English Mysteries Club discussion
A Little Off-Topic
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When you're not reading a mystery...
I guess I always thought that sleeping sickness was something made up in novels! Sounds like a fascinating book...
Ann wrote: "Arpita wrote: "I'm reading a lot of children's literature on the side. " the Borrower's", the Laura Ingalls Wilder series, Winter holiday by Arthur Ransome ( one of my most favorite series ever) an..."I loved the Malcolm Savile books - I wrote to him when I was 10 years old and was sent a nice long letter and a badge with the pine cone symbol on it! I liked that his characters were children growing into adulthood, and they faced problems I could relate to. There is an interesting website http://www.malcolmsaville.co.uk/lpf.htm
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..."
There was a movie made - not quite as good as it ought to have been. i was in awe of thepoetry Byatt created for this book.
Caron wrote: "I loved the Malcolm Savile books - I wrote to him when I was 10 years old and was sent a nice long letter and a badge with the pine cone symbol on it!..."How lovely to see a real-life example of this. I've read in his biography that he did that - I think it shows he had a genuinely nice character as well as an awareness that happy readers would buy (or request as presents) more books.
He's still one of my all-time favourite authors, and certain parts of England will forever remind me of him.
Luffy wrote: "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."
I hadn't read any Wodehouse for about thirty years then last year 'acquired' the Blandings novels one by one in a very short space of time and what an eye-opener! The language is amazing and the books are so funny even if the plots are a little samey. They made me want to rush out and buy a pig (and of course, Whiffle's book on the care of the pig!) Yes, I also would love to tell someone I was 'pretty fruity, thanks' not to mention the urge to call people 'old fruit' and 'guvnor'. Also I need to find a way to sneak a silent letter onto the beginning of my name - I thought Psmith was outrageously funny, although my normally patient family did not.
Caron wrote: "Luffy wrote: "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."
I ha..."
@Caron, very much! how i wish i could also start a conversation with "What ho!" :) Am currently reading his "Laughing Gas". Came across this book my accident, but glad I picked it up. The story has body swap premise and is funny, just the dose of wodehouse you would need on any kind of day.
Wonderful book - one of my favorites - a great insight into a country/culture I honestly knew nothing about...Susan wrote: "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."
Caron wrote: "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."When I heard the interview with AS Byatt on the BBC World Book Club, I was struck by the amount of research that she put into creating the world of Possession. You always wonder about the secret and not-so-secret lives of poets and writers, and how that influences their writing. Dante Gabriel Rosetti, Oscar Wilde and Charles Dickens spring to mind as examples of people whose private lives and public lives collided.
Mark wrote: "Caron wrote: "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."When I heard the i..."
yes, very true, i found it hard to find the join between the reality and the fictional story! the mark of a truly great writer!
I haven't posted here in a couple of weeks... I am doing a buddy read of Les Misérables which started a few days ago, so that will keep me busy! On audiobook, I am listening to The Handmaid's Tale as Margaret Atwood is July's monthly author for another group.I have also been reading more Scandinavian mysteries & have 2 more from the library waiting on my coffee table! And I just finished The Madman of Bergerac by Simenon, which is the first Maigret book I have read in years. :)
I'm pretty much a mystery/thriller reader, so if it's not a Brit mystery, it will be an American one. I'm partial to thrillers set in Sweden, too.
Jenny wrote: "I'm pretty much a mystery/thriller reader, so if it's not a Brit mystery, it will be an American one. I'm partial to thrillers set in Sweden, too."I recommend the Icelandic mystery series by Arnaldur Indriðason - I am currently reading my fourth one and so far they have all been very good to excellent!
Leslie wrote: "Jenny wrote: "I'm pretty much a mystery/thriller reader, so if it's not a Brit mystery, it will be an American one. I'm partial to thrillers set in Sweden, too."I recommend the Icelandic mystery ..."
Thanks, Leslie. I'll check the series out
Today I went to a very quaint little library in our neighboring town. They have a basement full of used books! I got two books - one by Lillian beckwith- an author I was wanting to read and whose books are not readily available and another book by Monica Dickens - which looked good- but whom I haven't read either. Total cost was $1 for two books. Going back again soon.
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Jean the Lillian Beckwith book is called "beautiful just!" and the Monica dickens is called"summer at worlds end". Glad you recommend the authors. Will report back once I read them.
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I don't recognise that Monica Dickens; it sounds like a novel. The ones I laughed uproariously to were "One Pair of Hands" and "One Pair of Feet", both autobiographical about jobs she had gone into purely to write about them.
My 'reading memories' of Monica Dickens (great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens) are 'The Angel in the Corner' and 'Kate and Emma'. Read both years ago in my teens and they made quite an impression, particularly 'Kate and Emma'.
Thanks for the suggestions Wendy. Am adding them.
Jean-Luke wrote: "I recently finished Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf and started E.M. Forster's A Passage to India earlier this week."I remember liking A Passage to India when I read it back in high school. I am planning on reading Forster's A Room with a View in Sept. which will be my first Forster since then!
Currently I am listening to Treasure Island on audiobook and reading the second book in Trollope's Palliser series, Phineas Finn.
I have been on a thrillers kick during August - read a whole bunch of older, classic ones:Moonraker, Our Man in Havana, A Coffin for Dimitrios, The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, A Gun for Sale, and am now in the middle of Mr. Standfast. They have all been good reading and now I am torn between reading more James Bond or reading The Secret Agent!
I am reading an OK American cozy - The Book of Old Houses - and a historical fiction, The Light Between Oceans. Plus a YA book Bless Me Ultima on audiobook.
Jean-Luke wrote: "Leslie wrote: "I am reading an OK American cozy - The Book of Old Houses - and a historical fiction, The Light Between Oceans. Plus a YA book Bless Me Ultima on audiobook."Are you liking Bless Me, Ultima? I had to read it for school once. I find that the setting an atmosphere has stayed with me more than the story and ..."
So far I am but I think you are right in that it is the setting of 1940s New Mexico Chicano culture that will stick with me.
Hmm... when I'm not reading a mystery, I'm watching one on netflix. Sad to say, I've exhausted every offering they have by now.
Ellen wrote: "Just finished Asleep: The Forgotten Epidemic that Remains One of Medicine's Greatest Mysteries by Molly Caldwell Crosby. I really like nonfiction."..."Thanks, Ellen. I really enjoy nonfiction too. I will have to check this one out. I'm currently reading Spillover : animal infections and the next human pandemic, which is really excellent.
I am currently reading The Eustace Diamonds by Trollope, the 3rd book in the Palliser series & the best of them so far in my opinion! I am also rereading Homer's The Odyssey, which I last read during high school. I'd like to finish my Trollope before October rolls in, as I am doing a buddy read of Moby Dick in October!
M.K. wrote: "Hmm... when I'm not reading a mystery, I'm watching one on netflix. Sad to say, I've exhausted every offering they have by now."We watched "Ivy" last night. Not really a mystery
as Joan Fontaine does enough simpering and eye
rolling to show her true nature at the beginning
but the sets (by William Cameron Menzies) and gowns
are sumptuous and must have taken up a whole year's
budget of Universal International.
I'm reading Thomas Hardy's "Desperate Remedies"which I suppose is his attempt at writing a
mystery in the Wilkie Collins tradition.
Arpita wrote: "Today I went to a very quaint little library in our neighboring town. They have a basement full of used books! I got two books - one by Lillian beckwith- an author I was wanting to read and whose b..."Monica Dickens was really popular when I was at
school with "One Pair of Hands" about life as a
cook and "One Pair of Feet" a memoir about nursing.
The one I read was "Follyfoot" about a farm for
horses (if I'm not mistaken) - it was also a
British TV series.
Karen wrote: "Ellen wrote: "Just finished Asleep: The Forgotten Epidemic that Remains One of Medicine's Greatest Mysteries by Molly Caldwell Crosby. I really like nonfiction."..."Thanks, Ellen. I really enjoy..."
Just put Spillover on hold at the library. Sounds really interesting.
Leslie, which translation of The Oddessey are you using? I am taking a class in Mythology (like I haven't enuf to do :P) and the prof has us reading Fitzgerald's from waaaaay back in the sixties. How are you enjoying it? Which " book" are you up to?
Portia wrote: "Leslie, which translation of The Oddessey are you using? I am taking a class in Mythology (like I haven't enuf to do :P) and the prof has us reading Fitzgerald's from waaaaay back in the sixties. ..."Ha ha! My translation is older than that! It is by Alexander Pope & is a verse version. One thing I don't like about it is he uses the Roman names instead of the Greek (Minerva instead of Athena etc.) :(
I am enjoying it but have barely begun - just into Book 2.
Agree. I much prefer Percy Phone to Pro Ser Pine. ;-)
I'm reading The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher which is a great companion to English mysteries and is a mystery itself. It gives a lot of information on the English detective and his place in society as well as Victorian feelings about the novel and detective stories specifically.I homeschool my granddaughter, so I am also doing all sorts of reading of Folk Tales, Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends, as well as guiding some of her leisure reading.
Arpita wrote: "I find many of the McCall Smith's less mystery and more other issues but I don't really read them for the mystery aspect. Currently reading 44 Scotland street which originally came out daily in the..."I love those books and Bertie is on of my favorite characters. Sometimes I begin to think he is real!
Arpita wrote: "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." There is a video of him guiding a journalist around Scotland Street. It's wonderful! I think I found it on his website. If you can't find it, I'll check my old bookmarks and see if I can find it.
Hi Anne! Yes Bertie is a wonderful, believable character. His mother is incorrigible though! Thanks for the video reference , I believe I've seen it on youtube- he's just as I imagine he would be in real life. I'm reading an anthology published by lonely planet called Better than Fiction. It's travel stories written by famous writers of fiction. McCall smith is among them.
Arpita wrote: "Hi Anne! Yes Bertie is a wonderful, believable character. His mother is incorrigible though! Thanks for the video reference , I believe I've seen it on youtube- he's just as I imagine he would be i..."Sounds good!
As for Bertie's mother, she is a perfect example of a character you love to hate! Incorrigible is a good word for her. I love books with a character like Irene and most cozy mysteries start out with one. You know from the first chapter who is going to get murdered. Not very sophisticated, but very effective!
I have been busy trying to finish up some of my 2013challenges. Right now I am reading a British satire, Zuleika Dobson or An Oxford Love Story - very funny!
When I'm not reading a mystery, I'm reading books on psychology and psychoanalysis or books about family tragedies.
I realise that the Malcolm Saville discussion is several months old, but I have just caught up with it due to the last comment. I didn't realise that a biography of him had been written Beyond The Lone Pine: A Biography Of Malcolm Saville - has anyone read it?
I am reading a fat classic right now, War and Peace (surprisingly easy once you get the hang of who is who), and struggling to read The Child in Time by Ian McEwan.
Leslie wrote: "I am reading a fat classic right now, War and Peace (surprisingly easy once you get the hang of who is who), and struggling to read The Child in Time by Ian McEwan."Kudos! I've attempted W&P twice, but couldn't stay with it. I have the most recent version; apparently they find errors, so there's hope!
Ted wrote: "When I'm not reading a mystery, I'm reading books on psychology and psychoanalysis or books about family tragedies."Wow, I guess reading isn't an escape for you. Not critical, but wow.
Sandi wrote: "Leslie wrote: "I am reading a fat classic right now, War and Peace (surprisingly easy once you get the hang of who is who), and struggling to read The Child in Time by Ian Mc..."For me the key to finishing & LOVING War & Peace was watching the excellent 6+ hour Russian film. Aside from being a delight, it's the best way for a non-Russian speaker to keep straight a large cast of characters who each go by 2 or 3 different names.
Carol wrote: "Sandi wrote: "Leslie wrote: "I am reading a fat classic right now, War and Peace (surprisingly easy once you get the hang of who is who), and struggling to read [book:The Child in Time|6..."I'll keep that in mind - I am enjoying War and Peace but it does seem unending a times! I have been reading it for about 3 weeks now and haven't even made it to the halfway point yet!! Although to be fair, I have been reading some other books also :)
When I'm not reading one it's generally because I'm writing one! But murder mysteries are definitely my favourite read although I do like true crime, good fiction and historical books and many more besides...
I'm very elective in my reading, so I might be reading a classic, or a book about serial killers, a history or historical medical topics like bubonic plague, cholera, feral children etc.
English Mysteries Club
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So, I'm curious - what was the fo..."
The scientific name was encephalitis lethargica. It was a sleeping sickness and millions died. For some of those who survived however the after effects could be worse than death.