Little Pixie`s Bookshelf 2015

[Little Pixie]

#134    Our Game - John Le Carre

 

I couldn`t really get into this one. It`s set and involved with the Caucuses, an area which rarely features in fiction ; it`s admirable to find a book about the problems of this region of Southern Russia, but ... It`s a bit too far-fetched and tails off rather than having a definite ending. Tim Cranmer`s wife disappears at the same time as Larry, a frenemy and spy, who had Tim as a handler. Tim sets off to find the pair. It`s all very exciting and interesting at first, but the more it goes on, the less it feel real. A shame.

 

#135     A Novena for Murder - Sister Carol Anne O`Marie

 

Nun writes whodunnit series - how could I not try this one out !   Sister Mary Helen retires to a Catholic College / Nuns retirement home in San Francisco, and the Head of the History Dept dies during an earthquake. In her seventies with a lifetime of reading mystery novels, she realises that the Professor was bumped off and investigates the death alongside her fellow nuns ( there`s a fun scene with them sneaking off to discuss the death and making plans to snoop around, and one of the Nuns says she feels like they`re in the French Resistance ).  It`s nicely described ; you can really feel the dampness of the fog in San Francisco and hear the boats in the harbour.  

 

#136    Miss Zukas in Death`s Shadow - Jo Dereske

 

Librarian Helma Zukas is doing community service in a Mission for homeless men, when someone gets bumped off. Fun.

 

#137    The Ape who Guards the Balance - Elizabeth Peters 

 

I`d almost finished this one before I realised that the plot hadn`t really started, though once I`d finished it, I saw that what I`d taken as a routine archaelogical dig was more than that. What looks like a routine dig in Egypt turns out to have many layers , though I just liked it for the joy of spending time with the Amelia Peabody family.

 

#138   The Falcon at the Portal - Elizabeth Peters

 

More of a thriller than the previous book in the series. By this time, it`s 1911 in Egypt and there are some big shocks in store.... 

 

#139   A Dying Fall - Hildegarde Dolson

 

Written in 1973, this comes across as rather dated now. Widow Lucy and her boarder, Inspector MacDougal, investigate the death of a newcomer to their Connecticut town. Whodunnit isn`t too difficult to work out.

 

#140   The Amulet of Samarkand - Jonathan Stroud

 

Uneven.  Magician`s apprentice Nathaniel summjons a Djinni, Bartimaeus, and there`s a big adventure. Plotwise, it`s fun and inventive. The problem is Nathaniel - he`s colouless, dull, boring. The book really comes alive when Bartimaeus is featured - he`s sarcastic, witty and lots of fun. A shame.

 

#141   Thornyhold - Mary Stewart

 

After a lonely childhood, Gilly inherits a lovely cottage from her Godmother and her new life begins. There`s a cat, carrier pigeons with messages fo her and a romance, together with a slightly creepy, witchy undercurrent.

 

#142   Curtain for a Jester - Frances and Richard Lockridge

 

Another Pam and Jerry North ( and their cats Martini, Gin and Sherry ) whodunnit. The Norths attend a party in their building, given by a notorious - and rather malicious - practical joker. There`s a murder and the Norths investigate. No-one is as they first appear, and there`s a thrilling denouement at night in a joke emporium warehouse. 

 

#143   Picture Miss Seeton - Heron Carvic

 

Miss Seeton - retired art teacher - witnesses a murder. Likeable enough, but I could`ve done with more of Miss Seeton and her fun persona ( she tuts at the impertinence of getting kidnapped and rescues herself quite cleverly ) and less of just about everyone else in the village.

 

#144   Murder at Mount Fuji - Shizuko Natsuki

 

Readable enough, but interesting mainly because it`s set in Japan and written by a famous Japanese mystery writer.  Whodunnit and why is surprising, but I felt distant from  the characters ( a lot of it is written in the past tense, ie, instead of discovering a clue in real time, one of the police team reports everything that they found to his superior ). 

 

Books read : 144                        TBR 787             New Books Bought : 158                      Total Cost : £ 457.31

Edited September 12, 2015 by Little Pixie

[Athena]

I hope you enjoy your new books! Shame about Kafka on the Shore getting lost in the post . I'm waiting for a couple of second-hand books too, they were supposed to have arrived already. I liked The Devil Wears Prada but I prefer the film .

[Little Pixie]

I hope you enjoy your new books! Shame about Kafka on the Shore getting lost in the post . I'm waiting for a couple of second-hand books too, they were supposed to have arrived already.

 

Fingers crossed that your books arrive soon .

 

I`ve just looked and found Kafka on the Shore for £2.81 again - shall order it and hope that this one arrives ! 

[Little Pixie]

I`ve ordered some more books - I found a cheapie Kafka on the Shore ( £2.81 ) and also got...

 

How to Murder a Millionaire - Nancy Martin ( £2.84 )  

 

The Widening Stain - Tom Schantz ( £3.85 )

 

Come, tell me how you live - Agatha Christie ( £ 3.48 )

 

By its cover - Donna Leon ( £2.81 ) 

 

The Black Shrouds - Gwyneth and Constance Little ( £3.35 )

[Little Pixie]

Books read : 144                        TBR 793             New Books Bought : 164                      Total Cost : £ 476.45

[Ben]

I love finding bargains online... particularly books! Nice haul. Also, 144 books read is very impressive... good numbers!

[Karsa Orlong]

 

I`ve just looked and found Kafka on the Shore for £2.81 again - shall order it and hope that this one arrives ! 

 

Did you check on the beach?

 

Oh, wait . . . wrong book

[Athena]

Fingers crossed that your books arrive soon .

Thanks ! 

 

I`ve ordered some more books - I found a cheapie Kafka on the Shore ( £2.81 ) and also got...

I hope you enjoy your new books when they arrive . 

 

Books read : 144                        TBR 793             New Books Bought : 164                      Total Cost : £ 476.45

144 read and 164 bought, that is a pretty good ratio!

[Little Pixie]

I love finding bargains online... particularly books! Nice haul. Also, 144 books read is very impressive... good numbers!

 

Thanks !   I had hoped that buying used books would cut down the total price I was spending on books, but oddly, it seems to have provided me with yet another excuse for book-buying. 

[Little Pixie]

Did you check on the beach?

 

Oh, wait . . . wrong book

 

 

 

Kafka on the Shore had better come with a kitty on the cover. 

[Little Pixie]

I hope you enjoy your new books when they arrive . 

 

144 read and 164 bought, that is a pretty good ratio!

 

 Thanks. 

 

It`s not as good a ratio when I take into account the number of re-reads - 19 books - but I`m still pleased. 

[Athena]

Thanks !   I had hoped that buying used books would cut down the total price I was spending on books, but oddly, it seems to have provided me with yet another excuse for book-buying. 

Ha, I know what you mean . 

 

Kafka on the Shore had better come with a kitty on the cover. 

My edition does, I hope yours does too!

 

 

Thanks. 

 

It`s not as good a ratio when I take into account the number of re-reads - 19 books - but I`m still pleased. 

It's still pretty good !

 

I read 358 books and I bought 336 books, but when you take into account that out of those 358 books 40 were re-reads and 210 were library loans, the ratio is suddenly looking a lot less good .

[Little Pixie]

I read 358 books and I bought 336 books, but when you take into account that out of those 358 books 40 were re-reads and 210 were library loans, the ratio is suddenly looking a lot less good .

 

Wow !! 358 books ! Well done. 

 

And that`s great that you read so many from the Library - are you their top reader ? 

[Little Pixie]

Books read : 145                        TBR 792             New Books Bought : 164                      Total Cost : £ 476.45

 

#145    Death in August - Marco Vichi

 

Excerpt. 

 

The first of the Inspector Bordelli mysteries, set in 1960`s Florence. This reminded me an awful lot of the Inspector Montalbano ( Andrea Camilleri ) books, and they have the same translator.

 

A little old lady dies of an asthma attack in a deserted villa during the August heatwave, and Bordelli is on the case ( along with an assortment of friends and colleagues). The only suspects have alibis and there`s no way it could`ve been murder, and yet... It`s light-hearted, with a very clever howdunnit. 

 

There is some padding in the middle - there`s a dinner party where they exchange stories of Italy in WW2, and Bordelli reminisces about his childhood ( In a story which made me think Yikes ! Inappropriate !! ) - but it`s so well-written, that it doesn`t seem to slow down the investigation. 

 

Looking forward to the other books in the series. 

[Athena]

Wow !! 358 books ! Well done. 

 

And that`s great that you read so many from the Library - are you their top reader ? 

Thanks ! I don't know, I wouldn't mind finding out but I don't think the library posts such statistics anywhere. I'd love to see statistics on what are the top 20 books most loaned out and such, or how often the average book is loaned out, or on average how many books are loaned out vs. how many are on the shelves etc. I like numbers . And I'd still like to know how Dutch library books are made, but I'm a bit of a wuss in that I haven't yet dared to ask the library personnel about it (I doubt if they know it to be honest).

[Little Pixie]

Thanks ! I don't know, I wouldn't mind finding out but I don't think the library posts such statistics anywhere. I'd love to see statistics on what are the top 20 books most loaned out and such, or how often the average book is loaned out, or on average how many books are loaned out vs. how many are on the shelves etc. I like numbers . And I'd still like to know how Dutch library books are made, but I'm a bit of a wuss in that I haven't yet dared to ask the library personnel about it (I doubt if they know it to be honest).

 

There`s UK info HERE on library loans, which you might like.  

 

I`m not sure what you mean by how the library books are made - I`ve not been in a library for years -  do you mean the security thingies in the books ? 

[Athena]

There`s UK info HERE on library loans, which you might like.  

 

I`m not sure what you mean by how the library books are made - I`ve not been in a library for years -  do you mean the security thingies in the books ? 

Thanks for that !

 

Well, I should explain that Dutch library books are not like library books from the UK or US. I'm not sure I can explain it properly, but the IBSN is the same as a hardcover or paperback (both are possible) and the inside pages of the book are the same, but the cover of the book is hard and plastified (in almost all cases, with a few exceptions). If the original was a hardcover with a flappy bit, the flappy bit 'becomes' the picture on the solid heavy cover, and if it was a paperback the cover of the paperback becomes the solid heavy cover (so no flappy bits with library books). Sometimes there is an outside border to the cover.

 

It's not something I can explain properly if you haven't seen it for yourself but I've always wondered if they take just normal books and cut out the cover and make it firmer and plastified or whether the books are specially printed in such a way. Unfortunately Google doesn't show me any clear pictures of what I mean and it appears I haven't got any on the computer either . Yes, I'm a book nerd .

[Little Pixie]

Thanks for that !

 

Well, I should explain that Dutch library books are not like library books from the UK or US. I'm not sure I can explain it properly, but the IBSN is the same as a hardcover or paperback (both are possible) and the inside pages of the book are the same, but the cover of the book is hard and plastified (in almost all cases, with a few exceptions). If the original was a hardcover with a flappy bit, the flappy bit 'becomes' the picture on the solid heavy cover, and if it was a paperback the cover of the paperback becomes the solid heavy cover (so no flappy bits with library books). Sometimes there is an outside border to the cover.

 

It's not something I can explain properly if you haven't seen it for yourself but I've always wondered if they take just normal books and cut out the cover and make it firmer and plastified or whether the books are specially printed in such a way. Unfortunately Google doesn't show me any clear pictures of what I mean and it appears I haven't got any on the computer either . Yes, I'm a book nerd .

 

I`ve got some used books which sound ( a bit ? ) similar ; a paperback with a laminated cover, for instance - but your library books sound specially made. Oooh... 

[bobblybear]

There`s UK info HERE on library loans, which you might like.

 

Thanks for that link. I'm going to have a read of it later; it will be interesting to see what the most popular loans were.

[Little Pixie]

Thanks for that link. I'm going to have a read of it later; it will be interesting to see what the most popular loans were.

 

 

I haven`t been able to find a link yet where you can see the top loans for specific genres. 

[Little Pixie]

 Books read : 147                        TBR 790             New Books Bought : 164                      Total Cost : £ 476.45

 

#146   The Messenger - Daniel Silva

 

Excerpt

 

A Professor involved in peace charities is killed in London, and his briefcase reveals that he was really a recruiter for Al-Qaeda and involved in plans to attack The Vatican. Retired spy Gabriel Allon is called back to work, since he previously foiled an attack in Rome, and the hunt for info on the attack begins. It`s a real nail-biter ; with 70 pages to go, I had a quick peek at the end of the book, since the tension got too much for me.    

 

#147   The Ladies Auxiliary - Tova Mirvis

 

Excerpt

 

Widow Batsheva and her small child move from New York to Memphis in the Southern US, to join the Orthodox Jewish community in which her husband grew up. She`s a convert with some different ideas, and the community has to reassess their own Faith and beliefs when exposed to her. There are echoes of The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter. It`s a very readable book about a very different lifestyle. 

Edited September 21, 2015 by Little Pixie

[Athena]

I`ve got some used books which sound ( a bit ? ) similar ; a paperback with a laminated cover, for instance - but your library books sound specially made. Oooh... 

Yep .

 

You're doing well with your reading vs. TBR .

[Little Pixie]

You're doing well with your reading vs. TBR .

 

Thanks. 

 

I`m stuck a bit today, wondering which book to pick to read next. 

[Athena]

I`m stuck a bit today, wondering which book to pick to read next. 

Awww, we all have such moments . Were you able to find something or not yet?

[Little Pixie]

Awww, we all have such moments . Were you able to find something or not yet?

 

Aw, thanks.    I kept picking up books, and putting them down again. 

 

 I eventually picked Barbara Ehrenreich - Taming a Wild God. 

 

Mini-book-crisis averted ! This was so good, I ended up reading it in one sitting. 

 

#148   Barbara Ehrenreich - Taming a Wild God

 

Excerpt

 

This is the memoir of an atheist, rationalist, feminist ,scientist, Vietnam War protester . Who has visions.

 

Sorting through her papers before she donates them to a University library, she comes across a journal she kept as a teenager, in which she details her experiences of having visions. It`s meaty and verbose , ie, it has an awful lot of big wordies.   It`s also absolutely fascinating. She kept quiet about her mystical experiences because of her atheist parents, and because growing up in the 50`s, she had concerns of being put in a psychiatric hospital. The memoir looks back on her life with alcoholic parents in an honest, unstinting way ; she doesn`t shy away from criticising her own behaviour, either. She gets a chemistry doctorate and becomes active in various protest movements, and yet comes back to how her visions fit into the World.

 

A book about the Big Questions in Life. 

 

 Books read : 148                        TBR 789             New Books Bought : 164                      Total Cost : £ 476.45

Edited September 23, 2015 by Little Pixie