Cozy Mysteries discussion
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When you're not reading a cozy....
message 4101:
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Lynn
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May 26, 2014 04:35PM
Finally finished The Stockholm Octavo. In the end, it was not really what I thought it would be based on the blurb; not really worth it.
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Ooooo I hope you like it Melodie! *crosses fingers*
Right now I am reading Texas Wild by Brenda Jackson.
Karen M wrote: "I love thrillers too. Of course, my favorites are usually mystery/thrillers."I love mysteries too! Although like any genre I often can't assimilate many authors' style or ideas, e.g Louise Penny, J.d Robb, Sue Grafton mainly.
Clare wrote: "Heidi *Listen. I'll just keep talking anyway. * wrote: "Clare wrote: "I know I'm late to the party, but I just read Hunger Games and really enjoyed it!"Better late than never. I loved it. If yo..."
Yay! For anyone who reads TKONLG just be warned that due to the way they talk it does take a little getting used to the book. I didn't get into it until about 100 pages in or so and I know a lot of others have ssaid the same thing. Books 2 & 3 are where I fell in love.
I'm not going to read TKONLG. This review of the first book in the series helped me make up my mind..https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
Today I am starting East of Eden by John Steinbeck for a May classics group read. Yes, I know, nothing like waiting until the last minute. Here's hoping it doesn't take the entire week to read, especially since I no longer have the nightly distraction of network TV.
Props to you for reading such a respected book. It's rare to find that type of inclination.
Heather L wrote: "Finished reading First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones last night and did not enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. While there is a great amount of humor and the book has garnere..."
I hear you, I'm getting so much more reading done now that most TV shows are on hiatus.
I hear you, I'm getting so much more reading done now that most TV shows are on hiatus.
This weekend was a festival of reading because the few shows I watch weren't on. Tonight on PBS is Miss Fisher Mysteries followed by Father Brown so I won't be doing much reading.
Finished
Midnight Crossroad. About 3-1/2 stars. Some good characters, including one from the Harper Connelly books, but it's supposed to be the first of a trilogy and I'm not sure what it might ultimately be about.
Mod
I have that book in Mount TBR. I've been slowly catching up on some of NR's books/series this year. Maybe I'll get round to the Circle trilogy once I've finished Sign of Seven.
Mod
Thanks, Luffy. I usually average 10-12 classics a year, about one a month. Some read faster and are better than others, while some are much harder to get into and get through. So far I am enjoying East of Eden -- I'm about a quarter into it so far.
Heather L wrote: "I usually average 10-12 classics a year, about one a month. Some read faster and are better than others, while some are much harder to get into and get through."I personally tried to read Victorian books, thought they would be very nice and easy to read. I found P&Prejudice very hard to read. Same for Nicholas Nickleby. How did you find those books? What are the easiest classics to read please?
Mod
I love Jane Austen, the exception being Emma, though I love the movie Clueless, which is based on the classic novel. I like the books I've read by Charles Dickens -- A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities (highly recommend) and Oliver Twist.
For the Brontes, I like sisters Charlotte (Jane Eyre) and Anne (Agnes Grey) more than Emily -- I've tried reading Wuthering Heights twice and didn't get halfway through. Loved Les Misérables, though I could have done without the section on Waterloo. Also loved Rebecca.
Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth was hard to get into, but then I'm not big on science fiction. In comparison, HG Wells' The Time Machine was a really fast read. I've liked some dystopian classics, such as The Machine Stops, Anthem, Brave New World, and 1984. I also read Animal Farm, and while I don't recall much about it, I didn't hate it. The Book of the Dun Cow, on the other hand... *shudders*
Anna Karenina was slow in the beginning, but good. Definitely not a fast read, either -- that took a week and a half to get through. I skimmed over a lot of the war/political exposition. Madame Bovary was also a more difficult read, as was Mrs. Dalloway.
For American lit... I love To Kill a Mockingbird, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is also good. I liked The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn better the second time I read it, but aside from a couple short stories, essays, or excerpts haven't read much else by Twain (so far). I like Steinbeck -- I've read Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath twice each (and seen the movies). East of Eden is the third book I've read by him. I find his style fairly easy to read. More laid back than some writers.
Carson McCullers' The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is good, and I liked two by Willa Cather: My Antonia and O Pioneers!. Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea was a good, quick read. We'll be reading The Sun Also Rises by him next month in the classics group. We're voting now for the July book, and so far it looks like we're in for a heap of depression with Plath's The Bell Jar.
I did not like The Catcher in the Rye or The Great Gatsby. Though I've not read his novels, one of my favorite short stories is by Faulkner, A Rose for Emily. Actually, I liked a lot of the short stories we read by him in school. I also like Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and some of his short stories. Love Poe's short stories and poetry, too. Oh! The Maltese Falcon, that's another good one (book and movie).
For childrens' classics... I recently reread Little Women, and thought it a lot preachier than I remembered as a kid. I also reread the Chronicles of Narnia and enjoyed those. Some of my favorite kids books are The Secret Garden, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and The Little Prince, as well as a "newer" classic, Mandy.
Didn't mean to ramble on. I know the clasics aren't for everyone, but I like picking up some of the books I've missed. Feel free to browse my Classics shelf.
Heather L wrote: "What are the easiest classics to read? That's a difficult question to answer, as some books I breezed through might have felt slow for others, and there are some books that may be harder to get thr..."I had pegged Great Expectations as my next Dickens, but my internet friends told me to go for A Tale Of Two Cities instead. As it's easier.
I tried to read Les Miserables in a group read. It so disagreed with me that I vented my spleen on the group thread in question, and left the group. I quit early on, and vowed to research any classics book well, before attempting a read.
When I didn't have the luxury of online purchases, I read and liked Journey To The Center of The Earth. I also kind of liked Animal Farm.
My nightmarish authors are Joyce and Faulkner. Faulkner especially. I have written him off as too difficult. Alright, too pretentious. I get negative vibes from The Great Gatsby as well.
The only book from your post I'm bound to read, apart from AtoTC is Little Women. I read an abridged version when I was a child. I have A Tree Grows In...on my to be read pile.
Thank you for replying to me and taking the time to do it. Great post. And yeah I got the feedback that Anna Karenina had a lot of personages and is depressing. Have a good day.
You might want to try Dumas. The Three Musketeers of course, but also some of his less-discussed stuff. The Black Tulip was excellent, and not too long; and I loved Queen Margot, but I never hear either being discussed.
The above discussion on the classics is great - thanks all for your take on so many of these books.I have read a few classics, and mentioned some of them here. Don Quixote was Really hard wading, and although I skipped a bit, it was interesting and worth my time.
Death Comes for the Archbishop was a Willa Cather I read a few months ago, and enjoyed immensely.
I don't argue with John Steinbeck's talent, but I have mixed feelings about his books, because of how he presents certain things, and the state of his own psyche sometimes, which really comes through.
I will disagree about The Great Gatsby, which to me was a fantastic lesson in character, and not too long. Falkner also really had a way with descriptions.
I love Dumas, Austen and Dickens (with the exception of A Christmas Carol). My favorite book is Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. I average reading it twice a year. I made a goal to read more classics this year but haven't done very well with it. Currently I am finishing up The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan.
My favorite book of John Steinbeck's is Travels with Charley. (Is any book written by him automatically a classic?)I've read: of mice and men & grapes of wrath, but my favorite is TwC.
Mod
Lynn: Have not read Dumas (Pere or Fils) yet, but probably some day. I missed the group read for The Count of Monte Cristo.
Mary Jo: Don Quixote was the Dec 2013 classic group read, but I did not participate in that one. I have too much going on in December for a 1000 page book. It would have been the only thing read that month, which would have been downright depressing. It was after many of us complained about a 1000 pages in one month that the mods decided to add a quarterly group read for books of 800 pages or more. So far I've missed both of those, and have already read the third quarter book (GWTW). I understand about the mixed feelings towards Steinbeck, too. I just got to a certain part in EoE that has me wondering about the Sheriff's decision. I know it was a different time, but still...
Teresa: Love Rick Riordan's series! I am (impatiently) waiting on book four, The House of Hades, from my sister. She got me hooked, I figure it's now her duty to pass along the books as she finishes them. Only fair, right? ☺
Nancy: Thanks for the Steinbeck recommendation -- guess I'll have to look for that one now. *g*
Lynn wrote: "You might want to try Dumas. The Three Musketeers of course, but also some of his less-discussed stuff. The Black Tulip was excellent, and not too long; and I loved Queen Margot, but I never hear..."I didn't forget Dumas, but he may be like Victor Hugo, all archaic style and weird wordings and ideas. Many people tolerate the old styles because they were pioneering somewhat. Not because these authors can connect to modern audiences. I saw that for myself on goodreads groups.
Teresa wrote: "I love Dumas, Austen and Dickens (with the exception of A Christmas Carol). My favorite book is Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. I average reading it twice a year. I made a goal to re..."
I loved A Christmas Carol. I was under the impression that all of Dickens were as easy. I've read and liked Martin Chuzzlewit. But I found Nicholas Nickleby obtuse, like I said. I read Around the World...in an obscure edition. I do not know to which extent it was abridged. It's a great story. Rick Riordan doesn't interest me for now.
To MaryJo and Nancy...thanks for your posts. I found something new from them, although my tbr pile is really unwieldy for now.
Luffy wrote: "I didn't forget Dumas, but he may be like Victor Hugo, all archaic style and weird wordings and ideas. Many people tolerate the old styles because they were pioneering somewhat. Not because these authors can connect to modern audiences. I saw that for myself on goodreads groups."I think that depends a lot on the translation. I found some translations better than others, and some a bit more modern.
I also found Dumas' lesser known works are different than the more known ones.
Hugo I found to be like a French Dickens, with overblown descriptions and complicated stories. And that was not a factor of the translation.
Lynn wrote: "I think that depends a lot on the translation. I found some translations better than others, and some a bit more modern. I also found Dumas' lesser known works are different than the more known ones.
Hugo I found to be like a French Dickens, with overblown descriptions and complicated stories. And that was not a factor of the translation. "
I suspect that I would find Dumas problematic in French as well. I am literate in French and though I haven't read Dumas or Hugo in the language, I believe that the problem is in the editing of their books. These classics are too long, and quite a lot of the prose is filler, AFAIK. All of this literature is based before the invention of the thriller genre. The modern devices used in plotting and intrigue didn't exist back then and frankly it shows.
Mod
One has to keep in mind that at the time most of these books were written, 1) authors were often paid by the word 2) Many of these started out in serial form, so repetition was necessary to remind readers where they left off the week or month before, and 3) there were no photographs, TV or internet that people could turn to for an idea of what a specific item, city or area looked like. Authors had to paint a picture in the minds of their audience. To the author's intended audience it wasn't just "filler."
Of course, the problem with all this exposition is that, while readers of that day expected and relied upon such lengthy descriptive passages, modern readers tend to get bogged down by it. I also would not say that the "devices" used in plotting didn't exist back then, it's all in how the author used it. There are plenty of what we today call "red herrings" and plot twists in Shakespeare and Sophocles.
I read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn for the first time last year and enjoyed it. I wasn't sure I would. I have happily surprised.
by Betty Smith
Heather L wrote: "What are the easiest classics to read? That's a difficult question to answer, as some books I breezed through might have felt slow for others, and there are some books that may be harder to get thr..."Is Gone With the Wind considered a classic? The movie may seem a bit dated but the book didn't, the last time I read it.
Vicky wrote: "Heather L wrote: "What are the easiest classics to read? That's a difficult question to answer, as some books I breezed through might have felt slow for others, and there are some books that may be..."I consider GWTW a classic. I read it years ago when I was in the 6th grade. My mother had told me about the movie, it's one of her favorites, so when I found the book in the school library I got it. My mother was surprised by the differences in the book that never made it to the movie.
GWTW is, of course, a classic. There are books published later than it that are considered classics. The movie was a great success and it actually sold more tickets than any other movie in history, even Avatar and Titanic. The book is a Pulitzer prize winner.
I'm reading
, and I'm 10% in and I'm almost sure it will entertain me greatly, more than any movie or song has done so in the last 8 years. I'm a big fan of Baldacci now.
I'll bet. The opening chapter of THE HIT is brilliant, Luffy. One of the best I've ever read. I made a couple of friends read just that chapter and they agreed.
Christina wrote: "I'll bet. The opening chapter of THE HIT is brilliant, Luffy. One of the best I've ever read. I made a couple of friends read just that chapter and they agreed."I'm surprised but pleased by this validation Christina. It happens quite rarely with the books that I read.
I agree with Christina about the opening chapter of The Hit. It took me completely by surprise, and that was a great feeling
My recent infatuation was with The Goldfinch. I've been praising it to all my reader friends. Am also reading Once A Marine by an RWA pal, Pat Campbell. It's hot behind those closed doors! A wonderful romance.
Jamie Lynn wrote: "I read The Secret Keeper and now I'm reading The House at Riverton both by Kate Morton. She's very good."I also enjoyed The Secret Keeper, and will keep that book in mind by Kate Morton.
Jamie Lynn wrote: "I read The Secret Keeper and now I'm reading The House at Riverton both by Kate Morton. She's very good."I absolutely LOVE Kate Morton's books! They are all equally fantastic but House at Riverton does hold a special place in my heart. Great book!
I tell anyone who will listen to read Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden
. One of my favorite books.
. One of my favorite books.
I started a new book today on my Kindle, The Secrets Sisters Keep. I have previously read Mad About You by the same author which I really enjoyed so here's hoping this one will be as good a read as the first one. So far it is.
Ms. Bridget wrote: "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg"Oh, that's a GOOD one!
Oh Gosh, You guys read so much! I'm struggling to keep up, and yet I think I read a lot. Just goes to show. You're keeping me on my reading toes.
I just finished The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects Wednesday night. Absolutely excellent! 5 stars.
Does the Smithsonian's 101, etc. live up to its title? If so, want to tell us why? From the title alone, though, does sound fascinating.
Mod
What? Only 101 objects? How would you even begin to narrow down their collection to only 101 pivotal items? I think one of the facts I always found most amusing was that the Hope Diamond was mailed to the Smithsonian in an itty bitty box to foil would-be jewel thieves waiting to rob a delivery truck.
Melodie wrote: "Ms. Bridget wrote: "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg"Oh, that's a GOOD one!"
I'm really liking it so far. I remember watching the movie a long time ago but don't remember the details, just remember liking it
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