DeltaQueen's Big Steal of 2015 - Part 8

Això és la continuació del tema DeltaQueen's Big Steal of 2015 - Part 7.

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DeltaQueen's Big Steal of 2015 - Part 8

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1DeltaQueen50
nov. 1, 2015, 3:05 pm

My 2015 Category Challenge is done and now I am looking forward to two months of free reading before I start in again with my 2016 Challenge. I will still be participating in the Cat Challenges as well as finishing my second BingoDog. I hope to chip away at my Commonwealth Challenge as well, but along with that will be books that I will pick up just because they grab my attention.

All I need is a few of these:



Maybe a cozy place like this:



And,



Come and join me!

2DeltaQueen50
Editat: nov. 1, 2015, 3:08 pm

Tickers:

YTD Number of Books Read:




YTD Number of Page Read




YTD Number of Books Read From My Shelves



3DeltaQueen50
Editat: nov. 1, 2015, 3:09 pm

When I rate books it is a gut reaction, I am not a critic, so the ratings on books that I have read are really just how I felt about the book.

The following is an example of how I rate books:

2.0 ★: I must have been dragged, kicking and screaming, to finish this one!

2.5 ★: Below Average but I finished the book for one reason or another.

3.0 ★: Average, a solid read that I finished but can't promise to remember

3.5 ★: Above Average, there's room for improvement but I liked this well enough to pick up another book by this author.

4.0 ★: A very good read and I enjoyed my time spent with this story

4.5 ★: An excellent read, a book I will remember and recommend

5.0 ★: Sheer perfection, the right book at the right time for me

4DeltaQueen50
Editat: nov. 15, 2015, 5:13 pm

2015 BINGO DOG - COMPLETED



For my 2nd Bingo Card I decided to go with the Art Deco theme.



Books Read

1. A Book Set in a Country Other Than Your Own: The Garden of Burning Sand by Corban Addison
2. A Book That is a Genre Bender: Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch
3. A Book That Reminds You of Your Childhood: Skylark by Patricia Maclachlan
4. A Book Chosen By Someone Else: Before the Fact by Francis Iles
5. A Book Where An Animal Is Of Importance: The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
6. A Book With Correspondence or Letters: The Stowaway by Karen Hesse
7. A Book Owned For More Than One Year: Dreaming of the Bones by Deborah Crombie
8. A Book That Is Translated: The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri
9. A Book Centered Around a Major Historical Event: Coventry by Helen Humphreys
10. A Book Published in 1915: Something Fresh by P.G. Wodehouse
11. A Book With Prophecies/Portents: Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay
12. A Book With Scientists: Stolen by Kelley Armstrong
13. Read A Cat: Light of the Moon by Elizabeth Buchan (July RandomCat)
14. A Book Whose Author Shares An Ancestor's Name: I, Said The Fly by Elizabeth Ferrars
15. A Book With A Natural Disaster: The Last Town On Earth by Thomas Mullen
16. A Book With a Mythical Creature: A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
17. A Book With a LBGTQ Main Character: Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
18. A Book By an LT Author: The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
19. A Book About Language: The Secret Language of Girls by Frances O'Roark Dowell
20. A Book Outside My Comfort Zone: Big Hard Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction
21. A Book About Autism: Three Weeks in December by Audrey Schulman
22. A Book Inspired by Another Piece of Fiction: Betwixt And Between by Jessica Stilling
23. A Book On a Subject You Are Unfamiliar With: Caribbean Chemistry by Christopher Vanier
24. A Book Based on a Fairy Tale or Myth: The Snow Child by Ewoyn Ivey
25. A Book With a Protagonist of the Opposite Gender: King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard

5DeltaQueen50
Editat: des. 17, 2015, 5:58 pm



Books Read In November

170. One Good Knight by Mercedes Lackey - 3.3 ★
171. The Virginian by Owen Wister - 3.8 ★
172. Pacific Glory by P.T. Deutermann - 4.3 ★
173. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch - 5.0 ★
174. Plain Kate by Erin Bow - 2.7 ★
175. Something Fresh by P.G. Wodehouse - 4.0 ★
176. Honolulu by Alan Brennert - 3.7 ★
177. A Killing In The Hills by Julia Keller - 3.2 ★
178. The Good Soldiers by David Finkel - 4.0 ★
179. The Secret Language of Girls by Frances O'Roark Dowell - 4.0 ★
180. MIG-23 Broke My Heart by A.K. Dawson - 3.3 ★
181. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley - 4.3 ★
182. Something Is Going To Fall Like Rain by Ros Wynne-Jones - 3.8 ★
183. They Shoot Horses, Don't They by Horace McCoy - 3.6 ★
184. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion - 3.8 ★
185. Fire And Ash by Jonathan Maberry - 4.0 ★
186. Affairs At Thrush Green by Miss Read - 4.0 ★
187. Deadly Code by Lin Anderson - 3.3 ★

6DeltaQueen50
Editat: des. 31, 2015, 12:48 pm



Books Read In December

188. The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig - 3.9 ★
189. Terror Below the Wind by Mike Jacobs - 2.2 ★
190. The Terracotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri - 4.1 ★
191. The Dry Grass of August by Anna May Mayhew - 4.2 ★
192. Blood Red Road by Moira Young - 4.1 ★
193. Mystery In White by J. Jefferson Farjeon - 3.7 ★
194. The Farming of the Bones by Edwidge Danticat - 4.2 ★
195. At Christmas The Heart Goes Home by Marjorie Holmes - 3.2 ★
196. The Lost Kings by Bruno Hare - 3.0 ★
197. Sisters of Treason by Elizabeth Freemantle - 4.5 ★
198. A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb - 4.0 ★
199. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin - 3.2 ★
200. What's It Gonna Be? by Cassandra Piat - 3.8 ★
201. The Race For Paris by Meg Waite Clayton - 4.1 ★
202. Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler - 2.8 ★
203. The Pink Suit by Nicole Mary Kelby - 3.7 ★
204; The Hunted by Charlie Higson - 4.2 ★

7DeltaQueen50
Editat: nov. 1, 2015, 3:29 pm

170. One Good Knight by Mercedes Lackey - 3.3 ★
TIOLI #5: Read A Fantasy




I picked up One Good Knight by Mercedes Lackey for a quick, light-hearted read. This is number two in her Five Hundred Kingdoms series, and this one was a blend of the Andromeda myth and the story of St. George the Dragon slayer. Of course, the author puts her own spin on these stories so everything isn’t quite as it seems.

When a dragon begins to menace her country, it isn’t too long before it is decided to appease the dragon by offering it virgins on a weekly basis. Princess Andromeda thought she was chosen by lottery to be the next victim but in reality, her mother along with her advisor had arranged that she be chosen. Obviously, they have something to hide. When a knight arrives to save the princess from the dragon, it seems “tradition” is planning on her falling in love with her champion and together they will save the Kingdom. But tradition has a way of being warped in these tales, and instead of falling in love with Sir George, the Princess only has eyes for another. Of course all is straightened out during the course of the story, and in the end, both the Princess and Sir George are destined for happiness, just not with each other.

The story was fun enough but the characters are fairly one-dimensional and the romance was a little silly. These fractured fairy-tales are simply fun escape reads that are enjoyable enough at the time, but have no staying power.

8luvamystery65
nov. 1, 2015, 3:28 pm

Hurray for free reading Judy!

9DeltaQueen50
nov. 1, 2015, 3:31 pm

>7 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Ro. I like having some freedom in my reading choice but I also know that I will be ready for the 2016 Challenge come January!

10dudes22
nov. 1, 2015, 3:38 pm

I'm trying to convince my husband we need a reading nook like the picture in post #1. We don't have a stairway to put it under, but I see that as a minor problem. Hope you enjoy your free reading. And please - try to keep the BBs to a minimum.

11DeltaQueen50
nov. 1, 2015, 3:58 pm

>10 dudes22: I would love a reading nook like that in RL but I guess I just have to dream about it even though we have a stairway - a nook underneath the stairs would put me in the furnace room!

12dudes22
nov. 1, 2015, 4:15 pm

Around here it's common to put a small powder room under the stairs. Usually our furnaces are in the basement. We also rented a house once that had drawers built into the stairway. But I like the reading area even better.

13lkernagh
nov. 1, 2015, 4:15 pm

Yay for free reading time, Judy! Happy new thread and happy "post Halloween" Sunday!

14DeltaQueen50
nov. 1, 2015, 4:22 pm

>12 dudes22: I've seen powder rooms under the stairs on TV and of course, didn't Harry Potter sleep in a closet under the stairs as well? But I agree, a reading nook would be the best use of the area, for sure!!

>13 lkernagh: Same to you, Lori, as I see you are also looking forward to 2 months of free reading.

15leslie.98
nov. 1, 2015, 4:30 pm

I love that reading nook! And am pea-green with envy that you are done with all your challenges (and 20 books past your goal)... Saying that makes me realize that if I just spent less time on the internet, I would be done too *grin*

Anyway, happy new thread Judy!

16mathgirl40
nov. 1, 2015, 5:14 pm

Happy new thread, and I hope you enjoy your two months of free reading! I was glad to see in your previous thread your positive reviews of Locke and Key. Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez are a terrific team!

17VioletBramble
nov. 1, 2015, 5:24 pm

Congratulations on completing your challenge!
I'm glad to see you liked The Last Town on Earth. I've had that one sitting on the shelf for many years. It's presently planned for 2018 reading. Hopefully it will be worth the wait.

18ronincats
nov. 1, 2015, 6:50 pm

Every time I see you talking about your Cat Challenges, I perk up and think "Cat" challenge, yes, I could get into that...and then I realize you are talking about categories, not cats. :-(

19rabbitprincess
nov. 1, 2015, 7:23 pm

Congrats on finishing your challenge, and enjoy your free reading! :)

20Kassilem
nov. 2, 2015, 5:36 am

Happy new thread. Here to lurk some more :)

21Crazymamie
nov. 2, 2015, 10:09 am

Happy new thread, Judy!

22mamzel
nov. 2, 2015, 11:28 am

New thread - Yay!

23DeltaQueen50
nov. 2, 2015, 4:53 pm

>15 leslie.98: Thanks, Leslie. I am very happy to have these last two months of the year for free reading, it makes a nice break, although I suspect most of the books I pick up could easily have fit into my categories!

>16 mathgirl40: I thought the Locke & Key series was a perfect partnership between artist and writer! I would love to see that duo put out more graphic novels.

>17 VioletBramble: The Last Town On Earth is a very interesting read and one, I think you will enjoy. I am looking forward to my next book by this author.

>18 ronincats: Roni, all these different challenges can be confusing - the Cats, the TIOLIs, the RTT (Reading Through Time) and next year I hope to also participate in the CAC (Canadian Author Challenge). As you know, I am a sucker for a challenge!

>19 rabbitprincess: Thanks, RP!

>20 Kassilem: Lurk away, Melissa. I have been doing a lot of lurking myself lately.

>21 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie, great to see you out and about on the threads!

>22 mamzel: Thanks, Mamzel. This will probably be my last thread for this year and I am looking forward to moving over to the 2016 Challenge soon.

24DeltaQueen50
nov. 2, 2015, 5:00 pm

171. The Virginian by Owen Wister - 3.8 ★
TIOLI #12: A Book Dealing With Wilderness or Frontier Pioneers




Originally published in 1902, The Virginian by Own Wister depicts life on a cattle ranch in Wyoming, a classic American novel and considered the first true western ever written. A number of events in this book have become clichés of the western genre. Along with the lynching of cattle thieves and a dramatic shoot-out we also have the original cowboy prototype, a tall, lean, quiet man who speaks with his deeds and has a strong moral code. This is the fellow that all the women admire and the men want to be whether he is telling the villain to “smile when you call me that” or discussing poetry with his school teacher sweetheart.

But this is more than a romanticized tale of the west, Wister is also portraying the end of an era. This book is showing the changing of the western frontier. Schools are springing up, women are coming west, the gentling influence of home and family are slowly changing the way things are done. The old “wild” west is giving way to more moderate ways and the time of quick and harsh justice for lawbreakers is coming to an end.

I found this a little dated yet still a strong historical story. I was surprised at how much of the book was given over to the romance, which to me was the weak area of the book as it seemed over idealized and rather passionless. I much preferred the love story the author wrote about this place and time in American history for in his colorful descriptions and varied characters one can find the passion that the main characters lacked for each other.

25-Eva-
nov. 2, 2015, 10:34 pm

Happy free-reading months!

26mysterymax
nov. 3, 2015, 6:21 am

What fun, two months of free reading, enjoy!

27DeltaQueen50
nov. 3, 2015, 11:49 pm

>25 -Eva-: >26 mysterymax: Thanks, Eva and Max - I am! :)

28DeltaQueen50
nov. 4, 2015, 12:01 am

172. Pacific Glory by P.T. Deutermann - 4.2 ★
November HistoryCat: War & Peace
Reading Through Time Monthly Theme: 20th Century
TIOLI #2: A Book About Serving Military Personnel




Pacific Glory by P.T. Deutermann is a detailed and exciting story of the battles of the Pacific Theatre during World War II. The story goes back and forth between two main characters, one a naval pilot, the other an executive officer on a naval battle cruiser and it manages to place the reader at most of the major naval battles that took place in the Pacific over the course of the war. It opens with a vivid description of the sinking of 3 American and 1 Australian battle cruisers during the battle of Savo Island in August of 1942 and carries the reader through to the liberation of the Philippines.

The author pulls no punches in his descriptions of operations that took place in the Pacific Theatre over the course of the war. At times you feel as if you are in the plane watching the action along with the pilot and at others you are on the bridge of a ship while life alternating decisions must be made in seconds. Following the careers and the personal lives of these men and their friends make then come alive on the pages and it was difficult when there was a loss in this gripping and emotional story. I think the author did an excellent job of portraying these naval men who were doing their duty under tremendous emotional strain and the courage and determination they showed in the face of such danger is awe inspiring.

Where the story faltered somewhat was in his development of his female characters. They were very much window dressing and seemed to be there in order to show another side to his male characters. I would have rather skipped the parts of the book that took place in Pearl Harbour as I felt the romances were just not strong enough and the actions of one of the female characters in particular were quite unbelievable.

But if you have an interest in naval history or simply just enjoy a good, exciting story, I would recommend giving Pacific Glory a try.

29cammykitty
nov. 4, 2015, 12:04 am

Congrats!!! Looks like you've got a black out going on bingo. I've got a few good suggestions on language: Bill Bryson's The Mother Tongue, Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language and Bringing our Language Home. I've forgotten all about my bingo card. I suppose I should go check it.

30DeltaQueen50
nov. 4, 2015, 3:56 pm

Hi Katie, I hope to finish the Bingo Card this month. I have two books lined up to read, The Secret Language of Girls by Frances O'Roark Dowell for the Language square and Something Fresh by P.G. Wodehouse for a book published in 1915.

31mstrust
nov. 4, 2015, 7:22 pm

Happy New Thread! Enjoy your free reading!

32leslie.98
nov. 4, 2015, 11:48 pm

>24 DeltaQueen50: Interesting -- that is one of the books I have on my Kindle because it was on the Guardian's 1000 Novels Everyone Should Read list but I had no idea it was a Western!

33DeltaQueen50
nov. 5, 2015, 1:59 pm

>32 leslie.98: Leslie, many consider The Virginian as the first American Western novel although to do that one has to disregard all the pulp westerns that came before. The Virginian is however, a blueprint of the western cliches that we now take for granted and I found it a most interesting read.

34DeltaQueen50
nov. 5, 2015, 2:07 pm

173. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch - 5.0 ★
SFFFCat: Off On A Quest
TIOLI #5: Read A Fantasy




I am not going to re-review this book as I originally read it in 2011 and gave it 5 stars and those 5 stars still stand. I reread it in order to refresh my mind as I am planning on reading the other two book in the trilogy next year. I actually listened to the Lies of Locke Lamora as read by Michael Page and found this a most enjoyable experience. This book held up well, I still found it exciting and fun and I now look forward to the next two books.

35luvamystery65
nov. 5, 2015, 2:35 pm

>34 DeltaQueen50: I listened to this as well. Michael Page did a fantastic job. I also need to get back to this series.

36mamzel
nov. 5, 2015, 4:01 pm

>34 DeltaQueen50: >35 luvamystery65: I am almost finished with the book I am listening to (Bring Up the Bodies) and was intrigued enough by your review to get a used CD copy from Amazon (my library didn't have the audio available). I have heard so many LTers rave about this book that I broke down and ordered it. I am definitely looking forward to listening to it.

37souloftherose
nov. 5, 2015, 4:10 pm

>34 DeltaQueen50: Glad you enjoyed this so much on your reread!

38Roro8
nov. 5, 2015, 4:35 pm

Hi Judy, happy free reading to you. I look forward to reading about your choices.

39DeltaQueen50
nov. 5, 2015, 5:10 pm

>35 luvamystery65: Hi Ro, I am going to miss my morning listening sessions. You are so right, Michael Page, did an amazing job and listening to him made this a very pleasurable experience.

>36 mamzel: I hope you fall in love with Locke and his Gentlemen Bastards, Mamzel!

>37 souloftherose: Hi Heather, I really did love this re-reading experience. It's not something I do very often, this time I think I got much more involved in the story whereas in the original reading I was more taken with his descriptive work.

>38 Roro8: Ro, I am already having trouble in that I keep picking up books that I was planning on reading for my next years challenge! Why is that the minute I set a book aside for the future - I want to read it NOW!!

40Roro8
nov. 5, 2015, 5:43 pm

>39 DeltaQueen50:, precisely the reason that I don't plan my reading ahead. I haven't even looked and the final plan for the Geo and Dewey Cats for next year for that very reason.

41lkernagh
nov. 5, 2015, 9:10 pm

>34 DeltaQueen50: - 5 Stars!!!

*WHOOT!*

I am so looking forward to reading this one next year as part of my blind book date category!

... I will calm down now.

42DeltaQueen50
nov. 5, 2015, 9:24 pm

>41 lkernagh: Oh, I do hope you love The Lies of Locke Lamora, Lori. I am looking forward to Red Seas Under Red Skies and I will probably pick it up very early in the year!

43AHS-Wolfy
nov. 6, 2015, 10:54 am

>34 DeltaQueen50: Glad you still enjoyed this one. Hope the sequels sit as well with you as they did with me. The 2nd book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger (The story is self-contained but it does leave someone in a bit of a pickle) so you might want to plan to read the 3rd shortly after.

44DeltaQueen50
Editat: nov. 6, 2015, 9:33 pm

>43 AHS-Wolfy: Dave, I've learned my lesson about not getting back to fantasy trilogies. My new rule is to try and read them fairly closely together. I can let more time go between books from a mystery series as usually each book is a separate mystery, but with fantasy and sci-fi, I need to keep the characters and story plots fresh in my mind.

45DeltaQueen50
Editat: nov. 6, 2015, 9:39 pm

173. Plain Kate by Erin Bow - 2.7 ★
TIOLI #5: Read A Fantasy




The author of Plain Kate has also published volumes of poetry and this shows in her beautiful, lyrical writing. This YA fantasy story unfolds much like a morality tale as we read of how Kate is orphaned, taken advantage of by a witch, is driven out of her home town and searches for a place to belong. Her one true companion is her cat, Taggle, who stays by her side through thick and thin and was my favorite character.

I started out loving this story but along the way my feelings for the book changed until I was just glad to see the end. I think what slowly turned me off the book was that the story didn’t hang together very well, there were too many instances where the reader had to simply take a leap of trust and these leaps were not always rewarded. By the end of the book, I felt rather let down as the whole exercise seemed rather pointless.

The lush writing lead me to believe I was starting in on a breathtaking journey, but unfortunately instead of magic and wonder, I found bitterness and intolerance. Plain Kate ended up not being a book for me.

46VivienneR
nov. 7, 2015, 3:10 pm

Congratulations on a successful reading year and a comfy finish in your (imaginary?) reading nook. You are still firing lots of bullets in my direction.

47DeltaQueen50
nov. 7, 2015, 5:09 pm

>46 VivienneR: Thanks Vivienne. I enjoy some time to simply make some random choices, but overall I am much more comfortable with the process of planning my reading around the category challenge.

48-Eva-
nov. 7, 2015, 7:29 pm

The Lies of Locke Lamora is on my to-read list as well, so hearing that a 5-star stays a 5-star after a reread makes me very optimistic.

49DeltaQueen50
nov. 8, 2015, 3:12 pm

>48 -Eva-: Eva, you have an excellent read ahead of you!

50lyzard
Editat: nov. 8, 2015, 4:32 pm

Ah-ha! - finally finished with The Virginian, I see! :)

Yes, I agree with your comments; it's the descriptions of Wyoming that are the most powerful and successful aspect of the book, I think, although we also do have to allow for how much of it has since become cliché to our eyes, but wasn't at the time (including 'romancing the schoolmarm').

51DeltaQueen50
nov. 8, 2015, 10:59 pm

>50 lyzard: Liz, I was amazed at how most of the cliches that we have come to identify to the western genre originated in this book! And, yes, I really think his descriptive passages were the most appealing part of the story.

52DeltaQueen50
nov. 8, 2015, 11:04 pm

175. Something Fresh by P.G. Wodehouse - 4.0 ★
BingoDog: Published in 1915
TIOLI #9: I Am Thankful For ______




A comedy of manners and misunderstandings, Something Fresh by P.G. Wodehouse was a light, playful read that lifted my mood and brought more than a few smiles to my face. This is the first book in the Blandings Castle series, and as in all his works, it is witty, amusing and just slightly silly.

This episode introduces the readers to the Earl of Emsworth and the plot is centered on his son the Hon. Freddy Threepwood’s engagement to a rich American heiress The Earl, who is very absentminded accidentally pockets a valuable scarab that belongs to the heiress’ father. With a superb sense of timing, the author gathers an assortment of characters together at Blandings and with the scarab as the target, lets the mayhem begin.

Originally published in 1915, this story retains it’s slapstick humour and envelopes the reader in a delightful, whimsical and very upper class English setting.

53rosalita
nov. 9, 2015, 5:17 pm

You can't go wrong with some Wodehouse!

54DeltaQueen50
nov. 9, 2015, 5:30 pm

>53 rosalita: Hi Julia, I am planning on continuing with both the Jeeves & Wooster series and now the Blandings one as well. These make great books to pick up between some of the heavier reading.

55mstrust
nov. 9, 2015, 6:28 pm

Great review of Wodehouse! I didn't know that was the first one, so it goes on the list. I recently enjoyed the TV series, which was so much fun.

56ronincats
nov. 9, 2015, 7:07 pm

Hi, Judy. I read Plain Kate last year and yes, it was pretty much a downer overall.

57DeltaQueen50
nov. 10, 2015, 10:09 pm

>55 mstrust: It's nice having another author that I can turn to for sheer escapism!

>56 ronincats: Hi Roni, I was disappointed with the book, and it's unrelenting sadness. I see from the reviews though that many others feel very differently, it seems to be a polarizing book.

58DeltaQueen50
Editat: nov. 10, 2015, 10:23 pm

176. Honolulu by Alan Brennert - 3.7 ★
November RandomCat: Books & The Big City
TIOLI #9: I Am Thankful For _____




Honolulu by Alan Brennert is an epic story about a Korean Picture Bride who arrived in Hawaii in 1914. The book follows both her and three of her fellow “brides’ that travelled to Hawaii on the same ship. Their lives have many ups and downs throughout the years and the author also includes many historical events that help the reader to envision how Honolulu was evolving.

It was interesting to learn about the Korean immigrants that became part of Honolulu’s ethnic soup that has led to the modern multi-cultural city of today. Being introduced to Hawaii as field labourers in the sugar cane and pineapple fields these early workers would save a number of years to have the money to bring a Korean girl over to become their wife. The girls, on their part, thought they were going to a place where they would find a life of less restrictions than they had in Korea.

The book is well researched and full of historical facts, but this very information also kept me from totally loving the story and feeling true emotion for the character. She seemed to be conveniently placed to be an observer at so many events that it seemed as if the story was secondary to the history. I would however, certainly read another book by this author as he was certainly able to breathe life into his settings.

59jnwelch
Editat: nov. 11, 2015, 10:29 am

>52 DeltaQueen50: Nice review of the Wodehouse book, Judy. I've never read the first of the Blandings books, so I'll have to track that down.

60BLBera
nov. 11, 2015, 12:35 pm

Honolulu sounds interesting, Judy. Too bad the history gets in the way of the fiction.

61DeltaQueen50
nov. 11, 2015, 5:56 pm

>59 jnwelch: Hi Joe, I haven't read any other of the Blandings books but I certainly enjoyed this one.

>60 BLBera: I think my explaination was a little misleading, Beth. I enjoy lots of authenticity and historical facts being added to my historical fiction, but in Honolulu, I felt the author tried to ensure his main character knew every major character that had anything to do with Hawaii in the 1920's and also placed his main character at every event so that the rest of the story felt more like he was connecting the dots. This character ended up having a connection to Somerset Maugham and his inspiration for the character of Sadie Thompson, Duke Kahanamoku, Queen Liliuokalani, as well as the Hawaiin policeman that is said to have been Earl Derr Biggers inspiration for Charlie Chan. She also called "Auntie" by one of the young men who was accused of rape in a famous case involving an American navy wife and some young native Hawaiians and she also happened to be in at the beginning of the making of Hawaiian Shirts. It just felt a little too much.

62leslie.98
nov. 11, 2015, 8:24 pm

>59 jnwelch: The first Blandings book is Something Fresh (also known as Something New) and is in the public domain, for those with ereaders. While I have a slight preference for Bertie & Jeeves, the Blandings books are fun (and they have pigs!).

63DeltaQueen50
nov. 12, 2015, 12:28 am

177. A Killing In The Hills by Julia Keller - 3.2 ★
TIOLI #18: Something in the Title Not To Be Thankful For




Set in the small, fictional town of Acker’s Gap, nestled among the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia, A Killing in the Hills by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Julia Keller is a murder mystery that I fully expected to carry me away with it’s excellent writing and atmosphere. Unfortunately this wasn’t the book I was hoping for. This debut suffered from clichéd characters and a predictable plot. I actually preferred the side story to the main one.

There were more than a few holes in the plot, the book could have used some editing and the relationship between Bell and her daughter was to me, downright strange. Bell professes to care so much for her daughter, yet she couldn’t seem to make it home before 8:00 pm most evenings. Her daughter is a witness to a triple homicide, yet after finding someone to sit with her, Bell goes back to work that afternoon. This is a mother who doesn’t notice when her daughter has her nose pierced, yet we are asked to believe that the daughter was afraid to tell her mother about a party she attended because there were drugs there!

I found that once the relationships were called into question, the rest of the story was hard to swallow. I doubt whether I will pick up any more books in this series.

64RidgewayGirl
nov. 12, 2015, 2:15 am

I read another in the Bel Elkins series, Bitter River, with high hopes given the setting. And ended up reading just another mediocre mystery/thriller. It's so disappointing when the setting and book description make a book sound so promising!

65jnwelch
nov. 12, 2015, 12:49 pm

>61 DeltaQueen50:, >62 leslie.98: The Jeeves and Bertie stories are my favorites, too, but Life at Blandings and Uncle Fred in Springtime are both a lot of fun.

Thanks for the tip on the e-reader public domain-ness.

66DeltaQueen50
nov. 12, 2015, 4:59 pm

>64 RidgewayGirl: I don't know why but I always think if a book is set in the Appalachians, that it is going to be a literary jewel of both atmosphere and plot!

>65 jnwelch: I love P.G. Wodehouse for his humor, also he gives us the most vivid characters!

67DeltaQueen50
nov. 14, 2015, 5:10 pm

178. The Good Soldiers by David Finkel - 4.0 ★
Non-Fiction November
TIOLI #4: A Challenging Book




The Good Soldiers by Pulitzer Prize journalist David Finkel was a difficult read. He describes the horror of the American war experience in Iraq with an unflinching eye and it was unbearably sad to read of incidents that left young Americans dead or changed for life. Set in 2007, it is also unbearably sad to know that these kind of things are still happening in the Middle East today as the death and suffering continues.

This author brings both the war and the men who fought it to life on these pages as he describes their day-to-day activities, both in combat and in general duties. This is not a book about the political manoeuvrings of Washington, instead it follows one battalion throughout its 15 month deployment and allows the reader to feel a part of their experience. David Finkel spent 8 months with the 2-16 in Iraq and in telling of this units’ operations, he clearly shows the what the cost was:

“in the final minutes of a month in which four soldiers died, one lost a hand,
one lost an arm, one lost an eye, one was shot in the head, one was shot in the
throat, eight were injured by shrapnel, eighty IEDs or EFPs detonated on
passing convoys, soldiers were targeted by gunfire or rocket-propelled grenades
fifty-two times …”

And he humanizes this cost.

Yes, a difficult read, but presented in a moving and unforgettable manner which will make The Good Soldiers a hard book to forget.

68DeltaQueen50
nov. 15, 2015, 5:12 pm

179. The Secret Language of Girls by Frances O'Roark Dowell - 4.0 ★
BingoDog: About Language
TIOLI #1: Author's Name Includes a Mark Other Than Letters




Kate and Marylin had been best friends since before preschool but recently they seemed to be on different wave lengths as they both explore being on the threshold of becoming a teen. What do girls mean when they write in code in their diaries? When do girls stop playing imaginary games and take up fashion as a hobby? Why does everything come down to boys? And when will the first kiss happen? These are all questions that Kate and Marylin need to answer as they go through this pivotal year.

I found The Secret Language of Girls by Frances O'Roark Dowell a delightful, thoughtful read and my enjoyment was enhanced by reading this book with my eleven year old granddaughter. She really got into this book, and enjoyed rooting for her favorite character. Many of the issues raised in the book, I could see that my granddaughter could relate to. And although both these girls took different routes through this first year at middle school, they eventually found that giving in to peer pressure wasn’t the best route to choose. They also found that even though you have grown apart, when you really need them a true friend will be there.

I think The Secret Language of Girls is a great read for girls aged 11-12, especially if they too, are learning that friendships do change, evolve into something different or simply just end. The author, Frances O’Roark Dowell, did a great job of bringing these girls to life and showing that although they developed different interests they could still come together and be good friends and confidants to each other.

69tymfos
nov. 16, 2015, 10:56 am

Sorry to hear that A Killing in the Hills was such a disappointment. It was on my radar, but now I'll pass on it. You're right, that does sound like an odd mother/daughter dynamic.

70DeltaQueen50
nov. 16, 2015, 6:26 pm

>69 tymfos: Hi Terri, I think a large part of my disappointment with A Killing in the Hills came with my high expectations. Knowing the author was a Pulitzer Prize winner and given the location, I was expecting some better than the mediocre story that I got.

71DeltaQueen50
nov. 16, 2015, 6:32 pm

I am a member of a group called Reading Through Time and we do exactly that - read through time. Each month we have a theme and chose our historical reading to match that theme. This year we are taking turns setting the theme and we already know that January's theme is "Women In Command". This is a take it or leave it challenge, meaning you can pick and chose which months to participate. We also have quarterly time periods and in January we are starting over with "Prehistory". If you love reading historical fiction or non-fiction, come by and check us out.

Reading Through Time Challenge

72Familyhistorian
nov. 16, 2015, 9:20 pm

>71 DeltaQueen50: A group for reading history - that sounds like something that is right up my alley. How do I join up?

73DeltaQueen50
nov. 16, 2015, 10:02 pm

>72 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg, all you need to do is drop by the group site and push the button to join. Then just introduce yourself on the current (November) or upcoming (December) thread. If you are interested in starting right away our theme for November is 20th Century, December will be Civil Rights and Equality and January, as mentioned above, is Women in Command. You chose the book you are going to read - fiction or non-fiction - and just let the group know.

74DeltaQueen50
nov. 16, 2015, 10:58 pm

180. MIG-23 Broke My Heart by A.K. Dawson - 3.3 ★
Commonwealth Challenge: Namibia
TIOLI #2: A Book About Serving Military Personnel




The self-published MIG-23 Broke My Heart by A.K. Dawson is a coming of age tale about young man of eighteen who is conscripted into the South Africa Defense Force. Thomas is an artistic, laid back young man ill-prepared for the violence that he is about to experience while on a secret mission to the northern border shared by Namibia and Angola. Along with Thomas is his immediate supervisor, Skelator, who is a bully, and a black soldier called Maxwell. These three learn many life lessons while travelling through no-man’s land, but never quite manage to learn to get along with each other.

This story is set in the 1980’s, before Namibia was independent from South Africa, and although this story was full of violence and was both crude and rough in places, the author manages to point out some of the many problems that apartheid created, and the lack of value that the life of a black man was held in. This was definitely a story about a road trip to hell with Thomas losing his innocence mile by mile.

MIG-23 Broke My Heart was a book that I picked up to count towards my Commonwealth Challenge, but did not expect to enjoy. And although it had an unfinished quality about it, it did hold my attention while I was reading it, but I somehow suspect that is will be a book is like a trip to a hamburger joint, satisfying at the time but not memorable.

75dudes22
nov. 17, 2015, 6:40 am

>68 DeltaQueen50: - I have a great-niece that is in the age group you mentioned and I think I'll take this as a BB for her birthday next year. (It's in Feb so I might get it when I order my Christmas gift books for all of them and just hold on to it.) I'll have to check first with my sister (the librarian and her Nona) to make sure she hasn't already read it.

76DeltaQueen50
nov. 17, 2015, 4:08 pm

>75 dudes22: I hope she enjoys the book, Betty. My granddaughter loved it and really related to one of the characters.

77Familyhistorian
nov. 17, 2015, 9:02 pm

Hi Judy, do you have power where you are? I am sitting here in the dark.

78DeltaQueen50
nov. 17, 2015, 9:44 pm

>77 Familyhistorian: Touch wood, Meg, we do have power, but the wind is pretty strong. I noticed on the radio when they talked about this storm they seemed to think it was going to hit your area stronger than here to the south.

79DeltaQueen50
nov. 17, 2015, 9:57 pm

181. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley - 4.3 ★
SFFFCat: Off On A Quest
TIOLI #5: Read A Fantasy




The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley is a story of epic proportions, it tells the story of Harry Crewe and how she was spirited away from her home by the mysterious Corlath, King of Damar, and went on to become that country’s beloved saviour armed with the legendary sword Gonduran, aided by the ancient magic that she finds within herself and accompanied by her horse Sungold and a hunter-cat called Narknon.

The Blue Sword was originally published in 1983 and it was interesting to compare this fantasy to the ones being written today. While Harry was understated and cool, modern heroines are more forthcoming and openly passionate. In fact, the whole book was understated in ways that left a lot to the imagination of the reader and I for one, enjoyed having the freedom to interpret the author’s words and paint my own pictures.

This Newberry Award winner was a wonderful read and one that I will long remember. The romance is understated but woven throughout the story and although the ending is no surprise to the reader, it was everything I had hoped for. With her quiet strength and honesty, Harry Crewe was a heroine that I loved rooting for and her journey from the restless, unsettled girl living in a frontier town to the Damalur-Sol (lady hero) of a remote hill country was truly magical.

80ronincats
nov. 17, 2015, 10:04 pm

Oh, well done!! I'm so happy you loved one of my favorite books!

81jnwelch
nov. 18, 2015, 11:40 am

>79 DeltaQueen50:, >80 ronincats: The two of you have convinced me. Onto the WL it goes. Nice review, Judy.

82DeltaQueen50
nov. 18, 2015, 7:12 pm

>80 ronincats: I did love it, Roni, and considering that I haven't really liked the other two Robin McKinley books I have read, I was very surprised.

>81 jnwelch: The author covers a lot of ground, Joe, and yet delivers a story that is under 300 pages which is amazing considering the length of many fantasies today!

83DeltaQueen50
nov. 18, 2015, 7:20 pm

I am a very happy camper right now, it's been a year since I had my heart attack and I have been going for some tests recently and I saw the heart specialist yesterday. It appears that my heart is functioning normally and didn't sustain any permanent damage. I've been taken off one medication which is good but I do need to amp up the exercise and get in better shape, expecially as I am to have another stress test in January and I would like to impress the technican with how well I can run on the treadmill!

I've done some poor planning in my reading as my two current books are both very sad and depressing. When I finish these, I will be looking for a happy book!

84mysterymax
nov. 18, 2015, 9:12 pm

So glad you are getting a green flag from your doctor. Keep up the good work... happy books will help.

85cbl_tn
nov. 18, 2015, 9:20 pm

Great news Judy!

86thornton37814
nov. 18, 2015, 10:00 pm

87Familyhistorian
nov. 19, 2015, 12:42 am

Good news about your health, Judy. This is a hard time of year to amp up the exercise. Best of luck with that.

88Roro8
Editat: nov. 19, 2015, 4:09 am

I am very happy to hear about your health status improvement Judy. Thumbs up for you.

ETA: if reading was cardio exercise you would be a marathon runner. Such a shame our favourite thing to do is so sedentary.

89dudes22
Editat: nov. 19, 2015, 5:57 am

Oh - Good news, Judy. Less medicine is a good sign he's happy with your progress.

>82 DeltaQueen50: - response to >80 ronincats: - I'm a little surprised you would keep reading an author whose other books you didn't enjoy. Although, having said that, I do have a book in my TBR by an author that I haven't liked the two books I already tried. I think I'm keeping it because it won an award and I figure some day I'll be ready to try it.

90rosalita
nov. 19, 2015, 11:29 am

Way to go, Judy! Keep up the good work. All of here know you have a good heart so it's nice to have the doctor acknowledge it, too.

Also, thanks a million for the link to the Reading Through Time group. I've joined up and am looking forward to chiming in as I can next year.

91mstrust
nov. 19, 2015, 2:32 pm

>83 DeltaQueen50: Excellent! That's great to hear!

92DeltaQueen50
nov. 19, 2015, 4:49 pm

>84 mysterymax: Thanks MM, I have started reading The Rosie Project and it is keeping a smile on my face.

>85 cbl_tn: & >86 thornton37814: Thanks Carrie and Lori

>87 Familyhistorian: It's certainly no fun to go walking in all the rain and wind we've been having, but today is a lovely day and I've already gone for one walk and may just try to slip out later this afternoon for another. But at least Meg we don't often have to deal with trying to walk in the snow.

>88 Roro8: I am getting quite addicted to audio books, Ro. They are perfect for making the time go by while on the treadmill or even just doing housework.

>89 dudes22: I was certainly encouraged to read The Blue Sword from the raves I have heard from other LTers. I am fairly new to reading fantasy, so I rely on recommendations that I get here and The Blue Sword has been recommended fairly often. I'm glad I gave it a try as I finally did really enjoy this writers' work.

>90 rosalita: Great to see you over there, Julia. It's a simple and uncomplicated challenge. I read historical fiction on a regular basis so this is a great way for me to chose whereabouts my reading will take me every month.

>91 mstrust: Thanks, Jennifer.

93DeltaQueen50
nov. 19, 2015, 4:58 pm

182. Something Is Going To Fall Like Rain by Ros Wynne-Jones - 3.8 ★
Reading Through Time November: Modern History
Reading Through Time Quarterly: 20th Century
TIOLI #1: Author's Last Name Contains a Mark Other Than Letters




At first I really struggled with the reading of Something Is Going to Fall Like Rain by Ros Wynne-Jones. It was a very depressing read, set in Sudan during the 1990s genocide and the brutal acts of violence plus the overbearing sadness of reading about the starvation and disease that persisted no matter what the care workers did was heart rendering.

I admire these aid workers who step away from their lives to go and try to make a difference in the world, but the main character, Maria, was very difficult to warm up to. There was a deep, dark anger inside her that came through forcefully on every page. As I got deeper into the story, I came to understand about this brooding anger and sympathize with her.

The story itself was very gripping as a group of care workers are marooned in the village of Adek by the bombing of the air strip. Making the best of things they set up a feeding station and try to give medical aid where they can. They also arrange to have air drops of food brought in. Of course, these drops bring more people to the area and the increased activity in turn makes them more vulnerable to militia attack.

Something Is Going To Fall Like Rain was an emotionally draining book, but I was pleased that the author ended the story on a note of hope as ten years after Maria left Southern Sudan she returns and finds that things have changed for the better. Her own story also gets resolved and gives the reader hope that she will be able set aside her burden of anger and guilt and learn to live again. I suspect this may well be a book that as I acquire some distance from, the rating will rise.

94BLBera
nov. 19, 2015, 5:16 pm

Great news about your heart, Judy. Run, run, run. :)

95DeltaQueen50
nov. 19, 2015, 5:31 pm

>94 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. Can I please just walk quickly, walk quickly? ;)

96ronincats
nov. 19, 2015, 6:08 pm

Great news about your heart and the meds, Judy!

97leslie.98
nov. 19, 2015, 9:15 pm

>83 DeltaQueen50: So glad to hear this Judy!

98LittleTaiko
nov. 19, 2015, 9:20 pm

Happy news about your recovery! Keep up the good work!

99DeltaQueen50
nov. 19, 2015, 9:38 pm

>96 ronincats: >97 leslie.98: >98 LittleTaiko: Thanks everyone. I guess what happened to me a year ago was a wake up call.

100DeltaQueen50
nov. 19, 2015, 9:47 pm

183. They Shoot Horses, Don't They by Horace McCoy - 3.6 ★
TIOLI #6: A Plural Personal Pronoun is in the Title




Talk about a downer, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They was a dark and grim little book of only 122 pages but those pages were packed with story. It starts with a man being told to stand up to face judge while he receives his sentence. While standing, he mulls over the events that brought him to be standing in this spot.

It’s the 1930’s and the depression is causing people to resort to desperate measures and being a struggling actor was particularly unrewarding. After being rejected by a couple of studios one day, these two kids meet and decide to enter a marathon dance competition in the hopes of winning a prize or even getting some recognition that could lead to a movie role. What follows is the sordid, gruelling ways that people allowed themselves to be tortured in the name of entertainment.

A classic noir story, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They effectively captures a moment in time and although bleak and pessimistic, I admit I was glued to the pages, wanting to find out the how, the why and the what that this story was leading up to.

101lkernagh
nov. 20, 2015, 12:31 am

>83 DeltaQueen50: - That is great news, Judy about your doctor's report! *Whoot!*

>100 DeltaQueen50: - Oh boy, that does sound like a downer and not something that I would willingly read.

102MissWatson
nov. 20, 2015, 2:59 am

>100 DeltaQueen50: I remember the movie with a very young Jane Fonda. I didn't realize it was based on a book, sounds interesting!

103AHS-Wolfy
nov. 20, 2015, 6:28 am

>83 DeltaQueen50: Great to hear!

104mstrust
nov. 20, 2015, 11:44 am

>100 DeltaQueen50: It's been on my WL forever because I love noir but I've never come across it. I'm glad you warily liked it!

105DeltaQueen50
nov. 20, 2015, 6:13 pm

>101 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori.

>102 MissWatson: I would love to track that movie down. I certainly didn't picture Jane Fonda in the role but it would be interesting to see how it was played out.

>103 AHS-Wolfy: Thanks, Dave,

>104 mstrust: Jennifer, I got my copy from a second hand book store, it's in good shape and I would be more than happy to send it along to you. If you want it, just PM me with your mailing address.

106Familyhistorian
nov. 20, 2015, 8:23 pm

>105 DeltaQueen50: It was a widely viewed movie when it first came out, Judy. I remember seeing it in the movie theatre. I recall it being quite good.

107mstrust
nov. 21, 2015, 2:12 pm

108DeltaQueen50
nov. 21, 2015, 6:08 pm

It's 3:00 in the afternoon here and I am wiped out. I ran errands earlier this morning and then I've been baking and cooking all afternoon. Made a huge pot of clam chowder, some cornbread to go with it and a pan of mincemeat squares. I made cranberry squares earlier in the week for a bake sale and my husband was feeling left out so since he loves mincemeat, these are for him. I also squeezed in a walk as it is was a cool but sunny day, perfect for some fast walking.

>106 Familyhistorian: I do remember that movie, Meg, but I didn't see when it came out and I don't think I have seen it on TV either.

>107 mstrust: I could use a hug right about now, Jennifer! ;)

109DeltaQueen50
nov. 21, 2015, 6:19 pm

184. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion - 3.8 ★
TIOLI #8: Read A Book With Red On The Cover




The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion was a book that has sat on my shelves for some time, I was hesitant to pick it up as I thought it couldn’t possibly live up to it’s hype. Thankfully, I found that it does. This is a feel-good, laugh out loud, romantic comedy and I enjoyed the read but at the same time I wondered if this wouldn’t have been an even better book if there had been less laughs at Don’s expense. Obviously Don has Asperger’s syndrome which caused me to be a little uncomfortable with some the humor. Meanwhile the female character is quirky, spunky and perhaps just a little too adorable. I guess my main complaint about the book, and it’s one that I often find with romance stories, is that every thing is “just a little too much”. Don’t get me wrong, I needed a happy book and this one certainly filled the bill, and of course, I was cheering for Don to find his life partner.

Don was a delightful character and I thought the author did a very good job of getting into his head and showing us the unique way he looks at the world. Don and Rosie’s romance, despite her being unsuitable for Don’s Wife Project, was fun to read about, and a good reminder that everyone longs for companionship and closeness.

I suspect that I will be picking myself up a copy of the sequel, The Rosie Effect, at some point and continuing on with the story.

110Kassilem
nov. 22, 2015, 11:56 am

Great review! That book is on my list :) I'm looking forward to it even more now.

111DeltaQueen50
nov. 22, 2015, 4:14 pm

>110 Kassilem: The Rosie Project is one of those books that is guaranteed to lift your spirits, Melissa. It's a great one to curl up with when you need cheering up.

112dudes22
nov. 22, 2015, 4:18 pm

I've already taken that as a BB earlier this year from Lori (ikernagh) and may read it for my BB category next year. Another good review is always good to have.

113VivienneR
nov. 23, 2015, 12:05 pm

>109 DeltaQueen50: Just yesterday I gave away my copy of The Rosie Effect. I may have had second thoughts if I'd read your post first. It just seemed like one of those books that would gather dust on my shelf forever - last choice to be read.

114DeltaQueen50
nov. 23, 2015, 2:59 pm

>112 dudes22: Happy to oblige, Betty.

>113 VivienneR: I wouldn't worry too much, Vivienne, it's a good read but not one that you would find memorable.

115-Eva-
nov. 23, 2015, 11:15 pm

>83 DeltaQueen50:
Yey - such great news!!

>95 DeltaQueen50:
As long as you use this for walking-music: Cue The Rubettes :)

116DeltaQueen50
nov. 24, 2015, 10:12 pm

>115 -Eva-: Well, how about I hum it under my breath, Eva?

117-Eva-
nov. 24, 2015, 10:41 pm

Hum away - it's been stuck in my head on and off since I posted that link, so it would only be fair if you get the ear worm too. :)

118DeltaQueen50
nov. 25, 2015, 4:45 pm

185. Fire And Ash by Jonathan Maberry - 4.0 ★
TIOLI #17: "Don't Be Afraid" to Read




Fire And Ash by Jonathan Maberry is the fourth, and last book in the Benny Imura series and like the prior books, this one is full of action, violence, and gore. As the series winds down, Benny and his friends have come full circle and after a horrific battle at Sanctuary, they return to their home of Mountainside in an effort to save that town from the Reapers’ wrath.

The world is slowly changing and a cure for the zombie creating disease has been developed but it will take years before there is an end to the shuffling creatures. In this book, Benny takes the final steps towards maturity and is seriously considering where his life will take him next. His relationship with Nix has also changed and they are about to explore whether they are meant to be soul-mates or if there is only a deep friendship between them.

I enjoyed reading about Benny and his friends and I think the author has finished this series on a high note. There is one more book that connects to these characters, but from my understanding, Bits and Pieces is a volume of short stories that explores the background of many of the other characters that Benny met while travelling the Ruin. If you are into survival stories, I definitely recommend this series.

119DeltaQueen50
nov. 25, 2015, 11:04 pm

186. Affairs At Thrush Green by Miss Read - 4.0 ★
TIOLI #14: Published At The End of A War




Affairs at Thrush Green by Miss Read (Dora Saint) is another gentle, nostalgic read about a small village in the Cotswolds of England where time seems to stand still. This book covers just about a year in the life of the village, starting with a snowy February and ending on the following Christmas. All the regular characters are back and there are a couple of new additions to the neighbourhood.

There is an honesty and joy to this author’s writings whether she is describing the day-to-day life of the residents or the changing seasons and the rural delights to be found in the countryside. Relaxing, a little predictable and with just the right amount of sweetness, these books are perfect comfort reads.

120AHS-Wolfy
nov. 26, 2015, 8:15 am

>118 DeltaQueen50: The series is still on my to get to list but still haven't snagged the first book as yet. Been on that list ever since you read the 1st one.

121EBT1002
nov. 26, 2015, 2:10 pm

I have been away for too long.


122DeltaQueen50
nov. 26, 2015, 6:48 pm

>120 AHS-Wolfy: It's a fun series, Dave, and thankfully books are very patient, I know cause I am still working on acquiring books that I added to my list over 4 years ago!

123DeltaQueen50
nov. 27, 2015, 2:32 pm

>121 EBT1002: I have been struggling to keep current on the threads as well, Ellen. I need to spend some time catching up with everyone.

124DeltaQueen50
nov. 27, 2015, 3:04 pm

Abandoned Book

The Troop by Nick Cutter

I am pretty accepting of violence and gore in my reading, but this book was so over-the-top and downright nasty that I actually felt a little nauseated after listening to some of the more offensive passages. I don't give up on books easily but this one just isn't worth my time. I had hoped for a survival story but this more of a gross-out story of horror.

125cbl_tn
nov. 27, 2015, 4:09 pm

>119 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy! That's one I haven't read yet. I hope to get to at least one or two next year.

126EBT1002
nov. 28, 2015, 12:48 am

>124 DeltaQueen50: Good for you for abandoning a book that would affect you so adversely. I, too, have a hard time giving up on books and I do try to push myself through hard scenes since I read not only for pleasure but for expansion of my mind, my heart, and my awareness. But to feel nauseated seems too much.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, Judy!

127dudes22
nov. 28, 2015, 6:09 am

>124 DeltaQueen50: - I'm sure I wouldn't be able to listen to some of the books I read that have gore and violence in them. I think when reading you can put yourself at a distance from what's taking place.

128mstrust
nov. 28, 2015, 12:20 pm

Yep, there are too many books to choose from, so why force yourself to stay with one that nauseates you. Next!

129VivienneR
nov. 28, 2015, 1:44 pm

>127 dudes22: That's so true. I recently abandoned an audiobook by Andrea Camilleri because the language was just too much. I have a paper copy of the same book so I had a look and it wasn't nearly so bad. At least I still have the print copy and will get around to it sometime.

130DeltaQueen50
nov. 28, 2015, 5:07 pm

>125 cbl_tn: As I am sure you know, Carrie, I love the Miss Read books, I am enjoying this reread of the Thrush Green series and I still have her Fairacre series, which is even longer, to explore.

>126 EBT1002: I really don't feel bad about abandoning this particular book, it really has no literary merit to speak of, I think the author's whole purpose was to write a gross-out feast!

>127 dudes22: I never thought of that, Betty, but I think you are right. I can read some pretty horrible things without flinching, but listening to that voice go on and on was too much. I am now listening to a Sandra Dallas book, and I am enjoying this one.

>128 mstrust: I need to learn to be more willing to drop books that aren't working for me. It isn't like there's a rule that "Once started, a book must be completed".

>129 VivienneR: Yes, I think hearing the bad parts is, for me, much worse than reading them. I am fairly new to listening to books and I am still finding what works for me and what doesn't. Obviously, extreme gore doesn't work!

131DeltaQueen50
nov. 28, 2015, 5:14 pm

187. Deadly Code by Lin Anderson - 3.3 ★
TIOLI #10: No Repeated Vowels in Author's Name




Deadly Code by Lin Anderson is the 3rd book about Scottish forensic scientist, Rhona MacLeod. The plot revolves around genetic coding and cloning which I found very interesting. Unfortunately, I found the story relied a little too much on coincidences that were too farfetched to be easily accepted. So overall, I had mixed feelings about the book.

I find the main character, Rhona, rather a difficult one to warm up to, but I also find her coldness believable seeing as she is a scientist and reacts with her brain rather than her heart. She did seem to open up a little during the course of this story and learning more of her past helped with that as well. The story mostly takes place on the island of Skye and I enjoyed the descriptions of the island, the weather and the ocean.

These quick read mysteries are good to carry around to read while waiting for appointments or simply just to while away an afternoon, and since I have more of them on my shelves, I will be continuing on with the series.

132-Eva-
nov. 28, 2015, 10:48 pm

>131 DeltaQueen50:
I have the first three on Mt. TBR, but haven't gotten through them because of the character. Good point about being a scientist first, though, and I will give them another try eventually.

133DeltaQueen50
nov. 29, 2015, 5:26 pm

>132 -Eva-: Falling short in some way or another, these are far from my favorite mysteries but since I went crazy and bought practically the whole series before trying one, I will be continuing on.

134Familyhistorian
nov. 29, 2015, 5:34 pm

>131 DeltaQueen50: They sound like they should be good, Judy. After all Scotland and forensic science sounds like the basis for a good story. I am intrigued by the premise but will proceed with caution.

135RidgewayGirl
nov. 30, 2015, 2:47 am

>133 DeltaQueen50: It took me doing the same thing with a mystery series I was sure I'd love. Then I read the first one and hated it. So I've instituted the rule that I can't get a second book by an author until I'd read the first one I'd picked up. Authors I've already read are exempt. Since this is my only* book buying rule, it works pretty well.

*Along with the little voice that asks me why I'm buying this book/these books when I already have more than a few on my tbr. She's easy to ignore.

136dudes22
nov. 30, 2015, 9:49 am

I usually give an author 2 books in a series since I figure most of the first book is setting up place and characters. but not always. I once borrowed the first 5 in a series that lots of people like (it's up to #23 or so now), but realized partway through #1 I knew that this was not the series for me. Gave them all back and said, "Don't bother saving me any more".

137DeltaQueen50
nov. 30, 2015, 5:35 pm

>134 Familyhistorian: >135 RidgewayGirl: >136 dudes22: I'm learning to be a little more cautious in my series book buying. I now buy the first two or three in order to give them a good sampling and by then I should know if I want to continue on. I have that same little voice that tries to caution me in my book buying, but you're right, Kay, she's easy to ignore. The only series recently that I probably didn't give a fair chance to was the Inspector Gamache one by Louise Penny. I read the first one and wasn't taken with it and haven't bothered with anymore, even though many people have said you shouldn't judge that series on the first one. Perhaps one day I will give it another try, but I have more than enough mystery reading on my shelves now!

138tymfos
nov. 30, 2015, 11:02 pm

So glad to hear the good report from your doctor!

Judy, I like to do audio books when I'm walking, especially at the gym. So often they have something annoying on the TV, and I can tune it out with my book and headphones. I have recognized that some books are harder to take on audio than in print -- I think because I can't "skim" over graphic details that bother me.

>137 DeltaQueen50: Lately, I have really made an effort to rein in my series book buying, too. I have books from late in some long series I won't get to for years, and others I may never read because I decided I didn't like those series that much.

139-Eva-
nov. 30, 2015, 11:20 pm

>133 DeltaQueen50:
"went crazy and bought practically the whole series before trying one"
Aaaand, this is how I ended up with books 1 through 3.... :)

140katiekrug
des. 1, 2015, 7:19 am

Well, if we are confessing here, I just bought all the novels in the Lord Peter Wimsey series by Dorothy L. Sayers for my Kindle. I did not buy the short story collections, which I think showed remarkable restraint :) Darn Cyber Monday Amazon deals! *shakes fist*

141DeltaQueen50
des. 1, 2015, 4:48 pm

>138 tymfos: Hi Terri, I think there is a small kernal somewhere inside me that is afraid of running out of books. I can't control my buying impluses but occasionally I do try to rein it in. I've gotten in the habit of usually having an audio book on the go to listen to when exercising, I am learning to love my audios!

>139 -Eva-: Ha, Ha, and that's another reason I feel so at home here on LT - so many of us have the same book buying habits!

>140 katiekrug: Well, they do say that confession is good for the soul, so hopefully you feel great now, Katie. Actually I love the Lord Peter Wimsey books so I think you'll be happy with these books. I couldn't let cyber Monday slide by without adding to my Kindle so I picked up The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and Into That Forest by Louis Nowra. Then not having any willpower at all, I also picked up A Child's Christmas in Wales and Twelve Days of Winter by Stuart MacBride.

142DeltaQueen50
Editat: des. 1, 2015, 4:56 pm

188. The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig - 3.9 ★
TIOLI #10: Rolling Challenge Spelling Santa Claus




This series is pure lightness and fluff, fun girly books with a touch of Jane Austen. In fact, The Mischief of the Mistletoe goes so far as to actually use Jane Austen as a secondary character. This book was slightly different from the others in that it didn’t carry two plotlines, one in the present, one in the past. This was all in the past as one of my favorite characters from previous books, Reggie ‘Turnip’ Fitzhugh finds and claims the love of his life. I actually liked both the main characters in this story and had fun rooting them on.

Set at Christmas time, involving a boarding school, messages delivered with Christmas puddings and a hunt for spies, there were times that this book read like a French farce. In fact, The Mischief of the Mistletoe is a merry romantic adventure that is both joyful and entertaining. This book put a smile on my face and reminded me how much I enjoy this series.

143DeltaQueen50
des. 2, 2015, 6:52 pm

189. Terror Below the Wind by Mike Jacobs - 2.2 ★
Commonwealth Challenge: Brunei
TIOLI #2: A Book I Planned to Read During 2015




Terror Below the Wind by Mike Jacobs is supposed to relate his experiences in the British Army as a member of the Queen’s Own Highlanders based in Singapore in the early 1960’s. I suspect his adventures were more from his imagination than from reality. The regiment was based in south-east Asia due to unrest in Indonesia. They were also in spot to help quell a revolution in Brunei, and they may even have helped in hunting down pirates off the coast of Borneo and Brunei but the rest of this story involving Chinese gangs, exotic Oriental gun-molls and a lost Japanese treasure were a little to farfetched to be true.

Terror Below the Wind is not very well written but was very colorful. I credit the author with a vivid imagination as the book is packed with action, adventure and sex scenes. The parts about going into Brunei, stamping out the revolution and rescuing the hostages was interesting and he did include some photographs which helped with the authenticity of that section of the book.

I freely admit that I picked up this book simply as part of it was set in Brunei, a country I needed to read about for my Commonwealth Challenge.

144leslie.98
des. 2, 2015, 8:59 pm

>142 DeltaQueen50: I ran out of steam with that series but you have tempted me to try The Mischief of the Mistletoe!

145DeltaQueen50
des. 3, 2015, 9:26 pm

>144 leslie.98: I find I need to space that series as it can become a little too much quick quickly. I've been pacing myself to about one a year and that works well for me.

146EBT1002
des. 4, 2015, 1:26 am

>131 DeltaQueen50: I need to give Lin Anderson a try.

I bought a sort of Christmas mystery today. Mystery in White by J. Jefferson Farjeon
It's that time of year!

147leslie.98
des. 4, 2015, 1:46 am

>145 DeltaQueen50: Good to know. Maybe I will try it as an audiobook - I have a bit more patience with this style of book sometimes in that format.

>146 EBT1002: It is indeed that time of year - I just finished a Golden Age mystery (recently reissued) called The Santa Klaus Murder. Pretty good country manor house mystery.

148DeltaQueen50
des. 4, 2015, 4:04 pm

>146 EBT1002: My next book is going to be Mystery in White by J. Jefferson Farjeon! It appears there are a few of us going to be reading that one.

>147 leslie.98: I've seen the cover for The Santa Klaus Murder and I may pick that one up for next year.

149DeltaQueen50
des. 4, 2015, 4:18 pm

190. The Terracotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri - 4.1 ★
TIOLI #4: A Mystery With Something Odd or Unexpected in the Title




The Terracotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri is the second entry in the Inspector Montalbano Mystery series and will awaken your taste buds, tickle your funny bone and provide an interesting puzzle for the Inspector. The terracotta dog mentioned in the title is a life-size statue that is found in a cave, watching over the corpses of two entwined bodies that date back fifty years. The front half of the cave has been in current use by the Mafia as a weapon storehouse, but these corpses intrigue the Inspector and he decides to solve their mystery.

This second book in the series continues to bring Sicily to life. The atmosphere is created by vivid descriptions of the scenery, the lively population, the politics and strong mafia influence and, above all by the smell and tastes of the food. Montalbano himself reveals a little more of his sardonic and slightly sly personality and all of this combines to make these book such great fun and great reads.

The translation captures the rhythm and cadence of Sicily, the author gives us well drawn, spirited characters and great dialogue. The best part, for me, is that this is only book number two, leaving me a long list of Montalbano mysteries to discover.

150thornton37814
des. 4, 2015, 5:23 pm

>149 DeltaQueen50: You have many more enjoyable reads. I've also loved the ones I've tried in audio in that series. I've been adding a bunch of audio books to my wish list to make it easier to find some for my upcoming long drives. I doubt I'll have a period quite like the one last month where I felt like I was in a car all the time in the near future, but I'll be prepared just in case.

151luvamystery65
des. 4, 2015, 5:49 pm

I'm also reading Mystery in White and it's nice to know I will be sharing a read with two of my faves, >146 EBT1002: & >149 DeltaQueen50:

152DeltaQueen50
des. 5, 2015, 3:50 pm

>150 thornton37814: Lori, I am very taken with Inspector Montalbano, this 2nd book defines his character a little more and he is quite a complex fellow, not nearly as nice as I thought from the first book. He is rather selfish, a bit of a control freak and, as many police appear to be, too wrapped up in his job. I like that he isn't perfect, it makes for much more interesting reading and I am looking forward to discovering more about this man in future books.

>151 luvamystery65: Ro, I have started Mystery in White and I was immediately drawn into this story. I love that these people are stranded, trapped in this slightly creepy house, and can't wait until I find out what's going on!

153DeltaQueen50
des. 5, 2015, 3:57 pm

191. The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew - 4.2 ★
December HistoryCat: Civil Rights & Equality
December Reading Through Time: Civil Rights & Equality
TIOLI #3: A Book With No Red or Green on the Cover




The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew is set in the summer of 1954 and thirteen year old June “Jubie” Watts is leaving Charlotte, North Caroline on a road trip with her mother, her two sisters, her baby brother and the colored maid, Mary. They are journeying south through the land of Jim Crow to Pensacola, Florida to visit her uncle. As they drive along, Jubie fills us in on her life and family and we learn of a father that drinks a little too much, has a wandering eye and is a little too quick to apply severe corporeal punishment. At first her mother appears to be distant and uninterested in her children, but as we learn of her problems and see the improvements over the course of the book, it is easier to understand her. The children, particularly Jubie, turn to Mary with most of their concerns.

Jubie is a thoughtful and observant narrator and does take note of the strong pro-segregation signs posted along the highway, and records the treatment of Mary who has to eat separately and often has to be found separate accommodations from the white family. When a horrific tragedy strikes the whole family is upset and frightened but Jubie is devastated. Yet it is her strength and integrity that shines from the pages as she seeks resolution and finds a measure of peace.

I found The Dry Grass of August to be a beautifully written and moving coming of age story. I seem to have a fondness for southern style literature and this book did remind me somewhat of both The Help and The Secret Life of Bees. This is a first novel, published after the author turned 70 yet it is the way the author brought the thirteen year old main character to life that elevates this book and keeps the reader engaged.

154tymfos
des. 6, 2015, 2:02 pm

>149 DeltaQueen50: >150 thornton37814: That was a good one! I second Lori's recommendation of the audios in that series. Grover Gardner does a fabulous job with the narration.

155EBT1002
des. 6, 2015, 5:11 pm

>148 DeltaQueen50: and >151 luvamystery65: Well, I'd better get cracking! I have a stack of library books that I picked up yesterday but the edition I have of Mystery in White is really lovely to look at and to hold. I will get to it soon....

156DeltaQueen50
des. 6, 2015, 5:46 pm

>154 tymfos: Hi Terri. I will have to try one of the Inspector Montalbano stories in audio. I am finding that I turn to audios more often now that I am used to them. A series where I am already fairly familiar with the characters and setting would work well.

>155 EBT1002: Ellen, I am a huge fan of golden age detective fiction and I can't believe that I have never heard of J. Jefferson Farjeon before! I am really enjoying this one. :)

157ronincats
des. 6, 2015, 6:11 pm

You remind me, Judy, that I need to get back to the Lauren Willig books before I forget what happened in the first one!

Our weather people are talking about big storms up in your vicinity--I don't know if they were already there or coming.

158DeltaQueen50
des. 7, 2015, 1:02 pm

>157 ronincats: You are right, Roni, we had a huge wind storm yesterday and last night. We lost power for awhile but it was restored sometime over the night. It appears to have blown itself out this morning and now hubby and I are on our way out to do some Christmas shopping.

159Familyhistorian
des. 7, 2015, 3:50 pm

>158 DeltaQueen50: Better take advantage of the lull, Judy. They are predicting another storm starting tonight.

160DeltaQueen50
des. 7, 2015, 10:35 pm

>158 DeltaQueen50: Meg, it seems we are often hit with these wind storms in December. I just hope they all come now and are done with when it's closer to Christmas and people are trying to travel.

161KeshavLpo
des. 8, 2015, 4:15 am

S'ha suprimit aquest usuari en ser considerat brossa.

162souloftherose
des. 8, 2015, 5:45 am

>79 DeltaQueen50: So glad you enjoyed The Blue Sword, Judy. As you enjoyed that one I would also recommend The Hero and the Crown which tells Aerin's story.

>83 DeltaQueen50: Great news!

163DeltaQueen50
des. 8, 2015, 6:05 pm

Another wind storm this morning, but luckily we didn't lose our power this time. Instead I got a phone call from my granddaughter's school to come and get her as she wasn't feeling well. I took her home and she went to bed and fell asleep practically right away. Her Mom got home after a couple of hours so I'm off duty and have come back home. Hopefully my granddaughter just has a 24 hour bug and fingers crossed I don't pick it up!

>162 souloftherose: Hi Heather. I will add The Hero and the Crown to my wishlist. Actually I should check with my younger daughter, she's a fantasy reader and may very well have these books on her shelves.

164DeltaQueen50
des. 8, 2015, 6:19 pm

192. Blood Red Road by Moira Young - 4.1 ★
December SFFFCat: Under the Influence
TIOLI #7: Dedicated to a Family Member




Blood Red Road by Moira Young is the first in her Dustlands trilogy. A dystopian book that sees the earth a barren, arid wasteland. Saba and her twin brother, Lugh have recently turned 18 when four horsemen show up and take Lugh. Saba and the younger sister Emmi set out to follow and rescue Lugh.

I was in the mood for a fast moving adventure story and Blood Red Road certainly fit the bill. The action was intense and kept the pages turning. Saba is a strong character, fiercely loyal, strong and stubborn. She powers through obstacles and evolves into seasoned survivor. Along the way she gathers some friends that help her on her quest.

Blood Red Road is the first book of a trilogy and I look forward to continuing on with these characters. The main plot was pretty much wrapped up in this book, and I appreciated that I wasn’t left hanging. Of course, there are a few sub-plots that I suspect will be developed in the next book.

165katiekrug
des. 8, 2015, 6:45 pm

>164 DeltaQueen50: - That reminds me I should look for the second book. I also enjoyed BRR.

166DeltaQueen50
des. 8, 2015, 9:36 pm

>165 katiekrug: Luckily, I have the second book on my shelves and I hope to get to it early next year.

167DeltaQueen50
des. 8, 2015, 9:39 pm

193. Mystery In White by J. Jefferson Farjeon - 3.7 ★
TIOLI #13: Author Has Published 12 or More Books




I enjoyed my read of Mystery in White by J. Jefferson Farjeon. Set over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, this story, originally published in 1937, is about a small group of travellers whose Christmas plans get badly interrupted when their train gets stuck in the snow. Hoping to cut across the country to a small railroad station and get a different train, they set out only to find the blizzard-like conditions are impossible to deal with. Finding a house where they can shelter in, seemed like a miracle.

They enter a large country house, with fires set, kettles on the boil and the table set for tea, yet no one is home. This is just the first disturbing thing about this house. With a creepy atmosphere and strange things happening, there are chills and tension aplenty leaving the reader wondering whether there is a live murderer (or more) wandering around or if this could be something supernatural. Unfortunately, the book couldn’t sustain it’s excellent plotting and the last third of the book was over-done, dated and melodramatic. I was quite disappointed as I really liked the book up to that point.

I suspect it is the last third of the book that has kept it out of the public eye for the last 75 or so years. Nevertheless, I am glad to have had a chance to read J. Jefferson Farjeon and if the opportunity arises again, I would certainly like to sample more of his work.

168thornton37814
des. 8, 2015, 9:49 pm

>167 DeltaQueen50: I think I'd enjoy that one even though you didn't like the last third.

169rabbitprincess
des. 8, 2015, 10:17 pm

And isn't it such a beautiful cover? You could almost put the book in a picture frame and hang it on the wall! I am glad you enjoyed the book.

170jnwelch
des. 9, 2015, 1:10 pm

>164 DeltaQueen50: You remind me I need to track down the third Dustlands book, Judy! I liked the first two.

171VivienneR
des. 9, 2015, 2:10 pm

>167 DeltaQueen50: Mystery in White has been on my wishlist for a while. Maybe it's too late to order it for this Christmas but it will be a sure thing next year.

172DeltaQueen50
Editat: des. 9, 2015, 6:26 pm

>168 thornton37814: I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves the golden age detective fiction, Lori. It's always fun to find a new author from that era!

>169 rabbitprincess: The cover certainly is eye-catching. In fact, all the books that have been published under the British Library Crime Classics banner have gorgeous covers and would look lovely on the shelf.

For example:



And there are many that are not Christmas mysteries! I think I know where my pennies are going for the next little while!

173DeltaQueen50
des. 9, 2015, 6:25 pm

>170 jnwelch: I was quite pleased with Blood Red Road, Joe. I have the next one but need to track down the third one as well.

>171 VivienneR: I am a sucker for both vintage and Christmas mysteries so I hope to collect all the books from this collection, Vivienne.

174cbl_tn
des. 9, 2015, 6:44 pm

Several of the British Library Crime Classics are on my wishlist. I'll have to check and see if that one is on there.

175dudes22
Editat: des. 10, 2015, 7:02 am

>164 DeltaQueen50: - Although SFFF will probably never be a "go-to" genre for me, I do seem to gravitate to dystopian books and I'm thinking of taking a BB on this one.

>172 DeltaQueen50: - Those are certainly some great looking covers.

ETA: I really should check my spelling before I hit "post".

176DeltaQueen50
des. 10, 2015, 5:41 pm

>174 cbl_tn: Hi Carrie, those books are now on my wishlist as well. :)

>175 dudes22: Betty, first off, don't worry about your spelling here - I make so many mistakes. Some are just that my fingers seem to work quicker than my brain, but spelling has never been my strong point! I am a huge fan of dystopian books but even so, I think Blood Red Road stood out as one of the better ones.

177DeltaQueen50
Editat: des. 10, 2015, 6:03 pm

194. The Farming Of The Bones by Edwidge Danticat - 4.2 ★
TIOLI #2: A Book I Have Been Planning on Reading in 2015




The Farming Of The Bones by Edwidge Danticat was a surprising and eye-opening read for me. My first clue that this was going to take me somewhere that I would be uncomfortable to read about was when I realized the setting of this book was the Dominican Republic in 1937. Then I read of Generalissimo Trujillo, who I knew as the dictator who was responsible for the deaths of over 50,000 people. Yet this story opened gently, told in the words of the main character Amabelle Desir and gives no hint of the violence that is to come.

The story overall is subtle and understated and builds slowly. This author writes of horrific events that came to be known as the Parsley Massacre in a sparse way yet vividly conveys the shock, disbelief and fear that was felt as Amabelle stumbles through this time of terror, searching for her loved ones and making her escape to Haiti.

The Farming Of The Bones is a story of loss and grief. I felt that this was a very personal novel for the author as it projected a feeling of giving evidence or bearing witness. For me, I found this story to be a hauntingly beautiful written example of man’s constant inhumanity to man.

178thornton37814
des. 10, 2015, 5:55 pm

>172 DeltaQueen50: I discovered Mystery in White was already on my wish list. I think its time to browse the entire list. That Santa Klaus one is definitely going on the list.

179thornton37814
des. 10, 2015, 5:57 pm

>177 DeltaQueen50: I gave that one 4.5 stars when I read it for my Caribbean category one year.

180DeltaQueen50
des. 10, 2015, 6:09 pm

>178 thornton37814: >179 thornton37814: First off - is my face ever red - I read The Farming of the Bones for my Commonwealth Challenge but I just realized that this book is set in the Dominican Republic and the Commonwealth country is Dominica! Yelp, I need to now find another book to read for this country. Anyway, even though my reasons were wrong, I am glad that I read The Farming of the Bones.

Lori, I am planning on getting The Santa Klaus Murder and setting it aside for next year, maybe we can have a joint read!

181thornton37814
des. 10, 2015, 6:12 pm

>180 DeltaQueen50: We'll have to plan that one. I think Carrie (cbl_tn) has it on her Amazon wish list too. As you said, whatever your reasons for reading it, it was a very good well-written read!

182dudes22
des. 11, 2015, 5:26 am

>177 DeltaQueen50: - I read In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvearez a couple of years ago which also dealt with Trujillo and the violence of his reign and the underground movement there. It was an eye-opener for me.

183tymfos
des. 11, 2015, 5:41 pm

Mystery in White sounds like something I might like, despite the ending. And I love that cover!

184DeltaQueen50
des. 11, 2015, 5:47 pm

>182 dudes22: Betty, I have In The Time of Butterflies on my wishlist, I will eventually get to it!

>183 tymfos: Terri, I think you would enjoy Mystery in White, and it's a nice bonus to find a seasonal mystery.

185BLBera
des. 12, 2015, 2:13 pm

Hi Judy - I love Danticat but haven't yet read The Farming of the Bones; it sounds like I should get to it soon. I loved In the Time of the Butterflies; Trujillo was a very bad man, but Alvarez is a wonderful writer.

186DeltaQueen50
des. 12, 2015, 5:08 pm

>185 BLBera: Hi Beth, that makes two recommendations for In The Time of the Butterflies, I'd better nudge it up the list!

187DeltaQueen50
des. 12, 2015, 5:17 pm

195. At Christmas The Heart Goes Home by Marjorie Holmes - 3.2 ★
TIOLI #10: Rolling Challenge Spelling Santa Claus
December RandomCat: Home For the Holidays




At Christmas The Heart Goes Home by Marjorie Holmes is a compilation of articles that the author wrote for Woman’s Day Magazine, the Washington Star and other periodicals over a period of forty years. These are short, inspirational stories about the magic, love and brotherhood of Christmas. There is a touch of yesteryear about these stories as they seem to reach back to before the years of internet and cell phones. They tell of times when the whole family went out to cut a Christmas tree, paper chains were hung as decorations, and Christmas wasn’t complete until the family was together and church was attended.

I took my time with this book and I did enjoy it and the warm feelings it evoked, but at the same time it was a little sweet for my taste. If you are a lover of Christmas and love reading happy books of comfort and spiritual joy then I think you would enjoy this book of holiday stories with titles like “Take Time For Christmas Memories”, “Beauty In Your Own Backyard”, and “The Secret of the Christmas Tree”.

188MissWatson
Editat: des. 13, 2015, 6:46 am

Oops, wrong thread!

189DeltaQueen50
des. 13, 2015, 3:34 pm

196. The Lost Kings by Bruno Hare - 3.0 ★
TIOLI #1: The Word "Adventure" Appears on the Front or Back Cover




The Lost Kings by Bruno Hare is first and foremost an adventure story. The action unfolds through the pages of the journal belonging to the main character, Cyril King and, through letters written by Sir Paul Lindley-Small, a colorful, unscrupulous soldier-of-fortune. Both the substance and the style of this book brings does bring Rider Haggard to mind although I fear this author was not in the same league.

I found this story rather slow, confusing and far too wordy. There are basically two plotlines to follow told in alternating chapters and I found this very distracting. I was interested in Cyril’s story but it was hard to stay focused when each chapter was so different. I think the author was trying to be inventive but the end result took away from the adventure and slowed the action down.

I was hoping for a fast moving cracking yarn strong on imagination and action but unfortunately The Lost Kings didn’t quite deliver the goods.

190EBT1002
des. 14, 2015, 1:02 am

>167 DeltaQueen50: Hmm, that is less than fully enthusiastic praise. Still, I'll give it a try one of these days soon.

191DeltaQueen50
des. 14, 2015, 6:02 pm

>190 EBT1002: I was disappointed, Ellen. I started off loving this book and warbling about it around LT but then the last part of the book just about ruined the whole thing for me! Maybe being forewarned will help when you get there!

192tymfos
Editat: des. 15, 2015, 11:13 am

>167 DeltaQueen50: >191 DeltaQueen50: I'm seeing really mixed comments on that one. One who liked it, one who didn't, and you're sort of in the middle.

193mstrust
des. 15, 2015, 12:52 pm

Just the name "Bruno Hare" has to give the book an extra half point. Especially if it's his real name.

194DeltaQueen50
des. 15, 2015, 10:21 pm

>192 tymfos: I guess even though we are all book lovers, our tastes and expectations differ. I did like the book enough to try another of his before I decide to totally write him off!

>193 mstrust: LOL, yes, that is quite the name and I do believe it's his actual name.

195mathgirl40
des. 15, 2015, 10:25 pm

>172 DeltaQueen50: Those covers really do look appealing, especially the first. My family has been lamenting the lack of snow this Christmas season, here in Southern Ontario.

196DeltaQueen50
des. 15, 2015, 10:27 pm

Today, I overdid myself with shopping and I am exhausted this evening. I sat down before dinner and was out like a light! Nothing tires me out like shopping. The good news is that I am pretty much finished with my Christmas shopping except for one more short trip for a couple of last minute items. Now I can start the wrapping which is something I love to do and look forward to. I'm too tired to write up a review for Sisters of Treason which I have finished, it will have to wait until tomorrow. I think I am going to plunk myself down in front of the TV and veg. out for the rest of the evening. I'll be back tomorrow!

197luvamystery65
des. 16, 2015, 5:34 pm

Howdy Judy! I thought Mystery in White was nice Christmas mystery. Agree with the dated comments but it was still fun. I also have a copy of the short story collection, Silent Nights. The covers are gorgeous.

198DeltaQueen50
Editat: des. 16, 2015, 5:51 pm

197. Sisters of Treason by Elizabeth Freemantle - 4.5 ★
TIOLI #8: Set in Tudor England




Sisters of Treason by Elizabeth Freemantle was an epic historical fiction novel that through the telling of the story of the Grey sisters, Jane, Katherine and Mary, also paints a vivid picture of Tudor England and the machinations behind the succession to the English Throne. Opening with the beheading of Jane Grey and continuing on through the years of Mary Tudor and her half-sister, Elizabeth, this book is chock-full of court intrigue, gossip and scandal as the lives of the two remaining Grey sisters, play out.

The author does an excellent job with blending history and fiction seamlessly, obviously well researched, she brings her characters to full life. I’ve grown a little weary of reading about the Tudors but found this book interesting dealing as it does with some lesser known individuals. I have previously read of Jane Grey but this was the first time I have read of her two surviving sisters and the difficult, complicated lives that they led.

Although I fell headfirst into this story and was totally absorbed, some might find this book a little long. I would however definitely recommend Sisters of Treason to any fans of historical fiction.

199DeltaQueen50
des. 16, 2015, 5:58 pm

>197 luvamystery65: Hi Ro, I am so happy to see some of these little known, older mysteries being re-printed as I love those types of stories. I am looking forward to adding more of these to my collection.

200rabbitprincess
des. 16, 2015, 10:05 pm

>196 DeltaQueen50: Hurray for being pretty much done Christmas shopping! I still have to go out this weekend but am hoping that will be an end of it. My strategy is to go out early and hit the mall as soon as it opens -- the crowds are more manageable. Next year though it would be nice to keep a running list of ideas to make the shopping process easier.

And agreed on the British Library Crime Classics love. I request every single one that the library orders, to encourage them to buy more :)

201DeltaQueen50
des. 17, 2015, 3:46 pm

>200 rabbitprincess: It is a good feeling isn't it, when you know you have the shopping part of Christmas done. Now I can relax and enjoy the season. You are right about the malls - early is best, especially once the kids are out of high school, they don't usually roll out of bed and hit the malls until after lunch!

202DeltaQueen50
des. 17, 2015, 6:03 pm

198. A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb - 4.0 ★
TIOLI #7: Dedicated to a Family Member




A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb is a ghost story told from the ghosts’ point of view. Helen doesn’t remember much from when she was alive, other than her name and the fact that she was female. She knows that she must have committed a great sin to be condemned to a existence of watching other people live out their lives. She herself is nothing, she can’t touch, taste or feel, she attaches herself to a human host for the duration of their lives and she simply watches. But one day, she feels someone watching her back.

A romance between two ghosts may sound rather silly but the author skilfully builds this relationship. We know how lonely Helen is, how desperate she is for company and James is, like her, trapped in this same grey existence. He finds himself inhabiting a body and, of course it isn’t too long before they are on the lookout for a body for Helen.

I was a little nervous that this story was going to end up being one of teenage angst but the author actually delivered a story of redemption and forgiveness. I found A Certain Slant of Light to be a compelling and insightful read that was different enough to really hold my attention.

203VivienneR
des. 17, 2015, 7:47 pm

It sounds intriguing. Added to the mountainous wishlist.

204DeltaQueen50
des. 18, 2015, 4:51 pm

>203 VivienneR: Mountainous wishlist is right, Vivienne. At the rate I keep adding book titles to mine I think I've grown it to the size of Mount Everest!

205DeltaQueen50
des. 20, 2015, 2:05 pm

199. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin - 3.2 ★
December SFFFCat: Under The Influence
TIOLI #3: A Book With No Red or Green On The Cover




I had difficulty getting into The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin. This is a complicated story involving politics, gods, betrayals and love set in a world where assassinations are commonplace and consequences are severe. Yeine Darr is brought into this world that her mother escaped from and is unsure what is planned for her. As she is named one of the contenders for the throne of her grandfather, she seeks answers in the past. What she discovers about her family, her surroundings and herself will change her forever.

Although the book is well written and very readable, I never felt drawn into the story. I didn’t warm up to any of the characters and feel no real desire to carry on with the rest of the trilogy. I think my timing was off in reading this book at such a busy time in the year, I never had a long time to sit and absorb the story.

The author excels in world building, and I wish I had been more taken with this different, convoluted story. I do have another book, from a different series, by this author and will definitely give that one a try, as, I believe N.K. Jemisin has fresh ideas and a new way of looking at fantasy that is both original and thought-provoking.

206AHS-Wolfy
des. 21, 2015, 6:56 am

>205 DeltaQueen50: Shame that one didn't quite work out for you but pleased to see it wasn't all bad. I have her Killing Moon book on the tbr shelves to get to at some point.

207DeltaQueen50
des. 21, 2015, 8:19 pm

Dave, I also have The Killing Moon and that will be the next one of hers that I try.

208BLBera
des. 21, 2015, 9:28 pm

Have a wonderful holiday with your family, Judy. I hope you have time for some reading, too.

209Storeetllr
des. 22, 2015, 2:04 am

Well, here you are, Judy! I have been posting to your 2016 thread and wondering why you haven't been there for awhile. Glad I thought to look for you in 2015. (What year is this again?)

Anyway, just wanted to wish you and your family a terrific holiday season! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

210DeltaQueen50
des. 22, 2015, 1:11 pm

>208 BLBera: Thank you, Beth. I am heading over to Vancouver Island on Boxing Day to visit family but you can be sure that I will be packing a few books to take along!

>209 Storeetllr: Thanks, Mary. I'm glad you found me. I see the 2016 75 Group is up now and I know how confusing it can get with both the current and future threads running. Have a wonderful holiday!

211ronincats
des. 22, 2015, 1:13 pm

I am ignoring the 2016 group until next week, Judy! Enjoy your visit and Merry Christmas!

212DeltaQueen50
Editat: des. 22, 2015, 1:39 pm

>211 ronincats: Thanks, Roni, and Merry Christmas to you as well. I'll look for you on the new threads when I get back in January.

213DeltaQueen50
des. 22, 2015, 1:38 pm

200. What's It Gonna Be? by Cassandra Piat - 3.8 ★
Commonwealth Challenge: Mauritius
TIOLI #7: Dedicated to a Family Member




What’s It Gonna Be? by Cassandra Piat was a very pleasant surprise. I wasn’t expecting much from this romance set in Mauritius but I actually really enjoyed the story a lot. It was the perfect read for this busy time of the year. The story was fairly simple, I really liked and rooted for the main character, Lucy, and there were lots of secondary characters that were interesting and kept the story moving along at a good pace. Between the lines, I learned a little about this multicultural country.

Lucy is tired of waiting for her boyfriend of 4 years to pop the question and decides it is time to move on. She tries very hard to do so, but the commitment shy Matt is hard to forget and it doesn’t help that they constantly keep bumping into each other. Living on an island paradise like Mauritius sounds wonderful, but the opportunities for both personal growth and finding that perfect someone are limited. The reader is invited along as Lucy explores her options.

214DeltaQueen50
des. 23, 2015, 12:33 pm

201. The Race For Paris by Meg Waite Clayton - 4.1 ★
TIOLI #17: Something Parisian in the Title




The Race For Paris by Meg Waite Clayton borrowed generously from the experiences and memoirs of women journalists and photographers like Martha Gellhorn, Helen Kirkpatrick, and Margaret Bourke-White
who disregarded the rules in order to cover World War II from the front. There was a rule that only men journalists could report from the front lines, the women were shunted to hospitals, refugee centers and military headquarters, all well to the rear. This story is about two American female correspondents who go AWOL as they try to document the Allied liberation of Paris. To actually be there when the troops marched in was to record history and would make their careers.

Overall, I thought the author did a fine job of blending history and fiction. She certainly gets across the difficulties that women correspondents faced. The Race for Paris is a great blend of drama, adventure and passion as these two foolhardy women along with a British military photographer race through the French countryside toward Paris.

I enjoyed The Race For Paris on many levels, but probably most for the history. I thought the characters were a little under-developed for me to fully invest in their storyline, but I would certainly recommend this book to any lovers of WW II history as this is a subject that I haven’t seen addressed before.

215ronincats
des. 23, 2015, 3:15 pm



For my Christmas/Hanukkah/Solstice/Holiday image this year (we are so diverse!), I've chosen this photograph by local photographer Mark Lenoce of the pier at Pacific Beach to express my holiday wishes to you: Peace on Earth and Good Will toward All!

216EBT1002
des. 24, 2015, 11:57 am



Happy Solstice and Merry Christmas, Judy!

217lkernagh
des. 24, 2015, 12:53 pm

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas Judy, filled with family warmth and happiness!

218katiekrug
des. 24, 2015, 2:11 pm



Warm wishes for a magical holiday season, Judy!

219DeltaQueen50
des. 24, 2015, 2:26 pm

I am home from my last grocery shopping battle - every year it seems the first store I go to has run out of something and this year it was whipping cream. Thankfully I found some at the next store so I have all the supplies that I needed. Now I have to go and cook up a festive meal for tonight with youngest daughter and her husband, and then tomorrow I will do brunch for older daughter and her family. We then move our feasting to elder daughters house for Christmas dinner. On Boxing Day (26th) I am heading over to Vancouver Island to spend some time with my family in Victoria. My husband is coming along for the ferry ride and we plan to have lunch in Sidney, the small town by the ferry terminal, and then he'll return to the mainland. I will stay over until New Years. My computer time will be limited, but I will try to check in when I can.

I wish everyone all the best for the holidays and I am looking forward to LibraryThing in 2016 - friends, books, chat and maybe a shenanigan or two along the way - what could be better!



Merry Christmas!

220lyzard
des. 24, 2015, 3:30 pm



Best wishes for the holiday season, Judy!

221VivienneR
des. 24, 2015, 3:35 pm



Merry Christmas Judy! Have fun on the island even if there is no snow!

222rabbitprincess
des. 24, 2015, 3:55 pm

Merry Christmas, Judy, and a happy new year!

223luvamystery65
des. 24, 2015, 4:13 pm



Merry Christmas

224lsh63
des. 25, 2015, 6:26 am

Merry Christmas Judy!

225dudes22
des. 25, 2015, 7:30 am

Merry Christmas, Judy!

226mstrust
des. 25, 2015, 10:53 am

Merry Christmas, Judy!

227DeltaQueen50
des. 25, 2015, 6:53 pm

Merry Christmas, everyone. We had a lovely Christmas both last night and so far today. We are leaving shortly to go down to my daughters for dinner. I was able to finish off another book this afternoon, and although it wasn't much to my taste, I wanted to add my thoughts about it before I leave on my trip.

202. Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler - 2.8 ★
December RandomCat: Home For the Holidays
TIOLI #7: Dedicated to a Family Member




Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler is the first book in the Bryant and May mystery series, and I think it will also be my last in this series as well. I did enjoy the parts that described life in wartime London well enough but the mystery itself didn’t grab me nor did I like the jumping back and forth in time as it did.

Bryant and May are aged detectives that work in the Peculiar Crimes division, the book gives us the details of their first case which was the familiar story of a creepy phantom-like creature who is killing off actors in order to close down the theater. Sound familiar? Criscrossing back and forth from 1940 London to modern times, I simply felt confused and eventually lost interest in the story.

I found myself more irritated than intrigued by Full Dark House and although it’s certainly well written, it just isn’t a series for me.

228VivienneR
des. 25, 2015, 8:23 pm

Sorry to hear Fowler's book didn't live up to expectations. I have it on my tbr heap. Maybe it will go to the bottom.

229DeltaQueen50
des. 26, 2015, 1:44 am

<228 Vivienne, I see that Full Dark House seems to get mixed reviews - some people just love it while others seem to feel more like I did. I simply have far too many series on the go to pick up one that I am rather wishy-washy about.

230DeltaQueen50
des. 26, 2015, 1:46 am

I was lucky enough to receive a few books for Christmas which always makes me very happy. I got Ancillary Justice and Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie, Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekback and California by Eden Lepucki. I also got a $30.00 gift certificate to Indigo which I am sure will come in handy!

231dudes22
des. 26, 2015, 5:29 am

>227 DeltaQueen50: - I had a similar reaction to yours and felt it was just so-so. But I still have a couple in my TBR pile and so may try one more before I decide whether to continue or not.

232rabbitprincess
des. 26, 2015, 11:03 am

Sorry to hear that Full Dark House didn't work out for you, but at least that crosses one more off the list of series to check out! I enjoy the series but find I have to pick the right moment for reading the next book, otherwise I get restless.

Looks like a good Christmas book haul!

233BLBera
des. 26, 2015, 12:03 pm

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Judy. I look forward to following you, wherever your thread is, in 2016.

234katiekrug
des. 26, 2015, 12:57 pm

Safe travels, Judy!

235rosalita
des. 26, 2015, 6:59 pm

>227 DeltaQueen50: As usual we are on the same wavelength, Judy. I read that one too and while I didn't hate it I have never felt inspired to continue the series.

236tymfos
des. 26, 2015, 8:04 pm

Glad to hear you had a lovely Christmas, Judy.


Wishing you a peaceful holiday season

I rather liked Full Dark House, but it was a bit of an odd one. I've got the next on my library reading list, but seem to keep putting off checking it out.

237-Eva-
des. 27, 2015, 6:45 pm

>227 DeltaQueen50:
Sorry to hear that - it's on my Mt. TBR....

Hope your holidays continue well!

238jnwelch
des. 28, 2015, 1:18 pm

Happy Holidays, Judy!

I read Full Dark House a few years ago, and it didn't grab me enough, either, to continue with the series. But I'm going to give it one more try with the new one, The Burning Man, which I just got as an ER book. Our daughter got an ARC of it and really liked it, having not read any of the others. We'll see. I've also got a sister who loves the series, and my tastes often overlap with hers.

239christina_reads
des. 29, 2015, 2:46 pm

It's been a while since I've been active on LT, and you'll be amused to know that I just read through 194 unread posts on your thread! *blush* Glad to be all caught up now, and thrilled to see that you enjoyed The Blue Sword, The Mischief of the Mistletoe, and A Certain Slant of Light! :)

240andreablythe
des. 30, 2015, 12:30 pm

Happy Holidays and New Year!

From the previous thread, I was glad to see that you enjoyed the finish of Locke & Key. Yay! I love that series.

>34 DeltaQueen50:
I really need to get around to reading The Lies of Locke Lamora. I hear so many good things about it.

>45 DeltaQueen50:
This is another one I've had on my TBR list for a long time. Although I'm sorry to see that it wasn't that good of a read for you.

>118 DeltaQueen50:
I've read a couple of Maberry short stories and wasn't that in to them. But maybe his work is better in novel form (as the stories were really long, almost novellas).

>164 DeltaQueen50:
I love the cover and its rich read colors. I'm drawn to apocalyptic dystopias, too, so this one sounds interesting.

>177 DeltaQueen50:
I've read a lot of Danticat's work and a lot of it goes into uncomfortable territory. She always seems to handle such difficult subjects well.

>202 DeltaQueen50:
Sounds like a great ghost story and the idea of a ghostly romance sounds potentially fun.

>205 DeltaQueen50:
I adored The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and a large part of it was the world building (which Jemisin is amazing at). I also liked the strength of the main character and the dangerous, strange humanity of the gods, so the novel worked for me. But I can see how it might not work as well for everyone.

241DeltaQueen50
des. 31, 2015, 12:03 pm

Hi, everyone. I am still in Victoria and getting ready to celebrate New Years with my family. We had a little excitement two nights ago when there was an earthquake. It was centered just north of Victoria so we were quite shaken by it. My brother and I were watching TV and I wasn't sure what was happening at first. The Christmas tree started dancing and the china cabinet was rattling and then I felt the vibrations. Quite the ride!

I have finished the last two books for this year and the next book I pick up will count for my next years challenge, so I will be moving over to the 2016 group.

Happy New Years to everyone and thank you for visiting and keeping my thread going. I have limited computer time here so I am looking forward to catching up with everyone when I get back home.

242DeltaQueen50
des. 31, 2015, 12:21 pm

203. The Pink Suit by Nicole Mary Kelby - 3.7 ★
TIOLI #15: All I Want For Christmas Is _____
Reading Through Time: Modern History



The Pink Suit by Nicole Mary Kelby takes a close look at the iconic suit that Jacqueline Kennedy wore on that fateful day in November 1963. The story is told by Kate, a seamstress working at the House of Ninon who specialized in making designer knockoffs for American High Society. Mrs. Kennedy was well known for her style and fashion sense, but as the wife of the American president, it was preferred that she dress herself in American clothes. The solution was to work with a fashion house like the House of Ninon that was able to acquire the suit pattern from Chanel and even to broker an arrangement to acquire the exact pink wool to match the original French design.

I enjoyed this glimpse into a very small corner of the Kennedy White House years and although I found Kate and her story just ok, I was fascinated by the details and found myself following up on Wikipedia and was pleased to find that this story was firmly based on the actual facts.

243mstrust
des. 31, 2015, 12:44 pm

244DeltaQueen50
Editat: des. 31, 2015, 12:48 pm

204. The Hunted by Charlie Higson - 4.2 ★
TIOLI #7: Dedicated to a Family Member



The Hunted by Charlie Higson is part of an on-going YA dystopian series that I really enjoy. A disease has struck and killed or changed the adults into flesh craving monsters which leaves the children having to band together and fight to survive. This particular book is the 6th entry and I believe the next book will complete the series.

Lots of action as in this particular book a group of children set out from their base in London to try and find some of their friends who headed out into the country. The stage has now been set for the final book which sounds like it is going to be brutal, exciting and a great finish to this fun series.

245luvamystery65
des. 31, 2015, 1:22 pm

Happy New Year Judy. See you on the other side!

246VivienneR
des. 31, 2015, 4:54 pm

247Storeetllr
des. 31, 2015, 6:14 pm

248-Eva-
des. 31, 2015, 6:59 pm

>241 DeltaQueen50:
Funny, we had an earthquake two days ago as well. Except, we get them quite regularly here in California, so I just held on to the candlestick with lit candles until it was over. :) Hope you have great new year celebrations!

249rabbitprincess
des. 31, 2015, 7:33 pm

Yikes, rattling china and dancing Christmas trees! Hope there were no casualties.

250DeltaQueen50
Editat: gen. 4, 2016, 11:08 pm

My top reads of the 4th Quarter of 2015 were:

Betwixt And Between by Jessica Stilling
The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey
Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
Sisters of Treason by Elizabeth Freemantle

I also gave 5 stars to The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch but this was a re-read

251LisaMorr
gen. 5, 2016, 8:03 pm

As with others catching up on threads - I just read all 250 posts...!

Took several book bullets, including Blood Red Road, A Certain Slant of Light and the Benny Imura series.

Happy New Year to you!

252DeltaQueen50
gen. 6, 2016, 2:03 pm

Happy New Year to you, too, Lisa. I see you are in the process of setting up your 2016 Thread and I am looking forward to visiting!

253DeltaQueen50
gen. 10, 2016, 7:40 pm

5. The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn by Colin Dexter - 3.3 ★
Category: Vintage Threads
January AlphaKit: D
TIOLI #13: The Title Includes a Word That Stars with D or U




The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn by Colin Dexter is part of the Inspector Morse books, a series that I hadn’t read in some time. This particular book was originally published in 1977 and it’s style is reminds one of detective stories written in the 1940s and 50s. The reader is not privy to the inner workings of Inspector Morse’s mind, we are rather his audience that he plays to, announcing the murderer and his methods at the end of the book. We also learn very little of his private life away from the actual job of detecting.

Set in the university town of Oxford, this case deals with the Foreign Examination Board and the murder of one it’s appointees. Somehow, Morse decides that the murderer must be one of the small group of people who work there, and so most of the book is about this small academic organization. Along the way there is a secondary murder, and the book is rife with red herrings and a few twists to keep the reader guessing.

Personally, I am not sure whether I will continue with this series, I didn’t find Morse particularly likeable or sympathetic. The story was very well written, but some of the very characteristics that I enjoy in the Inspector Frost books by R.D. Wingate, I found intolerable here. I missed the tongue-in-cheek humor which helps to offset the rudeness and arrogance.

254AHS-Wolfy
Editat: gen. 11, 2016, 5:14 am

Heh, didn't notice this was your 2015 thread. Off to the new one!

255DeltaQueen50
gen. 13, 2016, 1:01 am

>254 AHS-Wolfy: Snork!! Obviously I didn't notice either and I posted a book that I read in January 2016 here!