Author Topic: Mystery Corner ~ 2 (Read 897913 times)

marjifay · « **Reply #3400 on:** February 24, 2012, 12:37:50 PM »

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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!

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Discussion Leader: JoanK

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

pedln · « **Reply #3401 on:** February 24, 2012, 01:37:18 PM »

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.

Quote

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.

MaryPage · « **Reply #3402 on:** February 24, 2012, 02:17:33 PM »

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.

MaryPage · « **Reply #3403 on:** February 24, 2012, 02:21:52 PM »

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.

Babi · « **Reply #3404 on:** February 25, 2012, 08:41:42 AM »

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?

MaryPage · « **Reply #3405 on:** February 25, 2012, 09:37:02 AM »

Nothing whatsoever. Was totally unaware. Will check them out. Thanks!

JeanneP · « **Reply #3406 on:** February 25, 2012, 04:42:58 PM »

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.

JoanK · « **Reply #3407 on:** February 25, 2012, 05:53:00 PM »

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!

roshanarose · « **Reply #3408 on:** February 26, 2012, 01:04:56 AM »

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

Steph · « **Reply #3409 on:** February 26, 2012, 06:28:55 AM »

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.

Babi · « **Reply #3410 on:** February 26, 2012, 08:53:08 AM »

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.

Steph · « **Reply #3411 on:** February 27, 2012, 06:03:37 AM »

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..

Babi · « **Reply #3412 on:** February 27, 2012, 08:20:23 AM »

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.

Steph · « **Reply #3413 on:** February 28, 2012, 06:22:18 AM »

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..

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #3414 on:** February 28, 2012, 07:34:33 AM »

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

Babi · « **Reply #3415 on:** February 28, 2012, 08:48:07 AM »

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.

Steph · « **Reply #3416 on:** February 29, 2012, 06:23:39 AM »

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.

Frybabe · « **Reply #3417 on:** February 29, 2012, 08:42:19 AM »

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.

marjifay · « **Reply #3418 on:** February 29, 2012, 09:21:47 AM »

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

jane · « **Reply #3419 on:** February 29, 2012, 09:53:08 PM »

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

Steph · « **Reply #3420 on:** March 01, 2012, 06:09:29 AM »

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.

Babi · « **Reply #3421 on:** March 01, 2012, 08:46:43 AM »

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.

JoanK · « **Reply #3422 on:** March 01, 2012, 07:41:43 PM »

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.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #3423 on:** March 02, 2012, 03:53:47 AM »

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

Rosemary

Rosemary

Steph · « **Reply #3424 on:** March 02, 2012, 06:06:50 AM »

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.

Babi · « **Reply #3425 on:** March 02, 2012, 09:07:30 AM »

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.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #3426 on:** March 02, 2012, 10:12:15 AM »

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

JoanK · « **Reply #3427 on:** March 02, 2012, 08:44:37 PM »

Rosemary: how interesting! A real curmudgeon, who washes elephants (or perhaps sees pink elephants?)

Steph · « **Reply #3428 on:** March 03, 2012, 06:04:59 AM »

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..

Babi · « **Reply #3429 on:** March 03, 2012, 09:08:50 AM »

Quote

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.

roshanarose · « **Reply #3430 on:** March 04, 2012, 12:03:06 AM »

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.

Steph · « **Reply #3431 on:** March 04, 2012, 06:21:38 AM »

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.

Babi · « **Reply #3432 on:** March 04, 2012, 09:02:35 AM »

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.

JoanK · « **Reply #3433 on:** March 04, 2012, 04:05:13 PM »

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.

Steph · « **Reply #3434 on:** March 05, 2012, 06:21:05 AM »

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.

JoanK · « **Reply #3435 on:** March 06, 2012, 03:38:25 PM »

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

Steph · « **Reply #3436 on:** March 07, 2012, 06:23:55 AM »

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.

JoanK · « **Reply #3437 on:** March 07, 2012, 11:48:35 AM »

Reading the second in the Athenian Mysteries by Gary Corby, "The Ionian Sanction". A fun, painless way to learn ancient Greek history.

JoanK · « **Reply #3438 on:** March 07, 2012, 11:52:35 AM »

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

Steph · « **Reply #3439 on:** March 08, 2012, 06:23:17 AM »

Wow.. Now that is a surprise, but I think that the saying is that Poe was the first American mystery writer.

News:

Author Topic: Mystery Corner ~ 2 (Read 897913 times)