Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Summer Reading--Part 3
I did not intend to have a part three, but I have a somewhat limited attention span (ADD) except when it comes to reading and this blogging takes time so today I will finish my summer reading program because I have to get the books back to the library.
Besides historical reading ( a fact with which I have bombarded you in past blogs), my preferred reading is of other cultures and lands, either historical or contemporary. This is one of the reasons Soho is one of my favorite publishers. No one does other-culture mysteries like Soho. One of my favorite authors is Cara Black of the Paris mysteries. One day I will do an entire blog on Soho mysteries.
The Case of the Missing Servant (Simon & Schuster; 2010) by Tarquin Hall is the first in the series of the Indian detective, Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator. The book reads much like The Number #1 Detective Agency series of Alexander McCall Smith. Vish Puri likes his food and there is much about Indian food in the story. Fortunately, a glossary is included in the back though I did find it kind of irritating going back and forth since there were quite a few words I did not know and had to keep looking up. But better that than no glossary at all. It is definitely a cosy mystery, maybe a little too cosy for me. The second volume in the series is out, The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing and though it is not at the top of my list, I may read it eventually.
Recently post-apartheid South Africa is the setting of the Deon Meyer mystery series. I read Dead Before Dying (Little, Brown), the first in the Mat Joubert series but the third to be published in the United States. I believe he writes in Arikaans so it is necessary for the novels to be translated which often delays foreign publication. I was not grabbed immediately but, once again, when I have time I may try another one. The reviews on it were very good.
One of the most wonderful things about the public library is one can browse the shelfs and find books written in all time periods. Doing such, I found a jewel. After all the reading I have done, I am still amazed when I find an author I have never heard of with a whole slew of titles. Anna Clarke (1919-2004) is such an author. I read The Mystery Lady (Doubleday Crime Club; 1986). If you love good old-fashioned page-turning crime club mysteries with a bit of intellect, Clarke is one of the authors for you. Usually, I am somewhat fanatical about reading books in a series in the order in which they were published, but I quickly discovered that would take some doing with Anna Clarke so I just counted myself lucky that I had encountered her at all. One of these days I may decide to investigate all of her titles in order.
In the meantime, I have much hot-off-the-press ereading (and hardbacks) to catch up on after my summer of the library. Thanks to Totts for recommending it.
Besides historical reading ( a fact with which I have bombarded you in past blogs), my preferred reading is of other cultures and lands, either historical or contemporary. This is one of the reasons Soho is one of my favorite publishers. No one does other-culture mysteries like Soho. One of my favorite authors is Cara Black of the Paris mysteries. One day I will do an entire blog on Soho mysteries.
The Case of the Missing Servant (Simon & Schuster; 2010) by Tarquin Hall is the first in the series of the Indian detective, Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator. The book reads much like The Number #1 Detective Agency series of Alexander McCall Smith. Vish Puri likes his food and there is much about Indian food in the story. Fortunately, a glossary is included in the back though I did find it kind of irritating going back and forth since there were quite a few words I did not know and had to keep looking up. But better that than no glossary at all. It is definitely a cosy mystery, maybe a little too cosy for me. The second volume in the series is out, The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing and though it is not at the top of my list, I may read it eventually.
Recently post-apartheid South Africa is the setting of the Deon Meyer mystery series. I read Dead Before Dying (Little, Brown), the first in the Mat Joubert series but the third to be published in the United States. I believe he writes in Arikaans so it is necessary for the novels to be translated which often delays foreign publication. I was not grabbed immediately but, once again, when I have time I may try another one. The reviews on it were very good.
One of the most wonderful things about the public library is one can browse the shelfs and find books written in all time periods. Doing such, I found a jewel. After all the reading I have done, I am still amazed when I find an author I have never heard of with a whole slew of titles. Anna Clarke (1919-2004) is such an author. I read The Mystery Lady (Doubleday Crime Club; 1986). If you love good old-fashioned page-turning crime club mysteries with a bit of intellect, Clarke is one of the authors for you. Usually, I am somewhat fanatical about reading books in a series in the order in which they were published, but I quickly discovered that would take some doing with Anna Clarke so I just counted myself lucky that I had encountered her at all. One of these days I may decide to investigate all of her titles in order.
In the meantime, I have much hot-off-the-press ereading (and hardbacks) to catch up on after my summer of the library. Thanks to Totts for recommending it.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Summer Reading--Part 2
Dear Reader: Please think of this as a work in progress. I have not done a blog before so basically I do not know what I am doing. However, I did buy Blogging for Dummies, which looks like it may eventually help.
Summer Reading, part two, consists of the mysteries I read for the Lincoln City Libraries summer reading program. I shall probably list them in order of most favorite to least favorite.
Rosa (Crown, 2005) by Jonathan Rabb is a perfect example of why we need libraries. This title appears to be unavailable in anything but expensive out-of-print versions and this is just wrong. Publishers take note. It is a fabulous historical mystery of the death and disappearance of Rosa Luxemberg, a famous socialist, of pre-World War I Berlin. And it is a trilogy. I have the second volume, Shadow and Light in a FSG Picador paperback, which is near the top of my stack to read. It jumps to 1927 Berlin and once again employs real historical characters like Fritz Lang. The third volume, The Second Son, is out in hardback (Farrar, Straus and Giroux; February 2011).
You will find as we go along that historical novels and mysteries are my favorites, particularly British. Heresy: An Historical Thriller by S. J. Parris (a pseudonym) (Doubleday, 2010) is British but employs a defrocked Italian monk, Giordano Bruno, as a detective. He, also, is based on a real life character and happens to be befriended by the poet and courtier, Sir Philip Sidney, which lands him an uncover job in Oxford with Sir Francis Walsingham, the Queen's Spymaster. He combines his search for a rare manuscript with his spy duties for Walsingham. And, for me happy news: it is the first in a series. I have the second one, Prophecy (Doubleday, 2011) sitting here starting me in the face.
Instruments of Darkness (Viking, 2009)by Imogen Robertson is 18th century England and brings together an interesting detective duo, the famous anatomist and recluse, Garbriel Crowther and the plucky wife of a Naval Officer, Mrs. Harriet Westerman. The two combine to solve a mystery of the Thornleigh Hall family. Side note: In all the reading I do, I seem to encounter an inordinate amount of plucky women. It makes me wonder why it took so long for women to get the vote. Anyway, there are two other titles by the author, Anatomy of a Murder, which may come before Instruments of Darkness and Island of Bones, which may come after Instruments of Darkness. It is hard to tell but I plan on reading them both.
Enough for now: more mysteries next time.
Summer Reading, part two, consists of the mysteries I read for the Lincoln City Libraries summer reading program. I shall probably list them in order of most favorite to least favorite.
Rosa (Crown, 2005) by Jonathan Rabb is a perfect example of why we need libraries. This title appears to be unavailable in anything but expensive out-of-print versions and this is just wrong. Publishers take note. It is a fabulous historical mystery of the death and disappearance of Rosa Luxemberg, a famous socialist, of pre-World War I Berlin. And it is a trilogy. I have the second volume, Shadow and Light in a FSG Picador paperback, which is near the top of my stack to read. It jumps to 1927 Berlin and once again employs real historical characters like Fritz Lang. The third volume, The Second Son, is out in hardback (Farrar, Straus and Giroux; February 2011).
You will find as we go along that historical novels and mysteries are my favorites, particularly British. Heresy: An Historical Thriller by S. J. Parris (a pseudonym) (Doubleday, 2010) is British but employs a defrocked Italian monk, Giordano Bruno, as a detective. He, also, is based on a real life character and happens to be befriended by the poet and courtier, Sir Philip Sidney, which lands him an uncover job in Oxford with Sir Francis Walsingham, the Queen's Spymaster. He combines his search for a rare manuscript with his spy duties for Walsingham. And, for me happy news: it is the first in a series. I have the second one, Prophecy (Doubleday, 2011) sitting here starting me in the face.
Instruments of Darkness (Viking, 2009)by Imogen Robertson is 18th century England and brings together an interesting detective duo, the famous anatomist and recluse, Garbriel Crowther and the plucky wife of a Naval Officer, Mrs. Harriet Westerman. The two combine to solve a mystery of the Thornleigh Hall family. Side note: In all the reading I do, I seem to encounter an inordinate amount of plucky women. It makes me wonder why it took so long for women to get the vote. Anyway, there are two other titles by the author, Anatomy of a Murder, which may come before Instruments of Darkness and Island of Bones, which may come after Instruments of Darkness. It is hard to tell but I plan on reading them both.
Enough for now: more mysteries next time.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Summer Reading--Part 1
A librarian friend suggested book lovers join the adult library summer reading program. One only had to read four books in two months after which, one would be entered for a drawing for an ereader and some lesser prizes. I knew I would be reading at least 4 books and this gave me a new focus for my reading. The only stipulation being that the books must be in the library catalog. I took it on and what fun. I decided to try to read as many books as possible in the time allotted--and, yes, I was influenced by the promise of prizes. The program ends officially this Sunday, July 31st but I have read my last entry so I am going to recap my reading.
I ended up reading twelve books. I will group them by subject matter rather than the order in which I read them.
By far the best book of the lot was the newest David McCullough book The Greater Journey (Simon & Schuster; May 20ll). It is about the importance of Paris as a focal point for American artists and writers between 1830 to 1900. A fairly big book but absorbing throughout. It made me want to head directly to an art museum to view the artists in the original. The Louvre would be my first choice of course.
On the same line, I read And the Show Went On: Cultural Life in Nazi-Occupied Paris (Knopf; October 2010) by Alan Riding. This may be the first complete book I read on my iphone. Instead of buying one of the ereaders, I simply downloaded all of the apps onto my iphone, including Overdrive, the one for the library, where one can download books for free. On the other apps, I search for bargain books. More on this later. This book raised the interesting question of what was collaboration and what was simply getting on with the Parisian way of life. I am fascinated by the period between 1900-1945 so expect to see may books about the WWs I and II and in-between.
A book in a class by itself (of my reading) is the satire Gods Behaving Badly (Vintage Books USA; May 2008). Also read as an ebook, this sometimes hilarious send-up of the Greek gods living in reduced circumstances in a crumbling London mansion, is not for the prudish (or possibly the devoutly religious). The gods have lost much of their power since few believe in them any longer and have been forced to take menial jobs to make ends meet. It also includes a rather sweet love story between two mortals. Fast, fun reading but it also helped me remember which god was which. I've never been able to keep them all straight.
The one title of my reading that, personally, I did not like but is getting much publicity is Sister: A Novel (Crown, June 2011). It is a hybrid novel/mystery told in the first person. Cystic Fibrosis plays a big part in the story and the plot. That is all I will say because I had personal issues with the book that would not affect anyone else so I prefer you make up your own mind.
On to, shall we say, less heavy reading. One thing you will learn is that I really love historical fiction, particularly anything British. In my own defense, I will say that I have learned quite a bit of history from my years of reading this sort of thing which has helped me answer many a Jeopardy question. Despite the title, which I think is pretty hokey, The Queen's Lover (HarperCollins; 2010) by Vanora Bennett is a good read for those of us who like royal history. This combines British/French history and is about the founding of the Tudor Dynasty. I read Bennett's debut novel about Sir Thomas More and the painting of his family portrait by Hans Holbein called Portrait of an Unknown Woman (Harper; 2008), which I think I liked slightly better than this later novel. She has a novel between these two entitled Figures in Silk (Harper; 2010) about Fifteenth Century Yorkist England, which I am sure I will read as an ebook.
Enough for now. The next post will deal with the remainder of my summer reading, my favorite subject: mysteries.
I ended up reading twelve books. I will group them by subject matter rather than the order in which I read them.
By far the best book of the lot was the newest David McCullough book The Greater Journey (Simon & Schuster; May 20ll). It is about the importance of Paris as a focal point for American artists and writers between 1830 to 1900. A fairly big book but absorbing throughout. It made me want to head directly to an art museum to view the artists in the original. The Louvre would be my first choice of course.
On the same line, I read And the Show Went On: Cultural Life in Nazi-Occupied Paris (Knopf; October 2010) by Alan Riding. This may be the first complete book I read on my iphone. Instead of buying one of the ereaders, I simply downloaded all of the apps onto my iphone, including Overdrive, the one for the library, where one can download books for free. On the other apps, I search for bargain books. More on this later. This book raised the interesting question of what was collaboration and what was simply getting on with the Parisian way of life. I am fascinated by the period between 1900-1945 so expect to see may books about the WWs I and II and in-between.
A book in a class by itself (of my reading) is the satire Gods Behaving Badly (Vintage Books USA; May 2008). Also read as an ebook, this sometimes hilarious send-up of the Greek gods living in reduced circumstances in a crumbling London mansion, is not for the prudish (or possibly the devoutly religious). The gods have lost much of their power since few believe in them any longer and have been forced to take menial jobs to make ends meet. It also includes a rather sweet love story between two mortals. Fast, fun reading but it also helped me remember which god was which. I've never been able to keep them all straight.
The one title of my reading that, personally, I did not like but is getting much publicity is Sister: A Novel (Crown, June 2011). It is a hybrid novel/mystery told in the first person. Cystic Fibrosis plays a big part in the story and the plot. That is all I will say because I had personal issues with the book that would not affect anyone else so I prefer you make up your own mind.
On to, shall we say, less heavy reading. One thing you will learn is that I really love historical fiction, particularly anything British. In my own defense, I will say that I have learned quite a bit of history from my years of reading this sort of thing which has helped me answer many a Jeopardy question. Despite the title, which I think is pretty hokey, The Queen's Lover (HarperCollins; 2010) by Vanora Bennett is a good read for those of us who like royal history. This combines British/French history and is about the founding of the Tudor Dynasty. I read Bennett's debut novel about Sir Thomas More and the painting of his family portrait by Hans Holbein called Portrait of an Unknown Woman (Harper; 2008), which I think I liked slightly better than this later novel. She has a novel between these two entitled Figures in Silk (Harper; 2010) about Fifteenth Century Yorkist England, which I am sure I will read as an ebook.
Enough for now. The next post will deal with the remainder of my summer reading, my favorite subject: mysteries.
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