When you're not reading a mystery...

[Leslie]

Jean-Luke - Fitzgerald has never been one of my favorites but I haven't read any of his books since college. Based on your comment, maybe it is time for me to reread Tender is the Night as well... I am beginning to feel like a book stalker :P

I am currently reading Possession by A.S. Byatt, having finished my Danish thriller/noir book The Keeper of Lost Causes.

[Arpita (BagfullofBooks)]

It's great to stalk people in this group- many of them have great reading choices not restricted to the mystery genre. I've ordered some Malcolm Saville books based on recommendations. Look forward to reading them!

[Leslie]

Arpita wrote: "It's great to stalk people in this group- many of them have great reading choices not restricted to the mystery genre. I've ordered some Malcolm Saville books based on recommendations. Look forward..."

I agree - if only I could order some more time for reading as easily as I can order books!!

[HJ]

Arpita wrote: "It's great to stalk people in this group- many of them have great reading choices not restricted to the mystery genre. I've ordered some Malcolm Saville books based on recommendations. Look forward..."

Hope you enjoy them! Remember that they're children's books, and also very much of their time. So look at the copyright date to see when they were written; the early ones were published during the second world war.

[Hooshang]

Jean-Luke wrote: "I just started F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night. I'm enjoying and appreciating it much more this time around so I might actually finish it. I could see it becoming a new favorite."

I still can't stand that style of writing--

[Brenda]

I am reading a sort of nonfiction mystery, LEONARDO'S LOST PRINCESS, the account of an art collector who buys and ultimately identifies a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci.

[Leslie]

Laura wrote: "Leslie wrote: "I am currently reading Possession by A.S. Byatt, having finished my Danish thriller/noir book The Keeper of Lost Causes."

I love Possession! Happy reading.

I went on a bit of a Ng..."

I love P.G. Wodehouse! I have just started listening to them as audiobooks - luckily my library has quite a collection :)

P.S. I remember Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter - in fact, it was watching him in "Clouds of Witness" that spurred me to read my first Sayers because I couldn't wait until the next installment to find out what happened!!

[Arpita (BagfullofBooks)]

I'm also a BIG PG Wodehouse fan. His Blandings series is my favorite. The BBC are making a film adaptation of the Blandings series which I'm looking forward to.

[Mark]

Laura wrote: "Leslie wrote: "I am currently reading Possession by A.S. Byatt, having finished my Danish thriller/noir book The Keeper of Lost Causes."

I love "Possession". The BBC's World Book Club had an interview with AS Byatt about "Possession" several years ago, and I was surprised to learn about the amount of in-depth research that goes into a book. Here's a link to the discussion:


http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/ch...

[Leslie]

Mark wrote: "Laura wrote: "Leslie wrote: "I am currently reading Possession by A.S. Byatt, having finished my Danish thriller/noir book The Keeper of Lost Causes."

I love "Possession". The BBC's World Book Cl..."

Thanks for the link!

[Pamela]

Leslie wrote: "Millicent wrote: "I just finished a collection of Sheridan Le Fanu stories that I thought would scratch my recurring itch for Victoriana, especially the creepy part of that culture/historical perio..."
I am a Byatt fan also her sister Margaret Drabble. Beautiful writing I think you will love Possession . and of course a bit of a mystery is involved.

[Leslie]

Wow it seems like everyone has already read Possession except me! I am enjoying it, although the poetry bits are a bit of a strain. I don't know whether I will miss something if I just skim them & am constantly aware that there is more to them than I am getting...

[Ellen]

I work in the library at a middle school so I read a number of books for that age group. Just finished two of the Lone Stars for next year (books picked for MS by the TLA), How They Croaked and Curveball-The Year I Lost My Grip. I liked both of them. Even in youth books I still like mysteries. Love the Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer and also enjoy the Samurai series by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler.

[Sandi]

I read everything!

[Leslie]

I am currently reading The Last Chronicle of Barset on my Kindle and One of Our Thursdays Is Missing in actual book form. I am liking them both, although this isn't my favorite Fforde...

[Sonali]

I loved Byatt's The Children's Book & I intend joining German classes(inspired by that book).Now I'm on the last few pages of Remains Of The Day by Kazuo Ishiguro,one if my favourite authors.

[Olivia "So many books--so little time.""]

When I'm not reading British mysteries and thrillers I'm reading American mysteries and thrillers. I also like sci=fi and fantasies.

[Poornima]

I like to pick up a Wodehouse anytime, especially the Psmith and the Blandings series! Also enjoy Henry Cecil, his books have such brilliant humor.

And like some romance novels thrown in once in a while. :)

[Luffy Sempai]

Poornima wrote: "I like to pick up a Wodehouse anytime, especially the Psmith and the Blandings series!"


Say no more. You've just cemented your place as a discerning reader.

[Leslie]

Poornima wrote: "I like to pick up a Wodehouse anytime, especially the Psmith and the Blandings series! Also enjoy Henry Cecil, his books have such brilliant humor.

And like some romance novels thrown in once in a..."

Nobody does humor better than Wodehouse!

I am currently struggling to get through
The Virgin in the Garden - I am slowly coming to the conclusion that writers who win the Booker Prize are writers I don't really enjoy :(

[Luffy Sempai]

Leslie wrote: "I am slowly coming to the conclusion that writers who win the Booker Prize are writers I don't really enjoy :("

You follow which writer has received an award. Laugh out loud!!! Book awards are like the special olympics.

[Poornima]

Leslie, completely agree! He is such a genius!

Havent been very successful in my reading of award winners too, though I think "To kill a mocking bird" is one of the best books. And "Blind Assassin" was pretty good too.

[Leslie]

Luffy wrote: "Leslie wrote: "I am slowly coming to the conclusion that writers who win the Booker Prize are writers I don't really enjoy :("

You follow which writer has received an award. Laugh out loud!!! Book..."

I don't personally follow book awards, but A.S. Byatt was monthly author for another group I belong to & it was mentioned in the discussion there. That group also has a lot of book lists - you know, "which of these Pulitzer Prize-winning books have you read?" type things, so I have become more familiar.

@Poornima - The Blind Assassin was just OK in my opinion. But I was disappointed because I had been told it was sci fi/fantasy which it really wasn't, so that might be why... On the other hand, To Kill a Mockingbird is pretty amazing.

[Luffy Sempai]

Leslie wrote: "I don't personally follow book awards, but A.S. Byatt was monthly author for another group I belong to & it was mentioned in the discussion there. That group also has a lot of book lists - you know, "which of these Pulitzer Prize-winning books have you read?" type things, so I have become more familiar."

Ah, cool cool cool. Nice reply.

[Leslie]

I'm a sucker for lists :D

[Kathy]

Kind of veered toward the paranormal laterly.

Tend to try new authors that I have not read, but hear about on these forums. I recently read a book by Denise Mina. Her work is pretty dark, but it seems to me that she is pretty talented. Can't make a steady diet of this type of book though as it tends to depress me.

It is interesting that I usually like the mysteries that win awards within that genre, but the other awards like Pulitzer and Booker, and of course those that are "best sellers" I often find I just can't get into. After reading the blurbs on some of these, they might sound interesting initially, but then I read about 50-80 pages and not so much!!

[Arpita (BagfullofBooks)]

Didn't know where to post this but had to share my excitement regarding my haul at the library's annual book sale. I got 7-8 No.1 detective agency books, ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth, Sarah's key, Correlli's mandolin, A Year in Provence, Kate Atkinson's Behind the Scenes at the Museum, A Mitford book, some children's board books and a wonderful illustrated James Herriot's treasury for children. All books were $1 and child's books 50c. Many of these books were on my to read list. Now that I have them at home I can read them at leisure without late fees to worry about! If anyone's read these books would love to hear your feedback.

[Leslie]

Arpita wrote: "Didn't know where to post this but had to share my excitement regarding my haul at the library's annual book sale. I got 7-8 No.1 detective agency books, ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth, Sarah's ..."

What a great bargain! Love those library sales :-)

I have read most of the ones you list - The Pillars of the Earth, Sarah's Key, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, A Year in Provence and maybe Herriot's Treasury for Children… Not a bad one in the bunch!! :)

[Arpita (BagfullofBooks)]

Good to know you like them Leslie! I went to the Pre-sale because I'm a friend of the library- and OMG! It was like stepping into the garden of Eden. My husband had to drag me home and I only left because my daughter was screaming! :)

[Arpita (BagfullofBooks)]

Same here. Never read a Fitzgerald. Tried to start tender is the night a million times.

[Leslie]

Jean-Luke wrote: "I love Part 1 of Tender is the Night, just like I love the first part of The Sound and the Fury but I can never get further with either book."

I love The Sound and the Fury! It is in my top 5 books of the twentieth century.

[Leslie]

Finally finished reading The Virgin in the Garden, which sadly I did not enjoy. I am now reading The Way We Live Now which I am liking very much so far.

[Susan]

Arpita wrote: "Didn't know where to post this but had to share my excitement regarding my haul at the library's annual book sale. I got 7-8 No.1 detective agency books, ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth, Sarah's ..."

Arpita, you are one lucky dog. I have read almost all of those books and I just wish I was reading them for the first time. The No.1 detective series is one I love. I wish I had Precious' joy. I loved Pillars of the Earth and liked the miniseries. Sarahs Key is great and really tugs on the heart. I could go on and on. You made some great choices.

[Sonali]

Have started reading William Dalrymple's The Last Mughal.I've been meaning to read it every vacation, but had put it off because of the size,and opted for 5 books in its place.Even my 85 year old mother having read it,had excitedly recommended it.Finally I'm having a go & absolutely loving it.Recommending it to anyone interested in history,India...a brilliantly-told true story.

[Arpita (BagfullofBooks)]

Thanks Susan. Excited to start them. Would help if I could read faster and more. I know you are a Kate Atkinson fan. Have you read behind the scenes at the museum?

[Poornima]

Hi Arpita, thats a really cool bargain! and am sure u can never tire of the Ladies detective series! :)
got the pillars of earth, though yet to start that.. am told u need to be prepared to have sleepless nights trying to finish the book! ;)
happy reading!

[Leslie]

Sonali wrote: "Have started reading William Dalrymple's The Last Mughal.I've been meaning to read it every vacation, but had put it off because of the size,and opted for 5 books in its place.Even my 85 year old m..."

Sounds interesting...

[Leslie]

Poornima wrote: "Hi Arpita, thats a really cool bargain! and am sure u can never tire of the Ladies detective series! :)
got the pillars of earth, though yet to start that.. am told u need to be prepared to have s..."

I agree!! I found The Pillars of the Earth completely engrossing. Enjoy :)

[Arpita (BagfullofBooks)]

Thanks poornima. These should keep me occupied for a couple of years.

[Susan]

I'm going June 8th to hear Khaleed Hosseini, the author of "Kite Runner", one of my favoorite authors. He has a new one out and I'm excited.

[Susan]

Does anyone like true crime? I just finished The Curious Habits of Doctor Adams: A 1950's Murder Mystery, which was excellent.

[Arpita (BagfullofBooks)]

I've started Louisa May Alcott- a biography by Susan Cheever. Last week we visited Orchard House- the place where Alcott penned Little Women.this is what inspired me to read it. Concord is such a sleepy little village - it seems as if nothing has changed - you can almost imagine the Alcott's daily activities when you visit there. While we were there the tour guide mentioned that Louisa May was a great walker and that she would often walk the 20 miles into Boston to attend activities! I'm interested to know more about her character.

[Susan]

I went to hear Khaled Hosseini speak last night and he was wonderful. He spoke almost 2 hours and his wife and children were there along with Isabel Allende, the wonderful South American writer. Great evening. I am now a 100 pages into "And the mountains echoed". It's wonderful.

[Arpita (BagfullofBooks)]

I have not read him yet Susan. You do go to a lot of author talks which I think is just wonderful. I really want to hear McCall Smith speak.

[Leslie]

Susan wrote: "I went to hear Khaled Hosseini speak last night and he was wonderful. He spoke almost 2 hours and his wife and children were there along with Isabel Allende, the wonderful South American writer. Gr..."

Sounds like a wonderful talk! I have read The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns so I will be interested in hearing how you like his new book...

I have not read Isabel Allende. Anyone want to make a recommendation?

[Leslie]

Oh, I forgot to say what non-mystery books I am reading! Right now I am reading The Collected Stories by Eudora Welty, some poetry by Yeats, Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham, and listening to the audiobook of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami so a lot on my plate right now!

[Sandi]

I've read Dick Cheney's "In My Time" which was fascinating. And William Rutherfurd's "Paris" which is a great read with a lot of Paris history. Of course, I love anything about Paris! Also Kate Mosse's "Citadel" which may qualify as a mystery. The end of her trilogy of Lanquedoc. The first, "Labyrinth" was still the best.

[J. J.]

Leslie wrote: "Oh, I forgot to say what non-mystery books I am reading! Right now I am reading The Collected Stories by Eudora Welty, some poetry by Yeats, Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham, and listening ..."

Of Human Bondage is one of those great books that just stays with you.

[Ellen]

Just finished Asleep: The Forgotten Epidemic that Remains One of Medicine's Greatest Mysteries by Molly Caldwell Crosby. I really like nonfiction.

[Leslie]

Ellen wrote: "Just finished Asleep: The Forgotten Epidemic that Remains One of Medicine's Greatest Mysteries by Molly Caldwell Crosby. I really like nonfiction."

So, I'm curious - what was the forgotten epidemic?