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Post by chapeaunoir on Nov 29, 2015 6:37:36 GMT
Hmmm. The psychology was basic and the thrills weren't very thrilling. And yet they were compelling reading. I have no idea why.
That reminds me of a brief and to the point review of one of the swords and sandals novels I read (notorious for bad writing): It basically said "What's impressive is how it can be so bad, and still be a page turner."
ETA: I got the two little fluffballs!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 6, 2015 0:31:53 GMT
I am on the Wait List at my library for The Lake House. I read the Secret Keeper and The House at Riverton by her also. Yikes. I put this in the non fiction area and it should have been in fiction. Historical fiction. I usually don't read fiction at all but I do like Kate Morton. IGNORE US, People.
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Post by treetop on Dec 9, 2015 21:18:02 GMT
If you like psychological thrillers, try Chevy Stevens. I especially liked her first, Still Missing. I recently finished Always Watching and am 2/3 through That Night. All good reads.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2015 2:00:36 GMT
Well, "A Dark-Adapted Eye" by Barbara Vine/Ruth Rendell was pretty good. I think she must have put in some effort for once. It's not a thriller but there is an intriguing mystery in it.
Now I'm reading the Thrush Green books by Miss Read. I heard about them years ago but wasn't interested - until recently when they were cheap and I was desperate. And now I'm addicted! They're just pleasant, NICE books about everyday life in an idyllic Cotswolds village in the 50s. They remind me of Miss Marple's village, without the murder, lol. I started late in the series and now I'm back reading the first one and it's a teensy bit slow because she's very carefully setting up the characters and location. But I'm in the right mood for relaxing comfort reads.
I got some books for Christmas but they're all Contemporary Literature, which makes my head hurt, lol. They'll have to be read, though, and reports made to the gift-giver. Ugh. Worse than a thank you note.
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Shirley U Geste
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Post by Shirley U Geste on Dec 27, 2015 2:27:47 GMT
MissPettti, you mentioning Barbara Vine made me wonder if you have read any of the psychological crime mysteries by Minette Walters?
Excellent books, very dark and heavy but amazing writing.
She is one of my favorite English writers.
If you like lighter English fare you should try the M.C. Beaton books. She has 2 series, one about Agatha Raisin, a middle-aged retired lady who gets into PI work because she keeps bumbling onto crimes, very funny, you can't help but love Agatha even though she would be a PITA to live around. The other series is about Scottish constable Hamish MacBeth, who is smart as a whip but has no ambition at all and just wants to stay in his little village but keeps getting involved in and solving big crimes.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2015 2:42:42 GMT
Now I'm reading the Thrush Green books by Miss Read. I heard about them years ago but wasn't interested - until recently when they were cheap and I was desperate. And now I'm addicted! They're just pleasant, NICE books about everyday life in an idyllic Cotswolds village in the 50s. They remind me of Miss Marple's village, without the murder, lol. I started late in the series and now I'm back reading the first one and it's a teensy bit slow because she's very carefully setting up the characters and location. But I'm in the right mood for relaxing comfort reads. I got some books for Christmas but they're all Contemporary Literature, which makes my head hurt, lol. They'll have to be read, though, and reports made to the gift-giver. Ugh. Worse than a thank you note. The Thrush Green series sounds like something I'd really like. Definitely going to see if they have them at my library. Reading books you don't like and reporting on them sounds too much like being back in school. I feel for you. Much worse than writing a thank you note.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2015 4:28:32 GMT
MissPettti, you mentioning Barbara Vine made me wonder if you have read any of the psychological crime mysteries by Minette Walters? Excellent books, very dark and heavy but amazing writing. She is one of my favorite English writers. If you like lighter English fare you should try the M.C. Beaton books. She has 2 series, one about Agatha Raisin, a middle-aged retired lady who gets into PI work because she keeps bumbling onto crimes, very funny, you can't help but love Agatha even though she would be a PITA to live around. The other series is about Scottish constable Hamish MacBeth, who is smart as a whip but has no ambition at all and just wants to stay in his little village but keeps getting involved in and solving big crimes. Shirley, I haven't tried Minette Walters, but I'll look her up. I used to read MC Beaton's Regency romances (written as Marion Chesney). Something about her style always put me off. I tried a couple of Agatha Raisins and they were okay but I didn't pursue them. I haven't read Hamish MacBeth at all. Do the characters speak in Scottish accents, like "Och aye, wee lassie"? Cos I can only take a small bit of that. Funny you should mention her, actually, because only a few weeks ago I read the first of her Edwardian mystery series, I forget the title. I wanted Downton Abbey and I got Regency with telephones. Plus the heroine was annoying AND stupid, a bad combo for me.
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Shirley U Geste
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Post by Shirley U Geste on Dec 27, 2015 4:44:55 GMT
The Hamish MacBeth's have a bit of the Scottish accents in them, but not to a point that it will drive you nuts. I don't like her Regency romances at all, but then I'm not a romance reader and just tried a few because she had written them.
I like Beaton when I want just light English fluff mysteries.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2015 15:56:06 GMT
Funny, Chap, I was wondering about you and the Allinghams. Police at the Funeral is one of my favourites, I adore Uncle What's-his-name, the "bad old hat". He returns in later books too. And then there's the introduction of the sexy Detective Charles Luke in More Work for the Undertaker. I think you'll like him, he's energetic.
I think schools do children (as future adults) a great disservice in forcing them to read books that are just too old for them. I only just coped with Pride and Prejudice in the last year of high school - Dickens and anything else olde-timey was impossibly boring to me. But by the time I was 21 I was devouring my way through the Penguin Classics, and I gave Dickens another go at 30 and loved him. But I was a compulsive reader - any casual reader would never have returned after the high school traumas, might even have been put off reading altogether. And that's disturbing because I'm SURE reading exercises different parts of the brain to other forms of entertainment. <End of rant.>
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2015 4:19:59 GMT
Well, with anime Shakespeare it might suck them into the stories young and then when they're older they might be interested enough to look at the original text. And if they're not it doesn't matter because at least they're familiar with the plot and characters and can recognise what other people are talking about. So they've gained something no matter what. Libraries have always been pretty useless for me. I hate the deadline aspect, having to read a book before it's due back. If I've bought it I can put it aside until I actually feel like reading it. Plus I can mangle it any way I like. I read a thing once (pre-internet!) about courtly book lovers versus carnal ones - I'm a carnal one in terms of dog-earing pages and breaking spines, but at least I never drop food/drink in them. Which, unfortunately, a lot of library users seem to do. Not to mention the unidentifiable crusty bits...ick. And libraries have rarely had what I want, like very specific non-fiction books, or an author's entire output. Amazon was a godsend to me.
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Post by val2525 on Dec 30, 2015 15:58:33 GMT
I hated English Lit in college. I read for pleasure, whether it be fiction or non-fiction. It's a useless waste of time to sit and analyze what a writer may have been thinking when they wrote a book, or what symbolism they may have used in the book. Ugh. Good to way to kill a perfectly good book. I get my books at the thrift. Read 'em then re-donate. Win/win deal for everyone
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kritter
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Post by kritter on Dec 30, 2015 17:36:51 GMT
Our library system here is great. Many branches and a great selection that you can reserve online and they will send it your branch for pickup.
I have never found a nasty or smelly book ever. I think they must have a fairly decent screening system when it comes to condition as the returned books are processed.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2015 17:42:45 GMT
Our library system here is great. Many branches and a great selection that you can reserve online and they will send it your branch for pickup. I have never found a nasty or smelly book ever. I think they must have a fairly decent screening system when it comes to condition as the returned books are processed. Same here. The library is one of the few places where I feel that my tax dollars are absolutely well spent.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2016 0:14:19 GMT
I know I can't be the only one reading. Come on ladies, and Jeremy, post about your books, good, bad or indecent!
Shirley recommended Minette Walters so I've just finished The Dark Room. It was pretty damn good. Walters does suspense better than Ruth Rendell, and doesn't seem to be a misogynist like Rendell. (Yes, I know there are weak and stupid women IRL, but do ALL the female characters have to be that way?)
I did get a leetle bored in the middle where it seemed to slow down and get repetitive, but that happens to me a lot with current books. Not every plot needs to be told in 400 pages, but readers want "more" for their money so that's what's being published. Anyway, the first third and the last third had me up past my bedtime. The crimes in the book were horrible but the details are left to the reader's imagination, which I prefer. And Walters writes nice, clean sentences and excellent dialogue, and her characters are interesting. So I'll be grabbing some more of her books ASAP.
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Shirley U Geste
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Post by Shirley U Geste on Feb 4, 2016 0:31:50 GMT
Glad you liked it MissP. She does psychological suspense better then anyone currently out there and I really look forward to reading one of her books.
Right now I am in more of an English Cozy Mystery mood so I am catching up on the Hamish Macbeth series by M C Beaton.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2016 0:41:06 GMT
Yeah, I'm still on the cosies too. Before Minette Walters I read three by Ngaio Marsh, a New Zealand writer, set in the 30s in England. Her detective is kind of a straight man for the characters around him, the complete opposite of Sayers and Allingham, whose detectives are the most flamboyant characters in the book.
A lot of the Marsh books are set in the theatre world, which I really like. There are a couple set in NZ and the rest are country house mysteries. She wrote from 1934 to 1982 and I'm keen to see how the books change over time.
Chap, how are you going with Margery Allingham? You said you were reading one during Pat's surgery, before you fell asleep, lol.
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kritter
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Post by kritter on Feb 4, 2016 0:50:09 GMT
I have gotten caught up in historical fiction.
I am becoming an expert in early English history of the kings and queens told in a story form instead of just the facts.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2016 15:34:07 GMT
What periods/people do you like best, Kritter? I'm a big Richard III fan and lately I've thought I'd like to read something on Boadicea (sp?).
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kritter
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Post by kritter on Feb 4, 2016 18:03:36 GMT
I have been stuck on Henry VIII and all his wives which I have enjoyed. I have started branching out from there.
Reading about them in "fiction" form is so much more interesting then reading about them in those boring history books.
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Post by titus730 on Feb 5, 2016 22:08:13 GMT
I love novels about Henry VIII and the entire Tudor clan but I also read non fiction about that period. For novels Philippa Gregory and Anya Seton are quite good. I also enjoy books about the Edwardian Age, either light histories or biographies.
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Post by titus730 on Feb 5, 2016 22:13:56 GMT
Well, "A Dark-Adapted Eye" by Barbara Vine/Ruth Rendell was pretty good. I think she must have put in some effort for once. It's not a thriller but there is an intriguing mystery in it. MissP, did you ever see the television adaptation of A Dark-Adapted Eye? It's wonderful with a first rate cast. Even though I saw it 10 years ago the story has stayed with me.
www.imdb.com/title/tt0109541/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2016 23:15:45 GMT
No, I didn't know there was such a thing. I wonder if I could find it anywhere. Titus, you must be loving the Downton Abbey craze, for all the books it's producing.
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Post by titus730 on Feb 5, 2016 23:37:53 GMT
No, I didn't know there was such a thing. I wonder if I could find it anywhere. Titus, you must be loving the Downton Abbey craze, for all the books it's producing. Love Downton Abbey but no books for me. Been there already with Dr. Who, Eastenders, etc. No more fan books!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2016 0:52:29 GMT
No, I didn't know there was such a thing. I wonder if I could find it anywhere. Titus, you must be loving the Downton Abbey craze, for all the books it's producing. Love Downton Abbey but no books for me. Been there already with Dr. Who, Eastenders, etc. No more fan books!Oh, I actually meant all the social histories and things. Before Downton Abbey there wasn't much. There's more fiction now, too. Most of it bad, unfortunately. I saw something once, a BBC thing, some kind of series, and all the (upper class) youngsters were doing this bizarre dance with lots of twirling and arm-waving. I've always wanted to find out more about that - what the really cool people did.
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kritter
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Post by kritter on Feb 6, 2016 1:41:00 GMT
I have several by Philippa Gregory lined up to read. I will probably start on The White Princess this weekend.
I just finished The Taming of the Queen.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2016 15:12:34 GMT
lol, I thought I wanted to read about Mary Queen of Scots but I looked her up in wikipedia and now I don't like her. If I was Elizabeth I I'd find her extremely annoying too.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2016 22:51:18 GMT
Hey, the "report abuse" buttons on Amazon reviews actually work!
I had one review removed because it was a massive spoiler on the murder weapon, which the author had been keeping secret til about 3/4 of the way through. I usually don't care about spoilers but a lot of people do and in this case the "review" was only two lines long so you really couldn't avoid seeing the spoiler. It just said something like "This book was boring" and then gave the spoiler. It was purely malicious so I reported it and it's gone.
The second one was just one of those dumb mis-directed reviews of the condition of the used book they received. Those idiots get my goat because their low stars drag down the book's rating unfairly. I just reported it to see what would happen - I won't bother again. Unless it's a book that I think is wonderful and deserves lots of stars. lol.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2016 0:29:48 GMT
I'm not a big fan of cozy mysteries so I had never heard of Simon Brett until recently. I'm reading the Charles Paris series now (I started at the first book from '75, can't believe my library had the older ones) and I love it. Charles is a professional stage actor, so if you've ever done any theater or you're just a theater buff, it makes the series that much more fun.
I don't have the focus to tackle Karin Slaughter and Chelsea Cain most nights any more. I save that stuff for school breaks now.
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Post by chapeaunoir on Mar 5, 2016 1:01:53 GMT
@misspettigrew Chap, how are you going with Margery Allingham? You said you were reading one during Pat's surgery, before you fell asleep, lol.
I'm on #12 now. Chris Luke is a marvel! He's best when he was first introduced - he's a really good, dynamic character. So far only one book has been a real bomb which was a Fashion in Shrouds - I wasn't sure if she was writing a story or some kind of maundering meditation on gender roles - it was awful. I understand she re-wrote it. No one in the Amazon reviews seemed to understand the proposal scene at the end because I don't think anyone who reviewed it was old enough to realise that it was an exercise in irony. At any rate, it didn't stick.
Her writing about the war years and post war years in London is fascinating.
I just finished the Cicero trilogy by Robert Harris - it's quasi-fiction (faction?) so I guess it can go here, but it's absolutely superb. Probably some of the best writing I've read in years - Harris has a plain, supple style which appeals to me. It's a 'biography' written from the point of view of his one-time slave and then freedman, the indispensable Tiro (who invented shorthand - in fact, we still use some of his symbols). It's described as 'politics as a blood sport' and it is. The progression of political events in Ancient Rome (at the death of the republic and the rise of Julius Caesar) at that time is also eerily close to the times now, with a democracy crumbling into an attempted coup for dictatorship.
Now back to Allingham lol. I'm also listening to Gordianus the Finder and the Decius Caecillia Metellus mysteries on audiobooks - I do that during ironing and putting photos through post.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2016 4:54:11 GMT
I've never listened to an audiobook. I suspect my mind would wander too much. Chap - The Fashion in Shrouds - I'm old and I didn't get the irony in the proposal scene. I might have if Val hadn't said yes so simply and immediately. Completely out of character for her and I don't understand why an author would shipwreck a character for an exercise in irony. It gave a nasty aftertaste to a book I had thoroughly enjoyed. You're approaching More Work for the Undertaker, where Luke has a big role and is extremely lovable. Lucky you.
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