Book a Week in 2015 - BW9

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday, dear hearts.   Today is the start of week 9 in our quest to read 52 Books. Welcome back to all our readers, to all those who are just joining in and to all who are following our progress. Mr. Linky is all set up on the 52 Books blog to link to your reviews. The link is below in my signature.

 

52 Books Blog - March Mystification:  Welcome to March Mystification and our author flavors of the month are Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers and Josephine Tey.   All month long we'll be highlighting mysteries, both puzzling and perplexing, riddles to solve and mind boggling queries. Where dime novels, cozy mysteries, whodunits and police procedurals compete with hard boiled private eyes and super sleuths.  Pull out your magnifying glasses and binoculars and get ready to snoop. 

Agatha Christie created Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence as well as Ariadne Oliver, Harley Quin and Parkey Pyne.   I am more familiar with Poirot and Marple, than the other four, but will eventually make their acquaintance.  I haven't read anything yet by our other two authors.  Dorothy Sayers introduced readers to Lord Peter Wimsey and Josephine Tey brought us Inspector Alan Grant in her best known story The Daughter of Time as well as several others. 

Our fascination for mysteries started way back in the ancient Greece with Sophocles and Euripides who entertained folks with mystery and dramatic plays. Since then, we've fallen in like with classics mystery writers such as Edgar Allen Poe, Sherlock Holmes, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, G.K. Chesterton and Ellory Queen, among others. But least we forget, there are numerous authors presently who make us fall in love with mysteries such as some of my favorites:   Nora Roberts, James Rollins, Sandra Brown, Lisa Scottoline, Cleo Coyle, Dan Brown, Jeffrey Deavers, Lee Child and John Sandford to name a few.  

Don't know where to start - check out Mystery Authors, Mystery Writers of America, and Cozy Mystery.  You'll be following rabbit trails for days.  *grin* 

Join me in reading all things mystery for the month of March.
 

*********************************************************************

 

History of the Medieval World - Chapter 11 (Pp 77 - 84)

The Sack of Rome (396 - 410 AD)

 

*********************************************************************

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

Link to week 8

[Robin M]

On deck for march mystification is Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon, Josephine Tey's The Daughters of Time and Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express.

 

I don't know if I ever told you guys this story about when I read Christie's Mysterious Affair at Styles a few years back. I read one word at the very beginning of the book which created an interesting conundrum and made me think the narrator was the murderer.  The story is narrated by Mr. Hastings, a friend of the Cavendish family.

This is the sentence that caused me to look at the story in a different way.

Mr Hastings narrates "I will therefore briefly set down the circumstance which led to my being connected with the affair."

I read "connected" as "convicted."

"I will therefore briefly set down the circumstance which led my being convicted with the affair."

Totally changes the story and sets you up to look for the clues that leads to Mr. Hastings. Hercule Poirot was an acquaintance of Mr Hastings and would tell some things to him and other clues, he would keep secret from Mr. Hastings. So it all seemed to mesh, except towards the end of the story, I realized something was amiss and went back and read the first page again. "Aha" I said, slapping myself on the side of the head. I was looking for guilt where there was none.

Interesting how one word can change everything!

[TeacherZee]

I LOVE mysteries. Some of my favourite authors are: Julia Spencer-Fleming, J.D. Robb, Linda Castillo and Dorothy Sayers.

 

I am currently reading a mystery of sorts. I'm reading One of Us (En av oss) by Åsne Seierstad (who wrote The Bookseller of Kabul) which is due out in the US this week. It tries to show what led up to Anders Behring Breivik murdering 77 people in Oslo and on Utöya. So far it is very interesting. I'm terribly behind on my history reading, I had hoped on catching up this week but instead I watched lots of skiing and wrote blog posts (I'm now almost caught up on reviewing the books I've read so far this year.

 

I will probably try and start some mystery book this week. Maybe something from my shelves that I have yet to read.

 

1. The Child Catchers by Kathryn Joyce

2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

3. The Understatement of the Year by Sarina Bowen

4. The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen

5. The Year We Hid Away by Sarina Bowen

6. Blond Date by Sarina Bowen

7. A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift

8. Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson

9. After the War is Over by Jennifer Robson

10. With Every Letter by Sarah Sundin

11. Falling from the Sky by Sarina Bowen

12. Obsession in Death by J.D. Robb

13. Murphys Law by Rhys Bowen

14. Än finns det hopp by Karin Wahlberg

15. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

[aggieamy]

Nothing finished this week yet ... except for a huge stack of picture books.  DH is out of town and DS wants to do nothing except sit on my lap and read him books.  I'm really trying to just enjoy it rather than thinking about all the things I want to get done.  

 

Still reading Have His Carcase.  Wow.  Good mystery and there's a delightful unexpected little love story going on also.  This book would really have to bomb for me not to give it five stars.  Stay tuned!  

 

 

[Stacia]

Well, I just finished a book that might fit into mystery March with a hard-boiled PI. I really enjoyed Kismet by Jakob Arjouni & think this is definitely one for Jane to check out. Kemal Kayankaya is a tough Turkish-German PI who accidentally ends up in the middle of a turf war as a Croatian organized crime group tries to take over territory of Albanian & German mobs in Frankfurt. The setting was great & I liked the international flavor of the various groups in the book. It was also darkly funny & nicely paced. Recommended for fans of PI/investigative/international crime fiction. I've already mentioned this one to dh as I think it's one he may also enjoy.

 

From Publishers Weekly:

Hard-boiled detective fans should welcome German author Arjouni's U.S. debut, the fourth book in his popular series (Happy Birthday, Turk! etc.) featuring Kemal Kayankaya, a wisecracking Turkish immigrant PI. When a ruthless gang calling itself the Army of Reason demands 6,000 marks a month from a Frankfurt restaurateur acquaintance of Kemal's, Kemal and his sidekick, Slibulsky, wind up in a gun battle that leaves two thugs dead. In 2001, the year this novel was first published, Balkan refugees were streaming into Frankfurt. Kemal must deal with Croatians trying to move in on territory already divided among German, Albanian, and Turkish bosses as well as searching for a wealthy woman's lost dog and protecting an all too worldly 14-year-old Bosnian girl. While Kemal lacks charm, this entry will whet readers' appetite for the three earlier Kayankaya mysteries.

 

Robin, of the authors you've listed for March, I've read both Christie & Tey, but never Sayers. Perhaps I'll have to try one of hers sometime this month. I'm also planning to try Orlando by Virginia Woolf soon. Btw, I love The Maltese Falcon. Hope you have fun reading it! (I still love the version I read which included a bunch of historical photos of San Francisco that correlated to locations in the story.)

 

I'm still working on Maugham's The Razor's Edge. It's lovely & leisurely paced.

 

2015 Books Read:

Africa:

• Rue du Retour by Abdellatif Laâbi, trans. from the French by Jacqueline Kaye, pub. by Readers International. 4 stars. Morocco. (Poetic paean to political prisoners worldwide by one who was himself in prison for “crimes of opinionâ€. Explores not only incarceration but also readjusting to a ‘normal’ world after torture & release.)
• Nigerians in Space by Deji Bryce Olukotum, pub. by Unnamed Press. 4 stars. South Africa & Nigeria. (Scientists lured back home in a ‘brain gain’ plan to start up Nigerian space program. But, things go awry. Is it legit, a scam, or something more sinister?)
• Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor, pub. by Viking (Penguin Group). 3 stars. Nigeria. (YA fantasy lit in the vein of HP but with a West African base of myth & legend.)

Asia:

• The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami, a Borzoi book pub. by Alfred A. Knopf.  4 stars. Japan. BaW January author challenge. (Creepy campfire style story; thought-provoking ending made me rethink the entire story.)
• The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire by Jack Weatherford, pub. by Crown Publishers. 4 stars. Mongolia. (Non-fiction. Even with gaps, fascinating pieces of lost &/or censored history.)

Caribbean:

• The Duppy by Anthony C. Winkler, pub. by Akashic Books. 3 stars. Jamaica. (A duppy [ghost] relates ribald & amusing anecdotes of Jamaican heaven.)

Europe:

• The Affinity Bridge by George Mann, a Tor book pub. by Tom Doherty Associates. 3 stars. England. (Entertaining steampunk with likeable characters.)
• Extraordinary Renditions by Andrew Ervin, pub. by Coffee House Press. 4 stars. Hungary. (Triptych of stories in Budapest touching on the Holocaust, racism, corruption, the power of music,…)
• The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, pub. by Scribner Classics. 4 stars. France & Spain. (Lost generation of post-WW1 expats living, loving, & arguing in France & Spain.)
• Kismet by Jakob Arjouni, trans. from the German by Anthea Bell, pub. by Melville House (Melville International Crime). 4 stars. Germany. (Tough Turkish-German PI in the middle of a turf war as a Croatian organized crime group tries to take over territory of Albanian & German mobs in Frankfurt. Darkly funny & nicely paced.)

Middle East:

• The Jerusalem File by Joel Stone, pub. by Europa editions. 2 stars. Israel. (Noir detective tale re: jealousy. Ambiguous, unsatisfactory ending.)
• Goat Days by Benyamin, trans. from Malayalam by Joseph Koyipally, pub. by Penguin Books. 3 stars. Saudi Arabia. (Simple tale of enslaved Indian forced to herd goats in the Saudi Arabian desert.)

North America:

• The Good Lord Bird by James McBride, pub. by Riverhead Books (Penguin Group). 5 stars. USA. (Sharp satire, historical fiction & folly, standing on top of heart, soul... & freedom.)

[Just Robyn]

 

 I'm also planning to try Orlando by Virginia Woolf soon. 

:hurray:

 

I finished Shakespeare's Henry IV Part 1. I usually read Oxford School Shakespeare books because I like that their footnotes are actually in the sidebar. That makes reading the notes faster and easier, more fluid, for me. I am disappointed that they didn't make an edition of Henry IV Part 2. I'll have to read whatever's at the library, I guess, with footnotes at the foot of the page.  :closedeyes:

 

I started The Art of Description by Mark Doty and just yesterday ds and I started reading The Diary of a Young Girl. Anne is charming. She reminds me of Kendall Hailey (The Day I Became an Autodidact).

 

I have Virginia Woolf's Orlando sitting here waiting for me. I'll probably start reading it today. 

[Chrysalis Academy]

I'm also a classic mystery fan - Christie and Sayers and Doyle and Poe and . . . I like the oldies and goodies.  Georgette Heyer wrote a bunch of mysteries too, mostly set in the "modern" - her modern - era, but she wrote a great Gothic murder mystery, Penhallow, which I've read several times and enjoy.  I guess it's modern-ish, too, now that I think of it, they have cars, but the book has a very Gothic feel.

 

I'm going to re-read Daughter of Time this month, as well as A Room of One's Own by Woolf.  I have Orlando on my stack, but might not get to it this month.  This year, sometime, I hope! I will read A Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes for my book group on March 11.

 

Currently I'm still reading Spillover, The Reluctant Mr. Darwin, and Sense and Sensibility (which I don't like nearly as much as P&P, though it's still good), and The Fall of Troy by Peter Ackroyd.  For fun I'm reading Firefight, the sequel to Steelheart.  The girls and I have moved on to Taran Wanderer - I must confess that I"m getting tired of this series! - and From Then Till Now, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, and In Search of a Homeland.

 

Books of 2015:

29. Steelheart - Brandon Sanderson

28. The Castle of Llyr - Lloyd Alexander

27. The Shadow in the North - Philip Pullman

26. The Ruby in the Smoke - Philip Pullman

25. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Vol. 2 - Arthur Conan Doyle

24. The Friendly Persuasion - Jessamyn West

23. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

22. My Antonia - Willa Cather

21. The Secret History of the Mongol Queens - Jack Weatherford

20. Amsterdam - Ian McEwan

19. The Creation of Anne Boleyn - Susan Bordo

18. Girls on the Edge - Leonard Sax

17. Ancillary Sword - Ann Leckie

16. Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen

15. The Black Cauldron - Lloyd Alexander

14. 1984 - George Orwell

13. My Real Children - Jo Walton

12. The March of Folly - Barbara Tuchman

11. Day - Elie Wiesel

10. The House of the Seven Gables - Nathaniel Hawthorne

9. The Wikkeling - Steven Aronson

8. Whole Earth Discipline - Stewart Brand

7. The Ghost-Feeler - Edith Wharton

6. Dawn - Elie Wiesel

5. The Strange Library - Haruki Murakami

4. Ancillary Justice - Anne Leckie

3. The Case of Comrade Tulayev - Victor Serge

2. Night - Elie Wiesel

1. The War of the Worlds - H. G. Wells

[Kareni]

Robin,

 

The link is missing in your last post of last week's thread.

 

 

I read Girl with the Cat Tattoo (Cool Cats Book 1) by Theresa Weir.

 

"When a matchmaking cat takes it upon himself to find his young mistress a new mate, he accidentally stirs up memories better left forgotten.

Melody’s husband was murdered by what seemed a random act of violence. Two years later, the killer hasn’t been caught, and Melody is coping in unhealthy ways. During the day she’s a mild-mannered children’s librarian, but at night she’s a party girl, hanging out in bars, drinking with new friends, and often bringing home strange men. Although acquaintances have tried to keep in touch, Melody has cut herself off from most of the people in her old life. Max, her eccentric cat, doesn’t approve of her new friends, he’s tired of the parade of losers, and he finally takes it upon himself to find Melody a new man."

 

I'd read many excellent reviews of this book which might have led me to expect too much.  This was a pleasant read, but I'd hoped for more.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

Thank you. I got distracted. 

 

:zombiechase:

 

Robin,

 

The link is missing in your last post of last week's thread.

 

[Onceuponatime]

Yeah! Now I have an excuse to binge on mysteries! After I finishTo Kill A Mockingbird for my IRL book club.

 

Last week I finished Library: An Unquiet History and I also read Behold, Here's Poison by Georgette Heyer. I've got the latest Flavia and a Maisie Dobbs waiting to be picked up at the library tomorrow.

[Loesje22000]

I will check if our Flemish library has some Judge Dee Mysteries from the Dutch Author Robert Gulik:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Robert+gulik

The setting is in ancient / medieval? China, Judge Dee is a convinced Confucionist :)

For those who like something different...

( I like Agatha Christie but I can handle just a certain amount of her mysteries back to back)

 

For Dutch readers:

Judge Dee is Rechter Tie.

[melmichigan]

I finished Burned (Fever #7) by Karen Moning.  My feelings are still all over the place with this book.  All the characters seem to be in transition, with the except of Lor. ;)   I'm not sure where KM is taking this series, but I'm along for the ride.

[MicheleinMN]

I have been bingeing/binging on Jane Austen knock-offs and am not impressed so far.  I just started The Mysterious Death of Miss Jane Austen by Lindsay Ashford and am liking this one better so far.  I also started The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers and Night and Day by Virginia Woolf.  Rumor has it that Night and Day is not very like most of Virginia Woolf's other works, so maybe I have a shot at (maybe) liking this one.  

 

Finishing The Count of Monte Cristo was huge!  (pun intended! groan if you'd like.)  It looks like I started it (again) in 2012.  It is excellent!  

 

The trouble with excellent literature is that I now have very little patience to wade through not so great literature.

 

 

11. Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor - okay, much better than the other Jane knock-off, but not great

10. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - excellent

09. Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan - good, great characters

08. Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James - awful, wish I hadn't bothered to read it

07. Plea of Insanity by Jilliane Hoffman - pretty good, but not great

06. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - good

05. Emma by Jane Austen - very good

04. First Grave on the Right - meh (great narrator, lots of potential, but mostly    

     disappointing)

03. A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami - weird but good

02.  Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler - pretty good

01.  A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny - pretty good

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

Oh yeah! I just remembered what I meant to post before.  P.D. James! I love her.  I think I have a (formerly) secret crush on Adam Dalgliesh.  So cerebral and dreamy  :001_wub:

[JennW in SoCal]

Happiness is sitting in front of a fire with a good book on a rainy day.  It's a day to revel in what little winter-like weather we get!

 

On tap is Bertie and the Tinman by Peter Lovesey, which I picked up at the library based on the cover and the author.  It should be a light read, perfect for a rainy afternoon, and a nice start to our mysterious March readings. 

 

   

 

 

I finished Moriarty yesterday, an hour or so behind my college boy, which was nice because I could immediately text him with "OMG!" comments and he would text back with "I know, right?" comments.  Such was our deep analysis of the book.  I almost gave up on it near the middle because it has a touch too much gory violence and I thought the main characters were being utterly stupid.  But there is quite the payoff for sticking to it.

 

I will happily read lots of mysteries this month!  I don't need much motivation for a good whodunit.  And there are many Christie titles I've not read and a whole new author, Josephine Tey, to discover, and on my shelves an unread Judge Dee title. And Tony Hillerman books I've wanted to reread.  But first Bertie and the Tinman awaits... 

                                  

[*Inna*]

Hi, guys!

 

I thought I'd pop by and say hello. I haven't been reading much lately - extended family problems are taking up all my time, but I did manage to read  The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery on Kindle. What a sweet little story, thank you, whoever mentioned it in one of the BAW threads!

 

I downloaded Emily of New Moon trilogy as well. I guess I'm in the mood for sweet, innocent stories, where evil is always defeated and love wins every time.

[Ali in OR]

I would love to spend the whole month reading mysteries, but I have a few other things on my pile that I need to get to. My mystery author that I will definitely get to is P.D. James. I bought one at the library book sale--turns out it is the second Cordelia Gray mystery (I've read the Adam Dalgliesh mysteries, but no Gray). So I got the first Cordelia Gray mystery from the library--An Unsuitable Job for a Woman--and I'll try to read both of those this month. I liked Daughter of Time--it was a favorite of my mother--and I wouldn't mind reading another Tey. If I read a Christie this month it will be Ten Little Indians which I believe is the American title of And Then There Were None. And then there's the big fat compilation of I think all of the Lord Peter works including short stories that I got at last year's library book sale and haven't read yet.

 

To transition from Flufferton February to Mysterious March, I'm reading one Amy mentioned last week, Sheri Cobb South's In Milady's Chamber. A nice Regency mystery. I'm supposed to be reading my book club pick, The Girls of Atomic City, or our Bible study group's choice of Being Mortal. But after Villette, I needed something fun. Meanwhile my dd chose to read The Book Thief for the novel she's supposed to read on her own this quarter for English, so I will probably want to re-read that soon. Oh, and my dad randomly sent me Death Comes for the Archbishop which many here have said is their favorite Cather, so on to the pile it goes. The book I finished this week was Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 which I found very worthwhile--already mentioned that in last week's thread.

 

I have more fun posting the reading pile to be read soon rather than what I've already finished. Here it is:

1. In Milady's Chamber

2. The Girls of Atomic City

3. Being Mortal

4. An Unsuitable Job for a Woman

5. The Book Thief

6. The Skull Beneath the Skin

7. Moriarty

8. Death Comes for the Archbishop

(and try to sneak in a Tey, a Christie, and some Lord Peter???)

 

[mumto2]

I have been so busy talking to my best friend, who has been visiting this weekend,that very little reading has happened. I have absolutely no idea how to summarize my favourite mystery authors to just a few.....I like way too many. Sayers and Christie would certainly be high on my list.

 

Think I am going to attempt one of the Tey's in the same series as Daughter of Time simply because available via overdrive.

 

I am getting close to finished on the latest Flavia. Dd loved it but I can't say it is one of the best. It is OK and I am hoping for a good ending......

 

Amy, read your ds a picture book for me! I am another who misses those days.

 

Not sure what I will read next, my stack includes Kate Ross, Faith Hunter, and Tasha Alexander. Also a huge stack of Lynn Kurland time travel romances......They all sound appealing.

[idnib]

You know how when you had kids you ended up saying sentences you never though you'd say? That's how I feel about Ulysses. Last week I thought, "Oh, I have to post that great quote about sardines, written by Joyce when he was mimicking the style of Morte d'Arthur!"    :confused1:

 

Anyway, best description of tinned fish ever:

 

 

 

And there was a vat of silver that was moved by craft to open in the which lay strange fishes withouten heads though misbelieving men nie that this be possible thing without they see it natheless they are so. And these fishes lie in an oily water brought there from Portugal land because of the fatness that therein is like to the juices of the olivepress.

 

As for my other reading, I was 10 pages from the end of Annihilation when I dozed off. Will finish after dinner.

 

Next I'm going to read the introduction to On Politics as the history reading group on goodreads is starting it March 9 and I think they'll start right in with the first chapter.

 

If anyone is interested, the Western Canon goodreads group is going to read The Pilgrim's Progress next. My lack of knowledge about the Bible is about to catch up with me in a big way....

[Kareni]

I just finished Robin D. Owen's Ghost Layer (The Ghost Seer Series Book 2); it was an enjoyable read that is categorized as paranormal romance.  It also has a mystery component as someone keeps trying to scare off/kill the heroine throughout the book.  I'd read Ghost Seer (The Ghost Seer Series Book 1) in week 26 of last year and had enjoyed it.  I'd recommend starting with that one as this book builds on it. 

 

Here's the description of this book: "Clare Cermak’s adjusting to a new man in her life—and a lot of ghosts. The passing of Clare’s aunt gave way to a sizeable inheritance of not only money, but also the ability to communicate with the dead. At the same time, she met Zach Slade, a private detective with a rough past, and just like Clare, he’s not yet ready to accept her gift—or his own.

But Clare has another matter to look into. A multimillionaire needs her help after relocating an old ghost town to his mountain estate. The bones of a murdered prospector are making nightly appearances in his guests’ beds. When the gold miner’s ghost contacts Clare, she promises to help find the name of his killer—but someone doesn't want the past revealed and might find her first…"

 

Regards,

Kareni

[idnib]

Finishing The Count of Monte Cristo was huge!  (pun intended! groan if you'd like.)  It looks like I started it (again) in 2012.  It is excellent!  

 

That is huge.  :thumbup1:

[Kareni]

Those who enjoy fantasy might enjoy browsing the lists on this site.

 

The link takes you to a list of the best urban fantasy books; however, if you look on the right hand side of the page, you'll see many other lists such as:

 

Top 100 Fantasy

 

Best Fantasy series

 

Best Stand Alone Fantasy

 

Best Anti-Hero Fantasy

 

Best of the Dresden Clones

 

Best Fantasy Books for Women (also for Children and also with Dragons)

 

Best Steampunk (also Asian themed and also Literary and also Young Adult) Fantasy

 

and many more

 

ETA: Ah, I managed to add a few direct links:

 

• Top 25 Fantasy Books
• Best Fantasy Books of 2014
• Best Fantasy Series
• Best Stand Alone Fantasy
• Best Fantasy You've Never Read
• Most Influential Fantasy Books

Top 25 lists:

• Best Stand Alone Fantasy
• Good Fantasy Books
• Best Fantasy You've Never Read

Regards,

Kareni

 

[JennyD]

 

Mysteries -- fun!  I am far too easily stressed out by the travails of imaginary people to be a big mystery devotee, but I have read a lot of P.D. James and was a fan of Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley series until a couple a books ago, when I feel like the series jumped the shark.  I really enjoyed Keigo Higashino's Salvation of a Saint but did not much like The Devotion of Suspect X.    I'll have to look for something for this month, perhaps.

 

Anyway, I have been away from this thread for a few weeks, but I did finally finish East of Eden.  I can't say that it will go down as an all-time favorite -- it's such a strange, disjointed book. Was Steinbeck so famous by the time he wrote it that his editor just let him do whatever he wanted, I wonder?  And I have perhaps an unfair but extremely strong prejudice against books where characters speak in speeches.   OTOH, it isn't a book that I will soon forget, and I'm glad I read it.

 

After EoE I started a novel I came across -- Good for the Jews, by Debra Spark.  It's supposedly an modern version of the Esther story. Since I had just finished a takeoff of a different biblical story and we are rapidly approaching Purim, it seemed like an apt choice.   The publisher is an academic press, which struck me as a little odd, but hey, worth a try.  Turns out, not so much.  I gave up after the first few chapters and returned it to the library.  

 

Feeling in need or a sure thing, I then reread an old, dear favorite:  Jane and Prudence, by Barbara Pym.  I am almost done and it is every bit as delightful as I remembered it.

 

I am not sure what's up next.  Must sort through the piles.  

 

 

 

[aggieamy]

I would love to spend the whole month reading mysteries, but I have a few other things on my pile that I need to get to. My mystery author that I will definitely get to is P.D. James. I bought one at the library book sale--turns out it is the second Cordelia Gray mystery (I've read the Adam Dalgliesh mysteries, but no Gray). So I got the first Cordelia Gray mystery from the library--An Unsuitable Job for a Woman--and I'll try to read both of those this month. I liked Daughter of Time--it was a favorite of my mother--and I wouldn't mind reading another Tey. If I read a Christie this month it will be Ten Little Indians which I believe is the American title of And Then There Were None. And then there's the big fat compilation of I think all of the Lord Peter works including short stories that I got at last year's library book sale and haven't read yet.

 

To transition from Flufferton February to Mysterious March, I'm reading one Amy mentioned last week, Sheri Cobb South's In Milady's Chamber. A nice Regency mystery. 

 

 

I loved all the Adam Dalglish mysteries.  When I lived with my grandmother we would get one from the library and then both read it.  We also loved watching them on Masterpiece Theater.  Keep in mind I lived with my grandmother from the time I was 21 until I got married at 27.  My 20's were a pretty wild and crazy time - okay, not really.  I went to bed before my grandmother most nights.

 

I'm interested in your review of the Cordelia Gray books ...

 

 

 

To transition from Flufferton February to Mysterious March, I'm reading one Amy mentioned last week, Sheri Cobb South's In Milady's Chamber. A nice Regency mystery. 

 

 

Yay!!! You read the book I recommended.  What did you think?  I think the second is better than the first and the third can best be described as "WOWZA".  

 

I have been so busy talking to my best friend, who has been visiting this weekend,that very little reading has happened. I have absolutely no idea how to summarize my favourite mystery authors to just a few.....I like way too many. Sayers and Christie would certainly be high on my list.

 

Think I am going to attempt one of the Tey's in the same series as Daughter of Time simply because available via overdrive.

 

I am getting close to finished on the latest Flavia. Dd loved it but I can't say it is one of the best. It is OK and I am hoping for a good ending......

 

Amy, read your ds a picture book for me! I am another who misses those days.

 

Not sure what I will read next, my stack includes Kate Ross, Faith Hunter, and Tasha Alexander. Also a huge stack of Lynn Kurland time travel romances......They all sound appealing.

 

Which Kate Ross book is on your stack?

 

John got an extra Sandra Boynton book in your honor tonight.   :laugh:

 

Hi, guys!

 

I thought I'd pop by and say hello. I haven't been reading much lately - extended family problems are taking up all my time, but I did manage to read  The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery on Kindle. What a sweet little story, thank you, whoever mentioned it in one of the BAW threads!

 

I downloaded Emily of New Moon trilogy as well. I guess I'm in the mood for sweet, innocent stories, where evil is always defeated and love wins every time.

 

Would The Blue Castle be appropriate for a 10 1/2 year old girl?  It's been on my to-read list forever and I'm thinking I might bump it up to the to-read aloud list.  

[mumto2]

Amy, The last Kate Ross, The Devil in the Music, is the one in the stack. I wasn't able to finish it when I was reading them last year.

 

Reading Sandra Boyton was a very appropriate choice and made me chuckle. Probably what I would have picked, I love her books!

[Chrysalis Academy]

I would like to report that I am officially caught up with Harvard Classics in a Year - I read March 2 passage this morning.  I'm hoping to read with more attention and focus now that I'm just reading one a day.  I have to confess skimming over some of them in January & February. It's worth the effort for what I am discovering, though -  I found Descartes surprisingly interesting and readable, while Montaigne and Pascal were totally dense and opaque.  It's fun, kind of like a buffet.

[Jane in NC]

Hello girls.

 

I am off on an adventure (more on that another day) so I have not done a lot of reading. Sending a wave your way!

 

Jane

[Kim in Appalachia]

I'm checking in.  I just finished Neil Gaiman's Trigger Warnings. It's a collection of short stories.  I enjoyed parts of it more than others, but overall it was good.  I also currently reading 2 books for Lent, one is a devotional, the other is The Imitation of Christ.  I'm unsure what I'm going to read next.  I need to check out what I might be able to get from the library. 

[aggieamy]

Hello girls.

 

I am off on an adventure (more on that another day) so I have not done a lot of reading. Sending a wave your way!

 

Jane

 

Have fun on your adventure!  

 

:hurray:

 

Dress warm!

 

Take a snack along in case you get hungry.

 

Don't forget to use the loo before you leave the house.

 

Make sure and bring an emergency backup book.

 

*playing the part of the anxious and overprotective mother today will be aggieamy*

[*Inna*]

 

 

Would The Blue Castle be appropriate for a 10 1/2 year old girl?  It's been on my to-read list forever and I'm thinking I might bump it up to the to-read aloud list.

 

Amy, I think so. There's quite a bit of romance, but it's very timid/innocent. I think it would spark some good discussions (standing up for yourself, finding your way, bullying- to name a few).

 

[Nan in Mass]

Amy, I think Emily of New Moon would be much better than My Blue Castle for your daughter.  I love both.  MBC is very innocent but has a some pretty adult stuff in the plot.  You might want to pre-read, anyway.

 

Nan

[TeacherZee]

An article about tea around the world

[mumto2]

An article about tea around the world

The differences are pretty amazing. All I could think of was a poor desperate traveller innocently ordering a cuppa...... :lol: Reminded me of a good friend who has been traveling frequently to one of the _stans for work, he trys to bring his own teabags and was thrilled when cows milk started being available. Horse milk is apparently not tasty in tea. ;)

[Stacia]

I was doing some stuff today where I was going to be able to dip into reading a little bit, but also be interrupted quite a bit too. So, rather than trying to read The Razor's Edge with those parameters, I tossed in one of the books I recently picked up from the library: The Orphan Girl and Other Stories: West African Folk Tales, retold by Buchi Offodile. I picked it up because I was curious about some of the folktales & oral storytelling from West Africa after reading Akata Witch last week.

 

The stories are easy to read & I enjoyed the cursory overview at the beginning of the book where Offodile outlines his background, covers a little bit about the history & people of West Africa, etc.... It's not an in-depth study of folktales, but rather a fun assortment of folktales presented in an easy, engaging manner.

 

[Stacia]

Thank you. I got distracted. 

 

:zombiechase:

 

Out fighting the zombies, eh? :lol:  Now I'm going to think of you like one of the characters from Zombieland.

 

 Finishing The Count of Monte Cristo was huge!  (pun intended! groan if you'd like.)  It looks like I started it (again) in 2012.  It is excellent!

 

:hurray: 

 

I love that book too! And, Dumas is one of the few French authors I can say that I truly love. Lol. 

 

Oh yeah! I just remembered what I meant to post before.  P.D. James! I love her.  I think I have a (formerly) secret crush on Adam Dalgliesh.  So cerebral and dreamy  :001_wub:

 

I read one of her books years ago for my book club. Maybe The Black Tower (or something like that)? I didn't like it. Am I missing something?

 

Those who enjoy fantasy might enjoy browsing the lists on this site.

 

What fun. Loads of great stuff there. Thanks, Kareni!

 

I am off on an adventure (more on that another day) so I have not done a lot of reading. Sending a wave your way!

 

Have fun adventuring!

 

The differences are pretty amazing. All I could think of was a poor desperate traveller innocently ordering a cuppa...... :lol: Reminded me of a good friend who has been traveling frequently to one of the _stans for work, he trys to bring his own teabags and was thrilled when cows milk started being available. Horse milk is apparently not tasty in tea. ;)

 

Horse milk makes me think it sounds like how the Mongols might drink tea.

[Nan in Mass]

An article about tea around the world

 

Butter in tea isn't bad.  American butter in American tea, anyway.  I've had it lots of times when the cream we brought to whiten the tea churned itself into butter in the icebox of the boat or in a backpack.  Cream lasts a lot longer than milk, so even though I like milk better in my tea, we have cream when we travel.  One of the few things I like about not having kids along is that I can fill the icebox to suit myself - 40 lbs of ice, some cheese and eggs, a package of little carrots, and GALLONS of milk lol.

 

My ballet mistress used to put jelly in her tea.  She was "Russian" (actually, one of the countries on the Baltic).

 

I love tea. : )

 

Nan

[Rosie_0801]

I've been reading Tamora Pierce's 'Beka' series, having finally got my hands on the third one. I've been waiting for it for *years.* I've been making dd swim in the little kids pool all week because I wanted to read my book instead of going into the big pool with her. Mean mamma.

[Uff Da!]

I finished Out of Africa and am rereading Their Eyes Were Watching God, Catherine Marshall's To Live Again (another reread) and am debating trying to finish Barbara Kingsolver's Lacuna.  She put so much effort into this book and all of her other books I've inhaled but this one...it's a laborous read.

 

I also want to report that I passed the 200 mark for times playing Bach's Chaconne so I get to fiddle with a new song and have only about 800 more repetitions to go to reach goal.

[Nan in Mass]

I've been reading Tamora Pierce's 'Beka' series, having finally got my hands on the third one. I've been waiting for it for *years.* I've been making dd swim in the little kids pool all week because I wanted to read my book instead of going into the big pool with her. Mean mamma.

Which are the Beka ones? The police ones? I,m so bad at names. I used to write my English papers by describing the characters I was trying to talk about instead of using their names because I could never remember them. None of my teachers ever mentioned it, to my relief.

 

Nan

[JennW in SoCal]

 I've been making dd swim in the little kids pool all week because I wanted to read my book instead of going into the big pool with her. Mean mamma.

 

Years of therapy.  Just so you can indulge in reading a long anticipated book. 

 

 

Perhaps all our kids will wind up together in group therapy one day.

[NoseInABook]

Still reading Miramont's Ghost and am about halfway through. I took my 7 year old to go see Ivy + Bean the Musical and she cracked me up because she kept leaning over to whisper, "Mama, that was NOT in the book." That's my girl. :p I also got to see Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood in concert this weekend so it was a crazy busy weekend full of live performances which is amazing. I have to say that three of my favorite things are good books, live theatre, and music so I got it all in there!

[TeacherZee]

I was perusing Amazon just now and I have a question, why are all books named Something Something: A Novel? Why do they feel they have to add "A Novel"?

[Mom-ninja.]

TeacherZee, my first crush was Gilbert as well. 

 

 

The differences are pretty amazing. All I could think of was a poor desperate traveller innocently ordering a cuppa...... :lol: Reminded me of a good friend who has been traveling frequently to one of the _stans for work, he trys to bring his own teabags and was thrilled when cows milk started being available. Horse milk is apparently not tasty in tea. ;)

 

When I was Brazil I was in the beginning of my 2nd trimester with my first pg. It was a student program in/near the rain forest. While I had the BEST fruit and fish I'd ever had my entire life (even to present) I was craving milk. Cow milk. I really really wanted milk. A pg woman with a craving is not the happiest, and my hosts were all about making their guests happy and welcome. So one day they happily came out with a tall glass of milk. They were all smiles. I was overcome with gratitude. Then I reached out and touched the glass. It was warm. I thought, "Huh, I guess they warmed the milk for me." It was foamy on top. Did they shake it, i wondered? I held the glass up to my mouth for a drink all the while with them watching and smiling. The smell reached  my nose before the glass reached my mouth. This is pg woman smell, remember. Curious, I thought. Smells a bit like....what? Grass. I smell grass. Smells like warm, wet, grass. I glance up at hosts and they are still smiling and waiting for me to drink. I took a sip. Yep. Grass. Definitely grass. Foamy, warm, grassy milk. That's when I remembered the cow I had seen around back of the house. I looked at my hosts, smiled, and repeated thank you (in my broken Portuguese) over and over. The woman said, "Baby like, yes," and tilted the glass towards my mouth again. So I took a deep breath and drank that milk. It was quite a lesson of culture difference for my young 20 something self. I was simultaneously grossed out and touched by their going out of their way to try and give me what I wanted. I will never forget that milk.    

[Lady Florida.]

I was perusing Amazon just now and I have a question, why are all books named Something Something: A Novel? Why do they feel they have to add "A Novel"?

 

Here's an explanation.

 

http://annieneugebauer.com/2013/01/14/why-some-novels-say-a-novel-on-the-cover-and-if-yours-should-too/

 

And while I was looking I found this, which I thought was pretty funny. It does include language that might offend some.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2010/mar/19/how-not-to-title-a-novel

[Negin]

I read Girl with the Cat Tattoo (Cool Cats Book 1) by Theresa Weir.

This has been on my wish list. I loved her two memoirs - "The Man Who Left" and "The Orchard" - painful in many parts, love her writing style. 

[mumto2]

Here's an explanation.

 

http://annieneugebauer.com/2013/01/14/why-some-novels-say-a-novel-on-the-cover-and-if-yours-should-too/

 

And while I was looking I found this, which I thought was pretty funny. It does include language that might offend some.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2010/mar/19/how-not-to-title-a-novel

I thought the Guardian article was pretty funny so thank you. I have to admit when I see A Novel written on the cover of a modern book, that isn't going to be confused with self help or other genre's, I don't continue to look at it normally. I immediately assume it will be too pretentious and end up being something I won't finish.

 

Multiquote still isn't working for me.

 

Mom-ninja, The thought of drinking warm smelly milk when pregnant, ugg. You are a brave and very kind woman!!!!!

 

Our friend brings home boxes of chocolate from his trips because it is all he can really find to bring (other than some odd gag type presents that ran out severl visits ago) for our gang. The chocolate is good but the fillings interesting. Since no one can read the labelling ( Cyrillic script) everyone takes the same shape, tastes, and discusses what the filling might be. Some are obvious(orange, coconut...) but the creamy vaguely nutty ones are different. OK, but different. Think of it as wine tasting with the kids..... lol

[TeacherZee]

I thought the Guardian article was pretty funny so thank you. I have to admit when I see A Novel written on the cover of a modern book, that isn't going to be confused with self help or other genre's, I don't continue to look at it normally. I immediately assume it will be too pretentious and end up being something I won't finish.

 

 

 

:iagree: :iagree:  On both accounts. If I read A Novel on the cover (and it isn't a classic) I really do judge a book by its cover.

[Stacia]

Here's an explanation.

 

http://annieneugebauer.com/2013/01/14/why-some-novels-say-a-novel-on-the-cover-and-if-yours-should-too/

 

And while I was looking I found this, which I thought was pretty funny. It does include language that might offend some.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2010/mar/19/how-not-to-title-a-novel

 

Ah! Thanks. I don't really care if a book has "A Novel" written on it or not. (I often end up liking the ones that do have it, :lol: . Well, except for Wuthering Heights, which is given as an example in the first article.) I think I'm much more tuned into cover art vs. an actual title. I think these days, most titles are added by the publishing house, so I don't usually go by them as far as necessarily being indicative of the content. I'm guessing that oftentimes, the person coming up with titles (or ideas for titles) has rarely read the proof itself.

 

The Guardian page led me to another article that was fun (imo) to read: Baddies in books: Woland, Bulgakov’s charming devil. It makes me want to read The Master & Margarita again. Looks like there is a relatively new series on the site where various Guardian writers tell about their favorite literary villains.

[mumto2]

Ah! Thanks. I don't really care if a book has "A Novel" written on it or not. (I often end up liking the ones that do have it, :lol: . Well, except for Wuthering Heights, which is given as an example in the first article.) I think I'm much more tuned into cover art vs. an actual title. I think these days, most titles are added by the publishing house, so I don't usually go by them as far as necessarily being indicative of the content. I'm guessing that oftentimes, the person coming up with titles (or ideas for titles) has rarely read the proof itself.

 

The Guardian page led me to another article that was fun (imo) to read: Baddies in books: Woland, Bulgakov’s charming devil. It makes me want to read The Master & Margarita again. Looks like there is a relatively new series on the site where various Guardian writers tell about their favorite literary villains.

I will try very hard to set my prejudice aside, but A Novel just sound stuffy!

 

The villians series is great. I had no idea Gormenghast http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/feb/24/baddies-in-books-steerpike-gormenghast-mervyn-peake was a movie! Started the series a few years ago as a preread for the dc's and liked it. Set it aside due to issues with the physical book I had bought, heavy with small print. Need to see if it is on overdrive......I also want to see the movie now, book first for all of us!

[aggieamy]

I've been reading Tamora Pierce's 'Beka' series, having finally got my hands on the third one. I've been waiting for it for *years.* I've been making dd swim in the little kids pool all week because I wanted to read my book instead of going into the big pool with her. Mean mamma.

 

LOL.  You're a great mamma!  Just tell yourself that you're building character by making her suffer by playing in the little kids pool.  

 

Years of therapy.  Just so you can indulge in reading a long anticipated book. 

 

 

Perhaps all our kids will wind up together in group therapy one day.

 

My kids will be there.  I can just see it now.  

 

"Hi, my name is John.  This is my sister Sophia."  

 

*Sophia waves*

 

"One time we had to eat pop tarts for dinner because our mom was reading a Georgette Heyer book and was on the last fifty pages."

 

"And she treated us like pack mules at the library.  We both had to help carry books to the car."  *sniff sniff*  "Sometimes it took TWO trips to the car."

 

*tears*

 

*everyone crowds around and hugs them*

 

 

It'll be the only support group where most of it's members bring a book with them ... just in case.  

 

Still reading Miramont's Ghost and am about halfway through. I took my 7 year old to go see Ivy + Bean the Musical and she cracked me up because she kept leaning over to whisper, "Mama, that was NOT in the book." That's my girl. :p I also got to see Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood in concert this weekend so it was a crazy busy weekend full of live performances which is amazing. I have to say that three of my favorite things are good books, live theatre, and music so I got it all in there!

 

What a fun week!  I'm glad you have had some fun things to do after all your stress lately.  (((HUGS))