Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[HomeInMyShoes]

I just finished a non-this-year's-list book: Yume No Hon: The Book of Dreams by Catherynne M. Valente. Strange and beautiful. I think the short chapter narratives are definitely my favourite work by her.

[pilotbob]

Just finished Marsbound... I liked it (3.5 of 5 stars), although it wasn't as good as Accidental Time machine. But, I am going to continue the series so I bought Startbound a few minutes ago.

BOb

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by Gazella

I've never heard of the series before, I'm a HUGE Disney fan so I think I'll enjoy these books

Have you read his other series called Peter and the Starcatchers?

No, like yourself and Kingdom Keepers, I've never before heard of it.

[Synamon]

It has been a busy spring, so I haven't posted in here in a while. Here's what I've read or listened to lately:

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsing. I'm glad I listened to this instead of reading it, I would have been tempted to skip ahead since I was more interested in the cross country trip than the Buddhist lessons. I struggled with how the main character treated his son throughout the book, but still enjoyed the trip.

The Lewis Man by Peter May, second in the Lewis trilogy. Well written and moody, with the setting (Scottish islands) again stealing the show, but the characterization wasn't quite as strong as in The Blackhouse. I'm still looking forward to reading the last of this set.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones was enthusiastically recommended to me by my husband, but I found it a bit obvious and silly, fantasy just isn't my thing.

A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute. I really enjoyed the storytelling, especially the first part, set in Malaya during WWII, and I read the whole thing in one day. It was a bookclub selection, more here.

Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith was started and abandoned as an audiobook. I didn't like the narrator or the characters and nothing happened for the first couple of hours of the book.

Cop Hater by Ed McBain, first in the 87th Precinct series. I've been reading one of these a month or so, since buying what I could for 99¢ last January, but didn't have this first one until it went on sale a few months ago. The series is strong right from the beginning, great fast read.

Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey was another audiobook my husband enjoyed and this time I agree with him, very well crafted scifi stories with terrific characters in a dystopian setting.

Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie. Hastings is back in tow for this one and Poirot does a fair bit of traveling to find out what happened to a spinster who cut her relatives out of the will.

Faithful Place by Tana French. Interesting peek into a dysfunctional family shaped by the time and place and their roles in the disappearance of a young woman. It had a similar feel to The Blackhouse by Peter May, the setting (Ireland this time) played a large role, and I'll be looking for more thrillers to read by Tana French.

A Study in Scarlett by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I'm not a fan of Sherlock Holmes books and found this story dull. Give me the modern PBS Sherlock miniseries instead, thanks.

The Informationist by Taylor Stevens had a lot of potential, but never seemed to get there for me. It felt a bit contrived and unrealistic.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, introducing an 11 year old detective named Flavia de Luce. I'd have enjoyed this tremendously when I was that age, reading it as an adult I'd consider it an above average cozy mystery.

The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb was non-fiction about how large unpreditable events affect us. I found it overly long and the author's ego was off-putting.

4.50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie, the seventh Miss Marple mystery. Here is a way above average cozy mystery. This plot was very clever and I couldn't guess whodidit. Miss Marple even had a sidekick in this one, jilll-of-all-trades Lucy Eyelesbarrow.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green was heart warming and heart wrenching at the same time and you'll fall in love with the characters.

[Gazella]

Originally Posted by Synamon

4.50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie, the seventh Miss Marple mystery. Here is a way above average cozy mystery. This plot was very clever and I couldn't guess whodidit.

That's what I love about her novels. So many clues, twists and red herrings. Her endings always shock me and I can never guess who's guilty. But when you look back, you realize that all of the hints were right there in front of you! She's such a brilliant writer.

[Synamon]

Originally Posted by Gazella

That's what I love about her novels. So many clues, twists and red herrings. Her endings always shock me and I can never guess who's guilty. But when you look back, you realize that all of the hints were right there in front of you! She's such a brilliant writer.

I was convinced that this was one of those ones where the most obvious person was the murderer. Or maybe the least obvious. Or maybe there was no murder. Damn her, she has a subtle way of messing with your head to make you doubt everything.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Synamon

I was convinced that this was one of those ones where the most obvious person was the murderer. Or maybe the least obvious. Or maybe there was no murder. Damn her, she has a subtle way of messing with your head to make you doubt everything.

I'm not a big fan of Christie. She writes a good mystery, but the problem is her characters, who are wooden and two-dimensional. Ngaio Marsh and Dorothy L. Sayers, on the other hand, write about characters who come to life as real people. I know that Christie was far more commercially successful than either, but I honestly don't think she was that wonderful a writer.

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm not a big fan of Christie. She writes a good mystery, but the problem is her characters, who are wooden and two-dimensional. Ngaio Marsh and Dorothy L. Sayers, on the other hand, write about characters who come to life as real people. I know that Christie was far more commercially successful than either, but I honestly don't think she was that wonderful a writer.

Harry - have you read Robert Barnard's 'A Talent to Deceive: An Appreciation of Agatha Christie'? Barnard analyzes the criticism against Christie, such as your observations on characters, and defends her popularity and writing style in relation to her contemporaries (Sayers, Marsh, etc.). Unfortunately out-of-print, but if you can locate a used copy it's a fascinating read - a mystery author explicated by a mystery author.

[fantasyfan]

I just finished Miss Pergrines's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. It is a very fine YA Fantasy with a few overtones of Lost Horizon, Groundhog Day, and even a touch of X-Men all wrapped up with a number of other very different. interesting and original ideas. It has a slow start, but everything in those earlier chapters is very relevant to later events and decisions. Throughout it is illustrated with genuine vintage photographs which add another layer of enjoyment to the novel.

The main character is well-drawn and has psychological depth. The subsidiary figures are interesting and by no means a set of stereotypes. The sense of place is very effectively conveyed and the villains. . . . ! While it does have a satisfactory conclusion to the main events of the novel, it is clearly the first volume of a longer sequence. In fact the sequel is due out in January of 2014 and can be pre-ordered from Amazon.

It is available as an ebook and on Overdrive.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm not a big fan of Christie. She writes a good mystery, but the problem is her characters, who are wooden and two-dimensional. Ngaio Marsh and Dorothy L. Sayers, on the other hand, write about characters who come to life as real people. I know that Christie was far more commercially successful than either, but I honestly don't think she was that wonderful a writer.

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Harry - have you read Robert Barnard's 'A Talent to Deceive: An Appreciation of Agatha Christie'? Barnard analyzes the criticism against Christie, such as your observations on characters, and defends her popularity and writing style in relation to her contemporaries (Sayers, Marsh, etc.). Unfortunately out-of-print, but if you can locate a used copy it's a fascinating read - a mystery author explicated by a mystery author.

Haven't read Barnard's commentary, but I have read Ngaio Marsh, Josephine Tey, Dorothy Sayers and Margery Allingham. I'd take any of them over Christie. I do understand the appeal of Christie, but she really doesn't work for me, primarily because of the flat characters.

[DrNefario]

Based on my very limited reading of Christie, Marsh, Sayers and Allingham, I'd still take Christie. Indeed, Christie is the only one I've read more than one book by, so far. Maybe that's just because Christie hit the ground running, while the others took a few books to get going? I don't know, but I didn't much like Wimsey, and didn't really feel Alleyn made sense to me. I did enjoy Campion, but the first Campion wasn't Allingham's first book.

[fantasyfan]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm not a big fan of Christie. She writes a good mystery, but the problem is her characters, who are wooden and two-dimensional. Ngaio Marsh and Dorothy L. Sayers, on the other hand, write about characters who come to life as real people. I know that Christie was far more commercially successful than either, but I honestly don't think she was that wonderful a writer.

I agree completely so far as the Christie/Sayers contrast is concerned. Perhaps one could say that Christie writes a better mystery but Sayers writes a far better novel. This is why Sayers is so much more re-readable. BTW I think Gaudy Night is a masterpiece--one of the very best in the series. Harriet Vane is so vivid as a character!

I confess that I have never read Ngaio Marsh and I should probably
explore some of her work.

[covingtoncat73]

Originally Posted by fantasyfan

I agree completely so far as the Christie/Sayers contrast is concerned. Perhaps one could say that Christie writes a better mystery but Sayers writes a far better novel. This is why Sayers is so much more re-readable. BTW I think Gaudy Night is a masterpiece--one of the very best in the series. Harriet Vane is so vivid as a character!

I confess that I have never read Ngaio Marsh and I should probably
explore some of his work.

I will take Sayers or Tey over Christie as well.

As it happens, my current audiobook is a mystery (and historical fiction and political satire), The Coroner's Lunch. I am about 2/3 through and I love it so far. I like a nice, sarcastic, world-weary main character.

My current text eBook is the second book of the Mongoliad series, which is an excellent historical adventure.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by covingtoncat73

I will take Sayers or Tey over Christie as well.

I only read one Sayers and thought it was on the dull side. however, I did read Christie when I was a teen... so that may change my view of them. They were so much more enjoyable than those assigned books.

BOb

[covingtoncat73]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I only read one Sayers and thought it was on the dull side. however, I did read Christie when I was a teen... so that may change my view of them. They were so much more enjoyable than those assigned books.

BOb

Ah, yes. Assigned books are never as fun, especially some of what they give you in school. I think Jane Eyre is the only book I was introduced to in school that I really, really love. I don't count The Hobbitand The Lord of the Rings because I was already a fan of those.

****Edit****

Actually, I was assigned Josephine Tey's Daughter of Time and John Dickson Carr's Devil in Velvet in, respectively, the Tudor England and Stuart England classes I took while getting my M.A. in History. I love those books.