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Little Pixie`s Bookshelf 2014


Little Pixie

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Pixie

Was the man a neighbor ,or someone you didn't know ? That's pretty scarey !

 

No - it seems to have been someone visiting the town. I assume that the river bank opposite us is the eaiest way for the Police rescue launch to get into the water, and that`s why they set up an operations base there.

 

They set up a Street Pastor scheme a couple of years ago, which seems to have cut down on the humber of river deaths ; they look out for people leaving pubs and clubs near the river. :smile:

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Book # 5   Glimpses of the Moon by Edmund Crispin   TBR 745             New Books Bought : 16            Total Cost : £43.64

 

GoodReads synopsis :

 

Death and decapitation seem to go hand in hand in the Devon village of Aller. When the first victim's head is sent floating down the river, the village's ruralcalm is shattered. Soon the corpses are multiplying and the entire community isinvolved in the murder hunt. While the rector, the major, the police and a journalist, desperate for the scoop of the century, chase false trails, it is left to Gervase Fen, Oxford don and amateur criminologist, to uncover the sordid truth.

 

The last of the Gervase Fen mysteries and by far the worst. There are some really nasty scenes of animal cruelty and racism, and it just made me feel icky from reading it. Such a shame that this was allowed to be published at all, `cos the earlier books are so well written and amusing. I saw one review calling it `irony` rather than racism. I think not.  :angry:

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Book # 6 The Body in the Belfry by Katherine Hall Page          TBR 747             New Books Bought : 19              Total Cost : £48.39

 

Amazon Synopsis :

There was no question that the body in the church belfry was Cindy Shepherd and that she was dead. The kitchen knife sticking out of her curvaceous young body left no doubt. As Faith Sibley Fairchild, the minister's wife who made the grisly find soon realises, there is no shortage of suspects who might have wanted Cindy dead: childhood enemies, jilted lovers and angry victims of her vicious tongue. But ex-New Yorker Faith has a lot to learn about murder in Massachusetts. Digging up seedy little secrets in a quiet New England village can make the natives a bit nervous...and turn the lady from the big city into just another small town statistic.

 

A really nice read. Faith - who was raised in New York and had her own elite catering business - takes her baby boy out for a walk. Just as she`s thinking how bored she is, she stumbles across a body... And obviously decides to investigate the murder herself. It`s a fast, fun read, with plenty of amusing characters in a small town - and Faith and her husband are very likeable.

 

Shall look for more in the series at some point. Though not now, `cos I`m almost done collecting the Henry Tibbett mysteries. So... Next month then. ;)

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Book #7   Down Among the Dead Men by Patricia Moyes                  TBR 746           New Books Bought : 19              Total Cost : £48.39

 

Amazon Synopsis :

Chief Inspector Henry Tibbett, vacationing in Berrybridge Haven, is convinced to reopen an old case when another person is killed in a similar manner.

 

Henry and Emmy go off on holiday with their boating friends ; whilst learning how to sail - and hearing about someone from the same boating community who`d died in an accident - Henry realises that the man was murdered. He starts discreetly investigating - but not discreetly enough...

 

Henry is pensive and resolute ( there`s a nice description of him in barefeet and oilskins several sizes too large, off to catch the killer ) and Emmy is enthusiastic and kind. It`s a bit Famous- Five-ish at times with the food descriptions, but that all adds to the atmosphere.

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I decided to have a look at the books I`ve downloaded to Kindle...
 
 
Death of an Old Git (The Falconer Files - File 1): The Falconer Files Series, Book 1  -  Frazer, Andrea
Rabbi Gabrielle's Scandal: The Rabbi Gabrielle Series - Book 1  -  Herst, Roger
The Goldfinch - Tartt, Donna
Life After Life - Atkinson, Kate
The Fault in Our Stars - Green, John

Lady Audley's Secret - Braddon, M. E. (Mary Elizabeth)
A Charlie Brown Christmas - Schulz, Charles M.
Trouble in Mudbug: Ghost-in-Law Mystery Series, Book 1 (Ghost-in-Law Mystery/Romance Series) - DeLeon, Jana
Jeeves and the Yule-tide Spirit - Wodehouse, P G
Murder at the Maples (Flora Lively Mysteries) - Phillips, Joanne 
 
Heart Songs - Ng, Nita
Your Everyday Superpower: Can the New Brain Science Open the Door to an Altered Reality? - Dalgliesh, Janette
1936--ON THE CONTINENT - Fodor's Travel
Summer - Wharton, Edith
The Custom of the Country - Wharton, Edith

Tremendous Trifles - Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith)
The Man Who Knew Too Much - Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith)
Stress proof your life: 52 Brilliant Ideas for Taking Control - Wilson, Elisabeth
Convenience Boy and Other Stories of Japan (Rei Shimura Series) - Massey, Sujata
Bones In Her Pocket (Temperance Brennan Short Story) - Reichs, Kathy


Declutter Mission Code Name: Organize Your Home - George, Kate
The Total Clutter Makeover: The Definitive Guide to Decluttering and Organizing Your Home - Stewart, Michelle
31 Days To A Clean And Organized Home: How To Organize, Clean, And Keep Your Home Spotless -
Knights, BJ
Decluttering Your Home; The Easy Way: The Complete guide on Decluttering, Get Tips On Organizing And Bringing Order Back To Your Home - Wilson, Karen
Always a Cold Deck (Harry Reese Mysteries, Book 1) - Stewart, Robert Bruce

Humbug on the Hudson (A Harry Reese Mystery) - Stewart, Robert Bruce
The Birth of M.E. Meegs (Emmie Reese Mysteries, Story 1) - Stewart, Robert Bruce
Agatha Raisin: Hell's Bells (A Short Story) - Beaton, M.C.
The Leavenworth Case - Green, Anna Katharine
That Affair Next Door - Green, Anna Katharine

The Circular Study - Green, Anna Katharine
Lost Man's Lane A Second Episode in the Life of Amelia Butterworth - Green, Anna Katharine
The Russian Renaissance (The Sokolov Saga #1) - Kharitonov, Ian
The Spanish Helmet (Dr. Matthew Cameron Series) - Scowen, Greg
Deadly Blessings (Alex St. James Mystery series) - Hyzy, Julie

Sweet Masterpiece: The First Samantha Sweet Mystery (The Samantha Sweet Mysteries) - Shelton, Connie
A Canterbury Crime (A Belinda Lawrence Mystery) - Kavanagh, Brian
Six Geese a-Laying (Mini Christmas Short Story) - Kinsella, Sophie
The Ultimate Guide To Home Decluttering: Organize Your Home And Achieve Clutter-free Living! - Craig, Steve
Murder on The Mind (A Jeff Resnick Mystery) - Bartlett, L.L.

Deadly Gamble: The First Charlie Parker Mystery (Charlie Parker Mystery Series) -Shelton, Connie
Death By Lotto 5 (Mystery and Women Sleuths)(Josiah Reynolds Mystery 5) - Keam, Abigail
Progressive Dinner Deadly (A Myrtle Clover Mystery) - Craig, Elizabeth Spann
A Dyeing Shame (A Myrtle Clover Mystery) - Craig, Elizabeth Spann
Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes (Rose Gardner Mystery #1) - Sfiddle, Denise Grover

Bubba and the Dead Woman - Bevill, C.L.
Ruth's First Christmas Tree: A Ruth Galloway Short Story - Griffiths, Elly
Dolled Up For Murder: A Gretchen Birch Murder Mystery - Baker, Deb
Short Fuses (Four free short stories) - Leather, Stephen
The Rome Express - Griffiths, Arthur

Dodo's Daughter A Sequel to Dodo - Benson, E. F. (Edward Frederic)
Dodo Wonders - Benson, E. F. (Edward Frederic)
The Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett, Vol. 1 (of 2) 1845-1846 - Browning, Robert
Agatha Raisin and the Christmas Crumble (short story) - Beaton, M.C.
A Cold Day for Murder (Kate Shugak #1) - Stabenow, Dana

The Professor - Brontë, Charlotte
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - Brontë, Anne
Agnes Grey - Brontë, Anne
In Morocco - Wharton, Edith
Long Time Coming -Claire, Edie


Never Buried: Leigh Koslow Mystery Series, Book 1: Volume 1 - Claire, Edie
Murder in Half Moon Bay: A Jillian Bradley Mystery, Book 1 - Thames, Nancy Jill
Romola - Eliot, George
Murder in Steeple Martin - A Libby Sarjeant Murder Mystery: Libby Sarjeant Mysteries Series, Book 1 (Libby Sarjeant Murder Mystery Series) - Cookman, Lesley
One Wonderful Night A Romance of New York - Tracy, Louis

Jacob's Room - Woolf, Virginia
The American - James, Henry
Night and Day - Woolf, Virginia
Daniel Deronda - Eliot, George
Huntingtower - Buchan, John

Daisy Miller - James, Henry
Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan First Series - Hearn, Lafcadio
Four Max Carrados Detective Stories - Bramah, Ernest
The Cossacks - Tolstoy, Graf Leo
The Diary of a Man of Fifty - James, Henry

Jo's Boys - Alcott, Louisa May
Little Men - Alcott, Louisa May
Twilight in Italy - Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)
Anna of the Five Towns - Bennett, Arnold
Cranford - Gaskell, Elizabeth Cleghorn

What Maisie Knew - James, Henry
The Middle Temple Murder - Fletcher, J. S. (Joseph Smith)
Mystère de la chambre jaune. English - Leroux, Gaston
Meditations - Aurelius, Marcus
Soldiers Three - Kipling, Rudyard

Soldier Stories - Kipling, Rudyard
North and South - Gaskell, Elizabeth Cleghorn
Inspector Zhang Gets His Wish (a free short story) - Leather, Stephen

The Golden Bowl - James, Henry

 

89 books. :doh:

Edited by Little Pixie
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Hee hee. Well, just so long as my TBR`s under 1,000. :D

*snort* I don't think that will be for much longer, at this rate  :D . At least you have accepted the ebook list now :empathy: , I'm still 'in denial' with mine  :giggle:

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Book # 8   Good Behaviour by Molly Keane             TBR 745                New Books Bought : 20              Total Cost : £51.20

 

Amazon Synopsis :

I do know how to behave - believe me, because I know. I have always known...'


Behind the gates of Temple Alice the aristocratic Anglo-Irish St Charles family sinks into a state of decaying grace. To Aroon St Charles, large and unlovely daughter of the house, the fierce forces of sex, money, jealousy and love seem locked out by the ritual patterns of good behaviour. But crumbling codes of conduct cannot hope to save the members of the St Charles family from their own unruly and inadmissible desires. This elegant and allusive novel established Molly Keane as the natural successor to Jean Rhys.

 

Good read, but very sad. Set about a century ago, this tells the story of Aroon ( daughter of a truly odious mother ) becoming a grown-up. She`s naive and innocent, doesn`t understand what`s really going on and is quite deluded. There`s an awful lot of repression and the suppression of feelings ( or not, in the case of doing things but pretending to still behave well ). Oof, it`s a real downer with suicide and accidents, but there`s something about the writing that keeps you turning the pages, and you get a real feel for Aroon in all her self-consciousness.   :smile:

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Book # 9    In the Final Analysis by Amanda Cross                     TBR 744                 New Books Bought : 20                51.20

Amazon Synopsis :

When beautiful Janet Harrison asks English professor Kate Fansler to recommend a Manhattan psychoanalyst, Kate immediately sends the girl to her dear friend and former lover, Dr. Emanuel Bauer. Seven weeks later, the girl is stabbed to death on Emanuel's couch--with incriminating fingerprints on the murder weapon. To Kate, the idea of her brilliant friend killing anyone is preposterous, but proving it seems an impossible task. For Janet had no friends, no lover, no family. Why, then, should someone feel compelled to kill her? Kate's analytic techniques leave no stone unturned--not even the one under which a venomous killer once again lies coiled and ready to strike. . . .
 
Really enjoyable start to the series. Professor of English Lit at a NY University, Kate - who`s read lots of whodunnits over the years - has a visit from the Police about one of her former students, who`s been bumped off for no apparent reason. That she was killed in the psychiatrist`s office which Kate had sent her to - and the psychiatrist is an ex - makes Kate and her friend suspects.
 
There`s a jawdropping whydunnit which had me fooled and lots of interesting characters, particularly Professor Kate. I got 2/3 of the way through the book and found myself wishing there`d been descriptions of her flat and her office ; so taken was I with the character, I wanted to know more. The book is quite wordy and people talk in long paragraphs with quotes from English Classics, but I rather liked that.
 
I have the omnibus of the first three books - it was cheaper to buy a ` like new` hardback than buy just the first book in paperback - just as well, `cos I`d`ve wanted to read more of the series anyway. There`s a lovely preface to the volume from the author Amanda Cross - Carolyn Heilbrun - which really resonated with me and made me want to find out more about her work, like this book :

http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Womans-Life-Carolyn-Heilbrun/dp/0393331644/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390054962&sr=8-1&keywords=writing+a+woman%27s+life+heilbrun#_

 

In the preface, the author talks about how she was told by a bookseller when In the Final Analysis came out in 1964, that hers was the only book with a female American detective available at that time. :o

 

BTW, a few reviews of this book are poor and seem to compare it unfavourably with later books in the series which are apparently `more feminist` - a shame, `cos I thought this was well worth reading anyway.

 

Oh, I did have trouble with a bit of the New York-iness ; I was expected to know what living in various parts of the city signified ( West as opposed to East Manhattan, a view of the Hudson rather than living near Fifth Avenue ) but I muddled through. :smile:

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Book # 10   The Winter of Discontent by Jeanne M Dams              TBR 743             New Books Bought : 20                         £ 51.20    
 
GoodReads Synopsis :  Edited for spoilers

Dorothy Martin's neighbor and closest friend, Jane Langland, has been having a fling with Bill Fanshawe--or, as much of a fling as two 80-year olds in a small town are allowed. Now there are rumors that Jane and Bill may move in together, and Dorothy needs to know exactly what's happening. What neither woman expects is that someone from the town goes missing, and that within a day his body is going to be discovered in the tunnel under the Sherebury town museum.

Why would anyone want to harm a harmless old man, a historian who loves the town and the people who live there? Given his age, and the strange letter found in his hand, Dorothy thinks that whatever happened has its roots in WWII.

 
Not the best in the series ; rather uneven and with a deus-ex-machina ending. There are some nice descriptions of the mediaeval town and of Christmas approaching, but the charm doesn`t make up for the plot holes.

Edited by Little Pixie
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Book # 11  Someone Will Be with You Shortly: Notes from a Perfectly Imperfect Life by Lisa Kogan  TBR 742  New Books Bought : 20  £ 51.20
 
Synopsis from BookList Carol Haggas

If Lisa Kogan didn’t exist, Nora Ephron would have to invent her. Like the tart-tongued yet lovable heroine portrayed in screwball romantic comedies, Kogan wears her heart on a sleeve that, like as not, was pulled from the bottom of her closet and could use a good dry cleaning. With a fractured life as a career woman/working mother/long-distance girlfriend providing the fodder, Kogan’s observations focus on the commonalities that connect women from ages 20 to 80. Hairdressers from hell, sippy-cup-stained sofas, fashion fiascoes, and workplace roller coasters form the deviling detritus of daily life that fuels her irreverent brand of honest-girlfriend humor; though she is just as likely to take a well-aimed gibe when fallacies of personal responsibility, parenting provocations, and social ineptitude invoke her deeper sense of moral outrage. In essays that disarm with a devil-may-care frankness and delight with a what-the-heck impudence, Kogan’s take on contemporary living is as irrepressibly savvy as a Prada diaper bag, as reassuringly satisfying as a PB-and-J sandwich. 

 

Very funny collection of essays from Oprah magazine columnist Lisa Kogan. Just the thing to cheer you up. :smile:

Edited by Little Pixie
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