C. (Comment, never msg).’s Comments (group member since Jan 30, 2014)

C. (Comment, never msg).’s comments from the Gentle SPECTRUMS group.

If they're good and for grown-ups, that's all I need. I'll watch out for Robert's name. Copies of ghost story and other compilations are often available second hand.

A-ha, I imagined many would be familiar with this long-standing author and character, both of whom appeared to be loveable. Your happy urging, as I gaze at a tall pile of her work beside me, gives me extra excitement to get to her shortly. As a religious or spiritual setting (even if nothing mystical is depicted), it also fits into "Ethereal". I love Sister Carol O'Marie's detecting nun series too.

Well, there are two chief reasons and they might be the same as yours. In my last blog article, on "the cozy mystery", I said I found the genre had two criteria. Low violence, lighter topics and tones, lighter sensuality are one. The other that hasn't been as obvious to readers is lighter plotting and writing too, which is why I do not consider Agatha Christie anything but a "standard mystery", or given their age, "classic". "Cozy mysteries" can have excellent writers in defiance of the usual fluff and sensuality and topics can be a little bolder.

Agatha's writing AND plotting is far too intellectual and BIG. The first time I finished one of her books, I was surprised at the way I could feel my brain buzzing, from its use. You can't just drink her books down. The motives involve so much criteria, I couldn't believe it. The second reason we might share is that she passed away, therefore her material has seen its limit. It is the reason I read my very dearest Canadian mystery author, LYN HAMILTON, so sparingly. She wrote about ten archaological novels but had cancer. She took the time to travel to the places she wrote of, like Phyllis A. Whitney or at least did over the top research, that very much shines through her stories. She worked in a cultural branch of the Canadian government so, similarly to Barbara Mertz on a non-diploma scale; she really was somewhere in the field she wrote about. I also loved her for being light on adverbs and unneeded description; saving it for things we WANT detail about and moving her action along enthrallingly.

It really suits my needs and those doing this theme value it the same way. I'm very happy about it. So few in every group this year as you know but we few are enjoying what we're in. :) There's no need to rush and cram one countrys literature when any small quantity of the three can be combined, savoured. Especially when I used to only have one or two books from Wales. I'm boning up on an Ellis Peters monk series that has a Welsh hero.

Ron & I won't forget our wonderful trip to Scotland in 2009 and how we need to spend much more time there. You bet that I want to see Ireland, part of my heritage too. We were frustrated not to see Wales, which we drove right by, because it was like a race to Scotland and back to England, when we could scarcely take in the latter country to which we had been invited. Ireland is across the ocean a short ways but goodness, would it mean the world to see it at last and Mom would feel the same. Her Dad did visit it decades go. It is his Father that is from there: definitely St. Patrick's Day celebrators in our family, since that is the name on that side!

I don't know what "MM" means but extrasensory abilities sure do fit. I have quenched my search for adult ghost material at last and found several stories and authors I love! One series I just started has a USA southern feel and the idea of how spirits work doesn't match mine at all; yet I love the whole book. It's fun to let ourselves travel with another person's fiction and she explains her invention of how it works very well, so you are swept away and it even manages to be spooky regularly. This is AMANDA STEVENS. Her excellent first novel is "The Restorer", about family and daughter cemetery restorers. It is very much too-be-continued, so I am of course keeping my eye on Amazon.ca for a good used copy of the next. :)

It is an excellent, atmospheric, fast-moving, and uniquely creative mystery too: all of the elements are there. A sense of her family, meeting a man who experienced the worst kind of loss, and although I don't need romance in my literature it is a running theme too: something for everyone. I read a Winnipeg-authored and Winnipeg, Manitoba / Kenora, Ontario-set novel before that! Murder plots in two of the places with which I am familiar and near me, are rare: especially mentioning the little Ontario beach town bordering our province. This author is CAROLINE HUNTER: "The Dead Of Midnight".

Although it was slow to start and I grew sick of her repeating certain words, it became highly riveting. I actually blew off last week's episode of "The Voice", a show I love, to continue reading it! It ties criminal activity in our city to deep family secrets on a Kenora island. You don't get more Canadian than this, so it went under this category in "Gentle Spectrums" and also manages to have a ghost a few times, turning it "Ethereal".

That sounds hilarious, even if the writer were serious and the cover makes it look exactly like a lurid 1970s cover. You just have to laugh at something like the pron industry and actually, credit an author for creatively setting an adventure in such an unusual premise! "Mystery Of The Blue Train" is one of the next Agathas I will read. It certainly fits "Gentle Spectrums" colours too. :)

I think everyone who knows me, knows I am avid about experiencing an author in order. Therefore as much as I look forward to "Murder On The Orient Express" and watching Agatha-related films (and the wonderfully current Sherlock TV show, "Elementary"), that one will wait a while. I'm even going in order of publication order instead of series, because I want to be surprised about which hero is in them. Unfortunately now I see these are Hercule ones and my memory for detail will keep that information stored. ;-) Maybe it'll take me a few years to get to the latter because I only read maybe two Agatha Christies per year.

You are among our greatest contributers; no worries. Southern Canada is already out of winter and readying our gardens and flowerbeds for growth. There also happens to be a Canadian campaign for folks not normally into flowers to plant them, to bring back our important populations of bees. I'll always check for blog comments and Goodreads group activity to answer. Otherwise warm weather in Manitoba relegates my computer use and reading to morning and nighttime, respectively.

You wrote that you would proabably have material for Celtic Coasts sometime in the year. If you do, there is certainly a gorgeous review page awaiting it. Glad you like my posts, of course. Ron & I were at a book sale yesterday that yielded new Celtic material, the usual Canadian gems, many mystery volumes filled-in, and surprisingly: a good dose of paranormal fare for a change.

I'm trying not to wince that my efforts have seemed to slip by the masses! *eek!* I'm determined to get people joining through the roof next February. This Goodreads portion being optional of course and the blog more important.

By the end of our year I would love a list of your titles in the review page comments (for non-reviews). Goodreads chatting windows do slip away but our lovely blog records will always be easy to access in the top menus. :) https://cmriedel.wordpress.com/my-kin...

I am enjoying the way you put this batch in order of enjoyment! It's fun too that include whence your material comes: borrowed, downloaded, physical paper copies. I'm relieved Margery's later volumes are better than her first.

I'm very happy when members stop by Goodreads to keep it active, as well as adding reviews to the Mother blog. I don't think anyone but me has filled in ETHEREAL and CELTIC COASTS review pages yet but sure hope everyone enjoys my alphabetic, book cover-decorated energy on each of those. :)

Great! I hope everyone finds this category rewarding to fill because it isn't a standard topic in literature but neither difficult once they think about it, either. Here are mine so far. I think accessories like diamonds and mirrors fit: what does everyone say? I'm glad you had fun with yours, Shonna!

“The Ice Diamond Quest” Eric Wilson 1990
https://www.amazon.ca/review/RD3A6UUE...
“The Mannequin” Darcy Coates 2014
https://www.amazon.ca/review/RRACL65Z...
“The Bilbao Looking Glass” Charlotte MacLeod 1982

As I shared, I wasn't a massive Prince fan either and knew him by his hits. But I had a wonderful story about a local celebrity telling me how unique he was, after which I paid more attention. I have been downloading, copying from my own CDs, and making dance music for parties at home! It is a project I dove into a year ago, when guests came over in November 2014 earlier than the music I wanted to feature was ready. I vowed to have awesome music at the ready from now on and thus this fun project came to me. I have 16 CDs finished of upbeat tunes and that is how I came to spend time with Prince lately; someone I seldom played over the years. Even if high voices aren't my favourite, I enjoyed many of his songs and have seen how many more there are. Awfully, it seems his same-age girlfriend from his famous years, songress "Vanity", died just last month! Kidney complications.

After I found out Doris Roberts was 90, when reading last year that Jean Stapleton had died; she's been on my mind a great deal. I prepared for this day, as well for the longer-living Betty White. She is still acting and Doris was going to be in a play. If you read Pierce Brosnan's words, they bring one to tears. I hoped to hear from him because he and Doris Roberts together in "Remington Steele" were two of my heroes. I'm going to begin watching the DVDs I began collecting a while ago. It will save space from the numerous videotapes I have; with every show repeated twice or thrice.

Doris was so gifted, she surprised me when I checked out "Everybody Loves Raymond". There she was, convincingly as "Marie Barone", when I thought I could only see her as Mildred Krebbs. If you don't know "Remington Steele", it's a must! She sure makes that detective show / sitcom. She was likely intended as a secondary character but instantly became an easily-beloved third partner.

Thank you. So we can enjoy visits with lightness and especially to visit Mom: I hope Dad soon understands that embracing spirituality away from churches, does not mean turning from God. Religion/its text is a choice, not God Himself. Dad unfortunately interprets it that way. One of those "just saw the light" folks, going around analyzing and judging people who have been at spiritual peace since they were 7! As long as he is respectful and never again harps, as if spirituality were something new to me. Then we can get through the yucky feeling a recent conversation left in my stomach. That is where these posts came from the day I wrote them. Gosh, uninformed or misguided people sure do more damage than they know. Much appreciated, Erin!

Erin! I was just going to e-mail to find out if you can get to my giveaway list soon. I will e-mail a fresh copy. Name anything you see offhand. That just leaves unfamiliar books to look up. :)

Thanks for commenting on my mystery post. I haven't updated my reading here in a while because it takes a bit of time, whereas the reivew pages always have my links. My latest reading has not only been average like yours but included fewer than three stars. However excellent reading has continued in the mix and there will be more.

Most importantly to reply to in this all-in-one catch-up: thank you for congratulating my five years of blogging! Yes, life has been different since. I have been using social networks a decade or more longer but didn't know about blogs, until I saw that Amy Adams film "Julie & Julia". It arrived when I was frustrated that peers at LiveVideo and MySpace were scarcely commenting on the article-writing portions of the site, which meant more to me. Comments on videos I submitted (back when I had highspeed internet) and of course personal photos were appreciated and comments to chatting posts but not the blogging portion. When I realized there was a website for full-on blogging, meant for writers (Wordpress much more than blogspot); I asked which was the best place and went for it. Thank you for reminiscing with me.

I admired the little I knew of Prince and coincidentally, have been focusing my experience of his music in the last two months; enjoying it as recently as yestreday. So uncanny. However today I also learned that we lost another icon: one who is dearer to me personally, about whom I have been thinking a lot too. Doris Roberts passed away at 90. The dearest tribute to me, which I looked for and felt overwhelmed to find, was from Pierce Brosnan. You should read it.

People are going to focus on "Everybody Loves Raymond" and perhaps her beautiful Christmas films as the magical angel, "Mrs. Miracle". I know and love her as MILDRED KREBBS, starring with Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan in "Remington Steele"! It is because Doris was in "Everybody Loves Raymond" that I paid that newer show any notice. I grew up with Pierce Brosnan and Doris Roberts watching "Remington Steele" in the 1980s and if you haven't seen it, it is a must. It is rare in so many ways, creative, fun, and it managed to produce great mystery adventures from episode to episode. It was a detective show mixed with romance and the hilarity of any of the best sitcoms there have ever been.

Losing someone in their 90s is not a tragedy; we can't say it's too soon. However it is nevertheless a loss we mourn and a person whose physical presence we will miss. I love the way the actrice herself spoke out candidly about whatever moved her; including the way popular shows today are too rapid-fire and don't allow emotions or even a funny look to simmer. Rest in peace, Doris. Know that this Canadian girl loved you all of these years, ever since I was growing up! http://www.irishexaminer.com/breaking...

News topics are already too big for the mere fourth month of 2016. I am shocked that in Minnesota, USA, an 8-hour drive from Manitoba, Canada: Prince was found dead at home. He had been ill but for such a fit, ambitious music legend of only 57; his young death is a shock and loss. For anyone who doesn't know him well and whose high-pitched vocals might not have appeared to be to their taste: what I do know is that his musical prowess was staggering. Most artists have a team; we are lucky if performers write their own songs or play an instrument. He did all of it! He composed, performed, produced, and even played ALL 27 INSTRUMENTS on an album!

As a child of the 1980s I certainly loved "When Doves Cry" and other hits but hadn't given much thought.... until our own local legend, Burton Cummongs of "The Guess Who" dropped a word of praise. I never forgot it. I worked in radio briefly. Since Burton was the best friend of our own in-hous legend, comedian/musician GARY McLEAN; I saw him a few times at the studio and on one special occasion, joined members of our staff across the street at a restaurant. It was there that Burton announced in our chitchat: "Do you know who I really admire? Prince". An unlikely funk choice for a 1960s rock & roller, he explained Prince's musical genius. Rest in peace, Prince. I am very sorry I didn't see you in that intimate community hall concert in my city about 20 years ago!

It is offensive, sad, and contrary to spirituality if others minimize a person's faith because it isn't along their lines. I have cherished the heart of everything around us, in favour of traditional channels, since I was a small child and thus for 35 years. To reinforce our beliefs with literature and others who understand, lifts us from the hurt of hasty and of course uninformed critique.

Nice to hear from you, Shonna! I thought folks might find "couples / pairing" the most difficult category of Gentle Spectrums to fulfill; then the most unclear after, I added inanimate possibilities to ease eligbility. Hehe. Therefore you surrpise me by targeting this one first and managing to do it with my earliest, literal interpretation! Very good! Always nice to see women portrayed well. How apropos to comprise twins.

"Cathedral Of The Wild" draws my attention starkly. Not because nature and a non-physical church aren't already important to me. I think that book would deeply move me because nature and independently-spiritual faith, which my own religiously zealous Father has given me a hard time about just recently, is indeed the core of who I am! I will look it up. By the way, a used copy of "Bristol House" has arrived and a few of the authors I only know thanks to your recommendation of it and Simone St. James.

I guess I haven't gotten folks used to checking in here for information and good discussions. I value those here despite belonging to other groups, no doubt with high traffic that makes it hard to revisit these comfortable little spots. I wished everyone a happy St. Patrick's day and wished all of you a happy Easter. Let's see if I hear many more echoes of goodwill by now wishing you a happy spring! Carolyn.

Since ETHEREAL is a gathering place for the spiritual, mystical, and otherworldly: this week-end's coming religious holiday fits in here. I am independently spiritual. That merely means embracing the Lord and the Saviour separately from religion. I like them solo. Q;-)=

Vast readers like us here are wonderfully warm, open-minded, and very learned. I'm constantly glad I found this website. In whichever way you each celebrate, my friends and new peers: Have a blessed, happy Easter, from central Canada! Yours, Carolyn.

In case these enthusiastic notions of Florida don't sound exciting, you would certainly be free to tell me what there is that is fun to do! :)