English Mysteries Club discussion
A Little Off-Topic
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When you're not reading a mystery...
Stephanie wrote: "... I was reading a lot of cozies and found that I didn't like most of them. Many are written by romance writers who haven't even done basic research on police procedures. Their 'sleuths' would spend all their time in jail for withholding evidence or interfering with investigations..."Sadly there are a ton of mediocre cozies out there. It can be hard to find the decent ones in the midst of the plethora out there but they do exist. But I have found that many of the contemporary ones that I have read since joining GoodReads have been disappointing (lots of 2 stars).
If you like historical fiction, have you tried the Kate Ross books? There are only 4 but they are wonderful!
I am (finally) done with War and Peace and am currently reading another Icelandic mystery Outrage and the penultimate Palliser book, The Prime Minister.
Thanks for the tip. I will add Kate Ross to my wishlist to try out. Season of the Witch, written by an Icelander, is $2 today through the Kindle bookstore. Not sure if it is fantasy or mystery or a bit of both. I'm debating whether to get it or not. I don't think I have ever read War and Peace. If I do, it will be an audiobook at a time that I'm ready to cut through a bunch of scraps to make a scrap quilt. It's just over 60 hours which is about as long as it will take me.
Leslie wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "... I was reading a lot of cozies and found that I didn't like most of them. Many are written by romance writers who haven't even done basic research on police procedures. Their '..."Please take a look at my contemporary cozy "Croaked: an Edgar Rowdey Cape Cod Mystery"! All 5-star reviews on Amazon (amzn.to/MDPFBd), but it's unbelievably hard to connect new books with an audience until you have a whole series.
Stephanie, thanks for recommending Diane Mott Davidson. I haven't read anything of hers, but from a "Look Inside" she sounds like my cup of tea.
Leslie, thanks for recommending Kate Ross, ditto. I miss London & love revisiting old haunts before they got gentrified.
Interested to hear your thoughts Jean-Luke - I have to admit that I have never warmed to Hemingway, but perhaps I should give him another try. I enjoy historical fiction and have just started Suzannah Dunn's new novel, The May Bride. I have found her books a bit 'hit and miss', but I love this one so far, which is about Jane Seymour and her family.
Stephanie wrote: "When I'm not reading English Mysteries, I'm reading crime/thriller such as Ed McBain, JD Robb, Tami Hoag, horror such as Stephen King, Science Fiction (McCaffrey, Heinlein, others) or Fantasy such ..."Stephanie, have you read any mysteries by Richard and Frances Lockridge? They're like cozies mostly by virtue of when they were written (typically 1940s and 50s, and some later, but Frances died in 1963), and I really enjoy them. They're hard to find, as they're often no longer held in libraries, and only for sale in used bookstores, but I think they're really worth searching out. There's a good list of them online at Stop You're Killing Me:
http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/L_A...
There's now an app for writing like Hemingway. Farewell to arms indeed!Karen, the Lockridges' Mr. & Mrs. North also were filmed, evidently. COZI TV has been showing them in San Francisco until recently.
Karen wrote: "Stephanie, have you read any mysteries by Richard and Frances Lockridge? They're like cozies mostly by virtue of when they were written (typically 1940s and 50s, and some later, but Frances died in 1963), and I really enjoy them..."I own a couple of those - I agree that they are fun! I didn't know that they had been made into a TV show though... I will have to check out my COZI station. Thanks for the info Carol :)
Carol wrote: Karen, the Lockridges' Mr. & Mrs. North also were filmed, evidently. COZI TV has been showing them in San Francisco until re..."Thanks, Carol - I had never heard of COZI tv! And I don't have cable; I guess I will have to see if Netflix has them.
Karen wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "When I'm not reading English Mysteries, I'm reading crime/thriller such as Ed McBain, JD Robb, Tami Hoag, horror such as Stephen King, Science Fiction (McCaffrey, Heinlein, others..."Ha! our library has seven of the Lockridges' novels - all large print format. I guess they assume that only those with poor eyesight would want to read them.
I am rereading (by listening to the audiobook) Oliver Twist which I am pleased to be enjoying as much as I remember. There are so many Dickens books that I have not read that I feel a bit guilty rereading one I have read before...
Historical fiction, such as Sharon Kay Penman, Alison Weir, Thomas Costain et al are lifetime favourites (beginning years ago with Costain, Delderfield). Others are Jack Whyte (one of the best contemporary authors, CJ Sansom, Stephen Lawhead & Guy Gavriel Kay. At the moment I am reading Trollope's "Can you forgive her?" and Sansom's "Dominion".
Helen, are you planning on reading the whole Palliser series? I am up to the final book...
Leslie wrote: "Helen, are you planning on reading the whole Palliser series? I am up to the final book..."I am fairly sure I will Leslie, I am enjoying the first one. (I must sandwich in Penman's A King's Ransom first though :>) )
currently reading a biography of Patricia Highsmith , fascinating woman
When I'm not reading mystery, I like to read history or literary fiction. I might also read a classic from time to time. The last non-mystery book I enjoyed was Animal Farm by George Orwell.
I usually read mysteries or military history. WWI, WWII or Napoleonic era are my favorites.
Betsy wrote: "I usually read mysteries or military history. WWI, WWII or Napoleonic era are my favorites."I also have been reading recently about WWI and WWII, particularly books about what was going on in Germany during that period. The mindset of the people involved and the role of women are two topics that I can't stop reading about.
When I am not reading british historical mysteries I enjoy reading british history (non-fiction) books. I just finished reading Elizabeth; Struggle for the Throne by David Starkey and now I am reading Journey to Munich by Jacqueline Winspear. I love anything from the early tudors up to world war ii.
Rebecca wrote: "Betsy wrote: "I usually read mysteries or military history. WWI, WWII or Napoleonic era are my favorites."I also have been reading recently about WWI and WWII, particularly books about what was g..."
Have you read THE GERMAN WAR by N. Stargardt? It's about the German people during WWII.
Betsy wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "Betsy wrote: "I usually read mysteries or military history. WWI, WWII or Napoleonic era are my favorites."I also have been reading recently about WWI and WWII, particularly books ..."
No I have not! I will have to add that book to the list. Thanks. One of the books I am currently reading is "The Nuremberg Interviews" which has brief little interviews conducted by Leon Goldensohn which is very interesting. Ever since I read "The Nazi and the Psychiatrist" by Jack El-Hai earlier this year, I have been wanting to read all the books pertaining to this part of WWI and WWII.
Ruth wrote: "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 [book:Beyon..."This thread has just come to life again, and so I've seen your now rather old comment, Ruth. Yes, I've read this biography, and I think it's very good. I've just been praising Malcolm Saville's books in a another group -- Reading the Detectives -- where someone had commented that we under-estimate the effect which the books we read as children have on us later, especially on the books we like to read as adults.
I've been reading Anne Tyler, John Steinbeck, D. E. Stevenson (just discovered her and I think I'm addicted), Marguerite Henry (with a grandgirl) and various and sundry old friends, including Georgette Heyer and C.S. Lewis. No wonder my floors need vacuumed...
I read a little bit of everything. Although mystery is my favorite genre, I also read the classics, contemporary fiction, history/non-fiction, gritty fantasy and comics.
Besides mysteries I like to read thrillers, horror, sci-fi, and historical fiction. Currently I'm reading the American thriller Desperate by Daniel Palmer.
I try to vary my reading between books. After reading a tough book I try to listen or relisten to a book I can laugh and lighten my mood.
Lately I've been reading Louis Lamour, Adriana Trigiani, some more D.E. Stevenson and George MacDonald. That's a fun mix...
I recently read Company of Heroes: My Life as an Actor in the John Ford Stock Company byHarry Carey Jr.. I was fascinated by the relationship John Ford had with the people he worked with. I would certainly not have lasted long in his company.
Arpita (BagfullofBooks) wrote: "Leslie - I am a big Heyer fan too. Devil's Cub was my favorite. Time to re-read those."If you liked "Devil's Cub", have you read "These Old Shades"? It's the story of how Alistair's parents met and is a great read.
Just read Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania. The last half of the book really had you on the edge of your seat. I read it for my book club and we had a great discussion.
Ellen wrote: "Just read Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania. The last half of the book really had you on the edge of your seat. I read it for my book club and we had a great discussion."Discussions really make a book come alive - I'm always so surprised at how differently we perceive things! I'm currently in the middle of The Omnivore's Dilemma, and I wish I had a bookclub to be reading it with me!
Ellen, that's a great book. have you read any of Erik Larson's other books? "Isaac's Storm" (about the hurricane that destroyed Galveston) was the first book of his that got me hooked on historical non-fiction.
Karlyne wrote: "Ellen wrote: "Just read Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania. The last half of the book really had you on the edge of your seat. I read it for my book club and we had a gre..."I work in a middle school library and I read the Young Readers edition of this book. Very thought provoking. I ought to read the grown up version.
Mark wrote: "Ellen, that's a great book. have you read any of Erik Larson's other books? "Isaac's Storm" (about the hurricane that destroyed Galveston) was the first book of his that got me hooked on historical..."I live in the Houston area and I have read Isaac's Storm. The non fiction he writes is certainly more that just informational. The stories he tells are really exciting.
I also read urban fantasy, true paranormal, horror, and romance.
I enjoy general literary fiction in between mysteries. Currently i'm reading
by Leah Weiss an excellent story of the poverty, secrets, lies, and human (very real) drama of people living in Appalachia
Mod
I read a lot of science, especially zoology/medical/forensic but also enough chemistry and physics to keep up. Maybe twice a year I read a biography, the most recent being Michelle Obama's Becoming which I recommend. Occasionally I read political science or sociology.
Other than mysteries, I'd say my favorite genre would be travel narrative/essay/lit (Paul Theroux, Bill Bryson, etc. to name a couple of more popular authors).
History, biography, and try to keep up with recent "best sellers."
Classics, memoirs, history,children's lit and the occasional science fiction
Same as Rosemarie, graphic novels, YA, whatever is coming out which I find interesting,(since I follow several Book Tubers), poetry. A lot of books in my mother tongue bengali , since we have a rich and vibrant literary scene here. Unfortunately most of those books don't feature on Goodreads.
Mod
You know you can add these to the GR database yourself, do you Sonali? The only thing you cannot add is a cover image, but if you have one, you can ask a GR librarian to do it for you.
. . . then I prefer to read fantasy and science fiction. I love Mercedes Lackey, Anne McCaffery, Jim Butcher and many others.
I am not a fan of horror or serious nonfiction but I read almost everything else! Classics, literary fiction, fantasy & sci fi, romance (of the 'clean' variety), humor, adventure, historical fiction and even the occasional western.Right now I am reading Blue Mars (well, listening to the audiobook), Black Lamb and Grey Falcon in paperback & Clayhanger on my Kindle.
That seems like a very interesting book Rita
Bionic Jean, I am a little technologically challenged :-, so wouldn't know how to go about it. Perhaps, when my son has a little time I'll figure it out with his help. Thank you for the suggestion.
Mod
I've just had an usual experience which is sort of related. I have difficulty with some American accents. Matthew McConaughey is someone I can barely understand, and in "Interstellar" it was so bad that we had to watch the subtitles! (Great film though :))
Then yesterday we finished watching "Becoming Jane" (a lot of fluffy stuff and nonsense about the imagined life of Jane Austen) and were relieved to get to the end of it! We'd kept having to stop and go back so often, to hear what the actors were saying, (particularly Anne Hathaway) that it took ages to get through the film. Yet this was English, and "received pronunciation" at that, which should have been natural to me!
I'm afraid that some actors just garble their words, and no directors seem to pick them up on it :(
I had to laugh at this topic. I just watched "in the Line of Duty" with Belfast and Scotch accents and I had to use the close caption feature on my TV to catch all the words.I watched "Where the Barley Grows", an Irish film and I swear they were speaking a very foreign language. Back to the CC feature.
English Mysteries Club
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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I was reading a lot of cozies and found that I didn't like most of them. Many are written by romance writers who haven't even done basic research on police procedures. Their 'sleuths' would spend all their time in jail for withholding evidence or interfering with investigations. So, I joined this and another mystery group to improve my selections (and thank you, they have!).
As far as American cozies, I really like Dianne Mott Davidson's Goldy series. The Trash n Treasures series by the writing team known as Barbara Allan is more madcap than sleuth (but they do get arrested when they cross the line). I have also been a fan of the Murder She Wrote series, even though some of them are boring and somewhat predictable (ok..a lot are predictable). I read one or two Joanna Fluke books a long time ago and enjoyed them. I plan to start that series when I've finished all Goldy ones (listening via audio).
For a really unusual mystery series with some paranormal thrown in, I like the Morgue Drawer series by Jutta Profijt. Sometimes you want to beat Sasha over the head, but can't since he's a ghost, but he does make an interesting character. There are 4 books, but the last one hasn't yet been translated to English from German.
Finally, since this is just not long enough, my favorite new author is Kevin J Anderson. He seems to write in multiple genres (Science fiction, fantasy and horror) and that's fine by me.