Little Pixie`s Bookshelf 2013

[Little Pixie]

I was only listening to a book programme on the radio & they were talking about Barbara Pym's novels; i've not read any myself so look forward to hearing what you think of them 

 

I keep hearing good things about `Jane and Prudence`, so might pick that as my first Pym Book.

[Little Pixie]

 

It's no longer a TBR list.  It's a TBRFH (from hell) list.

 

It`s out of control, man.  

 

It`ll be up to 705 once they arrive - and I refuse to add them until they`re actually in my sticky little paws.

[chesilbeach]

I was only listening to a book programme on the radio & they were talking about Barbara Pym's novels; i've not read any myself so look forward to hearing what you think of them 

 

Was that this weeks Open Book?  I listened to that in the car on the way home today, and has made me want to re-read all my Pym books again - as if I haven't got enough to read as it is!

[Little Pixie]

Shockingly, I`ve actually read a book, instead of just buying them.

 

Book # 62  Girl in a Box by Sujata Massey

 

In the ninth Rei Shimura novel, former antiques dealer Rei is now working as a
special informant (spy) for the Organization for Cultural Intelligence (OCI).
Her training is cut short when the agency needs her to work undercover at the
Japanese department store Mitsutan, where some financial irregularities have
been reported. Using makeup and some forged records, Japanese American Rei is
presented as a Japanese national in Tokyo, where she must try to fit in as a
traditional Japanese woman, despite her American upbringing. She investigates
while working as a salesclerk at the store until her cover is blown, and she
must save herself and another member of the agency. The reader is immersed in
the everyday world of the Japanese worker, from long workdays to the necessity
to maintain a humble demeanor. The likable Rei, who is still getting over a
failed romance, must fight a growing attraction to her boss while she tries to
find her place in the world as a half-Japanese, half-American woman. An
increasingly strong series mixing crime and multicultural awareness. Sue
O'Brien
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights
reserved

 

I love this series ; the heroine comes across as so human and likeable, plus she makes mistakes and just keeps going. In this one, Rei gets a contract working for a small agency connected to the CIA ( she`s been involved in solving mysteries before, and has come to the attention of the US Government through a family member ). Her background makes her suitable to be pulled out of spy training and put into the field, after a previous agent has been murdered on the job.

 

It`s less actiony-spy-thriller, more Rei trying to do her best and solve the mystery, whilst keeping up her friendships with the Japanese side of her family. There`s lots of cultural and historical stuff which somes across as interesting, rather than research-heavy.

[Kidsmum]

 

Was that this weeks Open Book?  I listened to that in the car on the way home today, and has made me want to re-read all my Pym books again - as if I haven't got enough to read as it is!

 

Yes it was, i usually listen to it on iplayer & have another tab open with a link to Amazon so i can add any books that take my fancy to my wishlist, needless to say Barbara Pym went straight on there 

 

Pixie - your splurge on the Bookpeople was catching; i got the catalogue through the post & ended up ordering The Mortal Instruments Series for one of my daughters who is a big fan, a snip at 6.99 & for myself i got 3 books by Rumer

Godden. I would have got the Cazalet novels as well but they were out of stock 

[Little Pixie]

Yes it was, i usually listen to it on iplayer & have another tab open with a link to Amazon so i can add any books that take my fancy to my wishlist, needless to say Barbara Pym went straight on there 

 

Pixie - your splurge on the Bookpeople was catching; i got the catalogue through the post & ended up ordering The Mortal Instruments Series for one of my daughters who is a big fan, a snip at 6.99 & for myself i got 3 books by Rumer

Godden. I would have got the Cazalet novels as well but they were out of stock 

 

This is really helping the Economy.

 

I think the Book People have really improved their selection in the past few years ; imo, it used to be books which were remaindered - now it seems to have a really decent best seller-ish selection. I`m quite tempted by The Age of Miracles, but I`m waiting to see if it turns up as The Times £2.99 book of the week soon, `cos those picks have been really good lately.

 

I`ve got the first Cazalet omnibus - I was almost tempted to read it, after Radio 4 did those adaptations. I`ll get to it eventually.

[Little Pixie]

Book # 63   Running Blind by Desmond Bagley

 

Synopsis from GoodReads

 

It all begins with a simple errand - a package to deliver. But for Alan Stewart, standing on a deserted road in Iceland with a murdered man at his feet, the mission looks far from simple. Set amongst some of the most dramatic scenery in the world, Stewart and his girlfriend, Erin, are faced with treacherous natural obstacles and deadly threats, as they battle to carry out the mission. The contents of the package are a surprise for the reader as much as for Stewart in a finale of formidable energy.

 

Cracking thriller, which I remember seeing on the Beeb in the late 70`s.

 

A former spy is blackmailed into going on a courier job : all he has to do is deliver a package in Iceland. Obviously, things go wrong and he ends up running for his life across Iceland. What`s in the package and who`s after it - and him- make for a hugely entertaining Cold War thriller.  

[Little Pixie]

The Book People books arrived today - TBR list is now up to 702. Oopsies.

[Ooshie]

I used to have all the Desmond Bagley books, I got into them in my teens and read them all several time. Sadly I lost custody of them in a divorce but thanks for reminding me about them, I will need to look out for them again!

Edited August 5, 2013 by Ooshie

[Little Pixie]

I used to have all the Desmond Bagley books, I got into them in my teens and read them all several time. Sadly I lost custody of them in a divorce but thanks for reminding me about them, I will need to look out for them again!

 

 

I was wondering about him, and it turns out that a lot of his books were reprinted in 2009 ; two novels per volume - clicky.

[Little Pixie]

Book # 64  Killing Cassidy by Jeanne M Dams

 

 

Though adopted Anglophile Dorothy Martin is quite content with her new life
in a cozy English village, she looks forward to an unexpected trip back to her
Indiana hometown. Sadly, it is the sudden death of a longtime friend and a small
inheritance that offer Dorothy and her husband, Alan Nesbitt, this brief holiday
in the States.
 

Along with her inheritance, Dorothy gets a cryptic note from her deceased
friend, a renowned biologist at the local university, claiming he was murdered.
Now, back among the friends and acquaintances of her past, she must find out if
one among them is a killer -- and why. A second murder puts Dorothy on the trail
of a deception as strange as it is tragic, and leads her to a solution that will
challenge the formidable skills of her retired constable husband -- as well as
her own nimble mind -- to find the solution before tragedy strikes again.

 

Synopsis from Amazon

 

Dorothy - in her 60`s with a penchant for `interesting` hats and cats - goes back to her old home town with her new husband. There`s a mystery to solve, but it`s also about not being able to go home again and how her original home and friends have changed. She drags her husband along on her Nancy Drew escapades this time, though it`s less about solving a murder and more about Dorothy and how you come to care for her. A sweet cosy mystery.

[Kylie]

I`m thinking if I do a plan, reading 2 TBR books for every new one and stick to my 100-a-year target, then the TBR pile will be easily cleared in a decade. Now the only problem is sticking to the plan... << Sits on sofa rocking slowly back and forth and gibbering>>.

Ahh, you sound like me a few years ago. I was adamant that my TBR pile would never go over 1,000. It's now much closer to 2,000.

[Little Pixie]

Ahh, you sound like me a few years ago. I was adamant that my TBR pile would never go over 1,000. It's now much closer to 2,000.

 

  

 

Must read more books. Must read more books....

 

Must also stop buying so many books.

 

Must come up with stickable-with plan.

[Little Pixie]

Book # 65  The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri

 

Amazon Synopsis.

 

The goats of Vigata once grazed on the trash-strewn site still known as the
Pasture. Now local enterprise of a different sort flourishes: drug dealers and
prostitutes of every flavour. But their discreet trade is upset when two
employees of the Splendour Refuse Collection Company discover the body of
engineer Silvio Luparello, one of the local movers and shakers, apparently
deceased in flagrante at the Pasture. The coroner's verdict is death from
natural causes - refreshingly unusual for Sicily. But Inspector Salvo
Montalbano, as honest as he is streetwise and as scathing to fools and villains
as he is compassionate to their victims, is not ready to close the case - even
though he's being pressured by Vigata's police chief, judge, and bishop. Picking
his way through a labyrinth of high-comedy corruption, delicious meals, vendetta
firepower, and carefully planted false clues, Montalbano can be relied on,
whatever the cost, to get to the heart of the matter.

 

The first in the Inspector Montalbano series. It`s a quick, fun read ; all of Italy`s institutions come in for a battering, with the result that there`s a very carefully worded ` it`s all made up ` addenda to the book.   I remembered the TV ep of this, but not enough to spoil my enjoyment of the mystery.

[Ooshie]

 

I was wondering about him, and it turns out that a lot of his books were reprinted in 2009 ; two novels per volume - clicky.

Thanks for that, Little Pixie, I will have to add one to my next Amazon order and see if I enjoy them as much now as I did then!

[Little Pixie]

Book # 66 The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides 

 

Synopsis from Amazon

 

Previously adapted into a critically acclaimed film by Sofia Coppola starring
Kirsten Dunst, this is the story of the five Lisbon sisters – beautiful,
eccentric, and obsessively watched by the entire neighbourhood.

 

The boys that once loved them from afar are now grown men, determined to
understand a tragedy that has always defied explanation. For still, the question
remains – why did all five of the Lisbon girls take their own lives?

 

This hypnotic and unforgettable novel treats adolescent love and death with
haunting sensitivity and dark humour, and creates a coming-of-age story unlike
any of our time.

 

Beautifully written, this book deals with the deaths by suicide of the five Lisbon sisters, told from the point of view of a group of men looking back on their time in High School. The girls are presented as unknowable goddesses, worshipped by the boys  ( who go back and interview neighbours and teachers of the girls many years later ).

[Little Pixie]

Book # 67 Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym

 

Synopsis from GoodReads

 

This early novel by Barbara Pym captures the charm and folly of English middle-class life. The two title characters share a devoted friendship based on memories of Oxford school days, poetry and their neighbors' private affairs- all discussed over leisurely lunches. And they share a common goal: finding a suitable mate for Prudence.

 

“Mr Boultbee seems to have done us a good turn," said Nicholas. "I gather his sermons were not much liked."

No; we got very tired of Africa and I didn't feel that what he told us rang quite true. He said that one African chief had had a thousand wives. I found that a little difficult to believe."

Well, we know what men are," said Jane casually, surprised that Miss Dogget, with her insistence on men only wanting one thing, should have found this difficult to believe.”  

 

 

 

Great fun. I wasn`t sure about this book at first ( I was expecting something more waspish, like the Mapp & Lucia books ) but then the characters became so endearing that I really didn`t want the book to end. The basic plot is that Jane wants to find a suitable man for Prudence, though Jane has problems of her own, having moved to a new Parish and expecting it to be like one of her very many books read about Vicar`s Wives. There are lots of surreal, amusing little vignettes. It`s a definite re-read in the future.

[chesilbeach]

I'm so pleased you liked your first Barbara Pym! Lots more to read and enjoy from her, and so underrated.

[Little Pixie]

I'm so pleased you liked your first Barbara Pym! Lots more to read and enjoy from her, and so underrated.

 

I was pleasantly surprised - I haven`t heard much about her until recently, so just assumed it was an acquired taste - I have 4 more books of hers, looking forward to them.

[Little Pixie]

Book # 68  The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown   TBR 697

 

GoodReads Synopsis

 

For some reason, I can`t copy-and-paste the synopsis across.

 

Anyway, I thought the book was great fun. I`d already seen the film years ago, but that didn`t dent my enjoyment of the book ; it`s a thriller with a fair amount of historical ` I didn`t know that` stuff throw in. I know Dan Brown gets lambasted by some serious literary critics, but I still went blub at the end.

Edited August 16, 2013 by Little Pixie

[Little Pixie]

Book # 69  Seizure by Kathy Reichs  TBR 696

 

GoodReads Synopsis

 

Tory Brennan - Grand-Niece of Tempe Brennan from Kathy Reichs` Bones series - and her group of friends go searching for Anne Bonny`s pirate treasure in their home of South Carolina. It`s a page turner and the teen speak is funny, with the exception of their use of the word `spazz`, which I found hugely offensive.  I assume it`s not seen as offensive in the US as it is in the UK ? Also, I`m not sure that Anne Bonny would use `bullocks` as a swear word.

 

That aside, it`s a likeable YA series, though I think I`ll stick with Reichs` Bones series.

Edited August 17, 2013 by Little Pixie

[Little Pixie]

Book # 70    The People Vs. Withers and Malone by Stuart Palmer/Craig Rice  TBR 695

 

Amazon Synopsis :

Published in 1991 in paperback by International Polygonics, Ltd, NY, as part of their Library of Crime Classics series, this book by Stuart Palmer and Craig Rice (Georgiana Ann Craig, an American author of mystery novels and short stories) is called 'People vs. Withers & Malone' and includes the following stories, all of which appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine: 1) An Informal Introduction by Ellery Queen; 2) Preface by Stuart Palmer; 3) Once Upon A Train; 4) Cherchez La Frame; 5) Autopsy and Eva; 6) Rift in the Loot; 7) People vs. Withers & Malone; 8) Withers and Malone, Brain-Stormers

 

Short stories featuring Hildegarde Withers ( ex-NY school marm, with wild taste in hats ) and John J Malone ( Chicago lawyer with fondness for drink and dames ), who get together to solve murders. They both feature in their own series, too. The who/howdunnits really hold your attention and the language is witty, in a screwball comedy way.

 

... The apparition in raincoat and umbrella which suddenly swooped in on them like a large raven looking for a bust of Pallas Athene on which to perch.  

 

Just brilliant stuff.

[Little Pixie]

Book # 71 Death in a Strange Country by Donna Leon   TBR 694

Amazon Synopsis

Early one morning Guido Brunetti, Commissario of the Venice Police, confronts a grisly sight when the body of a young man is fished out of a fetid Venetian canal. All the clues point to a violent mugging, but for Brunetti, robbery seems altogether too convenient a motive. Then something very incriminating is discovered in the dead man's flat - something which points to the existence of a high-level cabal - and Brunetti becomes convinced that somebody, somewhere, is taking great pains to provide a ready-made solution to the crime ...

 

There`s corruption a-plenty in the 2nd Inspector Brunnetti book ; the resolution is astonishing, and the scenes between Brunnetti and his wife Paola are satisfyingly comical. And hurray, Brunnetti gets one over his slimy boss Patta.   

Edited August 19, 2013 by Little Pixie

[Little Pixie]

Book # 72     I Shouldn`t Even be Doing This by Bob Newhart    TBR 693

Amazon Synopsis :

That stammer. Those basset-hound eyes. That bone-dry wit. There has never been another comedian like Bob Newhart. In this, his first book, a New York Times bestseller in hardback, he offers his brilliant and bemused take on everything from his early days as a mild-mannered accountant to his glory days as a revered comic genius.

 

This didn`t come across as all that funny to me ; I love his routines, but I think much of the amusement comes from his delivery, which didn`t really come across on the page. It`s an interesting tale of how he got into showbiz though.

[Little Pixie]

And my TBR`s back up to 700 with new books purchased...

Chapter and Hearse - Catherine Aird

The Chinese Shawl - Patricia Wentworth

Death at St James` Palace - Jeanne M Dams

Boudicca : Dreaming the Bull - Manda Scott

The Bridges of Madison County - Robert James Waller

Enemy of God - Bernard Cornwell

Kill Alex Cross - James Patterson

 

No idea how it happened, I just turned my back for a moment and there they were...