "At death's Window" by Jim Kelly, a British police procedural. Liked it especially for it's feeling for the seashore, and the communities on it.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/jim-kelly/
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I now have the Donna Leon book I ordered. They had two holds on them before me. They must have been very fast readers since the book became available two days after I put a hold on it. ;D
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I watched the movie GONE GIRL on HBO last night, but found it pretty ghastly. Mostly I did a lot of other little stuff while it was on. The story and the couple in the movie were just as poisonous as they were in the book: she a murdering psychopath and he a wuss. I really, really get turned off by a scenario where there is NO redeeming person or situation.
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Very deep in The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid.. Wow.. WHat I know about the Balkans would not fill a page and she is making the murders and horror into a compelling story that takes place entirely in GB..and Scotland.
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Don't you get really, really mad at yourself when a good book opens up a whole part of the world and its culture in a way that makes you realize that, while you have known Where they were and known, perhaps, what conflicts we may have been involved in in that region of this planet, you have not truly taken the bother previously to learn anything of the peoples? I usually go on a crazy crusade to learn all I can after that happens to me, and it makes for a fun and eye opening few weeks or even months of learning new material.
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" I usually go on a crazy crusade to learn all I can after that happens to me, and it makes for a fun and eye opening few weeks or even months of learning new material."
I love that! I often say that everything I know, I learned from reading mysteries.
Now my quest is to learn about something that came up in the Kelly book I mentioned above. I didn't know that when lightning hits sand, say on a beach, it creates glass with odd properties. Do any of you know about that? I can't remember the name he called it.
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Joan, just Google "lightening glass" and you will find dozens of sites and images and even YouTube videos.
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A very interesting book I read sometime ago was Robert Kaplan's Balkan Ghosts; A Journey through History. He mentions Rebecca West's book, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, and I've meant to read it, even bought it, but haven't got to this very long (1100+ pages) book. It gets great reviews, so someday....
Marj
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Oh, the West book is truly shattering.. I read if off and on for years. It is hard going all at once, but easier in small doses and wonderful.
I am at the end of the McDermid and learning that there was a massacre as the heart of the book.. Amazing.
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I read Rebecca West's book before Yugoslavia broke up eons ago, and it remains a sort of bible to me of those now separate countries. I found her a great writer, and that book remains one I recommend to every serious reader, every lover of History, and everyone who wants a basic understanding of those cultures and what their differences are.
One thing that sort of kind of fascinates me is that despite Serbia having been with us in World War II and Croatia having favored the Nazis, I have always felt a strong affinity with Croatia and disliked the Serbs. I cannot pick up all of the threads of why this is so.
It was because of Rebecca West's book that I sobbed and sobbed when the bridge at Mostar was blown up. Recently, I saw a short bit on television about the new one. It is lovely beyond expression, but hey, the ancient one is gone forever. Stupid, stupid wars!
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Gone Girl "ghastly"? Really? I know I'm in the minority of readers who liked this book. I found it fascinating and thought the author had a great imagination to create the female character and her actions. That's one way to get rid of a husband -- pretend to be dead and hope he is found guilty of murder and sentenced to be executed. Wow. The book made me want to read more of her work; I have her Dark Places on my TBR list.
Marj
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MaryPage, I too watched the movie, Gone Girl, on HBO. I definitely hated the book, and hated the movie even more.
A funny aside: Hubby and I had watched (not my choice) "The Departed" yesterday. Then we had the misfortune of watching "Gone Girl". If I had one dollar for each time the F-word was dropped in either or both of these movies, I could go somewhere on vacation. And to think, Departed won academy awards, and Gone Girl won book prizes. Bah, humbug!
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Mary Page: thanks for the "lightning glass" suggestion. great pictures, and even more interesting tidbits for the science nerd in me.
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My complaint with Gone Girl is that there is no way to identify with any one of the characters. There is no sense that right or goodness or justice has prevailed in any way or direction. The whole scenario fills me with a sense of: "If this world were made up of just people like this, I'd want to drop out of this life immediately!"
When I read a book or view a movie, I need SOMEONE to live the book or the movie with and through. Someone in the book or movie, I mean. And I need some glimmer of hope or goodness and redemption or faith in the ultimate goodness of mankind to take away with me. With Gone Girl, you feel dragged through the garbage and all stinky and nasty, with absolutely NO comfort or loving connection extending forward in time. Bleak is what it is. Bleak and blah and miserable, like being dumped in a cesspool and having no way of ever getting out of there.
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seem to have lost my post.. anyway, I agree with MaryPage, I need someone to identify with..or am interested in . Gone Girl just depressed me that someone would write about all disagreeable characters. Boo.
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I don't mind if the characters in a book are disagreeable and unlikeable, as long as what they do is interestng. I've met plenty of those kind of people in real life, and have managed to find ones who are nice and kind, enough to offset the others.
Actually, I believe I prefer reading about nasty characters who do nasty things. It is only fiction, after all.
Marj
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I'm with Mary Page and Steph. there has to be at least one character that you care about enough to care what happens to them. Unless it's a pure intellectual puzzle, where the fun is in solving it. But that shouldn't take 2-300 pages.
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Yes,JoanK,, you named it. I need someone to like.. not even a main character, since heavens know, I did not like Poiret..Its sort of funny when I think of it, but way way back when Anne Rice was writing her marvelous vampire series, I actually rooted for one of the vampires.
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Well, I have to admit, as much as I like to read about bad guys, I do like to have a good guy catch them and bring them to justice, as happened in the super suspense thriller I just finished, CONSTANT FEAR, by Daniel Palmer (where the bad guys were almost too horribly bad.)
Marj
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Oh what a week. I keep picking up books, reading 30 or so pages and sitting it down.. Mr. Penumbra 24 hours thing..I have tried it three times and just cannot get interested. A Sothebys expose.. nada.. even a Michael Connelly and I always like him. Sigh..
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For you Agatha Christie fans, even more reasons to love her.........
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/http://www.modernmom.com/5fbdbdc0-48c3-11e3-87f1-bc764e04a41e.html-life/11672325/Agatha-Christie-Feminist-icon-surfer-and-single-mother.html
Jean
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Special Announcement
Our website will be down, beginning Monday evening, June 29, GMT, for a large update.
Please do not post at this time as your post will probably disappear.
We do not know how long it will take the computer expert to load this update and have it working.
The website will not look as it has when it comes up until we tweak it, so please be patient. Please continue to check back for news. We hope to be up and functioning by Tuesday, but if not, it shouldn't be too much longer.
Thank you for your patience
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Hope I remember. I guess for me in California, evening, Greenwich Mean Time Monday means mid-morning Pacific time. Best to stay off Monday.
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Knowing me, I will probably forget, but will be reminded when we are not online, etc.
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They said Monday night, so that's what I think we should go by. If we hear anything new on Monday itself we can advise.
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Read the third Flavia book that I had missed before. I liked the gypsy angle, but the plot did not hold together well at all.
F
l
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Read the first of the Angela Marchmont books by Clara Benson.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/clara-benson/
I thought she was imitating Agatha Christie: turns out she was writing at the same time, and her books were discovered and published after her death. Of course not nearly as good as Christie, but worth a light read.
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That was a totally new name for me.. Will have to check her out.
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OK it looks like they are beginning now, to do a backup, and will start on the upgrade about 5:15 Eastern time. I don't think I'd post anything now until this is over, if you want to see it again.
Fingers crossed!!
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mark
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well, so far, so good. I'm told they will continue to tweak the appearance (like the weird headings).
Is anyone having trouble with the text size? It's fine for me, but there have been some complaints.
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I joined Kindle unlimited last night, so I'll be reading some kindle mysteries that may not be available elsewhere. I've almost exhausted my local library (their buyer seems to like noir books, and I don't) and I need to cut my book budget.
Do those of you who belong know -- it says I am "borrowing" the books. Does that mean it will disappear at some point? And I joined on the 29th. will they bill me again on July first?
Do those who belong know?
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Let me know about the Kindle. I am considering it myself. I do hope that we can get it enlarged a bit here. Very hard to read.
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I would like larger print, also.
Sally
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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Me too, but I just use
Control +
and Voila! All is well.
I guess I am not the most observant human on the planet, because I don't see any difference in any of these sites, except that they seem wider and I cannot see anyone's whole post, but have to move my mouse from side to side in order to read the contents of each post. So far, and I DO so hate to grumble, but so far no improvement noted here.
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OK.. I'll bite. When do I hit control+.. when I go on site..??
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Steph, I just tried the Control + and it works in my Firefox browser. From my experiments just now, I think it holds across all your wanderings in the browser. You can hit control + several times to make it even bigger, or hit Control - to make everything smaller.
Thanks for the suggestion MaryPage. I knew something like that could be done, just forgot about it.
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MaryPage...it may be that you have a size chosen that is making you need to scroll. I have used Control + but I don't have to scroll.
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I just put my cursor over whatever the message is, then hit Control+ and it makes the font bigger.
To me, the site looks really good, and maybe we can all get our font sizes worked out, LOL!
Are all the boards upgraded already?
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Yes, they are. It's all done by some miracle now it needs tweaking.
You can do the entire site at once by hitting Control (Ctrl) on the bottom of your keyboard for a computer and the bar with plus on it on the right hand side also. Your post specific method is very clever. On my computer everything enlarges including the highlighted words. Jane will explain more in the Library when she returns today, because keyboards are different. But in essence it will then do the entire site for good, that is everybody's posts and headings, etc.
Thank you for being such a trooper!~ A lot of people actually like the look, we just want it customized for our benefit.
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Great! I tried it and it works. I hit ctrl minus (the minus key next to the plus key, and it went back.
What it did was make the whole page bigger. So MARYPAGE try ctrl minus to shrink the page so you can see it all. If you don't like what happens, hit ctrl plus to get back.
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Oh, I have known about Ctrl+ and Ctrl- for eons now. There are huge gaps in my computer knowledge, but that is one thing I managed to grasp some time ago.
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It works and when I really tried to think of it, I remember quite a few years ago, you used it, but I have not for some time now. Now to see if my set will make the print somewhat darker..
Just almost finished Donna Andrews.. This is the latest.. emu is the bird this time. It is fun as always, but oh my, between her husband andher baby sitter, her twins are constantly being taken care of,not by her.
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Never mind. I hit control and minus and it went back to normal. Why is everything so cock-eyed in these groups now?
Marj
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Marj...what is looking cock-eyed to you?
[As you know we had a major software upgrade that had to be done last Monday. The old software no longer had any support. So, we need to know what is off so we can see if we can get it fixed.]
jane
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Well, the talk about some not being able to read the print size, or about a different way of posting a message. So far I've not had any trouble.
Marj
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Some of us have had the print shrink enormously and had to adjust. I have had no problems posting, so no idea about that.
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I have both the print much, much, MUCH smaller, which is hard on these old eyes, but which I can easily fix, of course, but also the post, and especially this box we write into, much wider. But Ginny says I am mistaken about the width, and am thinking of Seniors & Friends, where the post takes up less than half the screen. I can only report that I used to be able to see this whole box, the one I am typing this message into, while typing into it, but now I have to constantly use the mouse to go back and forth and forth and back both to read the so very wide post AND to click on Spell Check and Bold and Color and Post.
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Wow MaryPage,that sounds truly annoying. Mine is working well,but still quite light in print.
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Please report all issues in our new area so we have all the issues in one place and can work through the list.
ISSUES: http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=200.0
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Started a Harlan Coben..:Missing you".. but it seems to be turning somewhat darker than his normal.. Hm, may or may not continue. Burying people alive in jails seems a bit more than I deal with.
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I'm having fun with my kindle unlimited. Lots of mysteries, but I don't know how many are available outside of kindle.
I've enjoyed some cozies about a woman who runs clambakes on a Maine island by Barbara Ross.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/barbara-ross/
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/barbara-ross/
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I have set aside the Coben, just too dark for me at present. Picked up another of the Elizabeth I, mysteries. Fun and full of tidbits about the era..
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Read an excellent mystery, "Malice" by Keigo Higashino.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/keigo-higashino/
Translated from the Japanese. I guess you'd call it a police procedural. It takes you step by step in unraveling the truth behind a murder, alternating point of view between the man who found the body and the investigating policeman. I haven't seen this logical progression of detecting in a long time. But in spite of the logic and spare writing style, it also packs quite an emotional punch.
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never heard of the author,but will put him on my look for list.
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Sounds interesting as I like police procedural mysteries. Joan, did you get this for your Kindle reader?
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No, from my library. It's available on kindle, but it's $11.99. At that price, you might read the sample first, and see if you like the style.
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I checked with my library and they have two books by him (The Devotion of Suspect and Salvation of a Saint) but no Malice. I think I'll check out those two books and see if I like his writing.
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Was straightening out the TBR file and ran on Metzgars Dog.. by Thomas Perry. I always liked him and had never read this one, which is a very early and thus far very funny book.. A cannon in your van.. oh me..
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FLA: let me know what you think of the books. my library doesn't have them.
A cannon in the van? Oh me is right.
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I like Thomas Perry and had not read Metgers Dog. It is truly funny and violent and very very anti CIA.. Loved it and the cannon in the van was way much and hysterical.
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Joan, I read The Devotion of Suspect X yesterday and really enjoyed it. It seemed a very straight forward murder mystery then towards the end I was surprised at what had actually happened and information about the mathematician. There is an interesting friendship between the physicist and the detective also. I hope his next book is as good.
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I'll have to find a way to get it.
I'm torn. I have the latest Joanna Fluke mystery (Double Fudge brownie), and I want to read it. She is on trial for vehicular homicide for the accident she was in in the last book, when the judge is murdered.
Sounds like a good plot, but there have already been so many cookie recipes, I'm off to Trader Joe's to buy cookies. Sigh.
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I will try that Fluke.. I had gotten too tired of mostly fattening cookie stuff, but that is a plot.
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Steph, if you don't subscribe to Vanity Fair, you will want to grab yourself a copy of the August issue. There is an article about the royal corgis you will love.
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mark
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STEPH: you might want to hold off on the Fluke book. I only got through it by skimming. there are developments in the personal lives of the characters, but in 340 pages there are 40 pages of story and 300 pages of lengthy descriptions of every meal the characters prepared, ate, or even thought about. A brief description and a recipe aren't enough any more. We have to have a ten page description of every step in the preparation of even the simplest dish.
(I never liked her recipes anyway -- too sweet for even sweet-loving me. But they are really getting bizarre. Cookies with catsup in them?)
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Joan...between us, I think Fluke needs to start a new series. She, like Diane Mott Davidson, [for me] ran out of new ideas for plots and ways for her characters to behave, about 7 books ago.
Some authors don't seem to know when to pull the plug on their characters and series. The continual Hannah - Mike - Norman (was it...the dentist) thing -- has been as overdone for me as Goldie's obnoxious son, Arch, and before that the abusive ex...the JERK.
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Joan, Higashino's second book "Salvation of a Saint" is just as interesting as the first one. I really like these characters!
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ok.. Davidson and Fluke used to be fun, but the plots are not good, the characters are stuck and the recipes are way too full of sugar and butter.. Boo..
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I just finished a fascinating mystery/thriller by David Baldacci: MEMORY MAN. About a man who played football in high school, but when he went into a national league, he was tackled in his first game and knocked unconscious. When he work up, he found he had a different brain, one that could forget nothing he read or saw. He becomes a policeman then is promoted to detective. He comes home one night to find his entire family has been killed. Then someone kills 8 or 9 students at the local high school. The rest of the book is the story of how he tracks down the killer(s). Sounds like it might be gory, but it's not -- just suspenseful. Baldacci must have done a lot of research to find out what it's like to have a brain like this character had. (If someone gave him a date that something happened in the past, he could tell the exact day of the week it was.) It was also interesting how Baldacci talked about how sad it was that football players had to endure so such bodily pain later in life after getting knocked around in games simply for people's watching enjoyment. I've never enjoyed watching football games for that reason.
Marj
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Malice sounds good, JoanK. I just put it on my library hold list.
Marj
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I am reading an odd mystery just now. Good Morning Killer by April Smith. I had read her North of Montana some years ago and found this in a local used book store. Very complicated plot just like her first. A FBI agent,female in obsessive love with a local policeman, a kidnapping thatended with violent rape of a teen, all sorts of unfaithful , the plot twists and turns and you or at least, I want to shake the female.. But it is good in an odd sort of way.
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Reading a pleasant series about an older woman on the Isle of Mann by Diana Xarissa. The plots are simple, but the Manx background and the cozy feel are nice
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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Finished the April Smith.. A good book with a close look at obsession in the name of love.
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I'm reading my first Robt Parker mystery, Valedictiion. At first I was enjoying his wit, but it has gotten to be continuous, monotonous, and is not adding to the story. I'm not sure I will finish it. Are any of you Parker fans? Are all his protagonists like this?
Jean
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Always loved Parker's books. The main character, Spencer, was funny, he could cook, he was sort of a "robin hood of Boston", with Spencer and Hawk taking care of the bad guys. I surely miss Robt. Parker. However, I think he was beginning to get like most of the detective writers, who follow one character, until the fun, newness, goes away, and then you find monotony and boredom.
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I loved all three of Parkers heros.. Spencer was a knight errant. His early stuff was quite good, later, it slowed, like a good many fans, Susan Silverman drove me nuts. Supposedly she was patterned after his wife, who he adored, but he made her so very quirky.. The dogs in the later books were his.. Sunny was his female detective. Very good, but he did not write that many about her and then his last detective was the Paradise series. Tom Selleck made this guy very well known, quite a few tv movies about him
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I haven't read any of Parker's books. Steph, regarding his Paradise series, the only Parker I can think of that had Tom Selleck in the TV version was the Jesse Stone character. I liked the TV movies and would have liked to see more. And it looks like we might get more according to Variety. http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/tom-selleck-collars-more-jesse-stone-pics-in-hallmark-pact-1201447403/ Selleck is wrapping up Blue Bloods, which I never watched.
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Yes Jesse Stone was a late invention of Parkers.. Good but flawed in the books.. I think they cleaned him up a bit for the tv series, but Parker did say publicly that he did think Selleck looked like his vision of Jesse.
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Our Wild Days; Creating the Good Life on SeniorLearn
When we look back on
our many fond memories of
enjoying a story
that we discuss here
on Senior Learn,
we realize
it's not so much the story
we remember,
but the feeling
of friendship and security
that it gave us. | (https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/9d/37/88/9d37887c858caa5b850dd530550c1b9e.jpg) |
Join us Monday August 10
when we share our memories of books read on Senior Learn
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Just finished a Billy Boyle World War II mystery The Rest is Silence. I enjoyed it. The plot was interesting and it moved right along. Author is James R. benn.
Someone mentioned sometime ago about the new Hercule Poirot book(s) by Sophie Hannah. I saw The Monogram murders in the new book section of the library and checked it out. So far I'm enjoying it. I happen to like that little Belgian, but not quite as much as Miss Marple.
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Thanks, FlaJean, for mentioning the Billy Boyle WW2 mystery The Rest is Silence by James Benn. Sounds good. I put it on hold at my library.
Marj
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The only Spenser mystery by Robert Parker I've read was some time ago, his first, The Godwulf Manuscript. I liked it very much and have always meant to read more of them, but never got around to doing that.
Got a kick out of his humor. His description of the 1970s' university (unnamed) is interesting. Reminded me of when I started back to California State University in the early 1970s. First day there I came upon a big dude with a huge Afro hairdo dressed in bib overalls whose appearance scared the s--t out of me. But soon got used to seeing these crazies. Also brought back memories of authors I was reading then -- Herbert Marcuse, Germaine Greer, Helen Gurley Brown.
Hadn't known that Parker was really Doctor Parker with a PhD in English Lit from Boston Univ. 1971, and taught English at Northeastern University. I was impressed. You can see his educational background in the book, ie re a medeival manuscript about (or by?) Richard Rolle. Read about Rolle in Wikipedia. The author named his character Spenser (first name never mentioned) after the English poet Edmund Spenser. But Parker's Spenser is not a poet, but a wisecracking hard drinking P.I., on the order of Chandler's Philip Marlowe. A short book, 204 pages that kept me turning pages.
Marj
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One of the most fascinating characters in the Spenser books is Hawk.. Now he seemed scary at best. Parker had some wonderful characters in the Spenser books and brought back favorites from older books as he grew older.
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Do you have the name of one of Robert Parker's Hawk novels, Steph? I asked Amazon, but they would only give me the names of his Spenser books.
Marj
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Marjifay, Hawk is a character IN the Spenser novels. I've not read the books, but remember the TV show. Spenser was played by Robert Urich, Hawk by Avery Brooks. You can look it up on IMDb.
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O.K., I finished Valediction, and I would give it 3 stars out of five. (Hawk is in it, but not too often). I will go back and read some earlier ones. The Godwulf Manuscript sounds like a good one.
Jean
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yes, Hawk is Spensers best friend and ally.. Parker as he gets older did start to push his books toward morality tales. Susan often refers to Spenser and Hawk as Knight Errants..
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Woke this morning to find an email from Margaret Maron saying that this last Deborah Knott book, published this month, IS to be the very last in the series. I have had it on my preorder list at Barnes & Noble for simply ages now. I subscribe to Maron's emails to her fans; I do not know her personally.
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Mary Page: what a shame. I guess all good things must come to an end.
Here is a list of the Spencer books in order: helpful if his early books are the best. I notice "The Godwulf Manuscript is the first, written in 1973.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/p/robert-b-parker/
I've managed never to read his books or see the TV show. Have to change that!
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I also got the email about the last Deborah Knott book, but I am glad to hear she has started another Sigrid Herald book. I know I'm in the minority, but I liked the Sigrid series best.
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Does anyone here get the Strand magazine? If I knew about it once, I certainly forgot. What brought it up was a piece on public radio that I heard on Saturday, about an unpublished F. Scott Fitzgerald short story that would be in the Strand.
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Oh dear to say Goodbye to Deborah will be hard. I like Sigrid, just not quite as much.
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Gosh, Nlhome, I didn't know they resurrected the rag. Project Gutenberg as a bunch of the old The Strand magazines posted on their site. You can find old copies of the original Strand on Internet Archive too, as well as from the University of Pennsylvania. http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/serial?id=strandmag Here is the history of the magazine https://www.strandmag.com/the-magazine/history/
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Thanks, Frybabe. I have done some reading on the website. It looks as though the reincarnated magazine has been around for 18 years, but the original had quite a history.
Someone from the magazine was being interviewed on public radio, I don't know whether national or one of Wisconsin's programs, but the discussion was about this unpublished Fitzgerald short story. I just wondered if anyone in our group subscribed. I am a short story reader, and the magazine looks interesting.
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Got two books on my kindle that I had pre=ordered and forgotten about: the new Rhys Bowen "Malice at the Palace" about the young Royal who is trying to survive with no money but not allowed to take a job (heaven forbid!) and doesn't want to marry the horrible European prince they're trying to foist on her (he's gay). And the latest Donna Anderson.
All great, except I'm trying to save money, and had promised myself I'd stick to the "free" kindle unlimited books and get the others at the library. As a golf fan, I'm reading an interesting series by Charlotte and Aaron Elkins. The main character is a golf pro on the women's circuit, and you learn a lot about the life of a young golfer trying to make it on tour.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/e/charlotte-elkins/
Their other series is good, too. About modern art.
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I love Rhys Bowens young Royal. She is such fun, have read all but the newest one. Today is my f2f book club, must try so hard to stay quiet. I hated the book read maybe 50 pages and went,,NOOOOO. so I need to be quiet.
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I am getting itchy jumpy whumpy about the stacks of books I have to get through, without achieving any diminishing of the numbers, as I tend to add on new ones faster than my rheumy old eyes will allow me to devour them. Oh, for the days when I could read at the rate of a book or more a day! Actually, I don't think I have managed more than one a day since my Nancy Drew days, and it has been quite a long time since my one a day days.
Right now I am reading a Peter Robinson, and it is the second in a row. I got so into my prior book that I had to ignore the next book on my "read next in this order" stack and head for the shelf that stores my Robinsons and take out the next of his. There is just something so peaceful and orderly about the way he writes; I find it quite soothing to my senses. Ann Cleeves Shetland series affects me this way, as well.
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MaryPage -- I really like Peter Robinson and have read several of his books. I have all of the Shetland series, but haven't read them yet. Will have to give them a try. Have you ever read any of the Simon Serrailer series by Susan Hill? This is one of my favorites.
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Peter Robinson writes the Inspector banks mysteries? I've just started to read them.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/peter-robinson/
FF compares Susan Hill to Louise (I guess in her creation of a place. Is that fair?
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/susan-hill/
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The latest young Royal is fun so far. She is given the task of showing a visiting princess around London, while keeping from her the knowledge that the royal she is there to marry has probably slept with all of the people she is meeting (men and women). Then she finds one of his mistresses dead. and has to solve the crime while keeping both the princess and the press ignorant of what's going on.
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JoanK -- Yes, Peter Robinson writes the Inspector Banks novels. I have read a few of them and really like them.
I suppose Susan Hill’s Simon Serrailler series could be compared to that of Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache. Both series usually take place around the same location in each book – Serrailler in the town of Lafferton and Gamache in Three Pines. And Susan Hill provides a lot of background stories for Serrailer’s family, co-workers, and some townspeople. They really are good books, but I would suggest the series be read in order just so you know the history of everyone.
Susan Hill has written many books aside from the Serrailler series. One of my favorites is, “Howard’s End is on the Landing,” which is a wonderful book about books, the love and power of books, and how important they are to all of us. I think any bibliophile would love it.
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I have a second Susan Hill book on my tbr pile, but have been dodging it. No idea why.
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No, WinchesterLady, I have never read her books. Will give it a try. THANKS!
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I did get Book type magazine at the local library. Definite mistake, found six things I want... Boo
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Oh, I SO know that feeling. And that is EXACTLY why I keep adding books to my library faster than I can get them read! Ridiculous situation! Here I am 86 years old with one foot, maybe more, in the grave and I should be DIMINISHING the stacks, but instead I am adding to them.
Years ago, back when I was a full time working accountant and raising (with the help of a husband) a family, I would keep up with what was being published with the help of newspapers and magazines and their reviews. Radio and television came into that a little, as well. So I made a habit of writing down the names of books and authors I developed a yen to read yet knew I had no time for. I would then purchase the book, and in some cases all of the books, by that author, and up on the appropriate shelves they would go. I had to add and add and add yet again to the bookshelves I had. I had them made specially by the Amish. A place in Ann Arbor, Michigan. And shipped to me. I not only love and admire the solid workmanship, but they are also carefully built at the BACK, where even the fanciest furniture stores will sell much more expensive pieces with only the flimsiest of plywood or even heavy cardboard on the back. This has never worked for me, as I have to cram two rows of books on every shelf, and this makes the back bulge out when it is not actually solid wood. So the thing is, I have wound up with as many as 25 or more books by an author, sometimes a series of books, that I have never even read ONE of! Thank heavens Peter Robinson was one of these, because when the DCI BANKS series was first broadcast by our PBS channels straight from the BBC, I was able to run to the shelf and begin to read, to my great pleasure! I also have other authors on hand that I have never read, Robert K. Tanenbaum being one. I mean, the reviews were just SO good! So I have over twenty of his!
Oh well. Knowing I have them is like having a comfort wrapped around me on a cold winter's night. I am reassured.
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I know exactly what you mean. I wouldn't feel at home in a room without some of my books in it.
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I checked and my library has the first Susan Hill (the Various haunts of Man). Now all I have to do is get there.
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Thanks for the new suggestions for mysteries. I'm in need of some new blood - pun intended.
My libraryhas many of Bowen and Robinson, so i should be good for a while. I'm almost totally caught up on some of my favorites - Evanovich, Maron, Albert, Roberts, especially. Of course, i've got lists of others, but it's so much fun to add new names to my loooonnng lists.
Jean
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Used to read Tannenbaum, but he got way gory, so gave him up.. I need to read a Nadine Gordimer for my f2f book club up here. Got it on my Kindle, now for some time of my own.
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Oh dear. Well, I have him, but will put him last on my plan.
I had read rave reviews for Denise Mina, so I asked for her books on my Wish List to the family a couple of years ago at Christmas. They like to have a good long list of books I crave, but do not yet have. The deal is, I won't buy from the time I submit the list to them in early November until after I see which have been given me. That way there is still a certain element of surprise and excitement involved, as they know it is very difficult to buy a book for me that I do not either own or have not already read. So I got 6 of Mina's books that Christmas. And last year I read that the BBC had put them into a mini-series for TV. So I figured they would eventually come to our PBS, and I began to read. Well, I gagged horribly at the first book, and tried another. Same thing. You know what I had to do? I thought they were so ghastly there was not a single family member, and I have a huge family, who would like them. So I tossed all six into the dumpster.
The thing is, they were so relentlessly GRIM. A totally dreadful culture of drink, smoking, drugs, nasty language and sex. They are set in Glasgow, a city I have visited and loved, so I felt so confident that those would be books I would relish. WRONG! There was not one single soul, including the female detective, I could relate to. Bummer!
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Bummer is right! It just goes to show (something or other. I guess that there are all kinds of tastes).
JEAN: the bowen books I was talking about are her Royal Spyness series. She has two others: one has Evans in the title. It's about a young Welsh policeman in a small town where everyone is named Evans. Light but good. The other is about an Irish immigrant to America who sets herself up as a woman private investigator. The early ones are good, but we're all tired of her sexist boyfriend-then-husband and their endless arguments.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/rhys-bowen/
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I read one Denise Mina several years ago from a recommendation but found it depressing. Never read another.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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Wow... all of a sudden today, I have huge print..nothing I did, but oh my..
Denise Mina , no I tried her, but she made Glasgow sound so very unpleasant. The Gordimer is extremely odd at this point.
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Thanks for the clarification Joan.
I got Estelle Ryans's The Dante Connection, the second in the Genevieve Lenard series. The ebook was 2.99 at Amazon. I don't generally pay for ebooks, but my library doesn't have either e or hardcopy versions. I really liked the Gauguin Connection, so i was willing to pay all of 3 dollars for it. 😀
Jean
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I love this series and have it all on Kindle..
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I love it, too. Have only read the first one so far, and that one some time back, but I have all of the others other than the latest one waiting for my delight. I gave the whole set to a dear friend and family member for her 70th birthday recently. Well, last December, actually.
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Last call for you to share how you found SeniorLearn and what book you started discussing with us, as a friend of SeniorLearn - tonight is the last - going, going, gone of this set of memory minders as we build our legacy page of who we were and who we are in 2015
So like Ratty and Mole, pull up your chair and post your memories - tomorrow, Wednesday, August 12 we have another set of questions to help us build our history using your individual experiences.
(http://www.krispinleydon.net/archived/WebPage95_00/Resources/Images/Full/ratmole.jpg)
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I have also started The Dante Connection. I really enjoyed the first (free on my Kindle), so I purchased this one and plan on getting the others. My library doesn't have any of this series'; so I will purchase them on my kindle.
Sally
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I've read a couple and still like them.
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They are fun and give me insight into my grandsons mind, since he has
asburgers.
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Finished Cry of the Children by JM Gregson. I thought at first it was going to be the usual hum drum, but it veered off into another direction and was interesting. I like the duo of Lambert and Hook detectives. Now reading Bleeding Heart by Christopher Fowler. Another interesting and well written police procedural (only this detective defies the word procedure).
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Here's Christopher Fowler:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/christopher-fowler/
I've read some of his, and Bryant and May are indeed anti-proceedural.
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And I'm sure I've read some gregson, but cant remember what.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/j-m-gregson/
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Note: on these fantastic fiction author pages I post, you can click on a particular book and get a book jacket type summary of the plot, to decide if you want to read it. I don't know why I always post a link to the author, rather than to the particular book mentioned. Maybe because, in reading a new author, I start with the first book in the series if possible.
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Joan - I've been led to many authors and books by you posting Fantastic Fiction link. Thank you! :) :)
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:)
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I like the fact that you give a link to the author. That way I see all the books listed. I don't know why, but I forget about the Fantastic Fiction link.
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So do I.. Then I start to stack up the new guys on my Kindle and have discovered, books in person are easier to keep track of. They haunt me as I move around the house.
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Good. I'll keep doing it then.
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Reading books by Marti Green. her narrator is a lawyer for the Helping Innocent Prisoners Project. If she is convinced a prisoner is really innocent, they try to find evidence to prove it. Many of their cases involve using DNA evidence in cases decided before that was widely available. I understand this is actually being done, although I don't know by whom. But of course, the cases that form the main plots are more complicated than that.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/marti-green/
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Joan - you may be thinking about The Innocence Project. It's done wonderful work.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innocence_Project
This is their website
http://www.innocenceproject.org
Jean
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I see Marti Green lives in my area of the country. Her books look interesting. Will check my local library. Maybe they will have at least one of the three.
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I have heard of The Innocence Project.. and think it is quite active in Florida..
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That's good to know.
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Florida still has a whole lot of people on death row and at least some of them do not deserve to be there. Mostly black and poor and unedeucated..
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I am enjoying Estelle Ryan's The Dante Connection so much that I'm deliberately reading other books at the same time so Dante doesn't end too quickly. ::) :-[
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Hah, we have all fallen in love with Estelle Ryan.. She does have a facebook page as well.
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I, too, am just about finished with The Dante Connection. I am tempted mightily to go on with all of the others, which I have standing in proper order on a bookshelf in my bathroom, of all places! But I make myself switch around amongst all I have on hand, and since Margaret Maron's last Deborah Knott arrived this week, I shall indulge in that next.
I think the thing you cannot help but adore about Ryan is that the action goes so fast and the people are so clever and talented. I love all of the references, and I look up every one of them, art and music. I looked up Strasbourg, France, as well, of course, with the last book, and read up on it. Google Imaging it brought on a huge desire to go there. When the first painting came up, the "Beata Beatrix" by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, in this book, I Google Imaged it and printed it out (I have a very large all color printer) and folded it twice and have been using it for my bookmark ever since. I did NOT print out the Sargent, because in looking that one up I found I hated it. When I pass The Dante Connection on to my granddaughter Paige this week, I will leave that picture in the book. She has a doctorate in Art History, so she loves the books, as well and all, and cannot wait for me to send them on.
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Yes, there's so much to them, but they are also action packed. A little bit of everything.
I've had the latest Donna Andrews on my TBR pile forever, and keep not reading it. I think I'm donna Andrews-ed out!
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Yes, Donna is limiting herself a biit and I did not enjoy the last one as much as some of the others.
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I'm reading Albert's new China Bayles mystery Bittersweet. She has introduced a new and interesting character, a female park ranger. So far it is interesting and I always learn something new when reading this particular series. I enjoy the way she starts each chapter with information about herbs and spices.
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I just finished The Dante Connection and immediately ordered the next in the series. I have read the first 2 and reallly enjoyed them. However, I think I will wait awhile before starting book 3. Whew, I need to rest!
Sally
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I'm with you Sally. Not because I wouldn't like to jump into the next "Connection" book, but I've got some other books i am in the middle of. I must be disciplined enough to finish them then I'll jump on The Braque Connection. I have been disappointed in several of the books I've gotten free from bookbub/amazon, but being introduced to the Connection series has made up for all those bad ones. 😃😃 I'm willing to pay for the rest of the series.
One of those i've started is the new Janet Evanovich series - the Nick Fox and Kate O'Hare series. O'Hare is an FBI agent who caught Nick Fox, a very outlandish conman and thief - not unlike, but more grandiose than Colin in the Connection series. The FBI decided his skills were too good not to use, also like Colin. I'm on my third one of those and am liking them very much also. My goodness, such an abundance of riches!
Jean
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Hmm, I read one of the new Evanovich, but just could not get into it, so have not tried the next ones..Estelle Ryan,, how wonderful it was to find her and the Art series. Having an Asburgers grandson makes me pay attention to her and how she reacts , because my Connor reacts in many ways just like the lead.. Good writer who blooomed first(I think) on ebooks.
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Steph, I do not see an email address listed for you, and, with 2 autistic great grandsons, I would sort of like to correspond with you regarding our mutual experiences with that and other things. If you have one (an email address), and if you care to, would you contact me at marypage29@comcast.net or call me at (410) 295-0016
If you would really rather not, I completely understand. Honestly. MP
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not a problem, thought is was on my information stuff, but possibly not..As I remember on Seniornet, some of us had problems with a demented man who was trying to prove that he could save all womankind and was the reason for shutting down our
For Women only site.
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Funny! Save us from what, exactly? No, on second thought, don't enlighten me.
And thank you for the email address.
Well, I have finished The Dante Connection, and enjoyed it immensely. Am going to exercise some self discipline and make myself read through a pile of magazines before I start Margaret Maron's "Long Upon The Land." I hate it when I slip into falling behind with Time and The New Yorker and National Geographic and Bookmarks and Vanity Fair and others. There are FIVE (5) more books in the Connection series on a shelf waiting for me.
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Funny, yesterday I looked at the tv thing in the sunday paper.. I loved a YA series by Cassandra Clare,, sort of fantasy and fun.. Theymade a movie of the first book. Since it was a large book and the beginning of a whole series, they took the book apart and used part of it and took out a lot of characters. But I still enjoyed every minute even though the hero Jase.. was a Brit and a bit wimpy looking.. First movie on TV I have seen in such a long long time.
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What was the name of it, Steph? I'd like to keep an eye out for it.
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Mortal Instruments:City of Bones was made into a movie, MaryPage. Cassandra Clare is very popular with both the YA and adult crowd.
I am back to reading another Donna Leon. I wonder if her take on the bribery, incompetence, and indifference of the Italian officials, including the police, is exaggerated or fairly accurate. At least, so far in this one, I haven't run across any snide comments about Americans in this book.
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Hallmark Channel had a marathon of the Jesse Stone movies yesterday. I couldn't sit through them all, but i dropped in and out through the day. I haven't read any of the books, but may put them on my ever growing TBR list.
Jean
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JEAN: I try not to read two books by the same author in a row, for fear I will get tired of them. It's really hard sometimes. And with by bad memory, that means I sometimes lose track of authors I like.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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My granddaughter, who was a Sr. in High School at the time, simply loved these "City of ____" books, and I bought a couple of them for her. She's moved out of state, and I doubt she still has them, but if she comes back one day, I'm gonna borrow them from her.
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I'm with you on that Joan. I always read something in between two books in a series. I did, one time, read one of Lisa Scottolini's "women law firm" books at the same time I was reading a book of her Philadelphia Inquirer columns which is just commentary on day-to-day life events. But i like variety, which is why I always have at least one fiction and one non-fiction book on my nightstand. Within one night I need to have two different concepts to think about. LOL
JEAN
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Joan and Jean, I am pretty much the same way. Sometimes I finish a book and am so blistering eager to stay in the scene and read the next one despite my better intentions, that I cave in and DO read two in a row. I did that recently with an Ann Cleeves; I just flat out wanted to stay out there in the Shetlands, thank you very much. So I did. But in the usual course of things, I sort out the books on hand and keep a stack aside of the ones to be read next, carefully not putting any two by the same author next to one another in that stack. Works for me.
I find myself sneezing all over the place this evening, but only since I took the trash outside to the dumpster a little while ago. Leaves me wondering what is out there that I am so allergic to. So annoying.
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Jean, Jesse is somewhat different in the movies.. I liked the books more.
Yes Cassandra Clare did quite a stunt with the Mortal Instruments series. I enjoyed them enormously. She started with a different premise and expanded it enormously.
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i'm reading a really great mystery, AFTER THE STORM, by Linda Castillo. Very good writing and interesting characters. The part of the book that tells what it's like to live through a tornado is fascinating Also very interesting is the setting in an Ohio town with both Amish and Mennonite communities. The mystery keeps you turning pages. I will definitely read more of her books.
Marj
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I love Linda Castillo. Is that a new one?? Will check out Amazon for it.
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The detective sounds familiar. Think Castillo must be one of many authors I read and lost track of.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/linda-castillo/
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Found two short stories byher on Kindle. I like her detective and her explanations of the Amish match my childhood memories of the amish around my house.
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Just finished Donna Leon's Sea of Trouble. Spoiler alert. I was a bit taken aback or disappointed in Brunetti in this one. In this one Brunetti showed, to my mind, poor judgment in insisting that they go after a fishing boat in the midst of a big storm. It resulted in the death of an about to retire policeman. Not only that, Brunetti, a married man, seems to have taken too much of a liking to one of the station secretaries.
I've ordered the next in line and also ordered, finally, Murder at the Gardner by Jane Langton. I remember it was mentioned as being a really good book years ago (probably on the old Senior Net).
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FRY: I love "Murder at the Gardner." But if you haven't read her before, she has an absolutely unique writing style: you either like her a lot or don't like her at all.
All of her books are based on either a piece of music, a painting, or a piece of literature. (Well, almost all. One is based on a spider web). She duplicates the action in her model in the plot. This one is based on a medieval painting in the Gardner Museum in Boston. It's allegorical and funny at the same time. I hope the copy you get has good pictures, because part of the fun of her books is the little line drawings she includes.
The plot involves a theft of some of the paintings. The irony is that about the time the book came out, there was an actual theft in the real Gardner museum. I've always wondered if the book inspired the thieves.
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Here she is:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/jane-langton/
I notice she was born in 1922 and is still alive. You go, girl!
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Just finished "Murder at Highbury", a mystery based on Jane Austen's Emma. Not a bad book, but I can't recommend it. The author kills off some of the characters from Emma, and that feels weird. (Must be a kindle only book -- can't find it in FF).
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Well, I have just finished Margaret Maron's LONG UPON THE LAND, the very last, sob, she SAYS, in the Deborah Knott series, and oh how I hope she turns out to be inspired otherwise. I can and DO recommend this book, for I just flat out hugged myself for Joy while reading it.
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I like Jane Langton. I've read most of her Homer Kelly mysteries. That college is something else. I'll have to look for some of those books that I haven't read. Thanks again for the links, Joan.
I'm on the library reserve list for Maron's latest book. I understand she is going to bring back the woman detective (Sigrid Harald) from her first series. I think I'm the only person that liked her first series the best, although she has had (she says) many, many requests to write about her again.
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Wheee we are open - our pre-discussion For Love of Lakes is open and ready AND the link is in the heading for the intro to the book along with the link to the book that is about 3/4ths of the book that is available to us from Amazon - here is the link to the discussion ... http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=4803.0
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I really really liked Homer and Jane Langdon and think I read Murder at the Gardiner. but will look at it to be sure.
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Hi Marj. Would you send me an email at marciei@aol.com. I've been trying to reach you by email but mine might be going to your spam. I'll reply to your email and see if that works. thanks
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Sorry, Marcie, I sent an email to you at the address you gave, but I received a notice that it could not be delivered. My email address here at Senior Learn is correct if you'd like to try again.
Marj
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new author for me.. Marta Perry...She writes of the amish in Pennsylvania.. Good book, a bit on the romance side, but not overwhelming.
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I have a couple of the Marta Perry books on my iPad thru that Kindle app. The first one was free and then I bought one or 3.99.
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Marj, I'll try to email you again. Did you put in the extra i at the end of marciei@aol.com?
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If I've not posted this before, Amazon has a very good series of mysteries by Melissa F. Miller. Main character is Sasha McCandless. I've just finished my third one--first two were free eBooks--from probably BookBub or whatever the other one is. I think Pixel of Ink, or Omnimystery. Anyway, Sasha is a lawyer in Pittsburgh, a tiny little thing that practices martial arts, not your standard KungFu, etc. Circumstances always find her on a case, which is non-related to one which falls into her lap, usually a criminal case. She is not a criminal attorney! The books are reasonably short, well-written, fun and interesting finding out new things re the law/courts/judges. By no means "literary" fiction, but fun reading, and you can't help but like this main character and her legal assistant, Naya.
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Fla Jean.. Thanks.I will try my Kindle to see what they have on her. The one I have is a paperback..
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I went by our huge Barnes & Noble today and bought The Girl In The Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz. The author is Swedish and this book is a continuation of the Lisbeth Salander books by the late lamented Stieg Larsson. I am very excited, as the critics have liked it.
While there I looked in the stacks for the latest Estelle Ryan Connection series book, and was astonished to have to ask at the desk and discover that these books are ON ORDER only: you can order at a store and pick it up later or you can order on line, but they don't keep them in stock, the publisher prints them out ON ORDER only! Now there's a whole new wrinkle!
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TOMEREADER: GREAT! I love legal beagles and am having trouble finding them in the Amazon free books.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/melissa-f-miller/
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Got the first one.
MARYPAGE: rats. I'm trying not to buy books, but want to read more of Ryan.
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Oh Joan, I am trying SO hard to exercise much needed restraint and not buy any more books, too! I mean, I've got AT LEAST a thousand, seriously that is not just a figure of speech, books crowding every spare bit of space and waiting for that reading! I am addicted, and there is no way around it. Lowering my head in shame.
But, sigh, I bought a new book today and before the week is out I know I will not be able to control myself from ordering some more.
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i picked up Book Page in the local library and that is ruinous for me.. I see at least five books that I want desperately.. The most intriguing is Best Boy by Eli Gottlieb.. It is a fiction ( but semiautobiographical) of a boy with autism.. Seems he has written several books, they are mostly about a fictional account of his brother. Interesting. Also The Gilded Hour by sara Donati.. women who have gone to medical school and run afoul of Anthony Comstock.. just to name two of them. I need to stay away from Book Page, it is a delight
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And if Book Page is a delight, then Bookmarks Magazine is absolute manna from heaven. You'd find more than five books to put on your list! I found that once I read my first copy of Bookmarks, I simply had to have a subscription (which I have kept going for several years now). When it arrives in the mail, everything stops...I get something to drink, coffee, tea, cola, and sit down in my comfortable spot, and read, read, read! (I also can't turn loose of them once read!)
Marypage, my books are close to or past 1,000 by now, much to my chagrin. Some are keepers (already read) some are half-starts, some not yet started, but they are all part of me and my obsession for books and reading!
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I am not a buyer of fiction books, but i will buy more of Ryan's "Connection" series. Loved the first two.
Jean
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I subscribe to BookMarks as well, and always pass my issues on to my next door neighbor when I am done marking them up as to what I have already read (isn't the next to last page FUN in that regard!) and what I want to get, at what we have gotten in the habit of referring to as our "backyard fence." Ok, one of us will say to the other over the phone, I''ll meet you and pass it over at the backyard fence. Actually, it is the spot on my back deck where HER back deck touches on mine.
Tomereader, as to numbers of books on hand, you'll doubtless pass me in this dubious distinction one day. You aren't as old as I yet!
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But I'm getting there quickly, Marypage! (age)
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I have over 900 books on my kindle, and I've only owned it for three or four years. And I get a dozen books from the library each time I go. That's the downside of liking mysteries: they're quick reads, so you keep having to buy more. I kept track one month just for fun and I read 4-5 books a week.
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That is AMAZING, Joan! I haven't been able to keep up a pace like that for years and years now. Too much to read (magazines, newspapers, etc.), too much to do, and every ordinary everyday sort of chore takes 3 times as long for me to do; not to mention the naps that I fall into involuntarily if I sit down to read for a spell. I find it frustrating not to be able to read as much as I would like, but then acceptance is the only road I can sensibly take. Anyway, GOOD ON YOU!
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Ditto what MaryPage said! ;D Joan
When i saw 900 on your ipad!!! OMG! I'm upset that i have about thirty on mine and can't get to them bcs I keep getting library books that i need/want to read. So much abundance! Wonderful!
Jean
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Oh I have subscribed to Book Marks for years and also pay for a subscription for our library.. our county commissioners will not let our libraries waste their money on newspapers and magazine, so the friends took this up as a continuing donation and we sponsor a number of books and also indiviiduals like me donate for a particular subscription as well. Book Page is interesting though because they do a better job on mysteries than Book Marks.
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Stephanie! Good for you! What a wonderful thing to do!
And JoanK! I am in total awe of your reading so many books a week. It shows.
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That's great Steph. I had, for two years,used points I accumulated at a survey site to donate magazines to my library branch. The library manger was delighted.
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Reading a murder in a nudist colony. keep wondering where the murderer hid the gun, but no one in the book is asking. (I'll let you know when I finish whether I recommend it. I'm up in the air now.
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Finished Dissolution.... I loved the writing, the characters, but it was surely grim.. I will read another by him but oh my, a little lightness would be nice.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Best, I find, to switch back and forth with a bit of froth. Aunt Dimity or Mrs. Jeffries or that girl who is 34th in line for the British throne. Lifts the canopy of grim.
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Tomereader, I love Bookmarks, and have, ever since one of our members here introduced me to it over ten years ago at one of the SeniorNet getogethers. DIL also gets a subscription from me, and I'm going to add my oldest daughter to the subscription list, now that she is no longer working. What a great publication.
That said, Steph, I'm horrified, shocked, no doubt naively so to learn that you county commissioners have so much power over the selection policies of your libraries. No newspapers or magazines!!!!! Sounds like one of our teachers (later made principal), who said, "I don't want my students reading paperbacks."
Back to Bookmarks -- I do wish they would come up with some sort of multi-year online index, for finding info on authors, books featured, etc.
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Our county commissioners do not allow the county libraries to buy DVD's, magazines,books.. They have mandated a tech section of the library now and all must comply no matter how small. Some of our smaller towns have opted out of the country system and I dont blame them. We are in the buildings owned by the community college ( another move by the commisioners) and must keep their hours, so we close on Friday and Saturday at noon and are not open on Sundays. A real mess.
Yes, I agree I have to throw in a cozy or I do love RhysBowens series on the princess.. I loved Dissolution, but oh my, it was grim.
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Pedlin, I think "Bookmarks" does have an on-line index, www.bookmarksmagazine.com I seem to remember they used to "hype" it on the back cover of the magazine; perhaps it's no longer available. You might try their website to see for sure.
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They do have an Archive which shows year by year, of books covered w/author's name, but I don't know how deeply that goes if you click on one.
I'll do some checking at a later time.
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Some of the commissioners in our county started talking about outsourcing our library and/or cutting back funds. There has been such an outcry that they backed off in a hurry. So we seem safe for now. One of our commissioners is definitely for good libraries and he will get my vote in the upcoming election.
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The library problem is severe here, as well. The politicians desperately do not want to raise taxes, because they think everyone will hate them and throw them out of office. So they make huge plans to cut back on every possible service, and then when the public, who like borrowing books, thank you very much, scream bloody blue murder, they cringe and say: "But you don't want your taxes raised, and we have to do SOMEthing!" No one wants to face the fact that every luxury the public insists upon (well, I do not consider them luxuries), such as pothole free roads and repaired bridges and uncrowded classrooms and decent health plans and snow removal and LIBRARIES, etc., cost more and more every year. As do our groceries on almost a daily basis! So it is the same old, same old. We want NO GOVERNMENT AT ALL, thank you, and we want ALL THESE SERVICES RIGHT NOW! Scheesch! I would like to scream at everyone: Get Real! But it ain't gonna happen.
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I loved it in Massachusetts. We voted for our library commisioners.. And believe me, Friends of Library ran a slate every time.. It was where everyone wanted to be.
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I just discovered a new mystery author. New to me, that is. David Housewright, he has two series along with a couple of other novels. The series
feature Rushmore McKenzie, retired cop in the Minneapolis/St.Paul area, who kind of meddles around in Police cases. The one I just finished is the 12th in the McKenzie series, so I have a lot of catching up to do. So very, very reminiscent of the Spencer books. McKenzie also cooks...wonderful recipes, for his live-in girlfriend, who tends to macro-manage parts of his lifestyle. Also, two policemen, one who is a friend; and a policewoman who can't stand him (usually). He has an "enforcer" in the image of Spencer's "Hawk", who is called on when needed.
There are three books in the "Holland Taylor" series, and I've not read any of those. I will be trying to catch up on this McKenzie series. This most current one is "Unidentified Woman #15". Really enjoying it!
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Sounds very good, Tomereader, i will check my library for those. I've read all of the Evanovich series and almost all of the Margaret Moran "Judge Knott" series, not fond of the other series and almost all of the White-Albert series, most of the Scottolini series. I need a new author. :)
Housewright, interesting name. I assume his ancestors built houses. I never saw the term housewright before.
Jean
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Apparently it's his real name, according to FF
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/david-housewright/
Sounds interesting.
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Since I loved Spencer and Hawk and disliked Susan, will look for the series. I am not that happy with the China books.This one is about Ruby and is mostly about grief and ghosts.
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He has authored a number of books. Going to check my library for him.
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My swap club has the Holland Taylor series, but all of the others are in the wish category.. Hmm..
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Our library has 10 titles by David Housewright---a mixture of Mckenzie and Tayler. Will check a couple out.
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I may look at the Kindle file. They may have some of them.
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Well, darn. Yesterday I came home with two more books from the withdrawn pile at the library: Neal Stephenson's second of his Baroque Cycle, The Confusion and Henning Mankell's The Man from Bejing. Heaven only knows if and when I will ever get around to reading them.
I've finished the Donna Leon I borrowed, am waiting on the next one (which is on hold), and am now into Jane Langdon's Murder at the Gardner.
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I found David Housewrights first one in Kindle, so put that onmy Kindle.. Hmm,. my TBR pile on Kindle grows way too fast.
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While I can't say that Murder at the Gardner has me riveted, I do like Jane Langdon's descriptions of the characters and scenes. The B/W coloring book like illustrations throughtout the book are just begging me to get out my old colored pencil set. Too bad it is a library book. Must refrain from adornment.
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I like her little drawings. Never thought of coloring them. Hmmm.
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Did I mention reading "The Ghost Fields" by Elly Griffiths.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/elly-griffiths/
Not maybe as good as her earlier ones (I like the archeology and history but maybe I'm just getting tired of the protagonist's dysfunctional relationship!). A war plane is excavated with the pilot dead inside, uninjured except for a bullet hole in his forehead. The ghost fields are abandoned War air fields.
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We are reading a different war story next month, and the pre-discussion has started. Join us for "Dead Wake", the story of the sinking of the Lusitania. I've read a lot about the trench warfare in WWI, but never about the sea battle. I find both the ocean liner and the submarine fascinating, in their different ways.
Join us at:
http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=4811.0
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Oh dear, I must remember to take with me to the library.the little notebook with the books I've read. I brought home from the library TWO books, one a Margaret Moran and one a Susan Albert. I thought when I saw the titles that they were ones I hadn't read and they were both recently published. I was so pleased to have two more to read. 😅 Well, shortly into the Moran, i thought huuummm, this sounds too familiar. It took me longer, about a third of the way into reading the Albert book before I said "oh, darn, I read this one too." 😫
Jean
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I did this with a Kathy Reichs yesterday. I had it in my TBR pile, but about 20 pages in, I went. HMMM. definitely read it. Oh Darn.. The last Susan Alberts book was about ghosts, etc, did not like it and generally I like her herb series.
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I do this all the time!
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Oh wow, a mystery with drones.. leave it to Estelle Ryan to make things interesting.
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Steph, which one is that? or is it a new one? I think I've read 6.
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Leger...think this one was 7.. really really different. Trust her to come up with something new and Francines parents are introduced. All in all I love it.
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I just got #7, and there's a #8 (Morisot Connection).
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Someone asked which of Eliot Roosevelt's mysteries takes place at Hyde Park. it has to be "The hyde Park murder." here is the list (the late ones aren't worth reading, but the early ones are fun.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/elliott-roosevelt/
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Yes, I need to kindle #8, but have been having a busy busy time.. I am glad I liked her on facebook. She tends to be chatty and fun.
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Received my copy of the Smithsonian today. They are asking for donations so they can provide libraries with copies of the magazine.
Also got my copy of Mycroft Holmes today!
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I used to get the magazzine. Loved it, but the magazines got so out of hand, i have stopped all of mine except for Book Marks.
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Now that would be a good reason for me to have an IPad if I could afford one -- to be able to take it with me to the library to look at the list of books I have already read; I have them listed in my computer by author and by title.
Marj
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The October issue of VANITY FAIR has an article about my all time favorite mystery writer: Josephine Tey. The title is "Her Own Best Mystery." There has never been a biography written about Tey, but this article says one will be coming. One can but hope!
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One can but hope, indeed!
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I loved Tey and of course she wrote my favorite Richard novel... Marj,, There is a surface tablet that is cheaper than the IPAD and very friendly and of course the Kindle Fire would work well for your sstored lists of novels, etc and that is way beyond reasonable now.
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That's my favorite, as well, Steph, and this article points out that she broke every rule in the book regarding the writing of mysteries when she wrote that one.
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went to the Friends of the Library used book store yesterday here n Franklin.Amazing the number of current new looking hardbacks.. Found a new(to me) author.David Handler.Set in Connecticut and there is about 6 books thus far, so I am starting as far back as I can get Then another author I have not seen for a while Lynda S. Robinson, who does ancient Egypt and the mystery in that one is the death of Nefertiti.. For 12.25, I got so many new books and a few oldies and goodies. Hurray.
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Feels like a treasure hunt!
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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Exactly, a new to me source of used books make me smile all day. Reading an Abigail Padgett.. I do love her, but she does not make it easy. her characters are quirky at best, This one is Turtle Boy and I am loving it.
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She sounds very interesting! Her books "feature someone suffering from manic depression." and in real life she is an advocate for the mentally ill.
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I just downloaded the first in this series, Steph. Child of Silence. It was free on Kindle.
Sally
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They are wonderful books, At least the three that feature Bo are. I have just found on Kindle her more current ones and will start on them next. I keep her in my book shelf,, since the first three make me think about how hard it is for some types of mental illness.
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For those who like the Grantchester series on PBS: the library had a new one: Sydney Chambers and the Forgiveness of Sins
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/james-runcie/
An intriguing plot: a man comes to the church demanding sanctuary because he woke up finding his wife dead, and thinks he murdered her. Looking, they can find no trace of the wife or a murder, but the husband insists on staying in prison.
As usual, classical music is involved, which pleases me.
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That sounds wonderful.Will look for it today.
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Reading the latest Anne Perry, The Angel court Affair" (I thought it was the latest: FF tells me it's not. I can't keep up with her)
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/p/anne-perry/
A Spanish "saint" has come to England to preach, and Pitt is assigned to see no harm comes to her, since many find her doctrine heretical. Musings on why and when we kill those we don't agree with.
She's still publishing 2 to 4 books a year, and she's 79! What's wrong with the rest of us?
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I just finished Elliott Roosevelt's Murder in the Red Room. I so enjoy the history of the era of FDR and Eleanor in his books. In this one the Roosevelts invite George Patton to talk with them. He was just a Lieutenant Colonel at that time. Very interesting. Patton tells them he believes in reincarnation and knows that he was a soldier (marshal) fighting with Napoleon. He says that he believes that he has been a soldier since mankind emerged and appointed some men soldiers. He goes on to tell them that he was with the Pharaohs, and fought under Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Charlemagne. " My recollection of battles is too vivid and detailed to have been gained from history books," he says. Gave me goosebumps reading this. I will read more of Elliott's mysteries.
Marj
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I think that Patton did in fact believe he was reincarnated and had always been a soldier.. Hmm, now to figure out where I read that.
This is pack week since I am going home on Sunday,, Sigh. Why do I insist on moving bout 30 or so books each time.
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"Bestselling 'Wallander' Author Henning Mankell Dead At 67
Mankell wrote some 50 novels and numerous plays, selling more than 40 million copies worldwide." I read about this in the morning news. The article said he announced last year that he had cancer. He died in his sleep. I enjoyed his books and the TV movies, although Wallander could often be a depressing character. Good detective stories.
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I was sorry to hear that Henning Mankell had died of cancer, although I have yet to read any of his Wallander mystery series. I have heard they were very good, so I put the first one on my library hold list.
Marj
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Perhaps, Steph, if you watched the 1970 movie Patton (great film) you heard him say he was sure he'd been a soldier in another life. I enjoyed Bill O'Reilly's Killing Patton, which was supposedly about the theory that someone killed Patton, but was mostly about Patton during WW2. I want to read Carlo D'Este's book, Patton, A Geniuus for War.
Marj
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thought Henning Mankell died some years ago. No, I'm clearly wrong:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/henning-mankell/
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I didn't know that about Patton. Perhaps I missed "Murder in the Red Room."
Since we're reading about the sinking of the Lusitania, I was remembering the Eliot mystery where Eleanor goes to England in the middle of WWII, in spite of the threat of submarines. Heads of state took that chance fairly often in WWII, and they all were lucky.
She is taken aback by the freezing conditions in the palace: The Queen is setting an example for her people by not wasting fuel. Even the normal temperature of British houses is freezing to us Americans, so I can imagine.
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I have some english friends and yes, they do keep their houses cold, but I do love that they have a plate warmer and it is in the dining room.. it rolls right up to the table and when you eat dinner, someone pulls each plate out and fills it.. and so the warm food and the warm plate is a delight. They also have heated towel racks, so they like heat in some places.
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I love that!
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Our dgt is always cold, so she gets a lot of cozy/comfy gifts. Her father bought her a towel warmer, she loves it!
Jean
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I love plate warmers, They add to your dinner and for a long time, i heated my plates in the microwave and then filled them for the two of us.. Alas now, alone, you cannot count on actual plates at dinner if I am in a mood.
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;D
Are you going to tell us about the Anne Perry biography?
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The biography was mainly tedious discussions on every single book she ever wrote and how she is using her writing to think through dark and deep thoughts and noone understands her.. I dont believe a word of it.. They finally tell you how the murder went down.. and how she and her friend were just passionate teens who had crushes on each other,, Dont believe that either. They sluff off any male companionship and she allows as to how she has had boyfriends.. guess who doesnt think so..All in all, I do wonder why the lady wrote it. Those two girls deliberately and maliciously killed the friends mother. Brutally with rocks and lots of blood. They planned it out in advance and served just five years, were then permited to change their names and emigrate out of New Zealand. So.. I wont buy her books.. period.
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A lot of people agree with you.
Sorry, I said Australia, when it was New Zealand! I know all New Zealanders hate that, and I'm usually more careful.
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I not only won't buy her books, I won't even read them.
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I am another who cannot read Anne Perry's books since I read of how she and a friend brutely killed the friend's mother.
Marj
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yes, I don't buy or read.. Now that I am home, I am slowly readjusting.. I get so tired.. being 77 almost 78 sometimes wears me out.
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Steph, glad you're back home safely. Get rested.
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Welcome home STEPH.
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Here's something fun: "Bundle of trouble" by Diana Orgain
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/o/diana-orgain/
The narrator has her first baby in the first chapter. As she's coping with new motherhood, there's a murder, and she winds up solving it while nursing her baby and checking periodically that it's still breathing.
funny, and takes me back a few decades!
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hmm picked up a paperback.. "Knock Off" by Rhonda Pollero.. Supposed to be a mystery, but really it is all about clothes.. and obsessions with food and clothing.. Sad.. probably wont finish it.. I just do not like excuses for mysteries. I like real mysteries.
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I really enjoy the David Rosenfeld mysteries. I just finished Hounded. Andy Carpenter is a defense atty in Paterson, NJ, which adds to the story for me because I know the area and a good friend of our dgt's is the prosecutor in Passaic County, where Paterson is located. He is also a dog lover as the titles of the books indicate. One client he defended, a wrongfully convicted man, now runs a dog rescue agency. Andy has a self-denigrating wit which is sometimes laugh-out-loud funny.
http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/R_Authors/Rosenfelt_David.html
Jean
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I just returned the Donna Leon book I was reading. I think I am getting tired of Guido, et.al.
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I finished the last of the Deborah Knott series by Margaret Maron. It was good and dwelt more on some things in her family's past. It will be interesting to see what she will write in the future. I read somewhere that she will write about Sigrid. That would make me happy as that series just never felt complete, and i especially liked that series.
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JEAN: I loved the beginning books in the Rosenfelt series. Later, he gets involved in conspiracy theories, and they aren't as good IMO.
http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/R_Authors/Rosenfelt_David.html
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Have not read the last Margaret Maron. I was not a Sigrid fan, so will withold what I will do..If I can just catch up on all of the stuff, will be reading again.
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Bundle of Trouble sounds like a good one, JoanK. I'll keep my eye out for Diane Orgain bargains. I've really had to restrict myself with the Kindle bargains -- only authors or titles I recognize, and or books on my TBR list. As it is, there's enough now to last until I'm 120.
Today one of Cara Black's Paris neighborhood mysteries was on sale on BookBite or Gorilla, so I snatched it up.
Steph, I prefer Deborah Knott to the Sigrid series, but so far I've liked every Margaret Maron I've read.
Currently reading Scott Turow's Innocent, where Rusty Sabich is on trial for murder -- for the second time. It's been a bit heavy with the romance, but the courtroom scenes are interesting.
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I found the Diana Orgain on my book swap group. so it is coming..to see how it is..
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Let us know how you like it.
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I have had a somewhat complicated summer, so am looking at this point only at light or funny fiction.. So that sounded just great to me.
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I love the Deborah Knott books best, as well, and by a whole lot. Loved that last book, and feel sad that it was the last. Sweet and funny twist at the very end, particularly in view of the title of the very first book in the series.
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Hey MaryPage, you're back!!! Are you better now?
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Am reading..Drinker of Blood by Lynda S. Robinson..no..not a horror, but an Egyptian mystery period type of Nefertiti , husband and the whole era. Excellent.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wow! I'll have to try that. I see it's late in a series.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/lynda-s-robinson/
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Not better. Worse, actually. But going off at 7 this morning for a Lumbar Nerve Root Block, which we earnestly hope will do the trick and lessen or eliminate the incessant pain. Sciatica.
Thanks for asking. It has been near impossible to read and retain much these past weeks. For me, all of my long life, to have been able to read has been EVERYthing since early childhood. Not to be able to concentrate makes reading just so much nothing, and reduces living to an undesirable state of being. Different strokes, of course, for different folks. My heart breaks for the whole mass of suffering humanity struggling on this planet. Most are totally without access to the modern medical services I have at my disposal, albeit I have plenty of complaints about those, as they are, to my taste at least, slow, confusing and insufficiently focused. Sometimes I think all of the doctors have ADD. Oh well; hi ho, hi ho, it's off in Hope I go!
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It is 8:42 where I live and hopefully MaryPage is done with the treatment and we all hope much much better.
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All our thoughts go out to you, MARYPAGE.
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MaryPage: I think that qualifies for the official SeniorLearn Chicken Soup:
(http://seniorlearn.org/latin/graphics/chickenssoup75.GIF)
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Thank you, thank you. No miracle as yet. The procedure itself took almost no time at all, but the numbness they said would probably kick in for several hours did not. That was a disappointment. And while the needles during the procedure did not hurt anything like as much as I was prepared for, there was an immediate reaction in my leg and foot of spasms of pain that were akin to molten streams and metalfalls pouring down. I screamed, quite frankly. Recovery took much longer than the procedure, but we left home at seven A.M. and got back here at 9:30 A.M., so you see, it was very speedy.
They said that after the numbness (that never came) wore off, the pain would return and might even be worse. It was worse for quite a while, but seems a tad better tonight. On a scale of 1 to 10, if the pain was a 9 (I don't know about you, but I reserve the 10 for being burned at the stake or have your fingernails pulled out with pliers or having all your bones broken in torture), then it is an 8 now. Walking with my walker, that is. Sitting it is about a 4 or 5.
They say that if the steroids injected work, it will take 24 to 48 hours. So I may wake up tomorrow much better, or mebbe Wednesday morning. I have High Hopes, but my nurse daughter, Anne, says it often takes several injections. Bummer! Meanwhile, I will have to go back to Physical Therapy. I have acupuncture on my list to consider in the future.
Sorry, I did not mean to shove my story into your lives. When this phase of my life passes, I promise to post ONLY about the good mysteries I will be enjoying!
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No apology necessary, MaryPage, we can all identify with something similar, and we want to know how you are doing. I hope you get some relief very soon.
Jean
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ohmyMaryPage, I do so hope it works better in the next few days.. I am having finger problems, which is not fun on the computer..
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Somewhere I saw a description of "Mr Churchill's Secretary: A Maggie Hope Mystery" by Susan MacNeal. I think it may be the first of a series. I searched my library catalogue and was able to get it from them as an ebook, thru Ovid.
I'm about a third of the way thu it and it's a good read, with a little mystery. I didn't realize that the IRA took advantage of the beginning of WWII to try to overthrow Britain's rule of Ireland. So there are potential spies and sabators of both Germany and Ireland as characters. The protagonist is a young woman whose English parents had brought her to Boston as a baby. Shortly after that the parents were killed in an automobile accident (I don't know why, but I love the word automobile, as opposed to car, so much more elegant and beautiful a word than CAR.) she was raised by an aunt who taught at Wellesley. Maggie grows up to love figures and math and is about to start graduate work at M.I.T., when her aunt tells her that her grandmother - who Maggie didn't know about - had died in London and had left Maggie her house and M had to go to London to clean it out and sell it. It was 1937.
Nobody was buying big, old Victorian houses as the war began, so M stayed for a year trying to fix it up enough to get it sold. In the end she begins taking in women boarders. As the Germans move thru Europe and Churchill becomes PM, Maggie is offered a job as a secretary in his office. She is insulted that she can't even be considered to be interviewed to be one of C's private secretaries, because only men hold that job, but she conceeds and eventually becomes C's typist.
The lives of the other women boarders are described, one seems a little shady. Some other characters are talked about in shadow, I don't know who they are going to turn out to be.
So far an interesting premise.
Jean
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MaryPage: we all have our fingers and toes crossed for you.
Jean: I've read the Mary Hope series and enjoyed it, especially since I was a woman mathematician about a decade later, so I really identify with her.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/susan-elia-macneal/
I see there is a new one coming out this month "Mrs. Roosevelt's confidante." I may have to break my book-buying ban.
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After checking Seniorlearn, I went into my mail and found a message from Amazon that "Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidante" had been delivered to my kindle. I must have pre-ordered it and forgotten. What a coincidence!
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:D :D :D
I probably saw that mentioned on Amazon and checked my library.
Jean
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Aha, an author who makes me interested.. Will look up what is available from her.
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STEPH: some of her books are better than others.
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Funny I'm reading a fiction mystery about Winston Churchill. We're just finishing reading "Dead Wake" about the sinking of the Lusitania. It proved to contain a real life mystery about Winston Churchill: did he or his subordinates deliberate let the Lusitania be put in danger to get the US to join WWI? (he was Secretary of the Navy at the time. His code breakers knew where the sub and the Lusitania were, had several means at their disposal to protect or warn her, and did nothing).
Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction!
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yes, The Imitation Game, that I watched on net flix indicated that they felt warning the boats all the time endangered the code breakers and so made a hard decision..
I ordered three books by the author and am looking forward to them.
Now if time would just slow down a bit.
I am so excited that J.K. Rowling wrote a Harry Play.. in London next summer, the plotting begins on how to get tickets and get there.
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Yes, they, the code breakers, had a ghastly dilemma concerning what they were able to discover by breaking those codes and what their superiors felt it safe for the war effort AS A WHOLE PICTURE to divulge. The situation room planners and plotters felt the KNOWING what the enemy was doing was going to win us the war, ultimately, and it was of paramount importance that the Germans not learn the codes were broken. The information was too useful, and was used in every way possible short of giving up the game. Lives were saved where possible, but many sacrifices had to be made. War is horrible, but I honestly doubt we could have won without such as Alan Turing in that so super secret location that nothing could be divulged for FIFTY YEARS!
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The Lusitania episode involved a similar group of code breakers 30 years earlier in WWI, but the issues were the same.
That group has not become as well known as the WWII group, but should be. There were some interesting characters then, too. They would make a fascinating movie.
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code breakers in the spy business are busy to this day. I had a cousin who worked as a code breaker back in the Korean disaster.
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I know about code breakers, but not so much as a sliver about breaking codes. Bob was deputy director of the NSA. Have you ever visited their Cryptologic Museum? They even have an Enigma Machine captured from the Germans. And just heaps of stuff that goes on and on forever. Creepy and fascinating. Open to the public here in Maryland at Fort Meade.
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I have heard of the museum, but never seen it.. On my list of someday events since I love that area.
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MaryPage, the Cypher Machine is now (probably temporary loan) at the Mariners Museum in Newport News, VA. I saw it in their section on World War II. They have a notice that the "German Navy Four-Rotor (M-4) "Enigma" Cypher Machine with Spare Rotors, circa 1942 Courtesy of the National Security Agency." I'm originally from the Tidewater area and visited the museum this past May. Wonderful exhibits.
(http://www.ocalafellers.net/s-f5/img3.jpg)
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That's fascinating! I wonder what all those keys did?
MaryPage: I wish I had known about that when I lived in the area. I would have loved to see it.
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Mary Page would love to know how you are feeling, did
the shots help. Off Monday for a cat scan on my lungs pricey
little things.
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The lumbar nerve root block cut the pain in approximately half for about 3 days, allowing me some desperately needed sleep. Now the pain is back in full swing, and I am beside myself. We'll see what is next in the protocol of remedies. Not fair! is what I keep shouting to the fates. Not that it gets me anywhere.
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Not fair is right! We'll keep our thoughts with you.
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Stiff upper lip MP maybe another shot will help.
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Oh MaryPage, I feel so bad for you. Constant pain changes the way you view life.. I hope they find something that will work a bit better.
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As eager as I was to get "Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidante", I'm having trouble getting into it. It rambles all over the place, giving snapshot scenes of all the notables of the day, irrelevant to the plot.
I got the latest Parnell Hall puzzle lady book from the library. but I hate to read a library copy - cant work the puzzles!
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:) :) :) do you have a copier Joan?
In the first Mary Hope book, I found myself breezing thru some parts that were repetitive or over described - imo. I was hoping - no pun :P - that she would get better as she went through the series, but maybe she's run out of story and is padding.
I'm trying to watch Neil Degrasse Tyson's Cosmos on Nat Geo, he has put in many stories of women scientists who I never heard of, but i get lost within the astrophysics. Sigh..........
Explorer: Bill Nye's Global Meltdown is coming on next at 8:00. It sounds interesting, "the global effects of climate change". I may be sorry. >:(
Jean
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reading Bundle of Trouble by Diana Orgain... Hmm. I am way too old, I suspect.. I keep being horrified at the places she is taking a teeny baby, less than a month old. I remember so vividly with both of my children, the Ob and Pediatric.. both saying,, home for a month limited visiters, noone sick.. Whew.. Plus, I keep wondering what she expected a baby to be like. The mystery seems good,but a lot of..iffy stuff. I knew that PI s in California need a lot of training,,
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I guess it's been too long for me. I certainly kept my babies home at first. With my daughter, neighbors came over and were cooing over her, and she got a cold at a few weeks: temp 104, very scary!
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I mostly liked the book and will see if she has written anything else before I make up my mind on her.
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I'm watching Lisa Scottolini on our local (Philly) news, her new book is out Corrupted. It is a new Benny Losotto (?sp) story based on a true incident in Phila where two judges were paid by the private prison business to give kids heavy sentences, way beyond what would be typical - like prison time for fighting in the cafeteria.
I like her books so much, I must get on the library hold list.
Jean
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Me too!
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Yes,. I like her books and she used to write a column for the local newspaper that was fun..Besides, she has several dogs and always says, that her corgi rules the roost of all of them.
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Aha: a fellow corgi lover!
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Like all true dog people, I am convinced my corgi are the smartest best dogs in all of creation.. my daughter in law has pugs and she knows its is pugs of course,, but dog people recognize each other immediately. Probably the dog hair..
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I am a Big Time Fan of particular dogs I have owned down the ages. The latest star in my family circle is Chester, who is a rusty haired half Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and half miniature poodle. He is not considered a "mutt," as he cost my granddaughter who is owned by him THE MOON. He is a Cavapoo. Smarter'n I am, by a lot!
Am too old and infirm now to have a dog. Cannot take care of myself without help, much less a dog. But oh, that Chester!
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Chester is probably wonderful, but I am sorry he cost a good deal of money, since he should not have. Mixes should not be expensive.. They dont breed true, etc and therefore are not registerable.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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Oh, I am sure that is all true, and me, I favor mutts big time, BUT, this was my granddaughter's choice after much research, and Chester flew here in a crate with his name on it, just big enough to hold in one hand, and was met at BWI with great anticipation and fanfare, and that was several years ago, and now
well now
Chester Rules!
If you could be a little fly on the wall, you would be a convulsed with laughter little fly!
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I always say that everything I know, I know from reading mysteries. I don't have a dog, and would know absolutely nothing about the world of dog breeders and dog shows were it not for the several mystery series on the subject. (the names escape my senior brain, but I'm sure you know them).
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I have a shitzu and a rescue dog named Sophie talk about rules they really rule. Eddie the boy dog just mostly sleeps and strolls around the yard. He has now established a routine. At night a just throw two treets I n the sun room and close the gate.Not so
he jumps up in the chair and sits and looks at me like this is something new. So I no go over to the chair and lay his treat beside him.
Sophie has many requirements she will not get in bed unless I am laying down and the covers over me then I am allowed to bend over and pick her up. Don't try it without the covers those. She has been so badly abused and I know the story. My guess is she is part maltese and part shitzu and big barker.
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JoanK,, I suspect you are thinking of Susan Conant, who has a series of good mysteries that revolve around the pedigreed dog world and is quite accurate.
Reading Hush Hush by Laura Lippman.. It is the newest Tess.. and her baby is now three. The story is riveting. I do like her as an author, both the Tess series and the stand alones. She knows and loves Baltimore and shows it.. Just read a line ( Tess is stressed by a very active three year old) and she muses on another Baltimore author.. Anne Tyler and how she wrote of a woman who simply got up and left one day and how that appeals just now. I do know that feeling..
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Clearly I'm way behind on Lippman. I didn't even know Tess had a baby. Is the father her long-time boy friend?
Yes, Susan Conant. It's nice to know she is accurate. I still laugh at her explanation of Michelangelo's famous painting: if you look closely, you can see that God is handing man a dog!
But there's another series as well. She shows standard poodles. Does anyone know it?
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Elly Griffths, author of the series about the woman archeologist in England, has started a new series featuring old magicians doing variety in British seaside towns. I read the first, "The Zigzag Girl".
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/elly-griffiths/
It's ok (too gruesome a murder for me), but I miss the archeology and the atmosphere of the other series.
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Conant is the only one who has a long series, but there are several who have done a few.. a dog trainer up in Maine,, that is a series that is probably three books, but they are good, but I think they are Goldens. Cannot remember a poodle.
The Lippman is interesting.. Revolving around whether someone was crazy or not..
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That's easy. The older I get the more I become convinced that EVERYone is crazy. Excepting me and thee, of course.
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My favorite mystery with a dog in the story is SUSPECT by Robert Crais. About a Los Angeles cop, Scott James, who is just getting over the death of his partner. He is paired with a german sheppard, Maggie, who has survived two tours in Afghanistan sniffing explosives before losing his handler. Wonderful story of how they help each other recover as they work to identify and capture the killer of the cop's partner. If you like dogs, you'll love this story.
Marj
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I read that book, loved it and wish that Crais had written more about the team..
The Lippman..hmm at the end,, well if anyone else has read it, would love to figure out just what I think of her.. actually I still regard her as something of a monster..
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Mysteries with dogs? Read David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter series. My favorite of five I have read is Play Dead where Andy discovers a Golden in a kill shelter which turns out to be an important piece of evidence in a five year old murder for which an innocent man has been in prison for five years.
Jean
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Shoule have mentioned a long time ago. I read the Mostwonderful BOOK EVER
WORTHY. If you don't have it please get it. Mine is on my kindle and I bought one for a friend.
I have read it twice already
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JUDY: is that the name of it? "Mostwonderful BOOK EVER
WORTHY"
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I'm butting in but need to let you know what we are doing for the month of December -
On December 1 through Friday, December 18 we will read and discuss - the real Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi -
Lots of discussion material, including comparing the original to what Walt Disney did to the story - there is the topic of school, a boys relationship with his father, children lying versus adults lying - on and on -
Many of us will not want to be as engrossed in a discussion starting that weekend before Christmas - some of us will be around but for most, it will be quick post with a 'Hi' and I'm off to visit family or my neighbors or the church this or that.
And so... rather than any one book we will leave it open for us to share our thoughts on a Holiday story preferably published within the last 2 or maximum 3 years. To help with our sharing I will have some generic questions that can apply to any story - so that when you give your synopsis of your story you have earmarks to hit.
Also, during this almost 2 week Holiday discussion we can share the names of the books we gave as gifts and how our favorite book store decorated and prepared for the Holiday season. Starting on Saturday December 19 we will have a new discussion called, "Holiday Books and Book Stores".
- lots of new holiday books that we can talk about - I've listed some in the message in the Library.
With many of the larger bookstores housing a coffee shop we could even share what they had on the menu - in fact we may even decide to share what we fix for ourselves as a special tea or coffee or glass of wine when we settle down for an hour or so with a holiday story.
And so this year we join the English tradition of reading and play-acting a traditional children's story during the holiday season - Be sure to put on your "todo" list to pick up your copy of the original Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi - I believe there is a free copy available to kindle users and it may even be online - I like having a book in my hand and I've ordered my copy for a few dollars - yes, at Amazon.
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Yes, Judy,, Maybe if I google it..?? am Reading Lisa Scottoline.. Betrayed,which is the second in series of the all female law firm in Philadelphia and is intriguing at this point.
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Steph, Robert Crais did bring them back in his latest book, PROMISE. In it Elvis Cole and Joe Pike are joined by LAPD K-9 Officer, Scott James, and his German Shepherd, Maggie. I've had this on my library hold list for what seems like forever, as it's so popular.
Marge
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sorry about that I get carried away . It is Worthy. Just one word
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Is this it?
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/catherine-ryan-hyde/worthy.htm
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Read an interesting mystery: :Scandal in the Secret city". by Diane Fanning.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/diane-fanning/scandal-in-the-secret-city.htm
t takes place in Oak Ridge, Tennessee during WWII. The narrator is a woman chemist in charge of the workers who are extracting and purifying the U235 for the atomic bomb. A lot about what it's like to be the only woman scientist (boy, do I relate to that!) and the process. I want to get my-sister-the-chemist to read it to see if the chemistry makes sense.
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Oh Marjifae... I will check out the Crais, since I love all three people..
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Thanks, JoanK. I put Scandal in the Secret City on hold at my library. I really like mysteries with an historical background.
I'm reading and enjoying such an historical mystery -- The Birth of Blue Satan. Loving the story and its backgound in 1700s England. The book's review says: "It is 1715, many decades before a police force in Britain, and less than a year after George of Hanover’s controversial accession to the English throne. A conspiracy to restore the Crown to the Pretender, James Stuart, is about to erupt in rebellion. The Whigs are in power again and eager to take revenge on the Tories in the days when arguments were solved with swords. Falsely accused of murdering his own father, Gideon Fitzsimmons, Viscount St. Mars, must hide from the men who want to hang him, while trying to unmask his father’s killer. An outlaw, he must detect under cover of night to avoid being caught.
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MARJ: that sounds exciting! I don't know as much about that period of history as I should.
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Yes Joan that's it
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Decided not to wait, so ordered the Crais, since it just came out..
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read an interesting non-fiction book: "The Spy's Son" by Bryan Denson. About a high-ranking CIA operative who was selling secrets to the Russians and who, when he was caught and put in jail, trained his young son in spy techniques and had him sell smuggled-out information to the Russians.
I hadn't read a "true-spy story before: from the citations, apparently it's a whole genre of books.
The spying techniques in this one are much simpler than in fiction books. the main interest of the book is how his role as a spy influenced his role as a single father. He said he started as a double agent so he could provide for his children, and got his son involved so he could continue to provide for them in prison. (Instead, he nearly ruined his son's life. And the amounts of money earned were not enough to really provide) He was a very religious man, and encouraged his son with verses from the bible. The mixed-up sense of values involved, I found fascinating.
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Oh my, a senior moment, but I did read at least two books on real spies in the two younger males some years ago who got involved in spying..Now to remember either their names or the books.
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I have found a new, to me, mystery author, David Bishop. His "The Blackmail Club" was a freeby on Amazon months ago. He has a little bit of the David Rosefelt wit, which I like. The story was complicated and can compelling. Another PI firm with male/female partners.
Jean
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"The Blackmail club" is still free on kindle unlimited. I ordered it.
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Reading another Charles Todd. I do like that mother and son author..An Impartial Witness with Bess.. WWI . I am begining to wish that Bess would notice Simon as other than her parents best friend and her backup person..
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I looked for The Blackmail Club on Kindle but it was only free for limited. Maybe I tried too late?
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MaryPage, where are you.
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Right here, Steph. Thanks for asking.
I am reading LEOPARD by Jo Nesbo in the kitchen while I eat my meals. Also in the car while Chip runs into the stores on my errands. With this Sciatica, I don't much like going in myself. So far, I find it very good and, as usual, moving along swiftly. Leopard is book number eight in this Harry Hole series.
In the bedroom, in my easy chair (boudoir chair) I am reading SOVEREIGN by C.J. Sansom. This moves rather more slowly, and is not as much of a treat to read, but then Sansom feeds us just one whole heck of a lot of history, which I enjoy. I find myself irritated because he has the characters speaking of "the Scotch," and meaning the people. I believe the Yorkshiremen, at least, would know better. Scotch is strictly the whisky, while the people are Scots. This is book number three (3) in this series. The meds I am taking make me very drowsy, so I fall off into naps quite frequently and do not get as much read as is usual for me.
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I like the Sansom series. He portrays life in Henry VIII time as it probably was, with all its warts and bad smells.
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Yes, English history tied into mysteries is fun.. I am really enjoying the WWI mysteries of Charles Todd. What a truly horrible war that was.
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The moon over the waters of the magnificent Chesapeake is unreal tonight. The color is unbelievable! It makes a golden path glitter all the way across from shore to shore. You have to see it to believe it, and then you feel disbelief that there can even be such beauty.
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Ahhhhh!
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Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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happy thanksgiving, and thanks to all of you for sharing your reading experiences here.
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I put Scandal in the Secret City on hold at the library. It does sound intriguing. Thanks, JoanK.
I just finished the scariest book I've ever read - Pines by Blake Crouch. First of a trilogy about a town called Wayward Pines in Idaho. Doubt there are many here who'd want to read it unless, like me, they occasionally love a scary book. A real page turner. The author said he was inspired to write it after watching and loving as a youngster the film series Twin Peaks. Wayward Pines was a very popular film series recently, but I'd never heard of it.
Marj
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II never have either. I admit to being too chicken to enjoy scary books.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joan did you read Worthy ?
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I am reading a collection of Arthur Conan Doyle's non-Sherlock Holmes stories called The Man From Archangel and Other Tales. So far, they are pretty good.
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I am a serioius chicken and getting worse each year.
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I enjoyed Twin Peaks, but I have no nerve for scary books or films.
There was a drama on our TV a while ago, The Secret of Crickley Hall (a novel by James Herbert, I think). I was so terrified watching it that i had to have a cushion ready to hide behind. Daughter sat on the opposite sofa and laughed at me, said the acting was quite ridiculous and she couldn't understand why I was frightened. I put it down to an over-active imagination...
London Spy, which we are currently enjoying, is also a bit scary and cushion worthy - even Madeleine has some sympathy with me over this one.
Strangely, the thing that really scares both my daughters is anything to do with zombies. I find the idea totally laughable and can't take them seriously at all, but Madeleine has had nightmares about them. Must be a generational thing.
Rosemary
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The cushion is a good idea! I'll have to remember that. Does it work at the doctor's office, too?
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Worth a try Joan :-)
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hmm. how foolish will I look sitting in the dentist office with my cushion..Worth a try, since that gives me nightmares and always has.
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But Steph, you can't put a cushion over your face for the dentist. Maybe you could wear those sleep covers for the eyes? I have some in a drawer somewhere; they came with a pillow someone gifted me with. They are pink satin. I'll look for them and stick them in an envelope and send to you! He! He!
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I have never seen people's interest in "zombie" movies. I think they are grotesque, not to mention stupid. Horror type movies turn me off also; i.e. Friday the 13th, anything in that genre. Now Hitchcockian movies I love,
Marnie, The Birds, etc. The only movie that ever really, really scared me was the original "Psycho". I couldn't sleep for days after seeing it. Scary books I can live with, like Stephen King's.
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Thanks, Rosemary. I put The Secret of Crickley Hall and London Spy on my Netflix queue. Altho, I have a feeling your daughter was right about the acting in Crickley Hall being ridiculous since the film received only a 6.9 rating at IMDB. London Spy looks better with an 8.2 rating.
I agree with you about zombie films. Don't think they are scary, and I wonder why the young people like them so much.
Marj
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Am avoiding zombie movies since I always considered zombies as basically stupid.. Ugh.
Hmm, one time when I was having gum surgery, he gave me a pill to take an our before the surgery, I was out in 15 minutes, my husband on the other hand turned into the clown of the world with his.. Reacted differently to a lot of people. But I am so freaking scared of the dentist and then had brittle teeth to boot. Sigh.
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I'm reading "The Marshal Makes His Report" by Magdalene Nabb. It is one of The Marshal Guarnaccia Mystery Series set in Florence, Italy. It is so different than Donna Leon's Venice mysteries and is about an unusual Marshall in the regular Italian police. Big slow Marshall Guarnaccia--so different than Brunetti, but just as likable.
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haven't read a Nabb book in years! Have to look for them! He's always grouching about the weather in Florence! I don't care: I have wonderful memories of the one time I was there.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/n/magdalen-nabb/
I love reading about the authors! Nabb picked up everything and moved to Florence knowing no one and not speaking the language! why didn't I think of that? And she's written lots of books since I lost track of the series.
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I am reading The Magic Line by Elizabeth Gunn.. A police procedural of sorts and it is really good.. New author for mel.
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I enjoyed reading about Nabb. I can see I am way behind in this series.
I enjoy a police procedural. Will check out Elizabeth Gunn.
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She has two different series. The one I read is the smaller of the series and is about a female policeman.
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I love reading about these authors! Gunn is 89 , and has been "a private pilot, sky diver, SCUBA diver, and liveaboard sailor." She started writing mysteries in her seventies, and started the new series in her eighties. Makes me feel really lazy!
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/elizabeth-gunn/
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I too am terrified of the dentist
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Me, three.
And Joan, I share your guilt about being lazy. Lazy AND good for nothin' is what I call myself whenever I read about these Wonder Women!
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I love my dentist! I have had a string of useless ones till we moved to Edinburgh and I just looked up 'NHS dentists' on line. This one seemed to have good reviews. It is a practice of 4 youngish dentists - as it is near the student area, most of their clientele is under 25 apart from me. Ian is so nice, so patient and so kind. Best dentist I've ever had, and as my teeth are pretty rubbish I feel immensely reassured that I can get an appointment with him when I need one. The practice even has a really lovely receptionist - the last one I was at had the receptionist from hell, whose mission in life seemed to be to deny you access - even my dentist was scared of her. The one I have now goes out of her way to help, always calls you back when she's said she will, and is altogether perfect.
It's even a nice walk across The Meadows (large area of grass much loved by residents) to get there!
Rosemary
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You are so lucky. I loved my dentist in Maryland: he always put on Mozart when I came because he knew I liked it. But then I moved!
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Oh, I am almost in love with MY dentist, and I have told his wife so. She is his receptionist. Well, if he were MY husband, I would be his receptionist, too. He IS a hunk, and I'll bet many others of his female patients have told her that.
It is not the dentist. It is from the point of opening my mouth on that I dread and hate. Or mebbe from the moment the assistant puts that bib on me?
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MaryPage, yes that is the point for me. Two of my best friends were both dentists over the years and we saw them socially, etc, it was in the chair. One of them, Bruce decided I could sit in the chair in his private office and try that to examine the teeth and I was just fine until he touched the first tooth..Sigh..
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I found an interesting book on Project Gutenberg called Minute Mysteries by Harold Austin Ripley. In a few paragraphs you are given all the info the story detective has, then you try to solve the mystery yourself. There is a link to the answers at the back of the book. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50603
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The Ellery Queen little magazine used to have those. I had forgotten all about them.. Thanks for mentioning..
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OH, Ellery Queen. I used to watch the TV series, several of them, but I never got around to getting the magazine. Wikipedia has quite a write-up on the evolution of Ellery Queen. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellery_Queen
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My Dad used to always give me a subscription for my birthday. Loved the short stories, etc.
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I used to love the "minute Mysteries." they used to appear as a paragraph at the bottom of a page at the end of the short story. There was always a clue buried in them, and (as I remember) I usually found it. (a bit of competition between PatH and me: she always found it. Too bad she got diverted to Science Fiction instead. ;D )
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I really did like the Elizabeth Gunn, but the only ones I can find are her other series.. Hmm, guess I better try one of them.
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I read Gunn's first in the Sarah Burke series, "Cool in Tucson",and thought it good. Have the first in the other series in my TBR pile.
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I have been reading fantasy the past few days.. Patricia Briggs.. her lates in the Alpha and Omega series. Excellent writer.
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Here she is, Did you mean to to post this in Sci Fi?
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/patricia-briggs/
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absent minded me.. yes, I did, but then again,, I am reading The Nightingale on my Kindle, not quite sure where to put it, but it is good.
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I'm reading a really good one by
Daniel Silva - The Kill Artist. Finally getting around to trying his Gabriel Allon series; heard that it's best to start with the first book. I think I'm in love with Allon. I'm amazed at the research Silva must have had to do. I couldn't believe one of his characters talking about how the Zionist Jews had slaughtered/obliterated a small Arab town in Palestine, Deir Yassin, apparently as a warning to other Arabs that if they did not leave Palestine, they would meet a similar fate. But Wikipedia writes about it as a true event. Hard to understand how the Jews could have been so cruel after knowing what had happened to their friends and families under the Nazis.
Also Silva must have done a lot of traveling, as he writes about places and neiborhoods you'd have to have been there to know about in Amsterdam, France, London, Lisbon, and other places. Makes for an interesting read, and altho the book is fairly long, it keeps me turning pages to see what will happen next. I'll read more in this series.
Marj
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Oh Marj, I love Gabriel.. Daniel Silva is a favorite writer and Gabriel is a truly complicated character.. I envy you just starting a wonderful series.. It is so much fun when you find a new to you author..
I am reading Hearse and Buggy buy Laura Bradford. I realized when I started that I had read one of the later books in the series, and this is the first one, but it is good.. A bit cozy, but still fun
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Thanks, Steph, for the recommendation of Laura Bradford's Amish mystery series. Hadn't heard of it. It gets a good rating by Amazon readers. Clever title, Hearse and Buggy and the town's name, Heavenly. I just checked the internet, and apparently there really is a Heavenly, Pennsylvania; shows some photos of the town.
Put the book on hold at my library.
Marj
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I've just received my copy of 'Summertime: All the Cats are Bored' (Philippe Georget) has anyone read it? I bought it mostly on the basis of its wonderful title!
Rosemary
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Love the title, never heard of it.. let us know how it goes.
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I need a suggestion or two - a mystery book title starting with the letter "U" for a reading challenge. I need to read it before the end of the year, which may not be possible given the schedule we have over the holidays, but I'd like to do it if possible. I started with a search on our library's online catalog, but that's not an easy process. Would anyone have a suggested mystery that starts with U?
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Has Sue Grafton gotten to "U"?
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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Good thinking, Mary! Yes, she has:
"U" is for Undertow
http://www.amazon.com/U-Undertow-Kinsey-Millhone-Novel-ebook/dp/B002DW92UC/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450240042&sr=1-1&keywords=u+is+for+undertow
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I thnk her lates was W, so yes, she should have..
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Oh, great, I totally forgot about that series. I quit reading along about R. Thanks so much. I should be able to find a copy of that and it would be a quick read.
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Except there is not a copy in our system - we have multiple copies of all the other letters, but none of that book. Interesting. So I guess a stop at a book store is in my near future, unless anyone else has a suggestion?
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NLHOME: I searched Fantastic Fiction with the word "Under", figuring it's a likely word to start a title. It came up with a whole bunch, most starting with Under. One should be available in your library.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/search/?searchfor=book&keywords=Under
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Thank you, Joan.
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Still on the Charles Todd.. " An Unmarked Grave" I do like the mother and son team.. Bess is a favorite of mine.. and the WWI is so vivid in this.
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I keep trying to remember the name of the one so popular back in the nineteen forties, or was it the thirties? They made a movie of it in the early forties, and EVERYone went to see it. My entire boarding school walked into town two by two to get scared to death by a story we already knew. Was it The Uninvited?
The book was by Dorothy Macardle: do scroll down and read all the many reviews, as they all rave and rave
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3564508-the-uninvited
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037415/
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If you don't count the "An", An Unmarked Grave starts with U.
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And if you like Ruth Rendell, An Unkindness of Ravens might count.
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nlhome - I have found one at last! Dorothy L Sayers - Unnatural Death Nothing like a bit of Lord Peter Wimsey :)
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As much as I love Dorothy Sayers, I had forgotten the u part.. An Unmarked Grave is excellent and made you guess and reguess all the way through. Excellent.
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Oh, how delightful! A Dorothy Sayers! And I probably own it in video, too, as I have a whole collection of hers as done by the BBC years ago. My favorite Sayers was Gaudy Night, with Harriet.
But hey, you can't do better! Look no more!
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Was browsing in B&N yesterday and saw Ann Hillerman's first Leaphorn and Chee novel "Spider Woman's Daughter". Bought it and after starting it I realized I had read it. Oh well, it's worth a second read. Ann writes as well as her dad Tony Hillerman. I see in the back of the book that she has a second one entitled "Rock with Wings". It might be cheaper to get that one on my iPad (Kindle app)if possible.
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Flajean:"Rock with Wings is $9.99 on kindle. Spider Woman's daughter is only $1.99 so I ordered it. Kindle told me I already owned it and it was in my archives. made the same mistake you did: I don't remember reading it at all.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/anne-hillerman/
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STEPH: glad you found such a good "U". Now do you start on "V"?
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Thanks for all the suggestions. I am limited by time and by library, as book stores are too far away and we will be leaving for the holidays soon. So, I grabbed on at the suggestion of another SL friend, Donna Leon's Uniform Justice. That should be a good read on the stops in our travels, and I'll finish by the deadline.
However, next year I'll have to look up some of those others. An Unmarked Grave sounds good. I have read one of the others in that series. And I know I've read the Dorothy Sayers book but so long ago, it might be a good idea to reread that one.
Have a good Christmas everyone.
Nan
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I liked the first Anne Hillerman very much, must look for the next one..
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Joan, thanks for that info. Think I'll get the Kindle Rock with Wings.
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nlhome, you can't go wrong with the Donna Leon book. I've read that whole series and always look forward to the next one.
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I agree. The ones I like best are those with lots of description of Venetian daily life - surely one of the few places in the western world where life is still different from everywhere else, with no cars and hence a continuing custom of daily shopping in markets and everything, from rubbish collections to funeral processions, taking place by boat. Plus all the breathtaking beauty of the place, which cannot be dimmed even by the constant onslaught of tourists and erosion.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STEPH!
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Another "U" novel is _The Unsuspected_ by Charlotte Armstrong (the friend of a woman who died in mysterious circumstances thinks it was murder and decides to investigate). The book was made into a film with Claude Rains, Constance Bennett, and Hurd Hatfield, but, sadly, the film is not very good. For those with e-readers, there was an ebook version of _The Unsuspected_ released in 2014.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPH.
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It was alovely day and I think all of you for your wishes.. My new Book is the one on Witches and looks great..
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Happy Birthday, Steph. Glad you had such a nice day.
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I found a trilogy type mystery book at a thrift shop..Constance and Charlie are the detectives. He is a retired policeman and she is a psychologist.. Not quite sure how I feel, will let you know.
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Sounds familiar. Who is the author.
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Kate Wilhelm.. I think I have read books by her, but not a series like this one.. I finished Nightingale.. not a mystery, but oh my, such a read..
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Got a free book from iBooks "Death in the English Countryside" by Sara Rosett. It's a cozy mystery. I thought it was unusually well written for a first book, but it is apparently the first book in a new series and she has other series books.
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new name for me. Will look to see what is what.
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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to my fellow mystery lovers
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And to you and to everyone else on SeniorLearn, Jean :-)
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Copy that, Jean and Rosemary!
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MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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Hear ye - Hear ye...!!!
Our Holiday discussion is extended through the 12 Days of Christmas till January 6, 2016
Check it out - questions in the heading of Holiday Books and Bookstores are low key and have changed in keeping with our post-Christmas Day experience.
(http://www.popularairsoft.com/files/imagesnew/twelve-days-of-christmas_ornament.jpg)
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Rereading the Robert Crais on Maggie the search and rescue dog and her policeman.. Because there is a new one out and I was not sure I remembered all that had happened in the first one..Good.
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http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/robert-crais/
Steph:Which series has the rescue dog in it?
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Oh, that sounds good Steph. We have some Crais at the library, so I add my voice to JoanK's question.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Its the lateest... First The Suspect and now The Promise.. I am rereading the Suspect first and then will go onto The Promise.. None of his old characters at all..
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Company coming! My computer room is also my spare bedroom, so I'll have limited access to the computer til New Years. (yes, I'm a dinosaur with no laptop or portable device!)
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I have that problem inNorth Carolina, my spare room is my guest room and my computer area..
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JoanK, if you read on a Kindle, can't you also use it to get on the Internet? I love my iPad. I can sit comfortably in my easy chair And read or use the Internet. Best thing I ever bought.
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Jean, if she has a Fire, she can, but not if she has a Paperwhite or earlier dedicated e-reader.
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I have an earlier one that doesn't connect to the internet (except to Amazon). I'm thinking of getting a new one, but I like the matte finish of the old one, specifically designed for readers: you can read for hours and your eyes don't get tired. The new ones are shiny. I'm able to sneak in here while my visitors are off at the beach.
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You are right there, JoanK. I got a Fire thinking that the background lighting would be a help. But with the glassy finish, it is sometimes annoying to have a reflection from it. My Kindle 2nd Gen. battery (at least I think it was the battery) died. Rather than get a new battery, I decided to try the Paperwhite. It took me a while to get used to it. There are things I like about both. The 2nd Gen is now back with its original owner. She is a real hardware tech and wanted take a look at its innards.
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My new(to me) bedbook is an older Lindsey Davis that I had not read.. Falco is up to his usual tricks and Helena is keeping track of him.. I forgot how much I enjoyd the series.
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My work room is also the spare room/son's room when he comes home (he has never lived full time in this flat, so he doesn't really have his own room as he might have done in the house we lived in when he was a child) so I too have limited access when he's around - moved my laptop to the sitting room but then get constant 'what are you doing?' inquisitions from the rest of them...)
Anyway, he's gone back to the Highlands now, so I'm reinstated, although the inquisitors are still here (one of whom is supposed to be writing a dissertation).
We've been watching And Then There Were None, the new TV adaptation of Agatha Christie's famous whodunnit (which was first published under a title that my 17 year old can't even bring herself to say). It's very good though not at all cosy - lots of blood and really scary at times. Excellent performances from many famous actors, including Anna Maxwell Martin, Charles Dance, Miranda Richardson, Aidan Turner (Poldark himself) and Sam Neill. It ran over three nights. If it comes to US TV I would recommend it.
Rosemary
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Oh, I'll be sure to catch that one. Thanks, Rosemary!
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I loved the original, black&white edition of "And Then There Were None".
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I've not seen any other adaptations Tomereader. This one is good though.
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The original (?) I speak of was probably made in the 40's if not earlier. To me it has all the elements of real "suspense". Made in 1945 with Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Houston. Also, two other (more recent) permutations titled "Ten Little Indians", and then the 2015 one you mentioned.
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I think it was in the forties, too.
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1945
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I loved the book and even had a computer game some years ago that duplicated the book and you had to solve murders.. Fun
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I can't find the webpage that lists the titles and authors of all mysteries. Does anyone here remember the name of that website?
Marj
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I think that Pat has that one..I just generally look them up on Amazon or Google.. Plus from when I had the book store, I have a series of books, that cover all sorts of mystery writers.. Excellent.
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Marj....she has these in the heading. Maybe they will help.
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
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both are excellent.
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Both are excellent, and they're in the heading if you forget. Fantastic Fiction is more up-to-date, and looks fancier. "Stop" has books listed by detective as well as author (I often remember the detective's name and not the author's) and you can also look for books with a particular plot or location (all the mysteries that take place in New Jersey, for example). But it is incomplete.
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Thanks so much, Jane. The title I was looking for was STOP, YOURE KILLING ME! I love that website.
Marj
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My bed book just now is a Laura Lippman,, short stories collection. Interesting ways to murder others.. I guess she needed to get it out of her system. Sort of fun.
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I didn't know Lippman wrote short stories. Which book is it?
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/laura-lippman/
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Hardly Knew Her.... I didnt know she did either.. but it is fun..mostly getting away with murder except for two Tess stories.
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I'm reading a very good spy thriller, The Unlikely Spy, by Daniel Silva. This is his first book and does not have his popular character Gabiel Allon, which series I have also just started and has made me want to read more by him. The book is set mostly in England during World War 2. The book's title refers to a beautiful young and cold-hearted female spy who has been assigned the task of finding the secret of where the allies plan their attack in France. To do this, she is to try to find and meet a young engineer, a widower, who German Intelligence believes knows the secret. Silva does a very good job of developing his characters, several of whom I found from Wikipedia were real people, There is much suspense in this book as the woman and some other agents go about their spying business, careful to avoid M15 British Intelligence who could have them hanged if they are caught. I'm almost to the end of this book, and much as I hate to see it end, I'll finally have time to start on my 20-some other books I have out from the library.
Happy New Year's reading to everyone!
Marj
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Sounds like an excellent book, MARJ!
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I've only read the series with Gabriel, but that sounds interesting, Marj.
I had to go renew my library card so got a couple of books while there. I'm starting Malice at the Palace by Rhys Bowen. I've just read one other book in this series and enjoyed it so thought I would give it a try.
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I read and love Silva.. I like Gabe the best, but did read that one as well.
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I am amused to find myself reading an American, well, two American detective novels published in Great Britain as one paperback. You see, when someone in here said how great the Harry Bosch books by Michael Connelly are, and Steph seconded that by saying she just loved Harry, I immediately went to ThriftBooks and ordered the first six in the series, and these two were available this way. Yep, published in Great Britain! They call it a Bumper Omnibus Edition, and it is really, really fat and unwieldy, but I find I don't really mind all that much. Connelly is a good writer, and these books just sail right along.
So now I have two terrific detective heroes: Harry Hole (Jo Nesbo) and Harry Bosch. Even though he is in translation from the Norwegian, I think Nesbo is the better writer, but both can turn out dazzling plots.
Oh, the books are The Concrete Blonde and The Last Coyote.
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reading the latest Clea Simon book "Code Gray". this is the series about the woman graduate student, working on her dissertation and talking to the ghost of her former cat.
It really takes me back to my graduate student days. And drives me crazy: she's NEVER going to finish that dissertation! She's clearly going around in circles without a compass! I had so many friends who were like that. Everyone stalls somewhere in the PhD process. I had my stall earlier: by the time I got to writing my dissertation, I went through it, guns blazing.
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My "take along" book right now is The Last Coyote, MaryPage. I am enjoying it, but it's a 2nd hand paperback, so good for sticking in my purse or in the car and taking along, so it is a slow read, so slow that often I end up rereading the last chapter to remind me of what's happening.
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I do that exact same thing. And of course, my fat 2-book paperback is second hand, also, as all ThriftBooks purchases are.
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I agree with Steph who loves Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch. Harry is my favorite detective. Has he quit smoking yet? I hope so. Harry's real name is Hieronymus Bosch. His mom named him after the artist whom I 'd never heard of until I read Connelly's books about Harry.
I'm reading Cross Justice by James Patterson. This is about his detective Alex Cross. I love his family. In this one he is in North Carolina to see if he can help his nephew who has been accused of a brutal murder which all those who know and love him can't believe he'd ever do such a thing. Alex is living while there in the home where he grew up. As he walked through the kitchen and remembered his mother, it brought tears to my eyes. Brought back memories of the kitchen in the home I lived in as a young girl. My mom was a great cook and baker of the most yummy pies and cakes. (home ec major in college). But on Sunday nights we just had sandwiches, leftovers and ice cream for dessert as we listened to Charlie McCarthy and Jack Benny on the radio. (BTW, there is a good book I've been reading by Jack Benny and his daughter titled Sunday nights at Seven.)
Marj
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My bed book is a new to me author..Sara Blaedel..she is danish and very famous there. The one I found in Target, no less was The Forgotten Girls and thus far, it is interesting. her heroine is Louise Rick and I seem to be in the middle of a longer series, but it is still excellent. So neat to find a new author and one that has published a lot of books.
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Another author's name for me to write down. :). Sounds interesting.
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Sara Blaedel sounds interesting.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/sara-blaedel/
My library has "The Forgotten Girls" with a waiting list, but no other books by her.
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Because it is the middle of a series, some of the comments are mysterious to me, but I know all will become clearer, although I may take a look at Thrift Books to see what they have. I assume they have to be translations.
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I just read J.D. Robb's Portrait in Death. I think it is about in the middle of her series. It is much more about Lt. Eve Dallas and husband Roark's personalities. Roark learns the story of his mother which shakes him up. As I have probably said before, her 3rd, 4th and 5th books and maybe beyond got very gory and I stopped reading her for a while, but returned and have now read almost all of the series. She must have heard from readers that they didn't care for the gore, because she has backed off of that some. I enjoy her relationship with her mentee, Peabody, as well as with the whole team.
Although it is set in 2050, I think she isn't very imaginative about what the world might be like in terms of technology by that time. But I just ignore that and enjoy the story. I really like her, Nora Roberts/Robb's, writing. I don't read her romance books, but i do like almost all her other works.
I'm also reading a new author to me, Marie Force, who has a new series called "the fatal series", I think. It's set in Washington D.C. A young "John Kennedy Jr" type senator is found murdered in his bed. I'm about 100 pgs in and she's a good writer. I have been getting paperback books at the library because they are easier to hold in bed. I also read ebooks in bed because I can set my ipad on the nightstand and its perfect to read. Ohhhhh sooooo many books.............
Jean
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hmm, IPAD in bed. never tried it, but can see the possibilities. I like J.D. Robb, but not her romance stuff. and generally skip the gory details of their love life in each book, there is generally two of those.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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Read two good mysteries this week. One "white Ghost" by James R. Benn. A WWII mystery. The narrator, a former Boston cop is apparently sent by the army to investigate murders. In this book, he's sent to the South Pacific to investigate a murder, the chief suspect is a young PT boat commander named Jack Kennedy.
A no hold barred description of the Kennedy's power, and the horrors of war.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/james-r-benn/
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Benn's White Ghost sounds good, Joan. You mentioned you'd read two good mysteries this week. What was the second one?
Marj
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Another new to me author..
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I just got Donna Leon's book "The Golden Egg" from Amazon for my iPad Kindle app for $1.99. I thought I was up to date on the Brunetti series but didn't remember this one (22nd of 24). Thought I would mention it as the price is right. :)
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I've not read that one either FlaJean - I'll have a look for it on Amazon UK - thank you!
Rosemary
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I tried to read Rubbernecker by Linda Bauer. It was nominated by the 4MA (For Mystery Addicts) group and supposed to be a crime thriller page turner. I did not find it so and tossed it after 2-1/2 chapters. I don't like a book that you have to force yourself to read. and this was one of those. The second chapter was about a nurse who was annoyed because the patients in her ward kept her from reading a book from her favorite author. I kept going, thinking maybe it would get to the point of the story. But no, the third chapter started out telling the childhood life of the detective who had Asperrger's syndrome, whatever that is, and I really could care less. So that did it. Back to the library, a DNF.
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Asburgers,, is on the high end of the autism spectrum. My grandson has it..
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The other good book is a first novel, called "Moonshadows." by
In the 1930s, a woman comes to a small Western town, determined to start a career as a photographer. She finds a body while out in the fields at night photographing moonshadows.
Interesting characters and setting. I hope she writes more.
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Is this a contest.Name the book and guess the author??
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I believe the author is Julie_Whitesel Weston. Sounds really interesting.
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Sorry. I left the author blank, and went to get the book. Thought I then typed it in, but there was a lot going on here.
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I figured, but it was funny.. just like a quiz show.. and the author is......... Oh well.
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So I guess FLAJEAN gets the prize for knowing the right answer. Expect your new automobile to be delivered in the next few days (but while you're waiting, don't sell the old one!)
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How is everyone with the storm. Living in central Florida, we are supposed to have some heavy storms, but nothing thus far other than a gentle rain early today.
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We are having very little weather problems here in downtown Gahanna but my sister, Mary, is right in the middle of NC and already her flights up to here have both been cancelled. American cancelled out all flights out of Charlotte. We have big plans for visiting Indianapolis over next weekend. Hope Jonas has passed by then.
Are police procedures counted as mysteries? I am reading Michael Connely's "City of Bones" and enjoying another Harry Bosch story.
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Oh my, yes Police procedurals are certainly a big part of mysteries,, I love Harry as well..
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I am still not quite finished reading The Concrete Blond, a Harry Bosch. Both pre and ante surgery, and I am now two weeks into the ante, I have cut my reading time about in half, and that half has to accomplish all my newspapers and magazines in an attempt to keep up with the world swirling all about me.
But I'm getting there. Climbing up out of the abyss and becoming a bit of a human bean again.
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MaryPage: I'm glad you're feeling better. {{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}
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Read a good police procedural: "A Death in the Family" by Michael Stanley.
Detective Kubu is a detective in the Botswana police force. the same background as "The Ladies no. one detective agency." but not funny. more serious, but there is something of the same gentleness, love of family, and pride in their nation. I'll definitely read more.
Like "Ladies", it's written by white expats. I'd like to see books written by the people they are writing about.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/michael-stanley/
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Just do not like the #1 Ladies thing.. I do like his Edinburgh ones. They feel real to me. I love the African books from the 20,30,40's.. by the White expats.. What a fascinating life and they really believed it would last forever.
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I could never get into the #1 Ladies books either, Steph, so don't feel alone! I do like the Edinburgh series.
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nice to hear that someone else doesnt like them either. They are so popular..
Next week is our library book sale, so we are all gearing up.. Thursday, we unpack them from all of the hidden areas in the library and Friday and Saturday are sale days, then the following Mon,Tues,Wed are the final sale days with Wednesday being a by the box days. It is hard work but so rewarding. People get so excited when they find something they have been looking for.
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I LOVE the No 1 Ladies, but that's what's so great about this discussion: different tastes ... But we all love a mystery!
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About to read another mystery with ghosts: in the "relatively dead" series by Shiela Connolly.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/sheila-connolly/
I like all her series of light cozies. Just finished the latest "County Cork" one, in which an Irish-American woman inherits a pub in a small, isolated Irish village. In the "relatively dead" series, the narrator can sense and get messages from dead relatives, which enables her to solve buried mysteries. In the Orchard series, the narrator inherits an apple orchard, and we learn all about growing heritage apples. One strain is the Staymen -Winesaps, which I remember from my childhood as tasting like pure heaven! I cant even eat the tasteless apples we get here.
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Yes, I like Sheila Connolly and have read most of the county cork ones. I think i might also have read one of the ghost ones.
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I have enjoyed the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency but the last one not as much---- must be getting tired of them. The author gets too "wordy" at times.
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I finished Summertime: All the Cats are Bored by Philippe Georget - it was a good story with interesting characters (a police detective in Perpignan - one who actually loves his wife and children! - and the disappearance of several young girls and a taxi driver), but it was slightly marred by the translation, which was not great. I'd read more of this series though, if only for the fabulous settings in SW France, an area I have visited and which Georget brings ti life very well. I also identified with the detective's bittersweet feelings about his children growing up and away from him.
Rosemary
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Now I'm reading A Demon Summer by GM Malliet, which is about a C of E vicar who used to be a spy and is now charged by his Bishop with investigating misdeeds at the local convent. It's part of a series but this is the first one I've read. So far it's shaping up quite well, but it's marred by being full of Americanisms - I hope that doesn't sound awful, but really, a story set in an English village should, I feel, sound English - words like 'the fall' (instead of the autumn) really jar.
What do you, as Americans, think about this issue? I don't expect American novels to use English terminology, but I do think ones about England, written by English authors, should do so, and it makes me wonder whether, in the past, publishers would have put out two versions, one for the US and one for the UK? And even that seems silly - just as saying 'pavement' instead of 'sidewalk' would sound ridiculous in a book set in New York, regardless of where it was being read.
Rosemary
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That is absolutely fascinating RoseMary, I had not thought of all of the small differences in the Brits and Yanks.. We do use different words for a large variety of things.. Was it for sure an English author?? So many Americans write stories of England , Scotland, Wales, Ireland , even when they have never been there.
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Hi Steph - I found it hard to get any information about her at first apart from the fact that she had studied at both Oxford and Cambridge universities, but I have now found her author website and see that she is American. However, if she's lived in both cities I think she should know the basics! Also, in the past I think an editor would have noticed these things, but now it seems to me that most books are hardly edited at all.
Even more famous authors like Louise Penny could, I feel, do with a large dose of the red pen sometimes - in fact, although I liked her earlier books, I couldn't even finish the last one - just too many two-word sentences used for effect but so over-used that they simply irritated me, plus a lot of other stuff that I felt her publisher should have dealt with. Same with JK Rowling - I know she practically has saint status, and I admire her for her achievements, but her later books could, in my humble opinion, have benefited from a bit of attention.
I'd better shut up now before I'm excommunicated!
Rosemary
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Rosemary....agree 100% on using the correct terms for the country and characters. I read an otherwise good novel by a New Zealander about Montana. However, the use of NZ terms like kitchen "bench" when an American would say "counter," "canopy" for the covering on the bed of a pickup truck that an American cowboy would never use, and several other terms were jarring. I think people writing about other countries need a local to that area to do a serious proofread.
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ROSEMARY: I read the whole Max Tudor series, and really liked it. But never caught the Americanisms. you are absolutely right -- she should have that pointed out and have it edited by a Brit.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/g-m-malliet/
In general, I'm surprised at how many "British" detective stories are written by Americans. It must be annoying! One series I read has an apology at the end for any Americanisms that have crept in.
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Its OK..Rosemary, I love Harry Potter, but the rest of her stuff is horrible and needs serious editing. I am beginning to believe that being an editor is somesort of dying art. I do like Elizabeth George however. She is american, but writes of England.. Great detective stories, although she loves to kill off the most beloved characters. I will never forgive her for killing off Helen.
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And she led in having a disabled character who is neither a victim or a murderer. Now, disabled detectives are popular.
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Are you talking about the Inspector Lynley books Steph? I haven't read them but we've seen quite a few of the TV episodes, and I have to say, neither my daughter nor I can stand Helen! I think it must be the actress who plays her or something - she's SO miserable the entire time, and so lacking in animation. What's Helen like in the books?
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Yes George's series on Lynley.. Helen in the books is gentle and kind and Lynley adores her. You have to read the books, but she died very unexpectedly and Lynley has yet to recover. Elizabeth George is writing another series. Listed as Young Adult, but quite a good book. I have read the first one.. Takes place on Whidbey Island off of Seattle.. Elizabeth lives there.
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I was a big fan of Elizabeth George, and then I dropped her entirely when she killed Helen off. So unnecessary.
I finally finished The Concrete Blond and started The Last Coyote. I think I won't buy anymore of this author. A bit too much of life on the rough side. While I am realistic enough to know that that exists, I am more comfortable with gentler stories.
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Taking a break from SciFi, I am reading "The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Burglar" by Maurice LeBlanc. Enjoyable, fun read. I expect I will be reading more of this old series.
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The Arsene Lupin sounds like fun. I've heard the name, but never read the books.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/maurice-le-blanc/
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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MaryPage: I agree with you about gentler stories.
I'm trying Faye Kellerman again. I read the first ones in the series, and stopped reading her when she got to bloody for me.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/faye-kellerman/
But this one (the Theory of Death) interests me, because it involves a graduate student in math who is murdered. Of course, it perpetuates the myth that all mathematicians are nerds with no social skills. As a former math student, whose father and husband were mathematicians, I can tell you that's not true.
Also, I'm irritated that the woman who was the main character in the early books, appears rarely as the loving wife who cooks for the male detectives when they have time to drop by.
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I see from the Fantastic Fiction list that the book I am reading is not the first Arsene Lupin. I have at least one other downloaded, but I'll go back and pick up the rest. Each chapter of "Adventures" is written as a complete escapade in inself. Lupin, in fact, did start out as serialized short stories in a French magazine.
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Connelly is sometimes harsh, but some of his later stuff is excellent since Harry gets to have more of a life..
I am reading the newest in paper Kathy Reichs.. I am always not exactly sure how I feel about her. Some I love, others not so much
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STEPH: I agree. This is one case where IMO the TV series (Bones) is better than the books.
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And on the reverse side of that coin, JoanK, I like the books much better than the TV series. It just seems they went so far off the script,
(Bones' work in Montreal(?) and although she had this "thing" going with either FBI man or Cop (it's been so long since I've read the first ones) and seemed to concentrate more on her forensic work than the romance. Plus we didn't have to see so much gore, just read about it, or skip those descriptions!
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TOMEREADER: good point about the gore. It's so scripted in the TV, I know when to close my eyes.
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Her boyfriend in the books is a Canadian policeman and she also has an ex husband who seems to come and go.. The thing about the books and the tv.. In the books she is older,goes back and forth, has a cat that is her companion, a complicated mother,etc. In the tv she is younger and her life seems centered on her work friends.
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A very accomplished and interesting person. I really enjoyed the earlier books. Got this from Wikipedia. She does still work part time in Canada.
Kathleen Joan Toelle "Kathy" Reichs born July 7, 1948[2]) is an American crime writer, forensic anthropologist and academic.[1] She is a professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte; as of 2013 she is on indefinite leave.[3] She divides her work time between the Laboratoire des Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Quebec and her professorship at UNC Charlotte. She is one of the eighty-two forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology[4] and is on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Her schedule also involves a number of speaking engagements around the world. Reichs has been a producer for the TV series Bones, which is loosely based on her novels, which in turn, are inspired by her life.[1] She has two daughters, Kerry and Courtney, and one son, Brendan.[5]
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It seems like when I sleep, things come to me that I couldn't think of during the day. i.e., I believe the Bones books are set in Quebec, not Montreal. But, lo, had FlaJean posted the above last night, I would've known Quebec was the setting.
I did a bad, bad thing late last night. I have a Kindle Fire, and just for kicks, clicked on my Prime Movies. Gosh, "The Man in the HIgh Castle" is on there, "Mozart in the Jungle" and several others. I put on some headphones and watched Episode 1 of the Mozart in the Jungle. I understand the program won a few awards Golden Globe? or something. The Episode didn't get very far into the story setup, but I presume it will. Now to find time to watch these! I have so many things DVR'd that I can't see my way clear to just sitting and watching.
Oh, well. (And when will I find time to READ?)
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Tomereader - I feel exactly the same! So much stuff recorded and so many books unread! I read somewhere that we buy more books - even though we haven't read the ones we've got - because we subconsciously think we are also buying more time to read them. If only!
I've got Amazon Prime and I haven't even looked at the videos, but at the same time am irked by the fact that I'm paying for them and not watching them...
Rosemary
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Rosemary, being as you are from across the pond, you probably are acquainted with Nick Hornby. I am reading his book titled "Ten Years in the Tub" which is an amalgam of the books he's bought, the books he's read for ten years. He writes also for some magazine (don't know if it's still in publication) called "Believers". Anyway, he keeps buying books, although he says he has too many already, and he comments on the books he's actually read. Some of this is hilarious. His scope of reading runs the gamut: Classics, "Letters of ________ (whoever), modern fiction, non-fiction, etc. He writes other books, his brother-in-law is Robert Harris.
I keep trying not to buy "actual" books, but my ebook habit is killing me! And my bookshelves don't even have room for a kiddie's board book!
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" And my bookshelves don't even have room for a kiddie's board book!"
That's one of the joys of e-books. I've run out of wall space to put more bookcases. I could go up: some of them are short. I could get taller ones, but in earthquake country that's a problem.
the other joy of e-books is that they are easy to organize! I dream of getting my book books organized, but the physical labor involved is too much for me. But my e-books are in collections by subject, and within that by author. (Unfortunately, you can't put the archives into collections, as far as I know).
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I just read a Stuart Woods "Stone Barrington" mystery, Bel-air Dead from my library ebooks. It was quite enjoyable, not heavy.
Until I read some of the freebies I've gotten from BookGorilla, etc. i just delete the newsletter without looking at potential new books to add to my library. There are just toooooo many potential books available to me these days. ....... I never thot I would ever write that sentence! ;D....... My library is just 3 blocks up the street, I can get ebooks from them and our regional library, and all these free online books......aaarrgghh! LOVE IT!
Now our library has added all the journal articles available to them to their online catalogue, ohhhhh my, i'm either in heaven, or overwhelmed. What a wonderful problem to have.
Jean
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I have watched three episodes of Mozart and am hooked big time. The music alone is worth it, plus I suspect that young musicians have a lot of those problems and I did read somewhere the big orchestras are unionized. Fascinating show.
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I like Mozart, too. Has anybody watched Grace & Johnnie (with Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda) on Netflix? Guess this isn't right forum for this, though.
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Where do you get the Mozart show?
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JoanK, it's on Amazon. That's not the full name of the show, but it's where to start looking.
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Mozart in the Jungle is an original series made for Amazon.
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It is also (heaven forbid!) a Book! fancy that!
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Did not know that. Interesting.
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Yes Mary, I've watched Grace and Frankie. It is very good - obviously good acting with Tomlin, Fonda, Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston, but also good writing. It's funny, but produces some good questions of thought.
Jean
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The Lily Tomlin is netflix and only on streaming,not on disc.. I tried to get it on disc. I have yet to look for Mozart in the Jungle as a book and really must look. The show is really fun for me.
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Checked Amazon. Has the book, but is temporarily out of stock.
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May check my book swap club and thrift books.. They sometimes have surprising books.
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Mary I watched Grace and Frankie two times at least ans then I watched Longmire. I love this smart TV I get Netflix Amazon and Amazon Prime that's about all I do now a days.
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Read a good first book: "Ice Shear"
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/m-p-cooley/ice-shear.htm
About a woman cop (ex-FBI agent) in a small struggling upstate new York town.
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Mozart and the Jungle was published some years ago. The only copy I find is on Thriftbooks and is 42.00... whew.. so it is seriously out of print.
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Broke down this morning and ordered the first 4 books about Sydney Chambers and Grantchester by James Runcie in paperback. Enjoyed Season One of the series on PBS so very much, and I understand Season Two is on the way. Am a bit in love with James Norton, who plays the Church of England Vicar. He recently played Prince Andrei in War and Peace, and made me swoonish again. At the moment, I am relaxing with the second book in the series about 11 year old Flavia. I am not wild about this series, but she IS a hoot!
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I enjoyed reading that series a lot. Only seen a couple of the TV shows, but I know what you mean about the actor.
I remember as a teenager swooning over Prince Andrei in the old movie. (Leslie something?)
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According to Wikipedia, it was either Mel Ferrer or Henry Fonda.
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It was Mel Ferrer who played Prince Andrei. Henry Fonda played Pierre. I never swooned over Ferrer, or Fonda, for that matter. But LESLIE HOWARD, now! He played Ashley Cooper in Gone With The Wind; wasn't that his name? Hmmm. I relate that name to Charleston, South Carolina, and not Atlanta, Georgia. So I am probably wrong about the name. But he played husband to Olivia deHaviland's Melanie.
Sorry; I've wandered off the reservation, here. Back to books!
Well, Gone With The Wind WAS a book; just not a murder mystery. Same with War and Peace. Did you know War and Peace is at the top of the list of best 100 novels of all time on more expert's lists than any other book? Wouldn't be on the top of mine, but I did love it. Oh, and I'm no "expert." But you knew that.
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Ashley Wilkes, I think..
I love Gone with the Wind... both book and movie..
not so much War and Peace.. and Grantchester is not being shown on our PBS station.. We have the worst public tv in creation. Owned by UCF and really has more news than anything. Boo.
A funny mystery.. by Harley Jane Kozak.. A date you cant refuse.. Just flat out laughable.. and improbable . Everybody needs a laugh now and then. She is also an actress.
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Here she is:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/harley-jane-kozak/
"A Date You cant Refuse" is part of a series, so you have more laughs in store for you.
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my library has her books. Now I just have to remember her name long enough to get them.
The latest China Bayles mystery: "Bittersweet" by Susan Albert features illegal deer semen!?!? It seems deer semen can sell for up to $100,000 a straw. Who knew.
It seems in Texas, people breed dear who have tremendous antlers. They are kept on game farms, where they are semi-tame. People pay huge sums of money to hide in blinds and shoot them when they come to the feeders. The hunters then get to display the huge racks on their walls and brag about what great hunters they are.
Did those of you in Texas know about this?
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Nope, didn't know that.
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Those kind of stocked game farms exist lots of places, apparently. Here's one in Iowa that's not too far from where I live.
http://www.scenicviewhunting.com
We've driven past "game farms" as we've driven from Iowa to S. Texas.
There's one I found by googling "game farms" that caters to the bird hunter in Kansas. Put "game farms for bird" or "game farms Kansas" in google and see the hits you'll get.
I know men who go to Oklahoma to hunt wild boar with bow and arrow on a game farm.
Jane
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Any place where they feed the animals and then permit shooting at them is horrible. I am glad that this sort of stuff is not on my agenda and honestly do not feel that I could love any man who thought this was a brave behavior.. Wild Boar with bow and arrow at least takes skill and some courage, those are truly nasty beasts and cause a lot of damage in
Florida.
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Just the same in Scotland - pheasants bred as fat and slow as possible so that rich businessmen can pay a fortune to come up for the shooting and actually hit something, no matter how drunk they are. And it's all dressed up as terribly posh, one of the things One Does to climb a certain social ladder. Yuk. They also shoot deer, so these are bred across the central highlands whilst native species like the poor wild cats are allowed to become extinct.
Rosemary
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IMO: well regulated hunting of deer is fine, and kills fewer animals than letting the deer grow beyond the food supply and then die of starvation. If regulation is done right, it keeps the deer population healthy. But these are wild animals: to shoot tame animals and call it "sport" is decadent.
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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
The male of the human species is still made of primitive stuff. Makes me sick to my stomach.
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OK, if Steph and Joan think they're funny, they're funny, so I just ordered the first 4 books by Harley Jane Kozak in that series from Thriftbooks. Spent all of $16.08, so even if I do not like them, which is not likely, I haven't spent much.
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JoanK.. yes I agree that the deer population can get out of hand so easily.. So can bear and others, but always wild, never on a farm to be shot like an execution and then they brag like they are fearless. As I age, that sort of stupidity causes me to get up and leave where I am if they start talking like that. Too old to listen to people brag about killing.
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OOPS, MARYPAGE. I haven't read them. I was responding to Steph. Now I have to get them.
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Read another good (and unusual) first mystery:
"Recipes for Love and murder" by Sally Andrew.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/sally-andrew/
The narrator is an Afrikaans woman in South Africa who writes an advice column. People mail her their troubles, and she responds with advice and a recipe that will make them feel better.
It's a bit too long, and the middle drags a bit, but the ending makes up for it. It made me laugh, cry, and feel good. there is a glossary of the Afrikaans and African words she uses (including a complete list of swear words) but I stopped looking them up and just went with the flow. She usually translates.
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Sorry, Joan; I did not read closely enough. Oh well, Steph is quite reliable. And as I say, I did not even spend the price of one new hardback these days, and yet I got 4 paperbacks! I am more than willing to spend $16.08 on the chance I will enjoy a good chuckle or three.
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She is funny, not the worlds finest writer, but they are fun indeed.
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Read the latest Christopher Fowler "Bryant and May and the Burning Man." Usually I like the the Peculiar Crimes Unit and it's peculiar members, but I had trouble slogging through this one. Bryant is getting Alzheimers, and becoming more pathetic by the page.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/christopher-fowler/
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I have read a few of the Peculiar Crimes. I forget how much fun they can be.
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Am currently reading the 12th in the D.C.I. BANKS series by Peter Robinson. Find it particularly interesting (AFTERMATH is the title) as for once I have seen the episode of the miniseries on PBS already. Usually it is the other way around. I give these books to one of my granddaughters just as soon as I have read them, but this morning I discovered I have nine (9) more on my shelf where I keep Robinson, and I know for a fact he has written more since I last caught up with buying them. Phew!
The reason I went into the living room and picked up the next Robinson in line is that our local PBS channel has announced via their monthly magazine that they will start broadcasting another Season of this series this month. Oh my; so many books, not enough time!
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Tell me about it!
Yesterday, I realized I had three gift certificates to Barnes and Noble that I hadn't used. (two were presents and I won one in a raffle). So I bribed my daughter: if you go with me, I'll buy you a book and lunch at the café. So we burned through two of them, and I have something left on the third.
Books, chocolate cheesecake, and good company. What more do I need!
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That sounds absolutely delicious, JoanK. I just finished my little bit of decadence, a cup of bit cocoa sweetened (as if it Did't need more) with raspberry syrup and two Walker's shortbread cookies.
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Alas our Barnes and Noble closed.. and I dont want to go to Orlando to visit that one..So I am down to only on line and Thrift shops for books.. I miss the lovely browsing and the finding of new authors.
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STEPH: yes, there's nothing like a bookstore. Borders is already gone, and Barnes and Noble is increasingly pushing their Nook.
I'm guilty, too. I love my kindle. It has a browse option: you can narrow down the subject, click on titles that interest you, and get the book cover blurb. If it still sounds interesting, you can get a free sample (usually the first three chapters).
within subject, they're organized by most popular. I usually click down a few pages to avoid the bestsellers.
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I miss my old Borders store terribly. And their on-line Book Club was a winner for me. They had 5 or 6 folks who read the book, and discussed it, sometimes with the author in attendance. Good stuff.
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Borders was good, Encore was even better here. Encore used to regularly hold performances by local jazz (and the like) bands, book discussions, poetry readings, and other interesting programs. Their layout was a bit better (for my tastes) than Borders and they had more seating interspersed. I don't recall a coffee shop, but then I would not have been interested it that anyway.
I may have gone into the Barnes and Noble two or three times since it opens years ago.
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I am deep in another Charles Todd. This is a mother and son team and I love their stuff. All about England and WWI and after. Bess is wonderful and their first Detective is growing on me, I have read all of hers and am now on the second book about Ian Rutledge.. Hamish is a bit much, but he is growing on me.
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A mother and son team writing a book. wow!
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/t/charles-todd/
I've read some of the Bess Crawford books, but not the Ian Rutledge.
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Ian has what is called now PTSD. but was simply shell shock at that time and he has a truly good reason for it. He is a policeman and so you get the procedurals from that time and the village characters. I am enjoying him. But I still love Bess the best.
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My favorite online bookstore is Politics and Prose. They are in Washington D.C. Much of their reading is nonfiction (politics, of course), but they also have some interesting fiction. I have gotten many good recommendations from them.
Marj
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There are some wonderful books store in the U.S. I kept long lists when in the RV and we would go out of our way for a large one.. Then when we did some west coast stuff, I had a feast..Seattle, Portland,Sacramento.. all have wonderful book stores.. Ah, the joys of a good book store.
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Steph, do you have recommendations for a bookstore(s) in Sacramento?
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This was a while ago, but here it is.. via bookmark.... Capital Crimes Mystery Bookstore, 906 2nd St. Old Sacramento,Ca. 95814 916-441-4798 open every day 11-5:30 and I believe they shipped.
Was in a mood yesterday, so went digging in my TBR.. So I am just starting Princess Elizabeth's Spy by Susan Elia Macneal. Its fun at this point.. Someone recommended the author a while ago and I got the book and then it sifted down, so now I am trying it. I think I was only able to find this one. and that was from Thriftbooks.com
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STEPH: let us know how you like Princess Elizabeth's Spy. It's in the middle of a series, if you like it, here are the others.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/susan-elia-macneal/
I really relate to the main character, Maggie Hope. Before wwII, she graduated with a degree in mathematics, but the only job she could get is as a secretary. During the series, she works her way up to being a spy.
In the fifties, I graduated with a degree in mathematics, and the only job I could get was working a calculator. But then my office got one of the earliest computers. They were too cheap to hire programmers, so they trained me. That's how I became one of the early computer programmers.
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Was finishing off a Charles Todd on my Kindle yesterday. Ian is a strange man indeed and Hamish seems to be with him no matter what.. Not sure I like that, but the mystery was a good one.. I really did not think of the murdered as a suspect at all.. Today is a Disney Day. Another widowed friend and I are going out to Epcot..It is Flower and Garden Festival time and I love it.. I have a Florida seasonal pass, so I go to Epcot for several festivals and have decided to spread out a bit this year and visit some of the other parks.. Have not been to Animal Kingdom or the Magic Kingdom since mdh and I used to go so much.
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Wow - I really think we need to know this - The work that is done to make this the site we have grown to trust and love needs to be told - we should not take for granted the volunteer effort by those who protect us from behind the scenes.
Message this morning from Ginny, Administrator...
I came in, tho, to tell you what Marcie has done which has made such a HUGE difference to those who have to go after the spammers. She's incorporated a captcha thing which forces the bot trying to register to choose photos in response to a text question or something, it's brilliant.
Since the day she put it up there has not been one more spammer@!!!!!! NOT ONE! It's a miracle to come in here and not see on the top left hand of the page the numbers of "people" waiting to be hand checked. And if you would skip a day it would take forever to clear them. And on holidays it was a nightmare.
Getting rid of these scumbags is a tiring job. They sometimes sneaked in anyhow and Jane has been patiently winnowing them out. So great is the difference that the check for Spammers thing no longer comes up and I can't see how many we have manually removed but it was something like 248,000 or something. Jane or Marcie may know how to access that check screen, I don't, and quite frankly I hope I never see it again, but isn't that marvelous?
A lot safer for us, too, since the bots can't see the emails unless they are registered.
So hooray for Marcie for doing this and for Marcie and Jane ALL THESE YEARS manually getting rid of these people who need a job instead of trying to cheat us all. The last bit was from Russia I think?
Jane, Administrator
Incredible...but the number now is:
266852 Spammers blocked up until today
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How nice, STEPH. I've never been to the Disney park near us: thought of it as only rides for kids. I see it's more than that.
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I guess I just never saw a "spam count" anywhere. But good, now I won't have to!!
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I've never seen/gotten any spam from or on this site. And I certainly want to add my thanks to Marcie and jane for keeping us safe.
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Isn't that amazing! and frightening! Marcie, Jane and Ginny do such great work keeping this site going, and we never see most of it.
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Thanks Marcie, Jane and Ginny!!
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Epcot was truly lovely yesterday and not so mobbed as normal. The things they can do with flowers it amazing. Did not care for the butterfly house.. Went to Buchart Gardens in Canada some years ago, now that is a true butterfly house and I have some wonderful pictures of my husband and butterfliles all up and down his arms.. But the foliage and all of the figures at Epcot just now are great.. Yes, there are so many different things at Disney.. Many adult things.. especially in the fall for the wine and food festival at Epcot. I go and eat my way at kiosks all around the world.. lovely indeed. Only time I get to find snails.. since the French always have them at their booth.
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It sounds lovely.
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am 2/3 through the Princess Elizabeth book.. I will look for more by her, even though she has her heroine doing things that are very dramatic for a spy.
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I guess y'all have seen the ads, my gosh, they are impossible to miss: TIME has a full page this week; BOSCH is the name of a new TV series being streamed by Prime Amazon. I don't stream, but I do hope to catch at least the first episode somehow, somewhere. Michael Connelly's books. I read about four of the series, and then gave up because they were just so unremittingly grim. Even so, I would like to see what the screenwriters have done with him.
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MaryPage I haven't watched Bosch and only one of Mozart in the Jungle. The one I've been watching is Alpha House. Starring John Goodman and a couple other faces you'd recognize, it is only a half hour. Bill Murray, Penn Jillette and Wanda Sikes all show up from time to time. Mozart in the Jungle includes Bernette Peters and Malcolm McDowell in their cast. I recognize the face of the star of Bosch, but not his name. Alpha House has been on since 2013, the other two began in 2014.
I see that Amazon has teamed up with New Yorker Magazine to present a new series. I haven't watched any of them yet either. I'm woefully behind in my shows.
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Frybabe I understand your talking about having so many shows backed up to watch.
I have literally hundreds of things on my DVR already watch but my heart has been taken over by my new smart TV.What fun every streaming device. There is Netflix, Amazon and amazon prime. I am I prime member so I find good things an it, and Hulu. I love clicking on a show and I thought you had to watc h one show at a time AHA not so you watch the whole series.
Did anyone watch Downtown Abbey final show last night? WONDERFUL
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I ordered the set of DVDs, I always do and now have all six seasons on hand, and they came weeks ago, before Becky left to go back to Missouri on February 8th, as a matter of fact, and so she and I watched together. And I have now watched it 3 times. I will never tire of it. Very satisfactory.
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I am watching the second season of Mozart and love it.. The male star is very interesting in an odd sort of way. Bernadette is great as always, even though she is mostly a musical comedy sort of lady.. I love Harry Bosch and will dip into it sometime soon.. Did the New Yorker last night, but it is a magazine translated to the screen and not sure if I will watch any more.Amazon Prime is making my heart sing..
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Do let me know about the Bosch, Steph. I will be all ears (eyes?)
I am having a ball. My cleaning ladies "did" all of my living room bookshelves wnen they came on Monday. They always do a great job of my apartment, and then, if they have the time to spare, they do an "extra," which consists of "deep cleaning" something. So yesterday it was the bookshelves. And later in the day, I had finished my reading and decided I wanted something really light to chase away the grim realities of the world today. I looked all through the stacks of titles in my bedroom, where all the "next to be read" reside, and nothing appealed, not even Mrs. Jeffries or Aunt Dimity. So I turned to one of the 2 shelves in the living room that are dedicated to paperback mysteries I HAVE NOT READ YET. These deep shelves are 3 rows of paperbacks deep, and I have kept them alphabetically. My eyes fell on a Charlotte MacLeod collection of stories by well known, back in the day, authors. Hadn't laid eyes on it in years. Bought it, and every other book on hand, because I wanted to read it, but you know how it is. You buy too many, and some get put aside for later, and more pile in behind, as you continue to buy faster than you can read. Heaven forbid you should MISS anything. But Rubia, who had been perfect insofar as doing only one shelf at a time and thereby returning the same books to each shelf, had failed to notice they had been alphabetical. So this MacLeod was on the front. The pages are BRITTLE, my dears, and almost sepia in color. But I grabbed it and, as I say, have had my spirits lifted no end. The very first story is one of her own, and I am so enjoying her outstanding excellence. The title of the book is Mistletoe Mysteries. Bet you can get it for free these days on Kindle or some such.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
I do like McLeod.. She never fails to set up some wonderful situations.
Spent most of yesterday trying to get the rest of my stuff for taxes.. Ihave pipe lines and they are exampt from normal stuff, and I still cannot make the site diegorge my K1,, keep giving me nonsense stuff. Sigh.. So I will h ave to call.
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I've just finished one of the free ebooks from Amazon - "Friday Edition" by Ferrendelli. It was slow getting started but turned out to be an interesting mystery about a woman alcohlic who is in denial about her drinking even though she had lost a job because of her drinking. When her sister, an assisstant district attorney who had acknowledged her alcoholism a few years before, dies, Samamtha Church has to look deeper at her sister's death and her own life. She now writes for a weekly publication, thus the "Friday" in the title, and is supported by the editor to investigate her sister's death and her own life.
Jean
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Got Friday edition on kindle, but my search for mistletoe mysteries got many pages of results, and I got tired of looking.
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For some reason, I think that Mistletoe Mysteries is quite old and was a collection of short stories..if that helps.
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You are absolutely right, Steph. I must have had this book for near on 25 years without getting around to it! That is why the paper is very brittle and has turned ecru in color. And yes, it IS a collection of Christmas mystery stories by famous authors, starting off with one by herself, which I enjoyed immensely. Then a Peter Lovesey, a Mary Higgins Clark, a Sharyn McCrumb, an Isaac Asimov, and so on and on. I believe there are 14 in all.
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Sounds great!
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I am sure I read it many years ago. but I rarely keep books except for a very few authors.
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Have just made a brand new, for me, discovery, and am betting most of you have not known about him, on the grounds he has never, to my memory, been mentioned in here. I will make an exception for Steph, because she owned her very own Book Store.
I told you I am reading a short story anthology Charlotte MacLeod put together, and a story I have just started is by Bill Pronzini. Never heard of him. Turns out he has written FORTY (40) novels about a detective WITH NO NAME! That's right! The world of mystery writers and mysteries and crime novels calls his the Nameless Detective Series! Woo Hoo! Who knew? Not I! Oh, and he is married to Marcia Muller! Now no doubt you ALL know her mystery novels.
Let's hear it for new discoveries, however old they may be! He has also written more than 300 short stories and put together just one whole lot of anthologies.
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I have read almost all 40 of Pronzini's "No Name Detective" series. Love it! and Marcia Muller, too.
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I'm reading one of Marcia Muller's books right now, and I just finished one by her and Billl Pronzini, a Quincannon and Carpenter book "The Body Snatchers Affair." I do like the Nameless Detective series as well, but I haven't read any recently.
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Well how wrong could I be!
Impressed no end that bothTomereader and nlhome know this author.
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I like Marcia better, but have read The Nameless detective and he also loves to put together short story collections.. Not too crazy about the Quincannon stuff.
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I have always known about Marcia, and in fact still have some of her books which I have not yet read, but he is brand new to me. I knew you would know of him.
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I haven't read all of Pronzini's, but a number. To me, they vary a lot in quality, but the best are very very good. The same goes for those he and Muller write together.
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Maybe I'm just in a negative mood. I have to take back my recommendation of Michael Stanley's books about Botswana. I got two more from the library: abandoned one from boredom, and slogged through the other. Too long (over 450 pages) and slow. In the last (A Carrion Death) all the characters were evil, killing each other off, so it's hard to care who's left.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/s/michael-stanley/
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Joan, I tried to read A Carrion Death and did not like the characters and did not get very far into it. I thought it would give a different perspective of Botswana, and I did read up a bit about diamond trade and mines, but it just didn't seem worth my time.
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After Gone Girl, if in the first 50 pages, there is noone to like, I toss it.. life is too darned short.
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NLHOME: I agree. It gets worse, not better. Sorry I misled you.
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Almost finished with a Robert Crais.. This one is Scott and Maggie( the dog), Joe Pike and Elvis all rolled up together. a Bit scattered, but anything about Maggie is worth it.
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Well, I finished MacLeod's anthology of short Christmas stories, Mistletoe Mysteries, and resolutely took myself back to the living room shelves full of old, never read paperbacks and grabbed a Charlotte MacLeod called The Convivial Codfish. Should be fun. Also brittle paper turned slightly ecru in color. Published in paperback in 1985!
The problem is, I used to buy every single author I loved in paperback just as soon as a particular title came out that way. I haunted a couple of bookshops, one of which specialized in paperbacks, so as not to miss anything. The result is, since I have kept on buying all of these years, more books than I can possibly read in the time allotted me.
But at least I can make a dent in these real oldies. They are, after all, also goodies, and by some of the masters of this particular art.
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That sounds great. Like discovering buried treasure in your bookcase.
I used to love to haunt used bookstores. unfortunately, I've developed a great sensitivity to mold. It affects my library use too. A lot of their books look new on the outside but are moldy inside. I got quite sick trying to read one anyhow.
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I like to try authors I am not familiar with, so I didn't feel misled. Joan. Now I know. Like Steph, I don't have time to waste on something that doesn't catch my interest in a reasonable time.
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I have a huge allergic reaction to mold as well, Joan. I even react to a little bit of mildew. For this reason, I have had to be very careful about where I live and, of course, how I do my housekeeping from day to day. I frequently wash my shower curtain and add quite a bit of Clorox to the washer while it is going.
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Mold bothers me, but a little mildew.. no.. However I have to be careful in my thrift shop shopping, since many of the books seem to have been owned by smokers and that does bother me.
The Codfish is a very very funny book. I remember laughing a lot in that one. She is a really good writer.
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I am really enjoying Mary Page's trip down memory lane with these books. I used to love to read Charlotte McLeod and that old Mistletoe Mysteries really was a good book, Mary Page...Now when you're talking about The Convivial Codfish I suddenly realized I never read that one, somehow. So I'm going to go see if I can find it.
Another really older excellent writer of cosy mysteries was Corinne Holt Sawyer. She wrote the retirement center mysteries.
She started writing them when her mother, I believe, went to a retirement center on the coast.. Sawyer was a professor of theater or something like that I think at Clemson University and she wtote about seniors as sleuths living in a place called Camden Sur Mer. I thought they were just delightful. Or at least I found them so years ago. She obviously knows the subject very well. I really like the spirit in the books and I never read one I didn't like, they were all very good, but I was really startled just recently to read an article askng whatever happened to her? I wish she'd write more books.
It turned out she did write one more, apparently called Bed, Breakfast, and Bodies, or something like that ....but it's never been published. She's retired now, long retired, and lives in California. I hope she's still alive, but she didn't want to allow them to put it out in paperback first she wanted it in hardback. I think a lot of her books are/ were in large print and when they refused to do that, she wouldn't let them publish it.
Imagine. And for fans of Corrine Holt Sawyer to know there's another one out there somewhere is very exciting, but in Edit I just looked her up on Goodreads and it is in print since 1999! They don't give a cover for it it's just blank. I don't believe I read that one, I'm going to see if I can find it somewhere.
The first title in the series was The J Alfred Prufrock Murders. Really good book.
I don't think it's available anymore. I looked on Amazon and although her other books, i think there are 8 in all, all have colorful covers and were selling for a penny because they are way out of date, that one has some kind of a cover indicating it's a reprint of a book long out of print.
So I think your old yellow pages are actually treasures! Somewhere in this house I've got her first book. I don't know where it is but I'm enjoying this walk down memory lane of books and authors we've enjoyed, and thnk i will try to find it and read it again.
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I loved Charlotte, but not so much the Corrinne Sawyer..They were a bit too cozy for me. Another writer,. who died some time ago was Virginia Rich.. Food mysteries and probably was the first one to do it. She only did a couple, but they were wonderful.
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The author I devoured many years ago was Helen MacInnes, a Scottish-American Librarian who, I think, set the gold standard for espionage and intrigue. I just looked her up and she was married to a classics scholar who was also a MI6 agent. She died in 1985, but I see many of her works are still available, even as ebooks. [Wikipedia says one of her books was required reading for Allied intelligence officers going to help the French Resistance. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_MacInnes ]
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Okay, if it is fun for you, and it sure is for me, I'll check on some of the authors whose mysteries I have long ago purchased so as not to miss, and then stowed away:
Simon Brett, Mary Higgins Clark, Margaret Truman, Barbara Vine, Elizabeth George, Marian Babson, Gail Bowen, Robert Barnard, Peter Abresch, Michael Allen, Anne Perry (wow! I have a LOT of her books!), Dennis Lehane, Elizabeth Lemarchand, Richard and Frances Lockridge, Peter Lovesey, Sharyn McCrumb, Ralph McInerny, Mary McMullen, Kate Morgan, Barbara Michaels, Sara Paretsky, Barbara Paul, Iain Pears, Elizabeth Peters (also Barbara Michaels?), Emily Brightwell. That does it for what is facing front; there are 4 more rows of paperbacks in the shelves BEHIND these! The cleaning ladies DID get them out of order! Well, they are from San Salvador, and it probably never occurred to them that they were in there alphabetically. At least they got them back on the same shelves!
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Wow, Mary. A lot of those are still publishing.
GINNY: thank you thank you. I remember those mysteries, and have been looking for them, but couldn't remember the authors name. Here is the whole list.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/s/corinne-holt-sawyer/
I remember her especially because she said that there is an area by the sea in Southern California that is the perfect place for Seniors to live. Now I am living in that very area, in a senior community similar to the one she writes about (although not on the sea: 10 minutes away). Ever since I moved here, I've been looking for those books.
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hmm Gail Bowen.. a name I simply cannot remember at all, there are a few others that only wrote one or two.. If the Dennis Lehane books are the first of what he wrote, they are good, but possibly more violent than you would like. A really good author though.
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I think I only have the one Lehane, but of course I cannot be sure of that unless I dig into the two back rows on two large shelves. It is titled DARKNESS TAKE MY HAND and was first published in paperback in 1997. I would have bought it because of a good review.
The Gail Bowen also seems to be an only. It is THE WANDERING SOUL MURDERS and was published in paperback in 1993 in Canada.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gail_Bowen
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MaryPage: no, Gail Bowen has written over a dozen books and is still writing.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/gail-bowen/
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Oh, I knew that, Joan. I meant that it seems to be the only one of her books that I have on hand unread as yet.
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Darkness is good as if all of Lehane.. I am deep into another polygamy book, this on a granddaughter of the LeBaron family.. Not very far, but am convinced her mother was nuts. They lived worse than animals and the second husband abused them all, but it didnt matter because they were all going to rule on another earth when they died. Sigh..
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UGH! Life is hard enough without making it harder.
Saw a video on TV about a man who miraculously survived almost certain death. Afterwards, he was interviewed. he said "Now, I don't have time to argue. I only have time to love and do good things."
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My sentiments. We are one species, and ideally we should concentrate on the things we have in common, and not upon our differences. To love all others and do good works sounds like a properly dedicated life to me!
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I read a lot of the mormon polygamy stuff because it is so clear to most women, that the founder of the religion simply was greedy about women. Noone married at leat 15 women each one younger who is not simply being ruled not by brain, but a lot further down.
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If it were my job to council an alien as to the guiding principles of our planet, I would tell them that First, FOLLOW THE MONEY. Always follow the money. And Second, consider the deep sexual impulses. I would confide in them that the human search for sexual gratification erases all Sense from our calculations. It is as though our brains go into hibernation.
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Finished my non fiction grieving over the stupidity of some women.. so need something light.. So ready to start is:" Night of the Loving Dead" by Casey Daniels.. Sort of mystery.... weirdness and a lot of silliness.. Just what I need.
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MaryPage, you just gave me my morning laugh.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Our f2f book club will be discussing DEFENDING JACOB by William Landay. Good read.
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Put the Casey Daniels away,, just too girly just now,, picked up Room and am marveling over it. Somehow I had missed it until now.
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I know what you mean. I thought I wanted cozies when I went to the library, and got a bunch. Put several down, as too silly.
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Barnes & Noble is promoting a new (to me) series by Lynn Cahoon. Do any of you know anything about it? The 2 they are touting are:
GUIDEBOOK TO MURDER
and
MISSION TO MURDER
and the series is called The Tourist Trap Mystery Series.
They are telling me that if I liked Aunt Dimity, I will love these. So they sound like fun.
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Name is not familiar. I actually think that Sharon McCrumb way way back did a book on a tour guide in Scotland.. Was really funny.
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Here she is. Seems like she's already written a boatload of mysteries, including 7 "tourist trap" mysteries.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/lynn-cahoon/
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It looks like her romances are available on Kindle unlimited, but not her mysteries.
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So many cozy writers are really romance writers under the skin.. My first clue is when everyone is just too too beautiful for words. I tend to pitch the book immediately
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Just got the first of Steven Sayler's Sub Rosa series, Roman Blood. It is going to have to share time with the nonfiction book I am reading.
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Sorry, couldn't find him on FF.
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It would help a lot if I spell his name correctly, JoanK. I should have typed Saylor. Here is the FF page
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/s/steven-saylor/ The Roma Sub Rosa series is set earlier than the Falco series by Lindsey Davis.The Roma Sub Rosa series begins during the reign of Sulla and when Cicero was just beginning his career, around 80 BC.
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Thanks.
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I have some of those, but have not gotten around to reading any of them yet. One of my sons likes them and passed them on to me.
Roman Blood is one and The Judgment of Caesar is the other.
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I have at least one of those tucked away in my TBR file. I am finishing Room and still astounded by it..
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I just finished watching the movie Room. Curious why anyone would choose a subject like that to write about. Pretty depressing. Weren't those awful questions the reporter asked her? i.e. "did you ever think of killing yourself?" and did you ever consider having your captor take your son to a hospital so he could be free and perhaps adopted into a normal home?" Now I see why I avoided the book.
Marj
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I just started Journey to Munich, the latest Maisie Dobbs book, the first book of that series i've read. Am about ready to toss it unfinished. If I had been writing it, I'd have started the book in Munich instead of spending a whole first chapter with boring gossop with her English friend. Has anyone read it? Someone addressed her as "your ladyship." Is she of some uppercrust family that gives her the right to that title?
Marj
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the author is Winspear.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/jacqueline-winspear/
It sounds so familiar, I must have read her. But I have no memory of the books. Maybe I had the same reaction you did, MARJ.
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I think with Maisie Dobbs you need to start at the beginning of the series. There is a complicated back story. I didn't know there was a new book out. I enjoy reading the series, but there is a darkness to it.
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I'll have to try the first one, NLHOME. Often, the early ones are better than the later ones.
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I've finished the Roman Blood by Steven Saylor. While I didn't like much how he portrayed Tiro in the book, I did find the story interesting. It was based on one of Cicero's actual law cases. On order at the library are a the next regular book, and a book of short stories (one of two) that he wrote to cover the time between the first and second time periods. The second regular book is eight years later.
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Yes, Joan, sometimes with a series I get bored or I find the author has gotten lazy or run out of good ideas.
I read a second in a series, Out Comes the Evil by Stella Cameron. The first is Folly, which I will not go back and read. There were enough references to what happened in the first book to assure me that I still would not like the main character, who obviously didn't learn anything from almost being killed in the first book. I had a hard time finishing, just wanted to see how the author worked it out. I could say more, but considering the loose ends, there is probably a 3rd in the wings, and some of you might want to read the series.
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The Amazon summary of Steven Saylor's Roman Blood sounded very interesting. Had to look up thge word "sybaritic" that Amazon used to describe the murdered male victim. It means "self indulgent and fond of sensuous luxury or pleasure." I like mysteries with an historical background, so with Frybabe's recommendation, I looked for it in my library. Unfortunately they do not have that particular series. So I ordered it used (very cheap at Amazon). Look forward to reading it. It will very probably lead to my reading some Roman history which I've intended to do for some time.
Marj
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MARJ:"It will very probably lead to my reading some Roman history which I've intended to do for some time."
mysteries lead us down all kinds of paths don't they.
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S.P.Q.R., Marj. By Mary Beard is what you want.
If you read that, you'll be up on the latest thought and scholarship, and it's eye opening, about the Romans. Then when you read a novel about it, or a newspaper clipping comparing Trump to some Roman figure, you'll know better.
It's not a mystery or a novel. Until she gets to the Republic, her specialty, it's dense, essentially because not much is known. When she gets to the Republic it flies. Wonderful book.
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I got S.P.Q.R. from the library last month, but only read one chapter what with other books I needed to get read and back to the library. Everythibng came in at once. Anyhow, I knew after a few pages that I needed to buy it for my permenant personal library. It should arrive tomorrow.
Comparing Lindsey Davis's Didius Falco series with Steven Saylor's Sub Roma series, I think Saylor is a bit more discriptive of the streets of Rome. That is to say, I could "see" the narrow streets, dark alleys, the hilly terrain better. This may be because, having read Davis, Saylor reinforces the "feel" of the city, or it may be that he is just a hair more detailed regarding the "texture" of the surroundings.
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Marjifay
I started reading the Jacqueline Winspear books a few years ago when they first began. I quite liked the first one, but I found them increasingly irritating and I don't think I'd bother with any more. There are so many cliches, so much stuff that seems to have been thrown in for the 'heritage' market, and Maisie became - to me - more & more annoying - she's just too perfect.
Someone I enjoy a lot more if I'm looking for that kind of things is Catriona McPherson. Her books don't pretend to be anything but light, and they centre on an upper crust girl who's married a dull rich man, and the adventures (all totally innocent - it's not about her having affairs or anything) she has when he's 'away in the city'. Interestingly, Catriona & Jacqueline Winspear are both British and both live in the USA - but I find Catriona much more down to earth and fun. And she does bring in some historical references (The Great Strike, etc) but without trying to be too 'meaningful' - maybe that's what I dislike about Winspear, she's fundamentally writing light stuff but tries to dress it up as 'deep'.
Or maybe I'm just being extra cranky today!
Rosemary
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I tried Maisie some years ago and didnt like the series.. I finished an Alafair Burke.. not one of her series, but a stand alone that is a puzzle intertwining. I did like it. She is not violent like her Dad, but is quite an interesting writer..
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Thanks much, Ginny, for your recommendation of Mary Beard's SPQR, on ancient Roman history. My library has it; I'll probably end up buying it as it's fairly long (606 pp) It certainly does sound interesting.
Marj I
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I just found a deal on Charles Todd. two short stories on Bess and two on the detective. Put it on my Kindle.. Still recovering from the cruise, so not much reading just now.
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here is :McPherson.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/catriona-mcpherson/
I've read a n umber of the Dandy Glover books and liked them.
I finally updated to Windows 10 a few days ago, and have been busy trying to learn my way around. So if I missed some posts, please forgive me.
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I bought the newest Daniel Silva and am crazy about Gabriel, so deep into spy and violence, but oh so good.
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read the almost-latest Gaslight mystery by Victoria Thompson Murder on St. Nicholas Avenue.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/t/victoria-thompson/
The main characters are away (on their honeymoon, I seem to have missed the one where they finally get married), and their friends and family combine to solve a mystery without them. Good read as always. I ;ike the turn-of-the century New York background.
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Must look for it, yes the last book I read they were either married or getting married.
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I just finished the Braque Connection, the third is the series on art mysteries and the high performing autistic woman who is the protagonist. It was more complicated then the previous two I read, but enjoyed it very much. Have any of you read any of the series?
This one I read in softcover which our library just purchased. The first two, The Dante Connection and The Gaugain Connection I got as ebooks, free from Amazon. Estelle Ryan is the author.
Jean
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I read the first one only, Jean. I've been concentrating on free or library books to keep my costs down, so I haven't ordered the others. My library doesn't have it, but I should look on the PFL site to see if they do.
I've been very spottily reading Steven Saylor's Roma Sub Rosa series. They are good stories, but they don't seem to hold my interest (yet) as well as did Lindsey Davis's Didius Falco series, or Ruth Downey's Medicus series. Not sure why. Maybe it is because I have reading mostly SciFi for the last year or more.
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Jean, I think I've read 8 of Ryan's books - obviously, I liked them. It's an interesting ensemble "cast".
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I was surprised to see how many she has written since I read the first one. Maybe I could recommend the series to the library. They seem a bit pricey for paperbacks, though. At that price they should be the trade paperbacks rather than the cheaper mass market paperbacks.
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I recommended them to my library, that's how I got the Braque Connection.
Mary - I didn't realize there were 8 of them. Oh goodie, five more to look forward to.
I also just finished a Clifford Irving mystery, Boy on Trial. It was also a free Amazon ebook. It was a fun book. The protagonist is a 12 yr old genius and the story is told from his perspective.
Jean
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Jean, I have read (and thoroughly enjoyed) two of the series, and own all of the rest.
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JEAN: you missed it when you were out: we did an in-depth discussion of the first one. It's nice to find a series with such a richness of material: autism: art, Mozart!
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Got a question for those who have read the series so far: Do you need to read in order from the first? My library manager is wondering. Generally the library only orders the latest publications. She is willing to order some, but she isn't sure she wants to start with the first. As for myself, I hate holes in series books. But, we have to be even more careful about buy for the library now because when we make our move downstairs, we will have less space than we do now. That, BTW, is not what we were expecting. We found out later that the freed up space downstairs woudl be shared with another group. Then in Feb. or March, we discovered that the township commissioner decided he wanted a piece of the space for a meeting space. Disappointing, since more space was one of the reasons we wanted to move downstairs.
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IMHO, YES, you do have to read the series in order in order to get the optimum pleasure out of seeing the characters grow and reveal themselves. Each is an extraordinary human being with unique gifts, and as the months and years go by and their knowledge of and confidence in one another grows, each changes in subtle ways.
MARYZ came to see me today, and I showed her my huge supply of unread paperback murder mysteries and my stash of CONNECTION books by Ryan.
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I forgot which was the first. There is one for FREE today for your Kindle on Amazon. Can't remember which.
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I agree with MaryPage. Each book can be a stand-alone. But the characters to change and develop through the series, and each would probably make more sense with the background of the earlier stories.
MaryPage's stash of books is truly amazing. She has such a lovely view, I'm afraid I'd be spending all my time enjoying that and not reading.
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Gaugain is the first one and I think the ebook is still free on Amazon.
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Our youngest daughter has been encouraging us for some time to move close to her. She went real estate shopping and we bought a house a few blocks from her and moved the last of March. We were fortunate our house in Ocala sold in two days. Finally I took the time to visit the library (and join) this morning. The population of this little town is only around 12,000 so I was delightfully surprised at how nice the library is. The whole county is just over a hundred thousand so apparently the residents in this area like books. I checked out a couple of English mysteries by Tasha Alexander---The Adventuress and Behind the Shattered Glass. I do like a good English mystery but Alexander is a new author for me so I don't know if I am in for a treat or disappointment.
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Are you still in Florida?
I do not know those books.
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Yes, we moved to the Panhandle to a little town called Niceville. The books are cozies but after all this packing and unpacking that is just what I need.
I did download the free Gaugain Connection on my iPad and enjoyed it.
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Oh, I like the sound of that! Niceville! Sounds Great! Wishing you Happy!
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The library ordered the first three Estelle Ryan books on Monday and we got them on Friday. My branch manager is reading the first now. I will pick up the second next week if no one has checked it out by then.
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Who was the author of the Connection Series?
Marj
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I have just started Roman Blood by Steven Saylor which was recommended by FryBabe. The reviews sounded good, but I had to put it aside and am not sure when or if I will get back to it. The author spends forever describing things--Rome and the front of Cicero's house (which put me to sleep) that I'm wondering if we will ever get to meet Cicero and get to the point of the story. Did anyone else have that problem reading this book?
Marj
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Estelle Ryan
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Did I recommend it Marj? I had mixed feelings about it. I like Roman history, so I didn't mind the descriptions too much. The story line was good, but it wasn't a book I couldn't put down. What I didn't like was the way Saylor treated Tyro and sometimes Cicero. I got my hands on two short story books which fill in between the next regular novel which occurs eight years later in time. I never finished the second set of short stories. I doubt I will be reading any further. There are a lot of people, including Ginny, who like the series.
I still very much prefer Lindsey Davis's Didius Falco series. There is description in there too, but much more interesting. In Silver Pigs, the first of that series, there were descriptions of the mines in Britain, how lead was considered a precious commodity and weighed and stamped much like gold bricks, and how it was used to make plumbing pipes. Falco and family traveled to Britain (where Falco met his future wife), Gaul, North Africa (I forget exactly where), Alexandria, Palmyra, and Greece for some of their adventures. Each book used as a background a different aspect of Roman life from the layout of Roman forts and the construction of villas and bathhouses to the tourist trade to the Greek games, from the Great Library of Alexandria to the banking system in Rome, and so on. Falco comes with an odd assortment family and friends that are easy to relate to and like (or not).
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No, it's not me, I have never read a Saylor. I have heard of him and some students recommend him (more of them recommend Harris, I'm really not into historical fiction of any kind) but I just don't know enough about Saylor to say.
Men tend to like Harris, women tend to like Lindsay Davis and her mysteries and everybody also seems to like Colleen McCullough's Last Man in Rome series. But I have never read any of them except Robert Harris's Pompeii which I actually did not like.
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Oh, now that you've reminded me, I remember you saying you didn't like historical fiction so time ago. I am not real fond of it if it includes a lot of putting words into the mouths of real people that is the imagination of the author. I've made a few exceptions including Lindsey Davis and R. W. Peake (Marching with Caesar series). I read Harris's Imperium because it was a gift. I don't recall much in the way of particulars. If I recall it correctly it was about Cicero and Tiro, written from Tiro's perspective.
While I am waiting to pick up the second of Estelle Ryan's Connection series, I am back to reading more of The Black Count (nonfiction).
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My f2f book club read "Pompeii" several years ago, and it was very much liked and provided an interesting discussion. Not so much with "Imperium". It was not my favorite of the two!
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Here is McCulough. I see she's a neuro-physicist! Are her books mysteries?
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/colleen-mccullough/
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I have mixed feelings about historical fiction. I too dislike fiction that "puts words into the mouths of real historical people," I do make an exception for the series narrated by Socrates' older brother that shows him as a bratty no-it-all 10 year old. It's so funny, it's worth it! Never remember the author.
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Joan K. what is the name of the series narrated by Socrates' older brother? Sounds interesting.
Marj
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Just started Estelle Ryan's Dante Connection. What a start. It grabs you right away.
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Yes, the Connection books are a real romp.
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I have just discovered the most FUN channel that I had no idea I even had! It is all mysteries, like the Plum Pudding mystery and the Peach Cobbler mystery. And today I watched three in a row, and had a ball. They are simple minded cosys, but lovely for no bad language and no sex and the violence is not graphic. Here in Annapolis on Comcast it is channel 157. It is called the Hallmark Movie & Mysteries channel. I expect eventually to get bored with it, but right now it seems very enjoyable.
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hubby and I watch this series of programs regularly, as we were introduced to it by our daughter. Also, the regular Hallmark Channel has nice, simple, happy-ending type stories. Chick flicks, we call 'em.
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My husband and I also like these simple mystery stories. A relief from all the bad language, violence, etc. on most of the programs.
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I find myself delighted to be enjoying all the goodies of this era, but prefer the way people behaved back when I was growing up.
Speaking of that, back in the day when we only had radios, did anyone besides me ever listen to "I Love A Mystery" or "The Shadow Knows?" I used to get scared into deep shivers; deed I did! I wonder if folks are losing their ability to imagine these days, and perhaps that is why stuff is getting ever more graphic. Or perhaps the writers have to get ever more graphic to try to grab their attention?
Beats me, but I wouldn't mind being ten years old again and terrified by I Love A Mystery!
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Loved "The Shadow" on radio.
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Was The Shadow the program that had the creaky door? That door alone made me pull a blanket around myself for safety!
This evening I pulled another paperback from my large cache of mysteries collected for decades. This one is by Barbara Michaels; remember her? It is called "Other Worlds," and is apparently about the 28th book she wrote under this name. She also wrote as Elizabeth Peters and, under her very own name, Barbara Mertz. I thought she was great, and believed I had read all of the Michaels books, but I now find that not to be the case. I bought all of her books, but find I still have two unread ones in my stash of treasures yet to be enjoyed. How can I be certain I have not read these? Simple: after reading a paperback mystery, I immediately give it away to a family member to read and pass on. I never want them back.
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I am finding it hard to put Dante Connection down.
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My Mystery Book Club is reading an Elizabeth Peters for our July selection; "Tomb of the Golden Birds"
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Did you know she had a Ph.D. in Egyptology? Barbara Metz/Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters. She lived right up the pike a piece in Frederick, Maryland. That was the home of Barbara Fritchie. Do you suppose Metz was named for Fritchie?
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Sorry, I've been absent a few days and just catching up.
Here is Barbara Michaels.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/barbara-michaels/
I tried Peters, and never got into it. maybe because the book I picked was late in the series, and full of "in jokes".
I can't remember the author of the books about Socrates' big brother. I'll see if I can find it.
I've heard of the hallmark mystery channel, but haven't been able to find it on my TV. The "Peach cobbler Murder" sounds like one of Joanna Fluke's.
Ahhh. The Shadow! no creaking door -- instead it starts "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of man? The Shadow knows! HAHAHA." A friend gave me some tapes of old Shadow shows, when Orson Wells was the narrator. Then, they scared the wits out of me -- now, they are funny. my favorite was one where the villainess planned to have her pet asp kill him (he was invisible to humans, but not to snakes). But the Shadow borrowed an asp from the local zoo, and his asp killed her asp!
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"Stop You're Killing Me" doesn't have the books with Socrates in them. That's the only place I know to look.
Instead, I found Paul Kemprecos:
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/k/paul-kemprecos/
whose detective is Aristotle Plato Socarides. Does anyone know him?
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I think the creaking/squeaking door introed and ended Inner Sanctum.
There was also a series from South Africa called the Creaking Door which featured the creaking door sound at the beginning. I don't know if we got that here.
You can find both on YouTube.
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THAT'S RIGHT! Inner Sanctum it was! Well, as I say, it set me up to be scared deliciously to bits!
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Thank You, Fry. I couldn't for the life of me think what that show was that had the squeaking door. It really gave one goosebumps!
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Our public radio station used to, maybe still does, play the old radio shows such as The Shadow and The Lone Ranger, at night after their regular programming. We used to listen at night on our way home from meetings or visits. Then we'd find ourselves sitting in the garage with the radio still on, listening to the end of the program. We don't do as much night traveling now, so I don't know if the programs are still played. I suppose we could get them on CD's and listen, but then, we seem to like the happenstance of what we find on the radio, especially on public radio.
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Well, turns out I did not care for Barbara Michaels OTHER WORLDS. Just not my thing. I have skimmed the book and checked out the last chapter and placed it in the next shopping bag full of books to go to granddaughter Paige.
Now I have started her A Stitch In Time, and I think it is my sort of thing. Hope so!
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Actually, the name of the book is Stitches In Time. My Bad!
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Reading a dog cozy mystery by Lauien Berenson entitled "Chow Down". Melanie Travis shows standard poodles and I am (as a former owner) very fond of poodles.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Here she is.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/laurien-berenson/
I like this series. It starts out with the main character as a novice who knows nothing about owning and showing pure bred dogs (like me). So we learn together. As the series progresses, it takes you into the world of breeding and showing dogs.
I like mysteries that take me to new places/cultures.
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Ok, I HAVE a mystery. Can any of you solve it? I am hoping so, mainly because it was someone in here who suggested the book in question to me in the First place!
I keep a Wish List on the Barnes & Noble website. Between Mothers Day and my birthday, I received $250 worth of B&N gift certificates (I have a very large family, and they all know I love these), so I set to work ordering from that list yesterday. After placing the order, and before checking it out via their confirmation, I went in and deleted like mad from the Wish List. THEN I checked. And lo, my old clogged up and rusty memory wiring failed me once again, and I deleted a book I thought I had just ordered, but I had not. Which illustrates why I cannot exist without calendars and lists these days!
That same leaky, creaky memory machinery refuses to allow me to remember much about the name and author of the book, and I have exhausted every type of search I can think of. HELP!
This is the thing; as I say, one or more of you recommended it. Some time ago, when we had a much more active bunch in here. It is the first book in a series by a fairly new author. A woman author and a woman sleuth (detective? policewoman? busybody?) The title was somebody's EYE. I think. Like Lola's Eye or Lois's Eye or Lulu's Eye? Anyone got a clue?
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There is a "Lacy Eye" by Jessica Treadway, but I couldn't tell you if that's the one you are searching for. I've never heard of it, and don't recall it being mentioned here. Try the summary on FantasticFiction and see if that rings a bell.
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No, that is not the one. I'll know it when I see it, but cannot get it out of the tangle that is my mind. Thanks for your effort on my behalf! Much appreciated!
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Doesn't ring a bell, MaryPage, but I know what you mean about keeping calenders and lists these days. I am finding, lately, that my memory isn't as good as I thought anymore.
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Hi, MaryPage,
This is a stretch based on what you said you remember, but maybe...?
The Eye of Jade: A Mei Wang Mystery (Mei Wang Mysteries)
by Diane Wei Liang
New to SeniorLearn,
Leah
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For those of you who like Donna Leon's Guido Brunetti series---- a new book was published in March The Waters of Eternal Youth. Hoping to get it from my library today.
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Thanks, Leah; but that is not it. I am pretty sure (but not positive) that it was Somebody's Eye. But I cannot remember Somebody's name!
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I just got and read "waters of Eternal Youth" I liked it a lot. The plot is simpler than some of the Leons., which is good.
Now I'm reading a Rys Bowen Molly Malone mystery, and enjoying it (so far, no annoying arguments with her sexist husband). She's in San Francisco in 1905.
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Just saw where Mary Page in a message May 31, 2016, asked if anyone knew the title of a book she thought had a title of someone's eye, and she thought it was written by a woman author.
This reminded me of a very good mystery I'd read in August, 2012, by Karin Fossum, a Norwegian author, entitled EVA'S EYE (aka IN THE DARKNESS). It was the first of her Inspector Sejer mystery series. I gave it 4+ stars. Don't remember if I recommended it in this section, but I could very well have, as I remember really liking the book. You can read the Amazon summary of the book and see if this is the one you are looking for.
Marj
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THAT'S IT! That is it! The very one!
Oh, thank you so much, Marj. Someone in here recommended that book and I put it on my wish list It was most likely you. Thank you so much for figuring that out! BACK it goes on my BARNES and NOBLE Wish List, and it will be included in my very next order.
Thanks a bazillion!
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The deed is done! Thanks again. Is this a great meeting place, or what!
Tonight, I watched the sixth and last episode in a Shetland Islands murder mystery story. It is the 4th of these BBC televised films I have enjoyed on Public Television, but the other 3 were only two parters. This was the best of the lot, and I have loved them all. They are from the book series by Ann Cleeves. The detective is Jimmy Perez.
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Marj: good for you -- thank you.
Fantastic fiction doesn't even have it.
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Eva's Eye sounds interesting. I'll look for it.
Joank, I'm reading The Waters of Eternal youth but haven't gotten far enough along to know about the plot. It seems that life keeps getting in the way of my settling down to a good read. I'm not complaining but a new move has kept us very busy.
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I know the feeling! But won't it feel good when you're finally able to relax and sink into a good book!
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I am just now returning to reading about detective Charles Lenox by Charles Finch. Set in the 1800's, I love these books! They are just fun reads. Also enjoying Ann Perry and Louise Penny's excellent stories.
MaryZ, thanks for your list of authors!
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AdoAnnie - I'd say "you're welcome", but it wasn't me. The list must have come from someone else. LOL
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Well, I'll share with you what I finally decided to do. After reading what the critics had to say about Karin Fossum's Inspector Sejer books, I decided to do the most sensible thing. I went to Thriftbooks and ordered the first 4 in used hardbacks. Cost me a total of $15.87, and hey, you just can't beat that! If I live long enough to get them read, and if I like them, I'll order the rest of the series. I'm excited. As soon as they get here, I'll take Eva's Eye off my Barnes & Noble Wish List. I'm excited! Oh, I said that already. Thanks again, Marj!
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Sorry, Maryz! That would be Mary Page!😋😋😋
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I certainly would have recommended Charles Finch, who is a huge favorite of mine, and Ann Perry, whose Charlotte Pitt books I have enjoyed, but truth to tell, I have never read Louise Penny, so I think you have had suggestions from many of us in here!
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oh, don't miss Louise Penny's books about Inspector Gamache and the village of Three Pines! Great mysteries! I believe she has written 21 books . Has her own website. Just google her name. I know no one who doesn't love her writing. Glad I can suggest a new author to you, MaryPage. All the stories are set in Canada.
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Just read a New Yorker piece on Hillary Clinton. She says she reads cozy mysteries these days and she likes Jacqueline Winspear and Donna Leon mysteries.
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Just finished Donna Leon's latest book The Waters of Eternal Youth and think it is one of her best. His colleague Claudia Griffoni has become more prominate in the last several books and we learn more about her. Her character adds interest to the story.
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ANNIE: I agree with you about Louise Penny: makes you want to pick up and move to that small town. Except for her last few books, which I think disappointed many of us.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/p/louise-penny/
FLAJEAN: I agree with you about the latest Leon. It's nice to have a woman detective. And the plot holds together better somehow than some of hers.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/donna-leon/waters-of-eternal-youth.htm
So Clinton likes Leon, too. And Winspear, the author of the Maisie Dobbs mysteries.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/jacqueline-winspear/
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LEAH: Hi! Somehow I missed your earlier post. WELCOME to the mystery corner!
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Do i need to read Leon or Winspear's series in order?
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Mabel, I have not been reading the Leon mysteries in order - depends on what suits my fancy when I am at the library. However, I think the Winspear (Maisie Dobbs) series is better for reading in order.
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I agree. Leon's continuing characters don't change much. I'm pretty sure I've read the books out of order.
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Thanks, JoanK. I may pop in as time goes by!
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Reading "The Storied Life of AJ Filkry" brought up a question about mysteries. Does it spoil the mystery if the very clever, original method of murder would never have worked in real life? I admit, if the method is clever enough to be "fun" I give it a pass. (And I give Agatha Christie an automatic pass. Half of her methods just wouldn't have a chance, but, well, she's Agatha Christie).
What do you think?
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My mind kind of sort of disappoints me, really, and has done for many long years now. Books, be they mystery or not, and movies that do not logically add up, are real downers for me. I try hard to tell myself sometimes that they are "fun," and not meant to be real, but it does not give me Joy. I find it depressing when people are not logical. I suppose this points a broad arrow to the reason I am not comfortable with fairy tales, fantasy, vampires, werewolves, time travel and such like in my adult life. I adored fairy tales as a small child, and used to listen to "Let's Pretend" on the radio at ten thirty every Saturday morning without fail. But I find I need to have everything be real in my adulthood.
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Ditto, ditto, MaryPage!
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Joan, I think for me it depends on the story and the characters and the quality of writing. I get frustrated when I read certain "Cozies" because the circumstances and the characters, and sometimes how much is fit into a day, are unlikely. I may read one or two in a series, but then I think "how many murders come into a cook's life?" (or a beautician or a dog walker or a house sitter, etc.). So clever or not, just the fact there are all these murders doesn't make sense.
On the other hand, a detective or police officer character would more likely to be involved with crimes, and every time I think the actual murder seems unlikely, I read the newspaper and think that just about anything is possible.
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I guess I'm illogical about what I accept or not. I stopped reading mysteries about a certain cook when, in one of her books, she and her friends were fleeing from the murderer, come to a cabin in the woods, stop, she produces a gourmet meal from supplies in the cabin, (including, if I remember correctly, some eggs which she had brought with her in case -- remind me if I ever have to flee a murderer to bring along some eggs), they eat the meal and continue fleeing.
That was too much, even for me.
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Would've been for me, too!
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Joan - LOLOL
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We used to wonder about Jessica Fletcher (Murder She Wrote) who was a magnet for murder in that small Maine town, and no one there thought it wise to avoid her!! Loved Angela Lansbury, though.
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Like TV's "Midsomer Murders" - - they did a show "about" Midsomer, and he mentioned that Midsomer was not just one small town, but like an area/county, etc. And not just one murder per episode sometimes.
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FlaJean, thank you so much for mentioning Donna Leon's latest Guido Brunetti book. How did I miss that? I check the library list on line every week or so for her books, also for Louise Penny (just finished re-reading The Trick of the Light. Penny never disappoints me.) And I am always on the look out for Charles Finch. ...either series that they, mother and son write....like them both, the Scotland Yard det. and the nurse.
Just an aside: It struck me a little while back that I was half in love with Armand Gamache and Guido Brunetti. Both more (ahem) mature men. Guess I am showing my age. I am not so drawn to the handsome, glib, dashing young men any more. However, the British actor that portrays Endeavour Morse kind of rings my chime. ::)
I just clicked on my library and put a hold on Leon's book. Only 3 ahead of me so it shouldn't be too long to wait.
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Charles Finch has a new Charles Lenox coming out in August. I have had it on My Wish List at Barnes and Noble for a long time now: it is called HOME BY NIGHTFALL and is number nine (9) in the series.
Today my first two of the four (4) Karin Fossum books I ordered from Thriftbooks arrived together, both having been sent from a bookstore in St. Louis. Eva's Eye was one of the two. Both are like brand new, and I really just cannot see how Thriftbooks makes any profit whatsoever, as I paid so very little for the 4 books! It feels as though I am committing a crime and actually stealing these books! Thriftbooks has NEVER let me down! (and no, I have no stock in them, nor do I "know" anyone connected with them in any way.)
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
ThriftBooks is just an all-around great place to buy your books! Now I don't buy as many as MaryPage, but when I'm looking for something, I go to their website.
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MaryPage: that's good to know.
PHYLL: " However, the British actor that portrays Endeavour Morse kind of rings my chime. ::) "
How about the actor who plays the vicar in Grantchester? Whew!
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Oh, no you DON'T, Joan! I've got dibs on that one! Woo Hoo! And he was Divine in War & Peace, too. MINE, Joan! Pitch your tent of daydreams elsewhere! :)
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And I'm enamored of that wonderful, sad-eyed actor who played the lead in Wolf Hall! Ooooh!
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MARK RYLANCE?
Pretty Sexy!
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Yes, Mark Rylance. He could turn those eyes on me, and I'd follow him anywhere!
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DOWN, GIRL! DOWN!
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MARYPAGE: Oookay (sob).
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We used to wonder about Jessica Fletcher (Murder She Wrote) who was a magnet for murder in that small Maine town, and no one there thought it wise to avoid her!! Loved Angela Lansbury, though.
Leah...love the above. The old gal sure did get around (on that bike)! I've pretty much given up watching any TV except news and my beloved sports. They just don't make shows like Murder She Wrote or others I enjoyed...Northern Exposure, etc.
So, my IPAD and I are attached and I can download what I want while sitting in my house that's far from any bookstore and enjoy my reading!
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A recent visit to my library has revealed two new authors and I wanted to say that they are new to me so I will suggest them to you all. First one is Gail Oust who writes about a lady who has just opened a spice shop and finds a body in a restaurant nearby. She considers herself and her best friend amateur detective. Good reading!
The second author, Alan Bradley, writes a good tale about an 11 year old girl who also considers herself a good detective and she does solve two murder mysteries. Very well written with humor.
Those are my newest authors. Hope you will try them!
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Thanks, ANNIE. Gail Oust is new to me: I love the idea of a spice shop. But I don't know what a bunco babe is.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/o/gail-oust/
Alan Bradley is an old friend to many of us, with his strange little girl (I think 11 at the start of the series) Flavia and her secret chemistry lab in that spooky house.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/alan-bradley/
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I looked up the first "Bunco Babes" mystery. They're a bunch of retirees who solve mysteries when they're mot plating Bunco or golf. Got to read that one:
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/o/gail-oust/whack-n-roll.htm
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OH. she was talking about Flavia. Yep, I've read the first two of that series so far, and have two on hand yet to read. We certainly do know Flavia.
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i have already read "home by nightfall" by Charles Finch. Got it from Overdrive onto my iPad Mini last month! As usual, a very good read! Love Lenox! Just got notice that my new Lenox Mystery "A stranger in Mayfair" is in.
I am reading a new Grisham "The Racketeer" on my IPad today while watching the Cinncinati Reds.
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I should have said that it is the paperback edition of Home By Nightfall, which is book #9 in the series, which will be released on August 2nd. I prefer paperbacks to hardbacks, as they are not as heavy for my arthritic hands.
A Stranger In Mayfair was book number four, and I read and passed that on to granddaughter Paige some time back.
The Inheritance is the newest, #10, and I have it on my Wish List to order as soon as it comes out in paperback.
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MARYPAGE: I agree about paperbacks. Lighter, take up less bookcase space (and, of course, cheaper!)
Annie: I love Lenox, too. I'm way behind!
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We loved Murder She Wrote and watched every Sunday night without fail
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So did I.
I'm trying to remember a PBS series where the detective was a British woman with vary stylish 1920s or 30s clothes. She flirted with her chauffer. Does anyone remember the name?
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Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries was in the 20s or 30s. Beautiful clothes but her flirting was with the police lieutenant. This interesting series was filmed in Australia. They were on some PBS stations and later on Netflex where I saw it.
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That's it! Thanks.
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I am having fun watching an Aurora Teagarden murder mystery on the Hallmark Murder Mysteries channel. And after this one, I am going to watch another one! And after that one, I am going to watch ANOTHER one! Fun! So much fun!
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Joan K, there is a show called Mrs. Bradley's Mysteries. She solves mysteries with the help of her chauffeur.
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I have watched those, as well. The wonderful Diana Rigg. She always has that naughty glint in her eye. And her clothes are divine!
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THAT'S THE ONE! The reason I asked is I always wondered if those were based on books. I recently got a mystery featuring a Mrs. Bradley (with an intelligent chauffer) thinking it might be the basis for the series. But this Mrs. Bradley is as different as can be -- she's 80 with the author keeps telling us how ugly and unpleasant she is, kind of like one of the witches from Macbeth! (And with horrible clothes). I found the portrayal quite insulting (another old person in the story is similarly portrayed). the mystery wasn't very good either.
I wasn't sure it was the same name -- that's why I asked. the TV people must have re-invented her character. Not worth trolling through another bad mystery to see if it's one I remember.
Funny I remembered her clothes but not her name from the TV series. Does that make me shallow?
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Oh, Good Grief, No, Joan! That just makes you a Woman! And cut from much the same cloth as I.
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There's an interesting view of the adaptation of the first "Mrs. Bradley" book to the TV series with Diana Rigg at http://www.gladysmitchell.com/bradleytv.htm
I haven't read any of the books. I love the TV series.
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JoanK--- now that you mention clothes, I noticed some time ago that all the news anchors on our local tv have started to wear black suits, or some combination of black and white. The anchors on cbs and abc also began wearing black suits. I think this has been happening for around a year. Not sure of the time frame. When I mentioned it to a member of my family, he told me to listen to the news, and stop worrying about what everyone was wearing. LOL. Does anyone know if this is because of high definition tv?
I know. Be quiet and listen to the news. :)
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I saw one of the Mrs. Bradley Mysteries on Netflix streaming but now you can only get them on DVD and we only do streaming on Netflix. I hope I can find the rest of Season 1. Was there only one season?
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As far as I am aware, there was only one season, and it was at least 15 years ago or a bit more.
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EVERGREEN: I hadn't noticed, but I'll bet you're right. I always notice what the women on TV are wearing: not so much the men.
Maybe it's to keep what their wearing from being distracting. I seem to remember when Dan Rather reported from a location at war, he always wore something that made him look like a soldier, in the trenches. I always thought it was phony.
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I believe it was Marj who recommended EVA'S EYE by the Norwegian writer, Karin Fossum. I have had it on my list ever since, and finally bought her first four (4) books used from Thriftbooks. Just finished Eva's Eye, and have moved right on to DON'T LOOK BACK, which is something I never do, as I like to switch my venues, as it were, but in this case, the crime to be solved actually has its beginning towards the end of Eva's Eye! So I had to keep going to see what happens. I really like Fossum's detective, Inspector Sejer. I never have cause to despair of him, as he does not smoke, drink, or sleep around. Such a refreshing relief!
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MaryPage: " Fossum's detective, Inspector Sejer. I never have cause to despair of him, as he does not smoke, drink, or sleep around. Such a refreshing relief!"
Yes, indeed!
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Actually, I should have said: "to excess."
He does have ONE drink with ONE cigarette when at home at the end of the day. Just the one. There are other authors I love, but I deplore their detectives going on binges and smoking packs and packs of cigarettes every day and having casual sex here there and everywhere. It is all so counterproductive, and I get such a creepy distaste from reading about it as a lifestyle.
I must admit, though, that were I a detective, and were the details of my daily life being exposed in books, I would be the secret chocolate muncher. Oh, dear! People would no doubt be despairing over the number of times I hit the ice cream, or dash into a shop for cream puffs or hot chocolate!
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MaryPage: ", I would be the secret chocolate muncher. Oh, dear! People would no doubt be despairing over the number of times I hit the ice cream, or dash into a shop for cream puffs or hot chocolate."
I'm already the secret chocolate muncher. Any excuse is a good one for eating chocolate.
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Well, in our defense, I don't think anyone has ever been arrested for driving under the influence of chocolate.
Speaking of which, great grandson Ezra, who turned 5 this month, was riding home from school with his mother last month. He told her his teacher had taught them about the senses, and then he named them and complained: "But Mommy, she forgot one!"
"Which one is that, Ezra?"
"CHOCOLATE!"
So far, every member of our family has lined up with that young man!
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Clearly a well raised grandson!
Got a new Sara Paretsky from the library, "Brush back". I didn't realize she was still writing, hadn't seen one in a long time. but I must have missed a few: V I has a new boyfriend.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/p/sara-paretsky/
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I picked up a copy of Eva's Eye also, and I do like Inspector Sejer, but I got 3/4 of the way through the book and could not finish. That's unusual when I've invested so much time in reading.
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There is an article in The Atlantic Magazine entitled "Women Are Writing The Best Crime Novels" which you may find interesting. I'm sorry I don't know how to put the link in here, but if you go to theatlantic.com there is a link on the front page.
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EVERGREEN: that's interesting. I find myself reading mostly women writers, but I think that's my bias. I find it easier to take their point of view.
NLHOME: I'm having the same problem with the Sara Paretsky. it's heavy and I can't get comfortable with it. And it's sooo slow moving. I find myself counting the pages til the end. I'm going to give it up.
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I just finished a very good Agatha Christie book -- THE MAN IN THE BROWN SUIT. It's a stand alone -- no Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple but interesting characters. The plot is interesting, although rather complex in parts. But all is explained at the superb ending. It's set in South Africa and I enjoyed looking in the internet to see the places that THE characters visited there while hunting for, and at times being hunted by, a criminal. I'd like to visit there if I were younger. A friend of mine visited there recently and raved about the beauty of it.
Now I'm all set to begin the latest Stephen King book, END OF WATCH. It's the third in a trilogy of very good myster/thrillers, the first two of which I read and liked, especially FINDERS KEEPERS.
Marj
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
The Man in the brown Suit is a favorite of mine. The setting, the characters, the mystery, all good Christie.
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Finished The Laws of Murder by Charles Finch. I don't usually care for mysteries set in the 1800s era but I enjoyed this one. My next mystery is Bryant and May and the Burning Man by Christopher Fowler. I'm not sure if I've read any in this series, but it was on the New Books shelf and sounded interesting.
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Bryant and may are quirky, and fun. those who want realism in their police work probably won't like them. (and it's nice to read about people who are even messier than I am!)
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My husband was in the hospital for four days. I needed something to make me laugh, so I got a couple David Rosenfelt mysteries from the library. He never fails me. His love for his golden retriever Tara is delightful, his humor makes me laugh out loud often, his cast of characters are wonderful and his stories are good.
Jean
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I must apologize for never posting.....I confess to being a terrible lurker. However, every once in a while, I come across something I think might interest some of you. I just finished watching a wonderful interview with Louise Penny, who writes the Three Pines mysteries with Chief Inspector Gamache. She talks about her life before she became an author and her life with her husband who has been diagnosed with dementia. Anyway, it's quite interesting. Hope you enjoy it.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational/louise-penny-on-her-unexpected-road-to-success-1.3641698 (http://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational/louise-penny-on-her-unexpected-road-to-success-1.3641698)
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Thank you, Carol. That was an interesting interview, reminds me that I still have some of her books left to read.
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CAROL: thank you, thank you. I love Louise Penny's books, and almost feel like she's family. So look forward to seeing it.
We're just glad you're with us. Post when you feel like it.
Here are her books for those who haven't met her yet. She writes about a small town near Quebec, and has you ready to pack your bags and move there. Best read more or less in order.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/p/louise-penny/
A number of us were disappointed in her last few, especially the last one. Like many authors, I feel she's going on longer than she should. I see she has a new one coming out in July.
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Stephanie Barron has a new mystery out with Jane Austen as the detective: "Jane and the Waterloo Map."
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/stephanie-barron/
We Jane Austen fanatics love these as a fun way to learn about her life. In this one, she is forty, in London editing the proofs of "Emma" (some of you were there when we discussed Emma) and is invited to the king regent's house and requested to dedicate the book to him. She hates this, since she despises his loose life style but has no choice. All this really happened, but in the book, she finds a body and solves the mystery with the help of the son of Benjamin West the painter.
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Have finished reading DO NOT LOOK BACK, the second in Karin Fossum's Inspector Sejer series, and I liked it very much; even more than the first, EVA'S EYE. She has the ability to make every character interesting and to put you right in the story.
Still have the next two of hers on hand, but I think I'll change gears and pick up another of the literally hundreds I have waiting to be read. Decisions! Decisions!
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I also try not to read too many by the same author in a row.
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Me too, I switch off after each book to another author. The only problem with that is i sometimes forget to write the title in my little notebook and you know I can't remember a month later whether I read it or not!!! One of the reasons I love Evanovich - i can keep track of her numbered titles. LOL
i'm reading an interesting book by Susan Wittig Albert, who I know as a mystery writer, but this book is Loving Eleanor, a novel about the friendship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lenora Hickok. LH is the narrator which gives the reader an interesting perspective of ER, but also info about L's life as a journalist and the people she came in contact with. Albert used a cache of letters between the two of them that has not been published before.
Jean
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JEAN: That sounds fascinating! Eleanor Roosevelt is an interesting person: I'd love to know more about her. My source of information up to now is the detective stories her son Eliot wrote with her as the detective. While I love the image of her crawling through underbrush stalking a murderer, even I don't take it as serious history. (although I bet she could have, if she saw it as necessary!)
I think of her as a shy woman, originally under the thumb of her aggressive husband and mother-in-law, who reinvented herself and really invented a career for herself. Do you agree?
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Have just finished the latest Feathering mystery The Killing in the Cafe by Simon Brett. Being a grandmother has softened Carole somewhat, but Jude has more patience than I could ever muster. Anyway, a nice easy read that I enjoyed as usual.
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I read that Hillary Clinton says she reads murder mysteries for relaxation these days. She mentioned two authors she enjoys: Donna Leon and Louise Penny.
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Good taste!
Not sure I know the feathering mysteries.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/simon-brett/
Oh yes, I do! I see I've missed the last two. And he has a new Mrs. Pargeter out! I thought he'd dropped that series.
Does anyone know his "Blotto and twist "series?
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JoanK - three recommendations on books about Eleanor Roosevelt:
A bio - Eleanor Roosevelt by Blanche Wiesen Cook
An amazing book about the presidential years and the Depression and WWII that reads like a novel is No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin
And about her post FDR years, Casting Her Own Shadow by Alida Black.
Enjoy! She is just an amazing, complex woman. All those Roosevelts are great psychological case-studies. When teaching about them, I talked about their childhoods, their relationships with their families, and the possible reasons for their being who they were. The students loved that and would ask "why didn't they teach history like this in high school?" They liked my making them human beings - real people.
Jean
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Thanks. I've resd "No Ordinary Time" and thoroughly enjoyed it.
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That's interesting Mary Page - I love Donna Leon and I used to like Louise Penny, but I feel her more recent books have gone off a bit. She still has gazillions of adoring fans, so I'm sure she won't miss me! Mysteries are very relaxing so long as they're not too complicated - I like Ian Rankin but I have to be wide awake to keep up with his plots and all the stuff he doesn't spell out - it's very satisfying when the penny drops and you get what he's talking about, but I wouldn't say it's exactly relaxing!
Rosemary
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Hey, Gal! Long time, no see!
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Hi Mary Page! I know - time flies and if my laptop has kindly closed all my tabs during one if its interminable 'updates' I forget to check in. How are you?
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Old, but shoving along from day to day. The problem is, the days run faster and faster. And how fares Scotland? Dying to see what they are going to do!
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Well, I think we are a lot better off than England at the moment! Scotland voted very clearly to stay in the EU and most of us are devastated that we are apparently to be dragged out of it by England. The only silver lining is that Nicola Sturgeon (our First Minister) has shown fantastic leadership over this period, and I think and hope that if we now have a second independence referendum we will at last succeed. Scotland is such a different country from England now - the one having a broadly socialist, European outlook, the other an increasingly right-wing, insular paranoia. All opinions my own, of course!
The people I really feel sorry for are Londoners and some of my friends in the north of England, who no more want a part of this than we do but who have no clear alternative. Of course, they could move to Scotland!
In the meantime, we are all watching events in the US and dreading that he-who-should-not-be-named becomes the most powerful man in the world. One thing's for sure, he'll never garner the kind of accolades that President Obama has. What a shame you can't keep Obama for good. Maybe his wife should run?
Keep shoving along Mary Page! And I know what you mean - who gave it permission to be July already?!
Best wishes, Rosemary
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ROSEMARY:" who gave it permission to be July already?!" Not me.
Good luck to Scotland. I'm so ignorant: I don't even know when Scotland joined England. I'm just reading about James I of England's failed attempts.
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I read a mystery in Loren Estleman's "Valentino" series about the movie buff who specializes in finding lost films. I've tried to read him before, and never been able to finish one, but because this book ("Shoot") was about cowboy movies,I made it through. (I had a huge crush on Gene Autry when I was a kid)
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/loren-d-estleman/
The premise is rather hackneyed (the cowboy hero who is a jerk in real life), but a lot of reminiscing about old movies and stars. he says at the end, in effect: you might think this is based on gene Autry, but he was nice. Hmmmm. I wonder what that means?
Good grief Estleman has a lot of series. I think the valentino's are the only mysteries, though.)
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Loved the DVD called Eleanor First Lady of the world
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Actually Gene Autry was a much more complicated man than people give him credit for. "Nice" or not. :)
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Just finished Susan Wittig Albert's new China Bayles mystery Blood Orange. It was a good story as usual but uses too many adjectives at times. Sometimes a little less description moves the story along and makes it better. She did explain things that a regular China Bayles reader would know but makes the story a good one for a first time reader of this series.
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I'll look for it.
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I've just finished reading Into Oblivion by Arnaldur Indridason, an Icelandic author. It's a book in the Inspector Erlendur series. It was recommended by a friend. I had never heard of the author, but it appears I'm behind the times again because he's written beaucoup mysteries.
I'm pleased that I have a new series to follow (I liked the book). Has anyone read any of his books?
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I've never Heard of that author but will make a note of him. Sounds interesting.
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EVERGREEN: What an interesting series: I hadn't heard of it.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/i/arnaldur-indridason/
Off to see if he's on my kindle.
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Is no one reading mysteries in this hot weather? Slim pickings at the library last week: all dark, and I'm in the mood for something lighter.
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I've read a few mysteries lately: The Summer of the Big Bachi by Naomi Hirahara - I will look for the next in that series; Little Scarlett by Walter Mosely; Home by Nightfall by Charles Finch; Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indridason. Now I'm reading Death Stalks Door County by Patricia Skalka. I'm from Wisconsin, but it has been so very long since I've been to Door County, so the setting isn't familiar to me any more - but it will be, if I can persuade my husband to head up there in September. These are all fairly dark mysteries, except the one by Charles Finch. I lightened things up with The Seventeen Second Miracle, recommended to me by a woman at our favorite coffee shop, as well as a book of short stories.
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I found Stuart Wood's Stone Barrington series recently. I don't remember how, maybe somebody mentioned it here? I've read Under the Lake, Scandalous Behavior and am now reading Family Jewels. I'm enjoying them. Stone, the protagonist, an attorney, of course has a boatload of money. That seems to make it easier for characters to do what they want to do to solve the mystery, and is a trend in several books I've read recently. It does make for fun reading and makes me a little envious. :)
I find them to be well-written and they have some humor. Stone tends to go to bed with every woman he spends any time with - i guess that's Wood's fanatasy ;) But they aren't overly described and I just skim that and get to the mystery. I do ask the question - would any author write a female protagonist of a series as being this promiscuous? I doubt it - sexism is alive and well even in our contempoary mystery books.
Jean
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And that is why I quit reading the Stone Barrington series! Entirely too much bed-hopping.
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Tomereader, have you read Woods books other than the Barrington series? Are they different?
Jean
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I am currently reading a Jeffrey Deaver "The Steel Kiss", and it is the usual nail-biting mystery. In places, a little bit too much "talky talky"...the perp has his own chapters, or if not a whole chapter, then several pages, where he brags about his various murder weapons. He has his eyes on Amelia right now, and I know she's very perceptive, but hope she will be on guard. This is a bona fide "nut case" although fairly intelligent and talented in certain areas. I'm over half way through, and it kept me up late last night, and again early this A.M.
It is violent and gory in places. But all who know Deaver's books, will expect this.
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Jean, I may have deliberately skipped some of the other Woods book, thinking they would be like the Barrington ones. But, I may have read one or two. Too long ago for me to remember which.
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enjoy anything about Eleanor Roosevelt.
Ihave a DVD Eleanor First Lady of The World wonderful!!!!!!
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A dear friend of mine published a book, "The Day Mrs. Roosevelt Came To Town", I believe several years ago. She says it is available on Amazon for $.01 (in paperback I think). Don't know if your local libraries would have a copy.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
The first Stuart Woods books are wonderful! I can't remember the names, but they were based on a sheriff in a rural Georgia county. They made a TV show out of the first one. I read one or two of the Stone Barrington ones, and quit - all he seemed to do was talk about the clothes he wore and the food he ate. Not my thing - and I haven't read any of his since then. (Just looked it up - the first one is called "Chiefs".)
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I'm about 1/2 way thru Family Jewels. As executor of an estate, he finds a diamond choker just like the one on the painting Lady in Gold, so he goes thru the whole story of the painting and the provenance of the choker. Its fun. I like the way he puts a lot of pop culture in his books, or at least the Stone series.
Jean
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Speaking of books by Stuart Woods, it's been a while since I read them, but two of my favorites were THE TWO DOLLAR BILL (Stone Barrington mystery) and IRON ORCHID (No. 5 in the Holly Barker series), Think I'll put another on my TBR list.
Right now I'm reading a very good new mystery, DEATH SITS DOWN TO DINNER by Tessa Arlen. This is the first book I've read by her, but won't be the last. I'd recommend it, especially if you like a little history with your mysteries. It is set in London towards the end of the Edwardian era. King Edward VII has recently died and there has been some talk about the possibility of England getting into war with Germany. Lady Kingsley has invited a group of her elite society friends to a dinner celebrating the 37th birthday of Winston Churchill. When dinner is over (8 courses!), the guests retire to other rooms. Lady Kingsley and her friend Lady Clementine step back into the dining room, to see that the room has emptied, and find that one of the guests, Sir Reginald, is still seated bent forward with his head face down on the table. Lady Kingsley, thinking he has imbibed a bit too much wine, tries to waken him. But Lady Clementine draws closer and discovers a knife enbedded up to its hilt in his chest. Not dead drunk - but dead for sure. Churchill, hearing the commotion of the servants, tells everyone to stay out of the dining room and he sends someone to telphone for the police. The next day when Lady Clementine has recovered from the shock of finding the murdered man, she is curious to know who could have done such a dastardly thing. I also want to know who is the culprit and, altho the book is overdue to the library, I'll keep it until I find out. Well written with interesting characters have kept me reading.
Marj
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I've just finished reading The Interior by Lisa See, who wrote Snowflower and the Secret Fan. I think the author has only written three mysteries: Flower Net, The Interior, and Dragon Bones.
This mystery is set in China. Enjoyed it. Good writing. Again, I'm way behind the times, since these were written in the 1990's.
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Okay, Marg! How does one get stabbed in a room full of people? And no one noticed! Now I'm dying of curiosity...please tell us. Hummmmm..maybe it was suicide...no, that wouldn't so fun to solve.
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I've been off the computer for a few days, and come back to find o many good suggestions. Have to jump on it.
Hit a bunch of duds on my last library trip. hope I do better this time.
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No, Evergreen, in the mystery Death Sits Down to Dinner, the man did not get stabbed while a roomful of people were there. It happened after dinner when the man has stayed at the dinner table while others went to other rooms. (Or, perhaps they all left the room except the murderer? That's what I want to find out. I had to return the book to the library and have checked it out again.
Just finished another Ira Levin mystery, Rosemary's Baby. (Better than the movie!)
Marj
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Have just started one more Ira Levin novel, This Perfect Day. It's set in the future where a central computer rules the world. Aggression among the people is unknown. People are kept drugged so they do not question who they are. Even the basic facts of nature are controlled, i.e., it only rains at night.
Marj
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fans of Downton Abbey (and who isn't?) should "murder most malicious" by Allyssa Maxwell:
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/search/?searchfor=book&keywords=murder+most+malicious
A guest in a manor house is murdered, and the daughter of the house and her maid investigate. Will the murderer be found upstairs or downstairs? Only flaw: not as much clever detecting as I like.
I haven't read this author's other series.
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I see The Dante Connection is still a free ebook on Amazon. I've already read it. Did anybody read The Gaugain Connection? What did you think?
My dgt and I went to "organizational meeting" on Thurs night that afriend and her dgt organized for a Mother and Dgt book group. One of the women was a lifelong professor of criminology at Rutgers. She said she had read so much research for her classes that in retirement she was enjoying the cozy mysteries. Someone asked her if she read saying"oh, no, that couldn't happen?" And she said "no, she just enjoyed the stories."
Jean
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I did Jean, and the next on which is The Baroque Connection. The bad guy is back and looking for revenge. I still haven't warmed up to the main character much, but the stories are okay and I like the other good guy characters. It seems the bad guy issue is eventually concluded in the third book, so I guess that means book four starts with a new set of bad guys (I hope).
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read the second book, but haven't yet read more.
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Fans of Downton Abbey (and who isn't) might enjoy Murder Most Malicious". A guest of the manor is murdered and the daughter of the house and her maid investigate. Will the murderer be found Upstairs or Downstairs?
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Of the Connection books I've read the first three - Gauguin, Dante, Braque. Of course, because of the uniqueness of the protagonist, and getting to know the story line, I enjoyed the Gauguin the most. But, I also liked the other two.
Checkout this beautiful home page of Estelle Ryan
http://www.estelleryan.com/index.html
Jean
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It is a great website, Jean. I hadn't looked at it before. I love that for each book listed, there you can see the art and here the Mozart pieces that are in the book. You can bet that the next book I read will include a trip to the website to see the pix and hear the music.
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Yes, isn't fun? I've never run across a similar homepage for an author.
I'm "encouraging" 😀 my library to get the whole series of Ryan's books.
Jean
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None of the libraries in our in our system had the Estelle Ryan books. On my recommendation, our library branch manager ordered the first three to see if there was interest. She only seems to want to order things that are newly published. It is a the she ordered the first three instead of ordering the newest published. However, I did persuade her that, in this case, the first book was somewhat essential to knowing Genevieve's background. They are being read, but they are not flying off the shelf. I think that is mainly because the first book is a freebie ebook (at least on Amazon).
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I am reading a new Masie Dobbs book entitled "Journey to Munich" which takes place in 1941 during WWII and quite exciting. Author is Jacqueline Winspear. At the same time, am listening to "Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidant" by Susan Elia ??????. Her main character is Maggie Hope who is a spy for the British and Winston Churchill during WWII in 1942. Both of these books are from a series and I am enjoying reading about women who served their country during WWII.
I don' know if anyone here watched Blechley Hall on PBS a few years ago but it was more stories about women serving their country during the war. At one time, when we were on SeniorNet, we had a poster from Canada who helped break an important German code during WWII. She was most interesting to talk (post) with. Anyway, I thought I'd mention these two series. The writing is well done and fun to read. Enjoy!!!😋😋😋
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I have forgotten how to cut and paste using my iPhone!! So, JoanK, could you copy this post and put it up in the Library as that way it will be seen by all who might be interested? I would be most grateful! 😋
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AdoAnnie, I started the Masie Dobbs book, Journey to Munich, some time ago, and, sorry to say, I found it so boring I could not force myself to continue it after the first few chapters. I got the book because it was set in WW2 and I like some history with my mysteries. Several Amazon readers said how exciting it was, but I sure didn't find it so. I kept waiting for it to get interesting, but it did not and I finally gave up and returned it to the library unfinished.
I am halfway through David Baldacci's latest book, The Last Mile, and and am finding it very hard to put down. It starts off with a man waiting in a Texas prison his last few minutes before he is to be put to death for the murder of his parents twenty years ago. At the last moment, the warden comes to his cell and tells him another man has just confessed to the murder, and the condemned man's execution has been cancelled.
A group of people put together by an FBI agent to look into old closed cases and choose one or more to investigate decide to look into this one, and their investigation turns up some surprises that will keep you turning pages. This book is as good or even better than Baldacci's previous excellent one, Memory Man, about a man who while playing football in college was hit in the head by another player, resulting in the man who's head was hit finding that his brain injury left him with a rather unique condition -- he was unable to forget anything he read or saw. That man who was the subject of Memory Man, is also in the FBI group in this book, and is especially anxious to explore the case of the man whose parents were killed, because his family was also murdered. The FBI head of this group had helped him find the killers of his family.
Critics talk about what a great story teller Baldacci is, and IMO they are so right!
Marj
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Annie, it's been copied in the library. Interesting post.
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Reading a cozy mystery Death by Cashmere by Sally Goldenbaum. Good writing and nice to read about a group of friends in a small New England town who like each other. There is often more depth and thought in these unknown cozies than in the top selling novels in the NY Times (IMHO).
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just picked up two Baldacci titles at the library last night. He is a great story teller, Marj. Sorry you didn't like Mazie in Munich.
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I guess I have to add Baldacci to my to read in future list, as if I don't have enough already. His are among the most populous book in our little library. Along with James Patterson, Stewart Woods, Clive Cussler, Fern Michaels, Beverly Lewis, and a few others he takes up a bit of shelf space. I've been meaning to try Cussler, but have had to many other book attractions and books on my waiting list.
I expect to finish The Daughter of Time this afternoon and will start on Mr. Penumbra's 24-Bookstore by this evening. After that, I am going to read Odd Thomas and the third in the Beyond the Wall series (Lucas Bale, SciFi).
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Short, fun essay by Lisa Scottolini about throwing out the first pitch at a Phillies game.
http://scottoline.com/humorous-essays/
Jean
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Frybabe, if you want to read David Baldacci's mysteries (and I think you would probably like them), I'd suggest starting with The Camel Club, the first book of the Camel Club series, about a group of eccentric lovable older men, retired from various federal government departments, each man with his own special skill. They do have a bit of a problem, tho. They are somewhat addicted to conspiracy theories and get together to find and stop suspected criminals and crimes against the government. The trouble is, altho their theories often turn out to be real ones, they often find themselves in dangerous scary situations as they try to find the suspected criminals, and it takes all their skills to evade the danger and solve the crimes. Makes for very interesting reading as you hold your breath hoping they will be able to escape these dangerous predicaments in which they find themselves.
Marj
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Jean, that essay is absolutely hilarious. So are the titles of her collections. Have a Nice Guilt Trip is my favorite, with My Nest isn't Empty, it Just Has More Closet Space and Meet me at Emotional Baggage Claim tied for second.
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:) :)
Yes, I like her sense of humor and her essays as well as her mysteries. She and her dgt were at our library in the spring. They are fun to see together.
Jean
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Marj, you have made the perfect Baldacci starting place. We also liked the Sean King series.
I am finally reading "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand" and enjoying it so much!
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I am now reading MatthewPearl's The Poe Shadow. It is holding my interest much better than The Dante Club did. I was surprised to learn that Mr. Pearl did original research while writing this book, finding some previously unknown info/papers.
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That sounds like Pearl; he takes his background seriously. I was in the discussion of The Last Dickens here, and he joined in.
The one I want to read is The Technologists, a mystery involving the early days of MIT.
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We are opposites, Frybabe. I loved Matthew Pearl's The Dante Club, but found it difficult to stick with The Poe Shadow I also liked The Last Dickens and the discussion we had on it here. Today it appeared on BookGorilla or BookBait -- the Kindle reduced price or freebie site. I felt a little sad when I saw it there, like it had been remaindered.
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Sad to say that I am not going to finish The Poe Shadow right now. It is good, but not what I expected what with the apparently impending spy intrigue. It is not a book I can just pick up and keep reading; but rather I am reading it in short spurts. That means I will wait to get my hands on a used copy, or, more likely, an ebook.
PatH, I think I took The Technologists off my reading list, but I still want to read The Last Bookaneer as well as coming back to The Poe Shadow in the future. These are book that, for me, need to be read slowly and savored, rather than in a rush like the adrenaline pumping actioners.
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Frybabe, Don't miss "The Technologists"! Didn't we discuss the book in here?
I am reading "Murder Most Malicious" and really enjoying it. Thanks to whoever mentioned it!😋😋.
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I knew it! I knew it! I thought we had more than one Pearl at our library branch, but only one is still on the shelf. I went down to the Friends of the Library bookstore and there it was. They had withdrawn it. Had it not been for the perseverance of the bookstore gal in digging through the ton of books they have in the back room, I would have missed out. Anyway, I have it now. Mine, all mine. Now I can take my time reading it.
My next book, Weapons of Math Destruction (non-fiction), was waiting for me when I got into the library this morning. I also picked up The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman; they list it as a SciFi.
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What is "weapons of Math destruction?" As a math nerd, it sounds interesting.
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PatH, I ran across Cathy O'Neil being interviewed on a PBS program last week. She wrote Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. Essentially, it is about data algorithms (mathematical models) which, when poorly constructed, can do some serious damage to people's lives. In the program, I remember she talked about how students and teachers were unfairly treated because the data does not include circumstances beyond a student's or teacher's control. She also talked about race and incarceration (both rates and number of years given).
I believe this is the show I came in on part way through: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK87rN4xpqA
Her blog: https://mathbabe.org/
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I feel so sorry for teachers these days who are being evaluated on how well their students do on standardized tests. First of all, I think it is unfair because as Cathy O'Neill says, there are a thousand factors in their students lives over which they have NO control. But I also think it would incredibly boring to have to teach your subject-matter to answer the questions on the test. No wonder truancy is up. The best, most interesting, teachers are those who can tell relavent stories and do inventive things that meet their students needs.
One woman I talked to last night says she thinks the Trump phenomenon is the result of how bad our schools are doing. Students don't get history or civics classes, they don't learn critical thinking, just how to answer the questions on the tests.
Jean
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Jean and Frybabe, you've hit so many of my hot buttons I don't know where to start. But for a local example, a year or two ago there was a scandal about a DC principal who increased her school's test scores by changing a few answers on some of the students' papers. It was poorly investigated; there obviously fraud, since the erasure frequency was much higher than normal, but no one asked the relevant students "did you change your mind on a lot of answers?"
Next year, a respected teacher was fired because her test scores dropped. They dropped from the faked scores of the year before! How stupid can administrators get?
Frybabe, it's Joan who's the mathematician. I can't even remember my calculus.
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PatH, O'Neil talks about that incident in her book. The teacher who got fired because of the previous teachers' fraudulent test scores almost immediately got hired into a more affluent school district that didn't use those computer algorithms. Her comment was that the poor school district lost a good teacher while the richer school district gained one. The loss, of course, is to the children.
I didn't read what happened to the teacher who cheated, or how long it took (only because of the persistence of a few) to figure out what happened. I assume the school district changed how it evaluated the teachers. O'Neil points out that while these types of algorithms are useful and effective when evaluating large amounts of data (like Google or Amazon use), they are next to useless when it comes to a small number of inputs. There just isn't enough data to come to a somewhat accurate conclusion.
This book is easy reading, and you don't have to be a math nerd to understand it.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Now I wonder why I keep getting you and JoanK mixed up when it comes to math.
That reminds me, does anyone know how Pearson is doing? I have not seen her in the discussions in a long time.
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The idea hits my hot buttons, too. Having worked with math algorithms, I know how fallable they can be.
"Kids don't learn logical thinking or civics today." those are two of my hot buttons too. Our whole system is based on balance of power, checks and balances. While it's certainly far from perfect, it's the best that humankind has come up with. but it needs a citizenry that understands it and supports it.
And logical thinking! Pat and I were lucky enough to have a geometry teacher who taught logic (as well as geometry -- I use the logic every day, and rarely use the geometry). wouldn't be that hard to put it into the curriculum.
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My friend who reads romances always talks about Georgette Heyer. Not being a romance reader, never read her until ran across a detective story by her the other day: the Inspector Hardcastle series.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/georgette-heyer/
They are dated: she creates a batch of completely zany people and isolates them in a manor house with a murder. enjoyed the first one in the series, but made the mistake of starting the second one. I think one is enough.
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Frybabe, you get us mixed up because our voices are identical. ;)
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Hah! So, that's it, PatH. ;D
JoanK, I think the only Georgette Heyer I've read is The Black Moth, which, according to Wikipedia, was her first.
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Added to my Kindle this morning, The Great Taxicab Robbery: A True Detective Story. by James Collins. Ought to be interesting. The robbery referred to was in 1912, with the book published the same year. Most of the book is set in NYC. Rhinelander Waldo was Police Commissioner at the time. What a name. Lots of pix of the people involved.
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I think I've heard of the event it's based on. Let us know if it's interesting.
I get impatient with Laura Levine's humor sometimes, but the latest one, "Murder Has Nine Lives", I found really funny. Jaine's cat, Prozak, is tapped to be the spokescat for a new diet cat food. needless to say, it doesn't end well.
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I just finished Donna Leon's The Girl of His Dreams It's the 17th in the series but it's the first of her books that I've read. I liked it. Has anyone else read any of these books?
MaryH
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That is a new author for me. Are they mysteries?
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Yes, they are mysteries and take place in Venice, a new location for me.
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I have read several of Donna Leon's books, Maeve, they are excellent.
Some of the plots are better than others, but the thing I like best is the description of everyday life in Venice. It's easy to forget that people actually live there (in fact there have been protests by residents just this week against the number of cruise ships that deposit thousands of people for a few hours every day). Leon lives in Venice (though she is American) and it's fascinating to read about the way people have to shop daily (no cars) and the way that almost everything is done by boat, from rubbish collection to funeral processions. When I visited Venice a few years ago, we arrived on the water bus from the airport - it was quite late at night in November, and what struck me most when we disembarked was the silence. There are no vehicles; all you can hear are the occasional footsteps.
Leon's policeman, Brunetti, is a great character, and his academic wife and two children are also interesting. Brunetti's in-laws are mega-rich Venetian aristocracy, which gives the reader another aspect of life in the city.
There are at least 25 Brunetti books, so plenty to look forward to!
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I have placed two titles on hold. Always look forward to reading a new author. Thanks, Maeve and Rosemary!💕🤓
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Thank you Rosemary for your input. I'm going to read some more of the series but I have a few other books waiting in the wings right now. This one was one of the bargain books from Amazon that sounded interesting.
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I have enjoyed Donna Leones book for years I love the canals and the ever great detective Brunetti. So much fun.
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I agree about Donna Leon's books. I enjoy reading them.
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There was one book that featured the Murano Glass, that still sticks in my mind, but I have trouble remembering other of her plots. Can't think why that Murano has lingered with me!
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TOME: that glass fascinates me, too -- I would love to watch them make it. In another life, I want to be a glass blower.
ANNIE: I warn you: don't read Leon when you're hungry. the descriptions of the food and wine he consumes are amazing. Why he doesn't weigh 600 pounds, I don't know. (although he does do a lot of walking.
I've complained here before about Leon's description of Brunetti's wife. She's supposed to be a respected academic, but she comes home in the middle of the day to cook a fabulous three course meal, (in one book, she rebelled and said he would have to serve himself, instead of her serving him. Shocking!) and then goes back to teach.
Every professor I've known is almost too busy to eat, much less spend hours cooking. AAAAARGH!
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Read a book by Craig Johnson "The Highwayman" (yes, named after the poem we all loved as teenagers -- I bet PatH can still recite it) about a Wyoming Highway patrol man, Longmire. I haven't seen the TV series based on this series, but if they show the scenery, I'd like to.
Very dramatic. Think cowboys with a dash of ghosts thrown in. Not my usual reading, but I liked it.
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The Longmire books and tv series are great. You can see all the episodes on Netflix.
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Oh, gosh. I didn't realize Longmire continued on Netflix. I thought no one picked it up after USA cancelled it. I don't get Netflix. I sure did like that show. Did a Google and see that Season 6 is going to be the last.
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I can see I'm way behind. Have to get more.
Read a Donna Andrews, "Lord of the wings". I loved her early ones, but the later ones drag somehow. What do you think?
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/donna-andrews/
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Have started a couple of Sue Henry mysteries set in Alaska. I've read all of Donna Leon's books. Another interesting Italian mystery series that I have enjoyed is by Magdalen Nabb. This series is set in Florence about a regular policeman who is a very interesting and thoughtful character. This is certainly a different picture of Italy but equally good IMO.
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I remember reading Nabb decades ago. Her detective was always complaining about how awful the weather was in Florence (and about pretty much everything else). I guess I was lucky: the one time I was there, I remember it being delightful.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/n/magdalen-nabb/
Checking FF I see she wrote many books after the ones I read. Gotta catch up.
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I've just finished reading A Great Reckoning, Louise Penny's new book. It's always nice to visit the village of Three Pines and the foul-mouthed duck from time to time.
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I'm reading The Cold Dish: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson. I've never read one of his books before, but I decided to check him out since he's on thr NYT best seller list from time to time. I think this is the first book in the series.
I tried watching the TV series once, and didn't particularly care for it. But the book is something else. I find myself often smiling if not laughing out loud. This is a cowboy who has read a few books. And the conversations between Walt and his friend Henry Standing Horse are priceless.
Don't know if I will still feel this way by the end of the book (I'm only half way through), but I'm glad I tried this one.
Thanks Joan for mentioning the author in one of your posts!
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Oops. His friend is Henry Standing Bear. Another senior moment?
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EVERGREEN: "It's always nice to visit the village of Three Pines and the foul-mouthed duck from time to time."
t is, isn't it.
glad you're liking Craig Johnson. I stalled in the middle of his latest. Too much posturing and gun drawing over nothing. I'm going back to the early ones.
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I finished the Craig Johnson book, and I liked it because it was different from the books I normally read. But there was way too much detailed description of guns and the merits of each. I simply do not like guns.
However, my brother reads Johnson and other books about the West, and we kiddingly decided that these books may be the male version of "cozy" books that women like.
I generally like books that are set in other countries. I guess I get enough about the US on television. I'm back to reading history books for now.😳
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EVERGREEN: " these books may be the male version of "cozy" books that women like."
Absolutely! And just as realistic.
f you like history, don't give up on mysteries. here is the historical index from "Stop, you're killing me.
http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/HistoryCats/
it does seem to be restricted geographically. There are good mystery writers from other countries translated into English: Sweden, Japan, Iceland, African countries etc and several Americans who write about Italy or France.
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That website is awesome! I'm going to bookmark it for future reference. There is no chance I'll ever give up on mysteries.
I'm starting a new book out this year called Heart of Europe by Peter H. Wilson, which is a history of the Holy Roman Empire. My knowledge of this time in history is sort of sketchy, so l'll see if I can learn something new.
I've been reading fiction most of the summer, and usually switch between fiction and non-fiction for variety. Maybe I'll alternate between the two this winter when I'm snowed in, because Grisham and Jeffrey Archer have new books coming out soon.
Ah, sooooo many good books!
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evergreen. You may enjoy the recent book on ancient Rome by Mary Beard. She's a very popular current author of classical history.
https://www.amazon.com/SPQR-History-Ancient-Mary-Beard/dp/1631492225/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476681443&sr=1-1&keywords=mary+beard+-+spqr-+a+history+of+ancient+rome
Jean
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Thanks, Mabel. I read Mary Beard's SPQR earlier this summer and enjoyed it very much.
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I checked in my library for SPQR. They had an old version, and had ordered the new one. Does that sound right?
EVERGREEN: "Stop, You're Killing Me" is great, but not always up to date, which is why I always cite "Fantastic Fiction". Both URLs are in the heading.
Fantastic Fiction: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/
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That doesn't sound quite right, JoanK. Mary Beard's SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome 1st Edition was just published in 2015. I don't see a 2nd Edition out yet. Maybe it is a new imprint of the original? The paperback version just came out in September.
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just finished Longmire hated for it to end
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Another convert?...
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I've just finished Ian Rankin's Standing in Another Man's Grave, in which the (sort of) retired Inspector John Rebus is working in a 'cold cases' unit. A girl disappears after being dropped off at a petrol station on the A9 (the main road to the Highlands); a woman contacts Rebus suggesting that this latest disappearance may have a connection to that of her daughter, who has been missing for several years, and to some other unsolved cases. Rebus starts digging around - predictably winding up his superiors - and is eventually seconded to the department dealing with the new case.
The action is set largely in the Highlands, in rural Perthshire, around Inverness and along the north coast. As ever, Rankin writes a real page-turner, a plot with so many sub-plots (turf wars in Edinburgh's underworld being one of them) and so many convincing and well drawn characters that you lose concentration at your peril.
I actually saw a TV programme a while ago about Rankin; it followed him as he was in the process of writing this very novel, driving up and down the A9, walking along the coast in gale force winds and horizontal rain, and back in Edinburgh tracing Rebus's footsteps to his favourite bars (The Oxford Bar, which features in many Rebus novels, is a real place and very much still open). It was a very interesting programme; Rankin is such an unassuming, laid-back guy, no airs and graces or posing at all, yet he is one of the most popular crime writers in the UK.
My husband re-read many of the Rebus books after we had come to live in Edinburgh, and said they were even better if you knew the locations - but I don't think not living here would spoil them for you, they are still great reads.
Rosemary
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I;ve read several of them and enjoyed them. They give quite a different impression of the city from that in McCall Smith's books, which I also enjoy. Two aspects of the truth?
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I really like the Rebus series; He's sort of a "wrinkled" character. At least that's how I always picture him. I think I've read all of them. Rankin has a new book (Rebus) coming out in January, 2017. Looking forward to it.
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Yes Joan, there are many aspects to Edinburgh!
Alexander McCall Smith is very good at nailing New Town characters - the New Town is full of 'old money', many retired academics, doctors, lawyers, etc. The properties are horrendously expensive so these days only the people who've lived there for years can afford to be there - properties that come on the market are often bought up as investments by the mega-rich. Eventually, I think, McCall Smith-type characters will die out, but at the moment there are still plenty around. The congregation of the Cathedral where I work is full of them! And down in Stockbridge, which is nearby and hugely popular with affluent young couples, there are huge numbers of women like Irene, mother of the hapless Bertie - helicopter mothers obsessed with organic everything.
Ian Rankin somehow seems to know all about the city's criminal side - not sure how, as he's not even from Edinburgh originally, and he's certainly never been a criminal.
His descriptions of night club bouncers, run-down housing estates and seedy shopping malls are all extremely accurate - I can't say whether the rest of it's true to life or not!
I am going next week to the launch of quite a different book - Umbrellas of Edinburgh - in which 70 poets and writers have each been inspired by different places in the city, from Tynecastle football stadium to the Cafe Royale, Blackford Castle and Edinburgh airport. The editors have tried to move away from the typical Edinburgh coffee table book;
'As editors, we were keen to reflect the diversity of Edinburgh and its people, and to shift the existing... focus through a more contemporary lens. This anthology includes work from writers of colour, writers who identify as LGBTQIA+, who live with disabilities, writers who have lived in countries other than Scotland, and its contributors predominantly identify as women.
Our brief to the writers was simple: choose a location in Edinburgh and write about it. Between these pages you’ll find explorations of architecture, fragments of memories, views of potential futures, romps in hedgerows, summer picnics, hard winters, love, loss and the moments in between.'
So it'll be interesting to see what they've come up with.
Rosemary
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
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That sounds absolutely wonderful. Wish someone would do that for places I love.
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Rosemary, thank you for reminding me of Ian Rankin's books. Although I read his most recent, I had not read Standing in Another Man's Grave, and I needed a book so got that from the library yesterday.
Someone, or maybe it was on a list, suggested Stuart MacBride's books, set in Aberdeen. I tried to read the first in the series about Logan McCrae, but it was just too ugly. I guess it was supposed to have some humorous parts as well as being "gritty", but it was very dark humor. I wasn't able to finish it.
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nlhome - I agree about Stuart MacBride - I've only read one and although i enjoyed recognising the Aberdeen landmarks, i found it much too gory. My son has read several of them and warned me not to - he likes all that kind of stuff but he knows I don't, and he says they just get more and more explicit.
I hope you enjoy Standing in Another Man's Grave - I see from Amazon that although most people liked it, quite a few didn't. I thought it was very good. Did you get the Rebus TV adaptations over there? We thought the ones with Ken Stott as Rebus were by far the best.
Rosemary
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I've just spent most of the day reading to the end Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews. It is a very good modern day spy thriller, the first of a trilogy. The settings include Moscow, Helsinki, Washington DC, Rome and Athens. The author included simple (some elegant) recipes with most chapters. Matthews (and his wife) worked in the CIA for many years. Here is the Washington Post review/synopsis of the book. https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/red-sparrow-a-fantastic-new-spy-thriller-by-former-cia-operative-jason-matthews/2013/10/15/3f7f9672-cc50-11e2-8845-d970ccb04497_story.html The book is well worth the read.
IMDB lists a movie version in pre-production with Jennifer Lawrence playing the role of Dominika, the Russian Sparrow. Joel Edgerton is also listed, but it doesn't list who he is playing. I think they should find someone like Pete Postlethwaite to play Gable. I wonder who they will get to play Putin. Movie is scheduled for a 2017 release.
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That sounds good Frybabe - I'm going to add it to the list I may finish in about 2099... ;D (although I do move books up and down according to what I feel like...)
I love the sound of spending all day reading a book too. I try to divest myself of the idea i was brought up with, ie that reading is only for bedtime and is a scandalous daytime occupation. I am utterly aware that it's a ridiculous notion, but it's hard to shake - and particularly annoying when I know I can quite easily waste hours surfing the net. MUST DO BETTER!
Rosemary
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FRYBABE: Red Sparrow sounds fascinating! I'd heard of synesthesia: seeing emotions as colors, but not in the way the book uses it.
ROSEMARY: "reading is only for bedtime and is a scandalous daytime occupation." we've had completely opposite upbringings! My mother was a librarian, and in our house, reading was for anytime. when mom said "dinner is ready", we'd all run and grab a book. And of course there had to be books in the bathroom: if you were going to spend time in there, of course you needed a book to read. (when people tell me they don't have time to read, I say "you go to the bathroom don't you?)
I thought my mother was being terribly unreasonable when she forbade me to read while taking a bath, just because I dropped one teensy library book in the water.
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I think I have only seen synesthesia in relation to sounds. I'll have to look it up and see what the medicos have to say about it.
I picked up Forever Odd at the Friends of the Library Bookstore today. I hope to get to it soon.
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I don't think I've seen any Rebus on TV here, Rosemary. Perhaps there are on Netflicks or some such service, but I stick with PBS and regular TV and not so much of that these days.
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Gosh, synesthesia covers a lot, many types not yet well defined and researched. I forgot about seeing numbers and letters in color, and didn't a few of us have a little discussion a while back about seeing spatially in numbers?
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The library has the second of the Red Sparrow trilogy, so I put in for it. It should be here for me on Thursday. I hadn't expected to read it, but my Endodontist read it and says he liked it better than the first. The third has not yet been released.
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Rosemary, I finished Standing in Another Man's Grave today. I did like it, lots of twists and turns. Thank you for mentioning it.
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reading the latest Sue Grafton: "X". had stopped reading them, got tired somehow, so I've missed a number, and this one builds on an earlier one. It's not great, but it plods along. Don't like her treatment of an elderly couple, though.
Luke warm recommendation, I guess.
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Believe it, or not, I am reading my first Agatha Christie mystery! The Monogram Murders! A Poirot story. I didn't expect it to be so humorous, she has a sly wit.
Jean
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The Palace of Treason (second of the Red Sparrow trilogy) is just as good as the first. So far, this one is set mainly in Vienna and involves obtaining secret nuclear info from a compromised Iranian.
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JEAN: I envy you! You have a huge treat ahead of you. they vary in quality, but the best are great! She wrote over fifty, so you're set for a while.
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JEAN: OH NO! the monogram murders is not by Agatha Christie. I had assumed it was a re-naming of one of hers, and looked it up. but it's not. It's one of the new series where modern writers write "in the style of."
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/sophie-hannah/monogram-murders.htm
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JEAN:Correction. Dame Agatha wrote 80 books in 13 years: the last the year I was born.
Avoid the last half dozen or so: she had lost the touch. But that gives you plenty to work with. Some prefer the Miss Marple series to Hercule Poirot, some the other way.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/agatha-christie/
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Joan - i had no idea it was not AC. Her name is in big letters on the picture of the cover - it is an ebook from the library. Well, you are right. I will read more and 80 books could keep me busy for a long while. :D :D
Jean
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Wonder if there are any good thanksgiving mysteries? I know: it's a mystery how I can eat so much!
Happy thanksgiving!
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I'm moving a little slowly myself, JoanK.
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Some old favorites came through for me. latest Charles Finch "The Inheritance", not his best, but good. A little about boys schools, the boy who didn't fit in, the scientific research of the day and the Royal Society.
My only regret that jane, who started out as the main character in the series, has been reduced to the housewife who supports her husband. there is another strong woman character, though, Polly.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/charles-finch/
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I've finished Palace of Treason and can hardly wait for the third book to hit the shelves.
Joe Hill has a book out called The Fireman[/i. It is listed as a mystery/thriller (sub: supernatural, psychological, horror). It involves spontaneous combustion. I need to see if our library has it. Not my usual haunts, but I am curious about it but moslty I would like to see if Larry Arnold is listed anywhere in the book. Larry is (or was) living just across the river from me and is a long time investigator of spontaneous human combustion. His book, ABLAZE!, was published in 1995. It got a bit of criticism, naturally enough.
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What's the consensus? Does it exist?
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Read the (next to?) latest Elly Griffiths. "woman in blue."
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/elly-griffiths/
Takes place in a town famous for religious apparitions: is there one being seen now? Good as always, although I'm getting tired of the main character's obsession with a married man. Move on, already!
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I'm beginning another Fern Michaels "Sisterhood series". I like them on occasion. A group of women come together to right wrongs done either to one of them or to somebody they know. You have to suspend reality to read them, but I find that's true for most mysteries and its convenient that two of them have unlimited funds available and one of them is married to an ex MI6 agent who is a computer whiz and has numerous connections to call on for help in seeking their revenge.
You should start with "Weekend Warriors" to understand the following books more quickly when you begin to read them. It's a fun group of gals, though I'd never want to cross them!
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/fern-michaels/
Jean
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Sounds interesting!
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Anyone here like the Phil Rickman books?
We have holidayed for the last twenty years around Herefordshire and earlier this year made appoint of visiting some of the churches and places described in his books. Absolutely fascinating!
Read all about him here at:
http://www.herefordshirelife.co.uk/people/herefordshire_people_author_phil_rickman_1_1635114
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Hello Maryemm - are these books that were made into a TV drama starring Anna Maxwell Davis? I saw that but I didn't realise it was based on books. How interesting!
I have not been to Herefordshire for many, many years. I recall going there on a summer holiday with my mother - I must have been 16 or so. Coming from London I was so impressed with the beautiful countryside, the pretty villages and the local markets - I wonder what it's like now? I always thought it would be such a wonderful area to live in.
I must look out for these books - thanks for telling us about them.
Best wishes,
Rosemary
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Here is a list of his books.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/phil-rickman/
For us ignorant Yanks, where is Herefordshire? I gather it has a reputation for the supernatural. wonder if it's the same area that the "woman in Blue" by Griffiths I mentioned above is placed in?
I think we have areas like that in the US (areas with a reputation for supernatural phenomena), but where?
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Joan, Herefordshire is the English side of the Welsh border, technically the West Midlands. I don't know about the witches!
The county's Wikipedia page says 'Gypsies and Travellers have historically been Herefordshire's largest minority ethnic group.'
It's traditionally a very agricultural area; the need for large numbers of seasonal workers may be why so many Gypsies and Travellers live there?
Rosemary
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Yes, Rosemary, that's the one, though I was not keen on the TV drama. The Merrily Watkins books are "better". If you do read them make sure you do so in chronological order as the characters develop in the series.
Joan: Herefordshire is an area where they grow fruit and hops (for beer). Gypsies would troop to the county to help with the fruit-picking. Today lots of Europeans work in the orchards and in the strawberry fields.
Wales is just around the corner from Hay-on-Wye. Latter has an annual LIterary Festival and countless second-hand bookshops. (Bliss!)Castle features in " Lady of Hay" (Barbara Erskine).
I could happily live in Herefordshire!
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I remembered my granson mentioning that John Grisham writes a series of mysteries for teens. At the library book sale on Friday I saw one in like new condition and bought it for that grandson for Christmas. I thought I'd read it to see what it was about. The series is about Theodore Boone, a thirteen yr old whose parents are both lawyers. He has a very healthy curiousity and sense of humor when he "describes" (in his thinking) the people and events that he comes across. It is a fun read.
I've told people at my women' s history presentations that if they want a good fast read about anyone I talk about to check out the "teen/young adult" section of the library. There have been some awlfully good bios and books about events written for that age group in the last decades. I will definitely be looking for more Theodore Boone books.
https://www.goodreads.com/series/61743-theodore-boone
Jean
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That sounds like a find! I'll try it on my 13 tear old grandson.
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Jean, You made John Grisham's teen mystery series sound so interesting I decided to buy the first book in the Theodore Boone series for my iPad (with the Kindle app). I had some gift money just sitting in my Amazon account. I really enjoyed the book. What can I say----I must be a teen at heart! My grands are too old for them so can't use that for an excuse.😀
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I have been running from a volcano. The name of it is Stromboli. Anne Perry in The Christmas Mystery made it all feel so real. All of the characters except the dead ones had to race for the sea. Wow, I''m out of breath. You know, it's a tiny book.
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What a wonderful description, Hats!!! You've got my heart racing for you. RUN, GIRL, RUN!!!;)
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Hi Jane, all finished running. Enjoyed the mystery a whole bunch.
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8) Good!
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PANT PANT! I'm with you, HATS. You go ahead -- I'll catch up.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/p/anne-perry'
Anne Perry comes out with a new Christmas mystery every year. they are short novellas and are fun because each one features a minor character from her main series as the "detective," The volcano one is number 13 in the series. 14 is supposed to be out, but I haven't seen it.
(They are sometimes more fun than her regular books, which sometimes are slow moving.)
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Having a hard time keeping up with all your great books. My list is so long I will never get through all of them . I only read on my kindle. I am reading a jonathan Kellerman and I do love his books. I post very little butr I am in here everyday to see what you all are up to . Merry Christmas to all.
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Judy, thanks for saying hi once in a while. Merry Christmas to you.
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Hi Judy, Happy Holidays! It is so nice to know that you are here even if you don't post. Thanks for dropping in now and again. I haven't read any Kellerman. My last foray out of the science fiction realm was Red Sparrow and Palace of Treason (Red Sparrow 2) by Jason Matthews. His trilogy (#3 not out yet) is an excellent spy thriller. Red Sparrow is being made into a movie scheduled for release next year.
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MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HANUKKAH TO ALL THE MYSTERY LOVERS!
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Not many posting in Mysteries during the holiday season. I've been reading "Vita Nuova" by British author Magdalen Nabb. It is her last Marshall Guarnaccia book published in 2008, a few months after Nabb died of a stroke in 2007. Her books (14) are set in Florence Italy about an unlikely Army police detective who really cares about people. Her stories are very different than those written by Donna Leon, but they do have one common theme. Both Italian characters (the Marshall and Brunetti) have understanding wives and a good home life. I've enjoyed both series, one written by a British author and the other by an American author.
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Pre-discussion for Cranford opens
Tomorrow, Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Come Join this Historical but Timely Discussion
(https://68.media.tumblr.com/58f5c6738fae0c3c6ad03a1696b5e93f/tumblr_nybojymgCE1rzzn4po1_500.png)
Lots to talk about - settle in with your 'cupa' tomorrow and share your thoughts related to change, that is so similar to today with the change in how folks read as part of nineteenth century advances and the author Elizabeth Gaskell, whose theme of change is an enduring issue.
For this Book of the Month read there will be no need to haunt the library.
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell in available online in several locations.
The Cranford Discussion starts next week.
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Cranford is now open. It's here:
http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=5036.0 (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=5036.0)
See you there.
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It seems no one is reading mystery books in 2017. Joan, I haven't seen you post lately.
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Jean, 2017 is barely started. I am doing Cranford and the third of a very interesting, if at times puzzling, scifi series. The second of the Odd Thomas series is barely started and waiting to be picked up again. There are 112 mysteries on my Kindle still waiting to be read, including a bunch of Tony Dunbar's Tubby Dubonnet series that look interesting. Tubby is a New Orleans lawyer. Dunbar has other books, too, that look interesting. All the books, whether as editor or as author are focused on the deep south. http://www.tonydunbar.com/books.html If anyone has read his books, let me know how you liked them.
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I've been reading mysteries. Right now I'm reading "Styx and Stone" which is the first in a series about Ellie Stone, a reporter in the 1960's. It's interesting so far, especially as I try to remember bits and pieces about the 60's. Before that I Bad Boy Brawly Brown" by Walter Mosley, because I just read an interview someone did with Mr.Mosley recently, and I wanted to read a couple of his previous books before I read his latest. This also was set in the 1960's. The Ellie Stone book is about a woman in changing times. The Mosley book talks a lot, or more accurately depicts a lot, about the experience of blacks in LA and in the Watts area. And they are mysteries.
I also read A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny.
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FRYBABE: those "Tubby" books sound interesting. I love the "legal beagles".
NLHOME: ahh, a woman in the sixties: I remember it well, being a woman in a man's job. No fun.
Sorry I haven't posted lately. I've been reading mysteries (always) but nothing to write about.
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JoanK, periodically Amazon offers up one or several of the Tubby series for free. I have six or seven of them now.
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FRY: I'll look for that.
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I've been reading three interesting mysteries. One was more interesting because of the author than the story - Pearl S. Buck's . Death in the Castle: a novel. I'm not clear why the subtitle was necessary. ;) I got it as a free ebook from Amazon. I was very surprised to see it. The story was about an elderly couple who were no longer able to keep up a centuries old castle in England. An American has made a deal to buy it, but when he comes to visit they discover he's planning to take it down and move it to Connecticut.
There's a secondary theme of whether there are, or are not, ghosts, ancestors, in the castle and whether the Duke thinks he is really Richard the IV. I kept reading only to see how Buck finished it.
The other two where by Margaret Truman, Murder in the Library of Congress and Murder at the FBI. I had not read any of her mysteries for a decade or more and had forgotten them. Both of those were quite good. The FBI one seems to be better than the LC one, I'm in the middle of it. She has done a lot of research about each of those agencies, that info was fun for me.
Jean
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It's been the fashion for a few years to put :a novel at the end of fiction titles. It seems stupid to me. It messes up the rhythm of the title, and I doubt that people actually need that help in figuring out whether the book they're looking at is fiction or not.
I bet :a novel wasn't on the title when Buck wrote it.
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The Buck sounds interesting. Have to get it!
I'm sorry Truman's :library of Congress one wasn't good. I've read a lot of hers, but not that onw.
I love the library of Congress! when I was in graduate school, I did research there, even had my own shelf. I used to wander around in the stacks (forbidden, but that never stopped me: I discovered if you looked like you knew where you were going, no one questioned you. You can't believe what is back there, even little coffee shops. I burned myself on some coffee once, and was rushed through laborinthine passages to an infirmary, complete with all mod cons.
In odd corners, you would find scholar's desks, piled with books (I didn't rate a desk, only a shelf -- sigh). Sometimes the books would be covered with dust, I imagine the scholar had passed away, and his books were waiting for them forever.
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I am reading The Jerusalem Puzzle by ????? !!!! Well, I tried to look it up but it's not on the pages I am reading right now. I will look it up later. I am reading it on my iPad Mini. It was one of the titles mentioned because Overdrive says this is Puzzle month?! Back later!
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Oh, Joan, I envy your opprtunity to do research at L of C. It's such a beautiful building and then to add the wonderful resources that you had available to peruse. Heaven in my book.
Jean
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I've started using Overdrive to borrow online books from our county library. There seems to be a long wait for the titles that interest me. After weeks I finally got The Transpasser by Tana French and not sure yet whether it was worth the wait. Although it didn't come thru Amazon, I did have the choice to read it on my iPad Kindle app which I like.
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FlaJean, our library director recommends that, unless it's a book a person definitely needs to read right away, that we look at the "available books" list first. My husband does that, and he finds a lot that interest him. He'll "check out" several books that are available, plus put himself on the waiting list for a couple of other ones that's he's specifically interested in. I think he can check out as many as 5 or 10 at a time, and he sends them back as soon as he is done so they're available for the next person. He reads either on his phone or his Kindle, with the occasional hard copy if it's a book he wants to read and it's available in the library. I think he's read maybe one or two books on his Kindle that he ordered from Amazon in all the years he's had his Kindle, most are from Overdrive and a few from other free sources.
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I see now that I can put a hold on 5 books. I did not really care for The Tresspasser but now have now borrowed A Still Life by Louise Penny. I am really enjoying this one.
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I just finished Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. What a good story-teller she is. The reader knows someone has been killed but not who or why until the end of the book. At the end of each chapter which tells the story of the characters and the lead up to the killing, there are "witnesses" comments on what happened, a very interesting process, which gives the reader clues of what might have happened. The story is about the relationship of mothers of children in a kindergarden class, mothers with all the problems, joys and angst of young mothers and wives.
I will look for more of her books.
Jean
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JEAN: That sounds very interesting.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/liane-moriarty/
I see she writes Sci-Fi too.
reading the latest Scotteline "Broken". Our lawyers take on the case of a 10 year old dyslexic boy who is being bullied and abused at school. A lot about the processes and laws that (are supposed to0 protect these children.
And Mary is finally on the verge of getting married. Will she really? (I don't know -- I haven't finished the book.)
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I really like Jim Kelly's Shaw and Valentine English police procedurals. They live in an English beach town -- Shaw lives on the beach and loves it, Valentine hates the water. I always learn something new about beaches, and swear I can smell the ocean while I read them. (I live just far enough away from the ocean that I can't smell it -- sigh.)
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/k/jim-kelly/
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They sound good Joan, I had never heard of them before.
I am just starting Christine Falls by Benjamin Black, the pen name of the Irish author John Banville. Christine Falls is about a pathologist in 1950s Dublin who realises there is something shady going on with his eminent gynaecologist brother-in-law. I haven't got very far yet but I imagine it's going to be about illegal abortions, selling of babies, etc. The writing is very good, easy to read but not simplistic. I believe it's the first one in a series.
Has anyone read any Black? There's also another Black, Carla, who writes mysteries set in Paris. I haven't read any of hers yet but I plan to.
Rosemary
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Rosemary -- I haven't read any Benjamin Black books, but I do have a few on my book shelves. Please let us know how you like Christine Falls.
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I've read Carla, but not Benjamin.
I'm reading the second "Fake " Agatha Christie, "Closed Casket" by Sophie Hannah.. It's fun, once you get past the fact that the tone doesn't sound like Christie at all, and start judging it on its own..
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/sophie-hannah/closed-casket.htm
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wait, I did start one of Benjamin's, and had to return it to the library before I finished it. It dealt with the local tannery, and how the workers were shunned and kept to themselves, because the smelled bad.
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While we're between book discussions, I thought it might be fun to fill in the gap by reading a science fiction/fantasy short story or two, just for fun. I've put up one; here's the link:
http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=5050.msg305084#msg305084 (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=5050.msg305084#msg305084)
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Joan - have you read Scottolini's books if her columns? I'm reading Have a Good Guilt Trip, in which she and her dgt share their essays. It's a good pick-up-put-down kind of book, and I love their humor.
Jean
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I read another one. It was good, too, but I forget the name.
I'm afraid Anne Perry is running down.I read her latest Christmas book, "A Christmas Message." It is confused, and the plot makes no sense. It reads like Agatha Christie's last books, when she is getting tired and confused.
Sigh, I know that feeling well. I thought I'd tackle the income tax today. I looked at all the papers, and my mind went completely blank.
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Just finished A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny. One of the best mysteries I've read in a while. She has a nice web site louisepenny.com
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Just finished Insidious by Catherine Coulter, one of her FBI series. I realky like that series.
Jean
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I just finished The Dower House Mystery by Patricia Wentworth, copyright 1925. I enjoyed it and will look up some more of her books.
MaryH
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You know,I think my mother used to read Patricia Wentworth and then pass over to me.I was in high school then. A million years ago!
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I used to read her too. How does she hold up over time? Still good (like us?)
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Yes, Joan, I thought the writing held up. I didn't feel that I was reading something written nearly 100 years ago. The characters seemed real. A few years ago I read Wilkie Collins' Woman in White and that was difficult. Many words were used where few would have been better. A very different style than we are used to now.
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I'm trying to read Margaret Moran's first novel, (1982) a Sigrid Harald story. It desperately needed an editor. A member of the art department in a NY university is poisoned. It has possibilities of being an interesting story, except she describes every mot of dust in every room or scene........aaarrgghh. I read that her husband is an artist, was from Brooklyn and they lived in NYC for a short while, so I guess she got the art processes that she described from him. A little of that goes a long way in a mystery story in my opinion. I want mystery authors to get on with the story, unless the process is important to the solving of the murder.
I read that she's written the last Judge Knott book. I've really enjoyed those and have read almost all of them. (Sigh). She got much better in her writing with that series. 👍 I hope she starts another series.
Jean
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Samuel Boyd Benjamin Leopold Farjeon (1838-1903) wrote close to 60 novels in is 65 years of life. I am reading his Samuel Boyd of Catchpole Square: A Mystery.
The author immediately set about to set up the scene to introduce a motive for the crime and the suspects. As of Chapter 10, a man (one of the suspects) has gone missing, and no one has yet discovered the crime. It also looks like there is a developing romantic interest being introduced. The book is light reading and comes with London "pea-soup" fog. I like the e\banter between some of the characters. I may look for more of his books.
Farjeon's bio in Wikipedia is short, but interesting. Of his four children, two became writers, one was a well known name in theatrical circles, and one was a composer. His daughter, Eleanor, wrote the hymn Morning has Broken which Cat Stevens popularized. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5sSEkZ86ts Here is the poem with a brief, but interesting commentary at the bottom. https://allpoetry.com/Morning-Has-Broken
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Here are his books:
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/j.-jefferson-farjeon/
ben the tramp sounds interesting.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysterytitlejd.jpg)
| ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/smokinggun.gif)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mysteryoutline.jpg)____ | ____(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/graphics/mystbloodyknife1.jpg)____ |
Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!
Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?board=27.0)
Fantastic Fiction (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Stop You're Killing Me (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)
Discussion Leader: JoanK (joankraft13@yahoo.com)
Some of farjeon's books are 99 cents on kindle, so I bought one to try.
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Like father, like son. Like his father, J. Jefferson was also a prodigious writer of crime and mysteries. He may even have surpassed his father in the number of books he wrote. According to Wikipedia, Dorothy Sayers admired his work. Some of his books have been reissued within the last four years. It might be fun to compare writing style between father and son.
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Here he is: J. Jefferson Farjeon
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/j.-jefferson-farjeon/
I started a book by his father. I like the leisurely, wry tone, but it looks like it will take a while for the plot to develop.
Life was much slower back then! A young friend was complaining to me about how slow the sport of baseball is, and I hear they are looking for ways to speed it up. Listening to games always reminds me of my childhood: lazy summer afternoons, drinking lemonade and listening to "the game" on the radio.
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Well, JoanK, I don't remember all those commercials that they've added to the televised game. They make the game seem slower if not actually making them slower. I can imagine some game official (and this goes for football too) telling the teams to slow things down so that the advertisers can get all their commercials aired. I used to watch baseball, but it got too slow. Maybe it is us that speeded up rather than the game slowing down.
I agree with your assessment of the plot being slow. Samuel Boyd...[/] is beginning to make me think, "get on with it, for heaven's sake". The conversation always seems to "beat around the bush", lots of allusions to things, but nothing direct, crucial bits of information not being said. It must be a Victorian thing. Very immodest or impolite to be direct, especially in matters of the heart. It's a wonder that more things were not misunderstood if they spoke the way they wrote.
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I just finished reading a book (The Bookman's Tale by Charles Lovett) which is about an Antiquarian bookseller who is trying to track down a Victorian watercolor artist who painted a portrait of a woman who looks like his dead wife. He wants to know who the artist is and how his wife (for whom he is still grieving) came to be painted 100 years before she lived. Wrapped up in all of this is another mystery, which becomes the prime focus, in which a supposed original copy of a book in which Shakespeare wrote notes in the margins having used it as a basis for A Winter's Tale. Both are intertwined. There is also a general overview of restoration of books and bookbinding.
The scenes are mostly in North Carolina and England (Kingham, where the author lives part of the year). Charlie Lovett is himself an avid book collector and a member of Grolier's Club which is mentioned n the book. I had never heard of the club before, only knowing Grolier as a publisher of encyclopedias. Their Book of Knowledge set was a favorite of mine when I was young, as was the accompanying set, Lands and Peoples. The Grolier's Club: http://www.grolierclub.org/
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I've finished Samuel Boyd... What a long book. The outcome was fairly predictable but the paths to getting there were twisty. I thought the book more melodramatic than Vendetta: A Story of One Forgotten by Marie Corelli. Corelli was often cited for being melodramatic. It might have been there, but I saw no mention of it regarding Farjeon's works.
Now I am just starting The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. It's the second of his Library of Forgotten Books series (Shadow of the Wind was the first). Once again the setting is Barcelona. It begins with a young, aspiring writer who works for a newspaper. I haven't finished the first chapter yet, but I am already sucked in.
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the Bookman's Tale sounds lovely. I'll see if I can get it cheap.
On baseball, I always have my kindle in hand, mute the TV, and read during commercials. Sometimes, I read during the game, too, with the sound low, and look up when I hear the crack of a bat or crowd noise. my cable TV has a classical music station, and sometimes, I flip over to that during commercials. Only problem: it's difficult to judge when to turn back.
I'm the world's expert at avoiding commercials! It's my favorite indoor sport.
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Promising, but disappointing find: "Who Killed willie Lincoln?" (I've returned it to the library and FF doesn't have it: I've forgotten the author. But I don't recommend it anyway. Interesting premise: Willie is Lincoln's young son who died while he was president, shattering both his parents. this book imagines that he was murdered: narrated by a young advisor of Lincoln's who "solves the crime." based on research into Lincoln's household, it gives a picture thereof. Mrs. L's seamstress is a character: I have her biography in my TBR pile.
Unfortunately, the writing is boring. I could barely get through the book.
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Amendment to my previous post. The Zafon series is Cemetery of Forgotten Books (not Library of...).
I am now about a third of the way through The Angel's Game. I've gotten past "the good deed that has not gone unpunished" and feeling some sympathy for the main character/narrator. However, the Gothic spookiness has kicked in, and with it, I perceive the beginnings of a shift in fortunes as well as a shift in personality. I am enjoying this as much as I did Shadow of the Wind.
The connections between the two books are the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and the Sempere, the bookseller. BTW, I discovered that Lucia Graves, Robert Graves daughter, is the English translator.
Hi Joan. You were posting as I was typing. It's a shame about the Lincoln book. It is not something I would be interested in even if it were good, though. I hope you find another more to your liking very soon.
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I finished The Angel's Game last late last night. All I can say is that if you like Gothic Horror or super creepy stories, this is a good one. The ending was a little surprising and interesting. Shadow of the Wind was only mildly creepy in comparison to this one. Although The Angel's Game is the second in the series, it is set previous to Shadow of the Wind. I don't recall that anything carries over to Wind except for the secret library and Daniel Sempere and his bookstore, which leaves me wondering about David Martin (the narrator of Angel's) and his "boss" Andreas Corelli. I don't think they were a feature in Shadow.
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Frybabe, What was the name of the book about the lady who started the little traveling library? You recommended it in the library?
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It's Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley. The Haunted Bookshop is a sequel; I haven't read that yet. Parnassus was Morley's first novel. Haunted follows pretty much follows up on the guy who sold the traveling book shop in Parnassus. Morley was another Pennsylvanian "what done good".
Oh, yes, and you can find both for free on Project Gutenberg.
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I just picked up Carlos Ruiz Zafon's last book of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series, called The Prisoner of Heaven. As before, the story is independent but some of the characters, the Sempere Bookstore and the Library of Forgotten Books are recurring.
Although this book is the last of a series, I plan on reading other of Zafon's works. He is on my personal list of memorable writers and a non-SciFi favorite.
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Yesterday I did a marathon read to finish Prisoner of Heaven. At reading the first few pages, I said to myself, "What the heck is this?" It doesn't have the Gothic flavor of the other two. What it does do is tie the loose threads of the other two books, especially The Angel's Game, together and produces a plausible explanation for David Martin's behavior, for the death of Daniel Sempere's mother, and stirs a seed of revenge in Daniel's mind. Although the hype says the books are free standing and can be read in any order, it is for those aforementioned reasons I recommend reading it last. Warning, the books do jump around in time a bit.
Overall, the three books cover the span of time from 1938 to 1960, at least three generations of Sempere's, and a few of their customers and acquaintances. The time period covers WWII, the end of the Spanish Civil War and, of course, Franco's suppressive and abusive regime. Except for Prisoner of Heaven, which does include some of the abuses of power, the books focus on the lives of people just trying to get by in hard times.
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Here he is:
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/z/carlos-ruiz-zafon/
Sounds very interesting. know very little about that period in Spain, or the lives of the people.
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What happened to the icon for Amazon?
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It's no longer an icon; it's just BOOKS. In the heading, there's a sentence Click BOOKS and your purchase....etc.etc
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I need a bit of help re: Mystery. Could someone suggest a "cozy type" mystery that is well-written and not too "saccharine". Once upon a time, I had a list, but it has gone on to better things (lol). I don't usually read these types of mystery, but I must moderate a discussion for my f2f mystery club, next month, and all my favorite authors have gotten a bit too dark and raw, allowing for the sensibilities of our members. I have to clarify a bit here: We read from our library's collection, and must have adequate copies for our members. The newer stuff is usually something we have to put on reserve, and the older stuff has been "made redundant" and removed from their collections, or only one or two copies have been retained. I had a couple of suggestions to our "fearless leader" who okays our picks, but my Stuart Kaminsky choice was unfortunately one that only had one or two copies available. My Tami Hoag choice, I vetoed this one myself, as absolutely too dark/raw/violent. So...cozies please, if you will, and I will research whatever my library may have that meets our requirements. Thank you in advance!
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Hi, Tome. I am sorry IHer can't help much here, but I did find this site which may be helpful while you wait for others to respond. https://www.cozy-mystery.com/ Some of the authors I never thought of as cozy writers are listed. I guess the closest writers I've read that might qualify are Agatha Christie, Rita Mae Brown (Mrs. Murphy series), Lilian Jackson Braun (The Cat Who series). I haven't kept up with the Mrs. Murphy series, but I see Brown's latest just hit the market on May 30. Of the ones I've read, I liked Murder at Monticello (1994) the best.
Wow! I just checked up on Rita Mae. She was born near here, in Hanover, PA. Another Pennsylvanian done good. Like Brown's helper "Sneaky Pie", my Lucy has parked herself between me and the laptop making it difficult to type. Guess it is treat time again.
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Frybabe, thanks for the link. I shall certainly try that out. Looks like it would be fun.
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On a darker side, I just finished Jo Nesbo's new mystery The Thirst. I like his mysteries; they remind me a little of the "dragon tattoo" trilogy.
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Just finished Donna Leon's latest Guido Brunetti bookEarthly Remains. This is definitely one of the best in this series. Other than that have gotten several free cozy mysteries in BookBub that were entertaining.
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I like that site Frybabe. It gives us some good categories to check out.
Jean
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I have always liked Lillian Jackson Braun books. They are just fun stories. Whatever happened to the Daisy ???? Books? And the little girl who considers herself one great detective. Sargent ???? Books by author who writes the Agatha Raison mysteries? And don't forget Father Brown books! Like the TV series a bunch. I will now go look at Frybabe's link. 🤓❤️🙏
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Annie, M.C.Beaton writes the Agatha Raisin books and the Constable Hamish MacBeth books.
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Thank you, JoanK! I truly liked Hamish Macbeth!!
I am going to try Kathy Aaron's books about The Chocolate and Chapters store. I once worked in a bookstore that also carried a wonderful line of well loved chocolates! So onto Kathy Arron's cozy mysteries!
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So sorry, MaryZ!! I mixed you up with JoanK!!😱😱😱😱🤓
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;) ;) ;)
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Just read a fun Stuart Woods book, not a Stone Barrington. I guess this is another series, i hope so. It was Prince of Beverly Hills. The setting is 1941 Hollywood and the protagonist is hired away from the LAPD to be the head of a studio security force. His primary job at first is to get the English lead actor on the set, sober and on time, in the morning. He has to deal with the Mafia guns who are trying to get into the Hollywoid scene. WWII is coming and has an effect.
Woods is a good writer and a good story-teller.
Jean
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Read the latest book by Margaret Marion Take Out. This was a final book about Sigrid (police detective) of her first mystery series. It has been years since that series and I had a little problem remembering about Sigrid's circumstances. Nevertheless, I did enjoy the book and think Maron put a good ending on the series. I just wish I had been able to reread a couple of the series to jog my memory.
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Dean Koontz interview about his new detective series and such. http://bookpage.com/interviews/21502-dean-koontz#.WVzNyOmQxPa There isn't any information available about the TV series, yet, except that it has been optioned. I am delighted to note that Koontz lists Thursday Next (Jasper Fforde) as his favorite fictional female investigator.
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Those sound like good books. I am in book limbo, since my kindle died. friends rushed me books to read until I can get another one, but no mysteries.
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Oh dear Joan, that is a crisis! :) Fortunately for me, my library is just 3 blocks up the street, so I could probably get there to restock hard copies if I had your problem.
Jean
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I didn't know there were so many in the series. I should have kept a list of the ones already read. I'll try to sort it out. I've started Victoria Thompson's series. The first one is "Murder On Astor Place." I'm already curious about the treasures in the Vanderbilt mansion.
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I've enjoyed the Victoria Thompson mysteries.
I don't know how I missed them before, but I just found the Jonathan Kellerman mysteries, he has a sense of humor similar to Stuart Woods. Then last night at the library I discovered that there is a Faye Kellerman who might be his wife. i happened on a book that has a story by each of them. It flips with Jonathan beginning on one side and Faye's story starts on the other (back of) side.
Jean
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Yes, Faye is Jonathan's wife. (they may or may not have a son who also writes - I may have him confused with another author) I will Google!
Okay, their son, Jesse Kellerman also writes mysteries, and is also a playwright!
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I haven't read Jonathan or Faye Kellerman. Would like to try one.
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Start with his earliest ones, that way you get to know way more about him.
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Yes Tomereader, I think the one I read was his last one. I got it on my ipad from the library just to try him out and didn't look to see if it was part of a series.
Jean
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And Jean, if you read his Wikipedia biographical notes, you will find he writes
from "experience" in some, if not most, cases. He's an interesting man, this author!
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Thanks for directing me to Kellerman's Wikipedia page. That was interesting. My gosh a whole family of writers and what an interesting background they have. I'm looking forward to more of their books.
Jean
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Glad to know where to start. Sometimes don't know whether to start at the end of a series or the beginning of a series.
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Now reading Dead Virgins, the first of the India Sommers Mystery series, by K. M. Ashman. The chapters flip back and forth from 2010 to 64AD. The story is interesting but not great. The author spends some time explaining the historical background of the goddess Isis and her connection (incarnation?) to Vesta. I am puzzled that the author says the Isis myth, along with Set and Horus came originally from the Black Sea area, not Egypt. Huh? Ok, I need to research that. Literary license or new research findings? The main female character is a librarian and amateur historian.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/kevin-ashman/dead-virgins.htm
Also, I've begun reading a new book called Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan. It is okay, but after five chapters, I still haven't warmed up to characters.The author worked in several bookstores and is married to a librarian. http://www.matthewjsullivan.com/books.html
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I've finished with both books I mentioned in the previous post. They turned out pretty good. I hope to read more of the India Summers series in the future, but for now I am going back to a SciFi and a non-fiction.
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Dan Brown is coming out with another book in October called Origin. http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/554852/origin-by-dan-brown/?aid=randohouseinc22722-20&ref=PRH5F9D2235F179&linkid=PRH5F9D2235F179&cdi=3060C55370954887E0534FD66B0A20B0&template_id=6956 The description calls it "stunningly inventive". That phrase can be taken two ways. Does it mean really, really good, or is it a marketing phrase for something not as good as one would hope (but they can't say anything bad because they are trying to sell it)? The really interesting thing I see in the description is that it is set mostly in Barcelona. Barcelona is getting a lot of book play lately. Sad that they also had to deal with a terrorist attack this week.
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I quit reading Dan Brown after reading his 2nd book. IMHO, he uses a formula to write the books.
I felt I was reading the same story each time!
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I saw the Da Vinci Code movie, but didn't read the book. I read Angels and Demons (and saw the movie) but didn't care for it. I have had Inferno for more than a year, but haven't read it. All in all, I think I like several of the Steve Berry books I've read better.
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I loved DaVinci Code; hated Angels &Demons. Have Inferno in my TBR stack but haven't opened it yet.
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Anne Hillerman's third Chee and Leaphorn series is just out "Song of the Lion". I just got the online Kindle version and am looking forward to settling down for a good read. Anne is just as good a writer as her dad and I'm glad she has continued with the series.
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Goodness. I didn't even realize the series continued. I'll have to get hold of them. Thanks, FlaJean.
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Finding my way back in with a new device.
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Trying to read the new Crombie. It,a bogged down with too many continuing characters and situations.
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Glad to see you back posting, Joan. I was beginning to wonder if there were no mystery readers left. My husband bought the whole list of the Miss Seaton series for the iPad and I have been working my way through gradually. They are a fun change of pace but like to read other books in between.
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I've been reading mystery short stories lately, A Moment on the Edge : 100 Years of Crime Stories by Women edited by Elizabeth George. Many were rereads, but I enjoyed this book. Now I am reading A Medal for Murder, by Frances Brody. I had read Dying in the Wool earlier and it kept my interest. This one also keeps my interest, but life keeps getting in the way of finishing it.
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Lost a post. See if this one flies.
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Ah. I see what I did wrong. I m most!y reading books from Amazon unlimited. Don't know if they are generally. Aavailable..
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JoanK, I don't read on line, so don't know what is available. I prefer the library, because I want less clutter in my life, but I have many friends and we exchange books, so there is this pile that is waiting for me. Right now I prefer to escape into books, read them for enjoyment and for challenge to puzzle out things in mysteries. Nothing too deep.
One mystery that puzzles me is why so few people are discussing on this site lately. I have noticed this on one other site I belong to, and I don't know if it's a sign of the times, the profusion of books out now, or maybe people are pulling into themselves. Not sure. That group has a lot of younger people in, so it's not the aging out that a senior group experiences.
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Glad to see somone posting this afternoon. Everybody, including me, seems to have taken a rest. I am not reading any mysteries at the momemt. The short story I am reading, though, could qualify as a SciFi detective story. I'll be posting the link over on the SciFi short story discussion.
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Frybabe, I am so disappointed in the lack of activity and interests in our SenioLearn. I fear we are coming to an end. I peeked in the other topics and just as little activity. Our book, Barchester Towers has gone to just the moderator Barb, and myself. It’s difficult to have a discussion with one other person. I post and feel like I am talking to myself. So sad to see so little interest any more.
:-[ :-\ :'(
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Bellamarie, you are not alone. While the Latin classes have been going gangbusters, the rest of the site is in the doldrums. While we have lost some people, we haven't added many. I have tried, for several years to encourage our Latin enrollees to also come and join our other discussions. I think only one or two have done so. I have also mentioned SeniorLearn to my sister and others that I meet that show an interest, but none of those took me up on it.
I tried GoodReads, but didn't like it, and I don't do Facebook, Twitter of any of those social media websites. I really do like the bulletin board format we have here and on SeniorsandFriends.
As far as Barchester Towers is concerned. It wasn't what I expected. I have no interest, at this time, to delve into church doings.
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I looked at the Barchester Towers book, actually ordered it through the library, but I didn't feel up to a deep discussion.
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It.,a my fault this site is dead. I stopped posting on Seniornet for a while.I,mms trying to get back to it. but still struggling with my new device.
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With my library app, I got a new Charles Todd, "Racing the War." I assume it's about the nurse in WW1.
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Typing is trickier on this. Please excuse the,typos.
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I’ve been enjoying a series by Patricia McLinn about an investigator reporter who was at the top of her profession until her divorce to an exec at the same network. He has tried to ruin her career but she has found new life and friends in a small Wyoming town. The series are McLinn’s “caught dead in Wyoming” series and I just finished the 6th and newest book “back Story”. It is a cozy but is interesting and moves right along. We (husband and I) started the series with a free book for the iPad from BookBub. Then have been buying the rest.
I never thought I would enjoy reading on the iPad, but I do. I like being able to adjust the brightness and print. Since Larry and I both have iPads we can read the same books at the same time, if we want.
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That sounds interesting.I'll look for it.
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The library doesn,t haveit.Got a sample of book 2 from Amazon. (Couldn't find book 1).
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I found book 1, and I like it. Especially since he's not has the same name as my granddog.
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Reading a funny sci to mystery. We Lost the coffee".It takes place in year 2045 in England. They have had a,revolution, gotten rid of the Royals, and declared,a,republic, but rogue rivals are planning a counter revolution. Meanwhile, she to the Coffee Wars, Engalannd is out of coffe, and people are,desaparate, steaLing from anyone who has,a,stash. The government stockpile has been stolen.
Qw
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Now reading Tyler Dilts' A King of Infinite Space. The main character is likeable, the story is good. I haven't figured out how the title fits with the story yet. Dilts also wrote A Cold and Broken Hallelujah which is the second in the Long Beach Homicide series. I plan on reading that one too.
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Is that Long Beach, New Jersey?
Read an odd mystery Hornswagled. The detective is a mother of twelve,including a nursing baby,in 1912. No running water etc. In her "spare time" she solves mysteries. I was exhausted by the end.
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Joan, the Long Beach Homicide series is set in Long Beach, California. I did discover where the title fits in. It is from a passage in Hamlet spoken by Hamlet to Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern. Essentially he remarks that he would be the king of infinite space if not for his bad dreams.
I stand corrected; A Cold and Broken Hallelujah not the second in the series, it is the third. Guess I will have to download the second, the name of which escapes me at the moment (something with Pain in the title).
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I am reading The Footprints of God by Greg Iles. Interesting book but definitely not my usual mysteries. Kind of off the wall stuff. I used to read Greg Iles often but this one is not fitting my remembrance of his books. Maybe I have him confused with another author.😋😋😋
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Annie,
The title is interesting. What's it about?
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Now that I am halfway through the book, I see that I should have mentioned it over in the Sci-fi folder. I can’t describe it but it’s what I guess might be called mild Sci-fi. And can’t I put it down!
Very different reading. Was up til midnight reading it last night. It’s about a huge effort to transfer a person’s brain functions into a super computer. Very involved!
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I'm on the waiting list for the new Sctteline. The two lawyers find themselves in opposite sides in a court case. Has anyone read it?
Their
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I have just come back and seen all the messages about lack of activity - oh please don't let the site die! I love it - I know I've been absent, but I will make a big effort to come in more often. It's been an unbelievably busy year for me, but I am back reading again and I hope everyone else will be too!
As mentioned in The Library section, i am just reading a Jemima Shore mystery by Antonia Fraser, but it is pretty weak. I think she should stick to literary biographies. I've also been rewatching some Miss Marple TV specials but found I could not concentrate through to the end - maybe I have had enough Christie for a while? I must admit I have never found her as brilliant as everyone says she is.
I have not seen the new Murder on the Orient Express film - reviews have not been the best. We currently have a new adaptation of Howard's End and it is really very good - in fact I must dash off now to see the next instalment.
Rosemary
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And Bellemarie and Barb I would love to join in another book discussion so long as it isn't a very long book - do you have anything in mind?
Don't give up! I have learned so much from this site and feel I have real friends here, even though I haven't actually met any of you.
Rosemary
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I’ve been gorging on mystery stories just to get my brain out of the reality of the world around me. I read my first Robert Parker mystery - a Jesse Stone story. I had seen some of the tv shows but hadn’t read the books. I found a David Rosenfelt “Andy Carpenter” book that I hadn’t read. I love his humor and am afraid that this may be the last Andy Carpenter book that I hadn’t read, makes me sad. And I’ve read several Catherine Coulter books. I like her FBI series, but I found a book she wrote before she started the FBI/ Sherlock/Savach stories.
Thank goodness my library has expanded their mystery section, I’m escaping from the world into it. 😊
Jean
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Just finished Malice by Japanese writer Keigo Higashino. Interesting book. Almost at once you know who is guilty but why did he murder? I really enjoyed the book and now have started Salvation of a Saint by the same author. Right away I am intrigued by this story.
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Mystery writer Sue Grafton has died in Santa Barbara, California. She was 77.
Her daughter, Jamie Clark, posted news of her mother's death on Grafton's web page Friday.
She says her mother passed away Thursday night after a two-year battle with cancer and was surrounded by family, including Grafton's husband, Steve.
Grafton was the author of the so-called Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Series in which each book title begins with a letter from the alphabet. The last was "Y is for Yesterday."
Her daughter concluded her posting by saying, "the alphabet now ends at Y."
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I haven't read any of Donna Leon's Brunetti series, but I thought of them when I watched these livecams of Venice.
Rialto Bridge, Venice It. LiveCam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPbQcM4k1Ys
Grand Canal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiiNSrDuECw
Here is one of St. Mark's too. I think that landmark featured in the stories. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9qjE1dm75A
Too bad I didn't think to check these out when I was reading the series. Not sure why I stopped.
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Fans of the Inspector Brunetti series might also like the new "Amazing Places on Our Planet" video of Venice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6VeuE1vDck See if you can pick out some of the places Donna Leon mentions in her books. I am not overly fond of the music accompanying this one. On some of his videos the guy that puts these together adds a tag for what you are looking at; this one he doesn't. Overall, IMO, this is not one of his better efforts, but it is still worth watching.
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Thanks, Frybabe. I enjoyed that.
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In these stressful times, I’m enjoying, just for fun, some Stuart Woods mysteries, his lifestyle is so over he top. Wouldn’t it be fun to have your own plane and houses in New York, Ariz and England? I’ve also been enjoying some of Catherine Coulter’s FBI series with “Sherlock” and “Dillon Savich”. They are just such a fun, competent couple.
Jean
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Did you know that Horace Walpole, way back in 1764, had published what many consider the first Gothic novel? In fact, the second edition added "A Gothic Novel" to the title The Castle of Otranto. So now you know how the genre got its name. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/696
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I posted this to the Science Fiction discussion and then thought I might be appropriate to put it here also:
My Unbound Worlds newsletter led me to The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch. https://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2018/02/review-the-gone-world-by-tom-sweterlitsch The novel is a time travel crime mystery/detective story involving the NCIS. Fox bought the movie rights to it and assigned the director of District 9 to the project before the book was published. Looks like they are serious about making a movie. We'll see. The Criminal Element website is one I am not familiar with.
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I've just finished the last of the Red Sparrow series, The Kremlin's Candidate, by Jason Matthews. The last half of the book was a real rollercoaster/nail-biter. The book had more description and less dialog, especially in the first half, which left me a bit impatient. The ending was good (appropriate to the situation) but it left me feeling sad, haunted, almost like being in mourning. As your read the series, you may find yourself hoping for the best, fearing the worst. The series ending is a mix of both.
A word about the movie: Again, it was good, but did not strictly follow the first book. Jennifer Lawrence was excellent. The critics were right about a passionate spark being missing between Dominika and Nate in the movie. A shame, because that passion was a major force in the books, especially the first two.
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We just lost veteran science fiction writer Kate Wilhelm. I hadn't realized she was also a mystery writer. Has anyone read her mysteries?
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/kate-wilhelm/ (https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/kate-wilhelm/)
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I see she does have a couple of mystery series. Our library has several, but they don't look familiar. I checked out a couple to see how she wrote.
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Never heard of her. I was looking over her books and think Death of an Artist looks good.
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So I have one Kate Wilhelm audiobook and one e-book, and I also looked at the books in our library. I am having a hard time getting interested in them. I thought it was the reader for the audiobook that made it unappealing, but when I started reading the e-book, I decided maybe it was more her style and characters, a lack of personality.
Or maybe I'm just not in the mood?
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Reading a series where the narrator narrator is an IRS agent. Death. Taxes, and Sweet Potato Fries is on title. Very funny, believe it or not.
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I've been "missing" here, but I'm back...just don't get notifications anymore.
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Hi, Tome! Welcome! What are you reading? I,m start in a checklist series, Spying in High Heels. Funny, since I,he avoided high heels all my life!
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The computer changed my "chick lit" above to "checklist"! This new computer is giving me fits! I lose half my posts
so I,m afraid to try to edit them
!!!
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I'm reading a bunch of stuff. For my Mystery Book Club, Kristen Hannah's "Nightingale"; "The Only Child" by Andrew Pyper. That's one I checked out from library, thinking the description sounded good. Well, it started off as a psychological thriller, segued into a Dracula/Frankenstein type thing, and although that's not my kind of mystery, I'm so stubborn, I'm finishing it whether I like it or not. (Gotta find out what happens to the psychologist!) Interspersed with these two, I'm reading the various books about Hitchcock to delve into his moviemaking style, that I'm taking the class about!
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Tomereader, if you like Nightingale, you can binge on Hannah by joining our next book discussion of Winter Garden
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Just finished Donna Leon’s latest Brunetti mystery “The Temptation of Forgiveness”. She is one of the few authors that seem to keep her stories on an even keel but maintaining interesting descriptions about the locale. They are definitely not nail biters but slow and thoughtful which I like. Also read Albert’s latest Darling AL series “The Darling Dahlias and the Unlucky Clover”. The story was interesting but she does get a bit wordy when describing the 1930s/40s era. Does she really have to name every popular song in the 30s or every plant grown in that part of Alabama? By the way, Albert has a new China Bayles book out “‘Queen Anne’s Lace”. I haven’t read it yet but I do enjoy China Bayles.
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Thanks for those updates Flajean. I like both those series. I’m reading John Grisham’s Camino Island, the mystery is the theft of F. Scott Fitzgerarld’s handwritten manuscripts from Princeton U library vault. It’s a little slow, but a good read.
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I just finished a mystery by Charles Todd which I found very interesting. He has several series out—-this one an Inspector Ian Rutledge mystery. I haven’t figured out the message about the author. Turns out that he writes books with his mother. They are a team. Can’t imagin writing books with anyone else. Actually I can’t imagine writing a book! Except memory stories.
Rosemary, we would miss you too. We are trying stay open and are considering several now. Go into the Library and see what’s up there. I’m not sure if anything is up yet but do let the folks there that you’re with us and intend to support this site!!
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I'm currently reading a series I just discovered. The author is Archer Mayor. The protagonist is a police detective in a small town in Vermont. The books are good reads, and I found them first on a cheap-ebooks site.
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I never heard of him either, MaryZ. Upon looking him up, I discovered that he has written 28 Joe Gunther novels since 1988. Here is his bio posted on his website. http://archermayor.com/about/ Interesting that he does work as a "death investigator" which certainly must add substance to his books.
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I've been reading a fun cozy, where the narrator works for the IRS. Don,t have the author,a name here, but all the titles are "Death, Taxes, and ... She works for the criminal devision, the IRS members who carry a gun and go after high powered criminals. Still, it,a hard to be on her side sometimes.
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Just finished Alexander McCall Smith’s latest No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency book “The House of Unexpected Sisters. Precious discovers some exciting changes to her life. A pleasant read and good results to her detecting.
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I love Alexander McCall Smith and Precious and her family. I didn't know about this last mystery. I'm almost through with the series. I have gotten each book from the library.
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I am in the middle of a near future crime thriller called The Night Market by Jonathan Moore; I can barely put it down. A strange death, a government cover-up, a mysterious neighbor, some more macabre deaths, and an entirely unexpected and strange twist (or two). https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-544-67189-8
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Sounds weird and good.
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It was Pat. The ending was kind of unexpected and very good. I would characterize the book, after reading it, as a crossover between mystery/thriller and science fiction. It certainly makes me want to check into more of Moore's books.
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Ah, a new Carlos Ruiz Zafón book, The Labyrinth of the Spirits, is to be released on September 18. It is the fourth and final book of his Library of Forgotten Books series. Can't wait.
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I just finished the first of the Simeon Grist series by Timothy Hallinan called The Four Last Things. It read like on of those old movies with a smart-assed PI Los Angeles. There were plenty of references to various authors, composers and an artist or two. One quip I remember was when the PI, having come across the smell of a dead, ripe animal at the bottom of his driveway, compared it to Mahler. Now, I thought that was a riot; I don't like Mahler's compositions in the least (well, mostly in the least). I plan on reading more of the series.
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That's pretty funny, Frybabe.
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I would love to catch up with the Carlos Ruiz Zafón series. I loved the first book.
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I am into my first Agatha Raisin book. Audible has some freebie streams that include the first book, read by none other than Penelope Keith. How wonderful to hear her read. The loser to this choice was Huckleberry Finn read by Elijah Wood, but only because Agatha Raisin is shorter.
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After moving and downsizing two years ago, I have finally unpacked some of my favorite mysteries. I’ve been rereading my old Harry Kemelman books about Rabbi Small. I have lots of books on my iPad but I still prefer a “real” book.
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Hmm, I haven't reread the Rabbi Small books for years. Maybe it's about time.
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I’ve probably posted my love for the Stuart Woods books before. For me they are the perfect “leave-the-world-get-into-fantasy-world” books. I want Stone Barrington’s life! Money to eat in the best restaurats every night, airplanes to take me anywhere/any time, assistants to handle all the details of my life, 3 or 4 houses at places I go often with HOUSEKEEPERS........of course, there are those Russia mafia guys to worry about.
Jean
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For some reason, I've been reading mysteries that feature librarians. In one,the author pretends that the lighthouse on Cape Hatterus, North Carolina, has been turned into a library. The narrator works there and lives in the top floor. What a dream!
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I think the best mystery series I read this year was by Larry Sweazy, starting with "See Also Murder." I read all three in the series. Another enjoyable series has been Amy Stewart's Miss Kopp, based on a real family back in the days leading up to WWI.
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Joan and nlhome - I don’t know either of those authors, thanks for mentioning them, I’m always glad to find some new mystery stories.
Jean
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I guess i’ve Had a bit of nostalgia the last few months. I reread all my Harry Kemelman Rabbi Small books and then started on Dorothy Gilman’s Mrs. Pollifax mysteries. I did fill in with Albert’s latest Darling Alabama book about the Darling Dahlia’s garden club The Poinsettia Puzzle . This was the best of this series so far—-especially the ending.
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Oh, I like Albert’s Dahlia series. I’ll have to look for that one.
Jean
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Flajean, you've given me some new rereading ideas. It's been some years since I last reread either Kemelman or Gilman; about time for both.
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I hate autocorrect. FlaJean, it turned your name into Flake an, and I didn't even notice it until now. If you saw it before I corrected it, I'm sorry.
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I first ran across Harry Kemelman long before he wrote the Rabbi Small stories, in a series of short stories in Ellery Queen's mystery magazine. They are essentially little logic puzzles, and the best one, The Nine Mile Walk, is a classic, often reprinted. Here it is.
http://www.101bananas.com/library2/ninemile.html (http://www.101bananas.com/library2/ninemile.html)
Yikes! It came out in 1947. Time flies when you're having fun.
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Pat, that was interesting!
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Donna Leon has a new Commissiario Guido Brunetti book in March “Unto Us a Son is Given”.
Tony Hillerman’s daughter, Anne Hillerman, published her 5th book which is due out in April. I purchased her first 3 books on my IPad Kindle app. They are just as good as her Dad’s book and I have enjoyed each one.
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I seem to be the only poster here! Anyway, I just finished Anne Hillerman’s latest “The Tale Tellers”. It was good and centered on the main characters of Lt. Leaphorn, Bernie and Chee. It started a little slow but sure had plenty of action before it was ended. This is the 5th of daughter Anne’s books and I bought them for my Kindle app.
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Hi FlaJean. Yes, the group as dwindled in most of the discussions. We all seem to congregate in The Library now.
I was so unimpressed with the mystery I finished a little over a week ago, that I forget the author's name and the series. It was the first of a wine centered mystery and the title was The Merlot Mystery or something close to that. I will give the author credit for lining up so many suspects and keeping me from guessing who did it until near the end. I just didn't like any of the characters.
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I still look in here, but without FlaJean and Frybabe, nobody seems to do "mysteries" anymore. I do. Noticed it had been almost two months since anyone posted here.
I'm reading, for my f2f book club, "Truth Be Told" by Hank Phillipi Ryan. She's a pretty good author, I enjoy her books. Sometimes get weary of her "staccato-type" presentation. I'm not sure she does this in everything she writes. I will be poking my head in here more often to see if anyone cares, LOL.
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I think there are so few of us left that to coalesce in the library makes sense - in fact I can see a real plus, by sharing your reaction to the mystery books you are reading may induce others to read a mystery - I'm thinking of reading Celtic Empire (Dirk Pitt Adventure) by Clive Cussler which I think may be more fantasy and adventure but there is mystery as well. A very different story for me and only because I saw some posts talking about both fantasy and mysteries. So it may be a good thing to talk in the Library.
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I mostly read mysteries. I just finished the latest by Donna Leon. I also read Special Circumstances by Sheldon Siegel, on a recommendation from my husband, who rarely suggests books for me. It was good. And now I am reading a bit of fluff, a mystery set in a library in a lighthouse in North Carolina. I can't remember the title, and it's on my tablet which is off in a different room.
I like the idea of having more than one discussion option, rather than everything in the Library. It's easy to get lost there.
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aha good thought nlhome - the advantage of this discussion - if it ever gets too quiet though please remember the library. Looks like today the winter storm in Spring is not only in the northeast but would be affecting lighthouses along the Atlantic including North Carolina.
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Sheldon Siegel is a new author to me. I’ve got an Amanda Cross book to read and then a trip to the library. I’ll see if my library has any books by Siegel.
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I was so unimpressed with the mystery I finished a little over a week ago, that I forget the author's name and the series. ............... I will give the author credit for lining up so many suspects and keeping me from guessing who did it until near the end. I just didn't like any of the characters.
Frybabe, that reminds me of my attempt to read Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo.
Spoiler alert:
The suspects were all totally unsympathetic (victim too), a third of the book was a side issue that turned out to be completely irrelevant, and the murderer turned out to be the only one who was sober enough at the time to do anything complicated.
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i went to the library to check books by Sheldon Siegel and left my cheat sheet at home and ended up with two books by Jeffrey Siger. Didn’t realize I had the wrong author until I got home. But are enjoying these two books. They are about a Greek detective in Greece. When I take these books back I’ll look for the intended Siegel books.
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Serendipity.
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I am reading "The Winter People", which I feel is sort of a cross between The Thirteenth Tale and any Stephen King novel. I'm not quite sure whether I "like" the book or not, I don't usually like ghost stories/paranormal stories, but the writing in this one is really good, and it is holding my interest. I am 2/3's of the way through it. Oh, the author is Jennifer McMahon, she has written other books, the titles of which sound really good. It is a real twisty story, set in two time periods, present time and 1908, so I had to pay real close attention in the beginning, to which characters were in which time period.
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Tomereader, it sounds like The Winter People is worth the effort you have to put into it. If it's as twisty as The Thirteenth Tale, you're going to have fun following the turns.
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Read an interesting light mystery - not exactly a cozy but not a major author - book called Cruel Winter by Sheila Connolly, who appears to be a prolific mystery writer - anyhow what I thought was interesting the entire story was built around a group stuck in a pub during an unusual storm discussing and having a sorta trial over a 20 year old murder - there were among the group the women everyone wanted to blame but there was no evidence to support to even bring her into a court room and one police officer who at the time was a young newbie - the others either lived nearby or had heard about the murder in the news or from the gossip that was the way of things.
I thought the premise was interesting to create a story about a murder that took place 20 years ago rather than the typical following the murder step by step as if in the past or a current murder.
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Sounds good, Barb.
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Form the New Book section at the library I found a new author to me! Just finished The Body in the Well by Martin Walker. An interesting story set in France featuring Bruno, the local police chief. Now I want to look for some of his earlier novels about Bruno.
I read my first P D James mystery—-Unnatural Causes—-interesting.
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I liked James' mysteries a lot. They vary a lot in quality though, and it's been long enough that I've forgotten which were the best. I remember liking Devices and Desires, also An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (in which Dalgliesh plays only a very small part). There were British movies of some of them, shown on PBS, which were quite good.
Never heard of Walker--sounds like my kind of thing.
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I’ve read Charles Belfoure’s The Paris Architect twice as I enjoyed it so much. It’s about Paris in World War II. Mr. Belfoure is a “real life” Architect in Baltimore, but the book is a story of how an architect who is concerned only about himself and his work is changed through his experiences.
I just finished Mr. Belfoure’s recent book (published in 2018) The Fallen Architect. It takes place in the early 1900s and about a terrible accident in a new building blaming the Architect. A really interesting mystery.
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Gosh, nobody has posted here in almost a year.
I just finished reading a murder mystery called Blackman's Coffin: A Sam Blackman Mystery by Mark de Castrique. The main character is a disabled vet who was, prior to losing part of a leg, was a military police investigator and the story is set in the Asheville, Black Mountain (VET hospital), and the Biltmore Forest, NC area. There are six in the series so far. Unfortunately, I can only find in my local library A Specter of Justice which is the fifth. I may have to make do with that, though I'd like to read the others. I like the main character.
Castrique has another series he calls Buryin' Barry which has seven books in it so far. This series is about a former cop turned undertaker. Castrique himself is an experienced broadcaster and producer, and has gained several awards, including an Emmy, for his work. His father was a funeral director.
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People have been talking about mysteries a bit in theLibrary, but not much. I never heard of de Castrique, but it’s JoanK who’s the fan.
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Frybabe, thanks for the new author. Our library has one, our system has several (but no interlibrary loan right now), and Overdrive has one for sure.
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FRY: thanks for the reference. I'm not familiar with him, and my library doesn't seem to have his books. Too bad.
I usually read "cozies", the lighter mysteries, often with women as the main characters. Think "Murder, she wrote." But they can get formulaic .
My