Nollaig Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Timebound sounds really interesting... going on the wishlist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 Timebound sounds really interesting... going on the wishlist. Hope you enjoy it, when/if you get to it. It`s one of those books that you enjoy so much, everyone else must read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Hope you enjoy it, when/if you get to it. It`s one of those books that you enjoy so much, everyone else must read it. I know that feeling, but I usually feel that way about such strange books that other people don't enjoy them as much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 I know that feeling, but I usually feel that way about such strange books that other people don't enjoy them as much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Ooh, lovely article on The Comfort of Clutter. That is great ! And very true, we all have a certain point at which clutter we're comfortable with . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted June 16, 2015 Author Share Posted June 16, 2015 #96 Suffer the Little Children - Donna Leon ( Inspector Brunetti 16...... 16 already ! Can`t believe I`ve read so many of them ) Excerpt Oof, this book really put me though the wringer; it`s one of those books which you entirely immerse yourself in, then when it`s over, you emerge and find you`re not actually in Venice afterall. Brunetti is called out to the Hospital to investigate when a paediatrician has his skull fractured in a raid by the Carabinieri. Turns out, his small son is one of a number of children taken into care in raids, due to illegal adoptions. Brunetti and his team investigate an upsetting case. As ever, there are some lighter moments too involving Brunetti`s wife Paola, and lovely descriptions of Venice and various meals taken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 #97 Fax me a bagel - Sharon Kahn Excerpt Ruby - a rabbi`s widow in the small town of Eterenal, Texas - is waiting in line at the bagel shop when Marla and Essie-sue push in front of her. Minutes later, Marla is dead - from a poisoned bagel ! Who was the real victim and why, and was Ruby`s late husband`s death an accident after all ? A quick, light read with fun characters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 It`s well worth a go, imo. Very much character- rather than plot-driven ( though the plot`s good, too ). Erm.. It`s just a good book. On Kathy Reichs : I`ve found myself preferring the Canadian-set Kathy Reichs` books to the other ones. I have the next in the series, perhaps it picks up again. Hmm. I`m hoping the next Laurie R King returns to form, too - Dreaming Spies. I haven't read any of the Russell/Holmes books in quite a while. I think the last one I bought was the Pirate thing....started it, didn't like it. Didn't finish it. The link you posted though sounds interesting. I'd have to read the Japanese one mentioned in the synopsis to understand it though. That series started out so very promising, but finally there was none, or hardly any, of HOLMES, you know, the reason I was reading the darned things to begin with! Oh well, to ponder at a later date. Thanks for the link. I'll keep an eye out. #96 Suffer the Little Children - Donna Leon ( Inspector Brunetti 16...... 16 already ! Can`t believe I`ve read so many of them ) Excerpt Oof, this book really put me though the wringer; it`s one of those books which you entirely immerse yourself in, then when it`s over, you emerge and find you`re not actually in Venice afterall. Brunetti is called out to the Hospital to investigate when a paediatrician has his skull fractured in a raid by the Carabinieri. Turns out, his small son is one of a number of children taken into care in raids, due to illegal adoptions. Brunetti and his team investigate an upsetting case. As ever, there are some lighter moments too involving Brunetti`s wife Paola, and lovely descriptions of Venice and various meals taken. Sounds very interesting. I really liked the one or two Brunetti books I've read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 I haven't read any of the Russell/Holmes books in quite a while. I think the last one I bought was the Pirate thing....started it, didn't like it. Didn't finish it. The link you posted though sounds interesting. I'd have to read the Japanese one mentioned in the synopsis to understand it though. That series started out so very promising, but finally there was none, or hardly any, of HOLMES, you know, the reason I was reading the darned things to begin with! Oh well, to ponder at a later date. Thanks for the link. I'll keep an eye out. From memory, the Japanese story is only something briefly alluded to ( I think the start of Locked Rooms - Book 9 - says something about an adventure they had on the way from India to San Francisco ). Quick search - Excerpt from Locked Rooms and the Japan bit. I`ll get Dreaming Spies when there`s a decent price drop ; it`s sad that it`s no longer a `must read`. I didn`t realise that `Mary Russell` had a Twitter account. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 Sounds very interesting. I really liked the one or two Brunetti books I've read. It`s difficult to say what`s so good about that one, without major spoilage. I`ve found all the books worth a read ( and some of those have been excellent ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share Posted June 21, 2015 (edited) #98 DeKok and the Sorrowing Tomcat - AC Baantjer Amsterdam detective DeKok and his sidekick Vledder investigate the murder of `Cunning` Pete, found with a dagger in his back. It`s an entertaining whodunnit, with a comic detective ( his eyebrows wriggle, to the amazement of everyone, and he throws his hat at the hatstand and always misses ). It feels a bit melodramatic in a fun way ; people are always shouting and farcical things happen. I really liked the detective double act, enough to want to read more of the series ( described as Holland`s Poirot ). #99 A Trouble of Fools - Linda Barnes The first Carlotta Carlyle mystery ( Boston, 6 foot tall, ex-cop, now PI, one cat, ex-boyfriend in the Mob ). Seemingly nice spinster Margaret hires Carlotta to search for her missing elderly brother, who was driving a cab for a company Carlotta used to work for. She insists that the Police can`t be involved. Carlotta can`t break the case... and then Margaret is beaten up in her home by men who turn out to be from the IRA. I couldn`t quite get into the book, and I can`t pinpoint why - it just didn`t grab me. #100 Let Sleeping Dogs Lie - Rita Mae Brown `Sister` Jane Arnold and the Virginian Jefferson Hunt * travel to Kentucky for a Meet and a body turns up in a graveyard ( yes, I know - but it`s a murder victim from 100 years ago ). The whodunnit is slight and there`s much talk of hunting, DNA and horses, which fills out the novel. While it`s still nice to spend time with the characters - this is book 9 in a series taking place in rural Virginia - it`s just a bit of a disappointment as a mystery. Not a patch on the first in the series - Outfoxed. BTW, you can see the author`s bio on that page - she`s certainly had a Life and Half. * No foxes are harmed. #101 Miss Zukas and the Library Murders - Jo Dereske Excerpt First of the Miss Helma Zukas - Librarian and murderer-finder-outer - series. Helma ( Wilhemina ) lives in Bellevue, Washington State and works as a librarian. She`s uptight, fussy and bossy, though she`s saved from being unlikeable by being best friends with her old schoolfriend Ruth ( tall, artist, drinker, potty mouth ). Coming into work one day, Helma finds a Police car in her parking spot - turns out there`s been a murder overnight. Helma and Ruth decide to try and solve it. There`s a lot of introduction of the characters ( likeable or interesting , they`re people I`d like to `meet` again ) and the book gets funnier as it goes on. Edited June 21, 2015 by Little Pixie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Yay for reading a Baantjer / DeKok book ! I'm so glad you enjoyed it ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 Yay for reading a Baantjer / DeKok book ! I'm so glad you enjoyed it ! Thanks for recommending them. I meant to ask - are there any DeKok books from this list which you especially enjoyed ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Other than the one you just finished, I read one of the two books included in Murder in Amsterdam, namely Dekok and the Sunday Strangler (scroll down for the review that mentions this), which I thought was very good. I read one of the two Dutch titles in the list (oddly enough priced at £999), the other Dutch title I plan to read in a few weeks. There have been over 70 Baantjer books published and it seems they only translated the earlier ones. I have read books 1, 2, 7, 35, 48, 65, 69, 72 and 47 (but that last one was many years ago, my parents' copy) (and of course all the De Waal & Baantjer books). I'm just buying the Baantjer books when I find them for cheap, so I'm reading them all over the place. It doesn't matter hugely though if one reads them out of order. Sorry I couldn't be of more help . I really liked DeKok and the Sunday Stranger, but if that one doesn't appeal to you, I'd say pick one which synopsis sounds interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted June 23, 2015 Author Share Posted June 23, 2015 Other than the one you just finished, I read one of the two books included in Murder in Amsterdam, namely Dekok and the Sunday Strangler (scroll down for the review that mentions this), which I thought was very good. I read one of the two Dutch titles in the list (oddly enough priced at £999), the other Dutch title I plan to read in a few weeks. There have been over 70 Baantjer books published and it seems they only translated the earlier ones. I have read books 1, 2, 7, 35, 48, 65, 69, 72 and 47 (but that last one was many years ago, my parents' copy) (and of course all the De Waal & Baantjer books). I'm just buying the Baantjer books when I find them for cheap, so I'm reading them all over the place. It doesn't matter hugely though if one reads them out of order. Sorry I couldn't be of more help . I really liked DeKok and the Sunday Stranger, but if that one doesn't appeal to you, I'd say pick one which synopsis sounds interesting. Thanks Gaia ; good to know it doesn`t matter if I don`t read them in order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted June 28, 2015 Author Share Posted June 28, 2015 (edited) Books read : 94 TBR 795 New Books Bought : 125 Total Cost : £ 353.89 Books Ordered : Miss Zukas and the Raven`s dance - Jo Dereske £2.81 Out of Circulation - Jo Dereske £2.81 Never nosh a matzo ball - Sharon Kahn £2.81 Miss Zukas and the Island Murders - Jo Dereske £2.81 Miss Zukas and the Stroke of Death - Jo Dereske £2.81 Untidy Murder - Frances and Richard Lockridge £7.03 Killing the Goose - Frances and Richard Lockridge £9.96 I`d ordered this one before, but they sent the wrong book ( a psychology book, which they told me to keep and gave me a refund, too - I finally managed to find another copy which didn`t cost £20+ ) Once the last two books arrive, I`ll have the full set of Mr and Mrs North mysteries ( 26 books ). Hurray ! While I don`t count Kindle books as ` real` books, I did download the Immortal Collection recently, when it was down to 99p. I read the excerpt and was intrigued by it. And more books - Living with a Wild God - Barbara Ehrenreich The Ladies Auxiliary - Tova mirvis Pilgrimage Vol.1 - Dorothy Richardson Marjorie Morningstar - Herman Wouk £11.71 altogther. Books read : 107 TBR 793 New Books Bought : 129 Total Cost : £ 365.60 Edited June 28, 2015 by Little Pixie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted June 28, 2015 Author Share Posted June 28, 2015 (edited) #102 Top O`the Mourning - Maddy Hunter Excerpt Great fun, even better than the first book in the series, Alpine for You. Emily, her Nana and other Ohio seniors , take a trip to Ireland . Staying in a haunted castle and with bodies turning up yet again, Emily has to solve a murder and contend with the arrival on the Tour of her boyfriend Etienne and her ex-husband Jack ( now called Jackie, after gender reassignment surgery ). It`s the sort of book that`s so funny, your nose makes unladylike snorty noises. #102 Painted Ladies - Robert B Parker Excerpt One of the last Spenser books in the series as written by the late, lamented Robert B Parker, before another author took over the series. Spenser - Boston PI - takes on the job of bodyguard to an unlikable Arts Professor, who`s tasked with exchanging a ransom for a painting. At the handover, all seems to go well ... until the painting explodes and kills the Professor. Spenser investigtaes, with much wise-cracking along the way. Sure, it`s formulaic, but it`s a really good formula. #104 Pasta Imperfect - Maddy Hunter The third of the Passport to Peril series and a bit of a disappointment. More characters are introduced so that one of them can be bumped off, and most of them aren`t drawn as vividly as Emily, Nana and other seniors from the first two books. There`s a good beginning and good ending, but a lot of it seems rather flat, even though it`s still readable enough and funny enough. #105 Prince of Fire - Daniel Silva The fifth of the Gabriel Allon series. Retired Mossad agent Gabriel is back in Venice working as an art restorer, when a bomb explodes in the Israeli Embassy in Rome. Tracking down the bombers, the police find a safehouse with a dossier on Gabriel and his work for Mossad. Forced to return to Israel, he puts together a team to stop a second bombing. There`s a lot of historical background ( which I found interesting, but if you`re already aware of it, it would slow down the action ). It`s a bit like a heist film, with the final 1/3 of the book an out-and-out thrill ride. #106 Miss Zukas and the Island Murders - Jo Dereske Miss Helma Zukas receives oddly threatening letters at the Library, reminding her that she promised to organise a 20th year reunion for her High School. Helma and Ruth sort out the reunion, basing it in a small island outside Washington State. Someone gets bumped off, and then the fog rolls in, bringing with it a powercut... It`s delightfully atmospheric, plus Helma is forced to adopt an injured cat, Boy Cat Zukas. #107 Death of a Tall Man - Frances and Richard Lockridge Published in 1949. A New York oculist is murdered, in a variation on a locked room mystery. Pam North, shopping in Manhattan, notices her friend Lt. Weigand`s police car rush past her and tells her taxi driver to follow. She phones her husband Jerry, telling him to turn up to the murder scene, too, and then we`re off on another North adventure, also starring Martini, the cat ( who has some sweet scenes all to herself and some amusing bits from her point-of-view ). Edited June 28, 2015 by Little Pixie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 I hope you enjoy all your new books ! Nice reviews, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted June 29, 2015 Author Share Posted June 29, 2015 Thanks Gaia. Oh ! I just downloaded the Death in Paradise book ;it`s a Kindle deal today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted June 29, 2015 Author Share Posted June 29, 2015 #108 Miss Zukas and the Stroke of Death - Jo Dereske Helma Zukas gets a phone call from her artist friend Ruth, who`s found a body in her garden. She rushes over there to carefully examine the body, before they call the police. Ruth becomes a suspect, so Helma is off detecting again. The murder happened during the build-up to the annual Snow-to-Surf ( skiing, crosscountry, cycling, canoeing, etc ) race, and Helma is drawn into participating in the 18 mile canoe section, putting herself at risk in the process. A nice read, with a disconcerting ending which I didn`t see coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Thanks Gaia. Oh ! I just downloaded the Death in Paradise book ;it`s a Kindle deal today. I had no idea there was a book of it! Unfortunately I'm not allowed to use the British Kindle shop, but I've added the book to my wishlist. Thanks so much for mentioning this, I love the TV series ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 I had no idea there was a book of it! Unfortunately I'm not allowed to use the British Kindle shop, but I've added the book to my wishlist. Thanks so much for mentioning this, I love the TV series ! Is it just the Amazon.com site that you can use ? I`ve got S1&2 on DVD, and I`ve seen the other seasons on TV - I really like the show, too. I don`t know if you`ve seen the author`s Twitter with the behind the scenes pics ? It says he`s working on the second book - hurray ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Is it just the Amazon.com site that you can use ? I`ve got S1&2 on DVD, and I`ve seen the other seasons on TV - I really like the show, too. I don`t know if you`ve seen the author`s Twitter with the behind the scenes pics ? It says he`s working on the second book - hurray ! Yes, or NL but I don't like that one so I'm not making the switch to that. We just started watching S4, I love it! No, I hadn't seen that, great to hear ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted July 1, 2015 Author Share Posted July 1, 2015 28C ( 82 F) here. The cat has her own oscillating fan now, it`s so hot for the poor girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 It's 28 °C in the house here too! Outside it's warmer, they predict 36 °C today, and 41 °C in one of the next few days (I forgot if it was tomorrow or Saturday). Poor cat . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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