English Mysteries Club discussion
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Currently Reading?
Currently starting back through Dorothy Sayers. Comfort reading, my version of comfort food for the mind!
I love "Fantastic Fiction" because you get both UK and US release dates. I also use Stop You're Killing Me although it only lists US release dates and when you click on a book title it takes you to Amazon.com.It has several different categories for your search.
Have fun, kill a weekend. www.stopyourekillingme.com
I go on occasional Sayers binges. After working through all the Lord Peter fiction, and THE MAN BORN TO BE KING, I have to go through her drama, nonfiction essays and the translation of Dante. This last is usually enough to slow me down, and I do not often geto to the PARADISO.
Did you know that Josephine Tey is herself a detective, in a series of novels by Nicola Upton? I wonder if they are any good -- I found them by searching carelessly on the library web site.
You guys are bad for me. I finished "The Red House Mystery" for this month and then dtarted "Daughter of Time" per many recommendations. Loving it so ordered "Queue in Line" from the series and "Wayward Apprentice" from someone's recommendation. So many books so little time.
How wonderful to have all of Josephine Tey's books before you, unread! Although sadly there aren't very many. Enjoy!
Brenda wrote: "I go on occasional Sayers binges. After working through all the Lord Peter fiction, and THE MAN BORN TO BE KING, I have to go through her drama, nonfiction essays and the translation of Dante. Th..."That's dedication! I re-read the Lord Peter Wimsey books frequently, focussing on the ones with Harriet Vane, but I haven't succeeded with her other writing.
Yes, I knew about the Nicola Upson books, but unfortunately I didn't enjoy the one I tried (the first one) so I haven't read any more.
Shera wrote: "I love "Fantastic Fiction" because you get both UK and US release dates. I also use Stop You're Killing Me although it only lists US release dates and when you click on a book title it takes you t..."Death for the bank account and TBR!
Brenda wrote: "I go on occasional Sayers binges. After working through all the Lord Peter fiction, and THE MAN BORN TO BE KING, I have to go through her drama, nonfiction essays and the translation of Dante. Th..."Another Sayers fanatic here. I also periodically re-read all of her novels. I've also read the first volume of Sayers' collected letters, some of her essays and Barbara Reynolds' biography. I still have to track down the plays and get hold of the Dante translation. So much to read, so little time!!
Her plays are thrilling -- I would love to see the one about Faust (DEVIL TO PAY) staged. I actually participated in a reading of THE MAN BORN TO BE KING once at a church!
I am now into Sharon Kay Penman's "The Reckoning" - the third in the Welsh Trilogy. Not sure why but even though I knew Simon de Montfort would meet his end at Evesham, I got a bit teary. Now I shall have to decide - more Penman? go a bit afield with Alison Weir? look into Edith Pargeter's Brothers of Gwynned? Tey's Daughter of Time?? To quote Tracey - so many books so little time. Someone mentioned searching used book shops for Nancy Drew (I think) & that has spurred me into looking for copies of Costain's novels .. not seriously - yet ;>)
Hj wrote: "Jemidar wrote: "There's a few people out there who love both P.D. James' Dalgliesh and Jane Austen who thought this book was an injustice to both. The publishers are probably the only people who w..."Unfortunately, I have to agree.
Leslie wrote: but I'm going to read an Angela Thirkell first (The Brandons) :)"I read most of the Thirkell's years ago and really enjoyed them up to and including County Chronicle, which was one of my favorites. It is a series that is best read in order.
Susan wrote: "You guys are bad for me...."That should be the motto for Goodreads: "We're bad for you. Goodreads: where you'll find you want four times the number of books you already have."
Tracey wrote: "Susan wrote: "You guys are bad for me...."That should be the motto for Goodreads: "We're bad for you. Goodreads: where you'll find you want four times the number of books you already have.""
this so true ladies!
Tom wrote: "I read most of the Thirkell's years ago and really enjoyed them up to and including County Chronicle, which was one of my favorites. It is a series that is best read in order..."After I read my first (Northbridge Rectory), I did go back to the beginning. I just finished The Brandons which is #7 so I have a lot still to go! :)
Tracey wrote: "Susan wrote: "You guys are bad for me...."That should be the motto for Goodreads: "We're bad for you. Goodreads: where you'll find you want four times the number of books you already have.""
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! So true!
OK, I know I said I was going to read The Red House next, but instead I started Alan Gordon's first book Thirteenth Night... Last month I read the Book of the Month too early in the month so I'm waiting until closer to the 15th this month.
I have a very old paperback of The Singing Sands, Hj, that I picked up after reading that Josephine Tey was one of P.G. Wodehouse's favorite authors. But she's not a readily available author to find in most used-bookstores, sadly, so I haven't found too many others.Mary Stewart was probably the first author I ever read (as a young teen), Jemidar, that literally made my jaw drop. I love to re-read The Ivy Tree periodically just to see if I could have caught all the signs sooner than I did. But, for pure goose-bumpling, my daughters and I all love to re-read Wildfire at Midnight and creep each other out with our whispers of, "Gianettttta..."
Ann wrote: "I recently reread and reviewed all Tey’s novels as I’d hate them to be forgotten. To Love And Be Wise was one of my favourites. The Franchise Affair has been televised at least twice in the UK and ..."I too love the Mary Stewart novels. Airs Above the Ground is one of my all-time favorite books. The scene near the end where she describes the chase through the mountains, and then the train .... Love it.
Ann wrote: "All Josephine Tey’s books can be downloaded free to kindle & other ereaders.http://gutenberg.net.au/plusfifty.html
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/eboo..."
Thanks for posting the links! I'm double checking my list, I think I have some of them on my kindle already, Amazon has started carrying them. As I've gotten older with my eyes and hands giving me problems, it's become more comfortable for me to read on my kindle.
Mark wrote: "I'm reading Halloween Party by A.C."I like Christie's books with Ariadne Oliver in them (like this one)!
Ann wrote: "All Josephine Tey’s books can be downloaded free to kindle & other ereaders..."Depending on how honest you are, you need to be careful about the public domain. Tey's books are NOT public domain in the United States but are in Australia.
I really have to thank you guys for your advice. I just finished "Daughter of Time" and Loved it. i rented the Midsomer movie "The Killing at Badger Drift's". Last night I watched the Masterpiece Mystery "Case Histories" based on Kate Atkinson's book. I could have used subtitles for some of the Scottish accents. Someone mentioned they had seen "The Franchise Affair" in the UK but couldn't find it on Netflix. I'm glad you guys aren't a box of chocolates.
It's to do with where & when the book was first published, how copyrights are (still) sold and is also dependent on each country's individual copyright laws e.g. some countries allow dead author's estates to renew copyright, others don't. Australia and Canada are usually classed as "Commonwealth" rights and are usually pretty much in line with the UK, and while Josephine Tey is available here in the public domain The Red House Mystery was not (but was in the US) and was relatively expensive for us to buy.
just finished
This was a new author for me and I enjoyed the family history woven into the modern crime - lots of twists and turns and changes in suspects.
Jemidar wrote: "It's to do with where & when the book was first published, how copyrights are (still) sold and is also dependent on each country's individual copyright laws e.g. some countries allow dead author's ..."I hate to beat a dead horse but books in general in Australia are expensive. It's been four years since I was there and still have not recovered from the shock.
Leslie wrote: "Kate wrote: "Reading my way through the Anna Pigeon mysteries by Nevada Barr. Currently reading High Country."I really liked these! Plus it is fun that each one is a different (US) National Par..."
I really like them too. I decided to reread them because I wanted to see how Anna changed from the frozen person she was in the first book, to her getting married. That's been fun, actually.
My disappointments with the series are that I wish there was more about each park in the books. If I've been to the park, then her sketchy descriptions are OK because I can visualize the scenes. But if I haven't, I'm often a bit at sea, even with the maps provided.
And each book now seems formulaic, and each one seems more bloody & horrifying than the last. I've got 3 to go (having just started Winter Study) and I find myself not being quite so eager to dive in as I was when I started reading the series.
Brenda wrote: "Did you know that Josephine Tey is herself a detective, in a series of novels by Nicola Upton? I wonder if they are any good -- I found them by searching carelessly on the library web site."I like them Brenda. I wouldn't say they are outstanding in their field, but they're good reads. I like them enough to be looking for all the books in the series so I can read them back to back.
Well I have the first one and will take it for a spin. I wonder why we do not yet see novels with Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayers as detectives!
Brenda wrote: "Well I have the first one and will take it for a spin. I wonder why we do not yet see novels with Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayers as detectives!"Give it time. :)
(I think I said it somewhere already, but) I read the first one, and it was all right; I liked it as a biographical novel, not so much as a mystery. I did like the detective who is friends with Miss Mackintosh, but he was far from the main focus; if he's more to the center in others I might read 'em.
Just read the beginning of Death Comes to Pemberley,and I don't know whether I'm prejudiced by the comments I've read or not, but so far I'm slightly bored. It seems... simple!
Karlyne wrote: "Just read the beginning of Death Comes to Pemberley,and I don't know whether I'm prejudiced by the comments I've read or not, but so far I'm slightly bored. It seems... simple!"It was such a disappointment. I never thought I would dislike something she had written and yet, I did.
I agree that Death Comes to Pemberley is a very simple read. Got through it in no time. And disappointing. P.D. James' other works take much longer to read as they are complex and have several different story lines going at once.
I hope we have not seen the last of these works. I know it is selfish as she has produced so many fantastic books throughout her life.
No, DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLY was a severe disappointment, and I cannot recommend it. I have to believe it was one of James' trunk novels (i.e. something she wrote a long time ago and dug out only recently).
It's impossible to write like the incomparable Miss Austen, and so I'm thinking we should just leave sequels to her works unwritten. But then again, we used to write Fractured Fairy Tales for our book club, so maybe Fractured Jane Austen could be a lot of fun, too...
All I can say, Karlyne, is that Death Comes to Pemberley (or, as Jemidar and I took to calling it, Death to Pemberley) is probably the worst book I've read in the last twelve months.
Well, I don't like to condemn a book before reading all of it, but since I've found it too boring to go on with, I'm officially returning it to the library unfinished!
Good move! It actually gets worse the further you go.
Jemidar wrote: "Good move! It actually gets worse the further you go."general consensus is a thumbs down I see - I did finish it, hoping that it would get better ...
A quite good Austen sequel is MURDER AT MANSFIELD PARK, which involves Fanny Price being shot dead.
Brenda wrote: "A quite good Austen sequel is MURDER AT MANSFIELD PARK, which involves Fanny Price being shot dead."It wasn't me. Not that I didn't want to throttle her occasionally. But I'm sure I have an alibi.
It might have been me. I was probably aiming at Aunt Bertram, so would that be justifiable manslaughter by way of mistaken identity?
Apparently there are theories that Fanny is nowhere near the Nice Girl that she is depicted to be and is in fact a major troublemaker. Certainly she is wimpy enough to be thoroughly unsympathetic. On this basis MURDER has some aggrieved member of the household put her away; I will not spoil the story for you.
Karlyne wrote: "It might have been me. I was probably aiming at Aunt Bertram, so would that be justifiable manslaughter by way of mistaken identity?"We can say you were with me. At our English Mystery Book Club.
I'm also happy to provide an alibi ;-D.
Reading PD James' "Shroud for a Nightingale". Very good so far.
English Mysteries Club
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I really liked these! Plus it is fun that each one is a different (US) National Park...