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Lily Fairbairn
Half-elven
May 7, 3:59pm
Post #1 of 11
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It's the occasional reading thread!
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A moment of silence for our beloved Bernard Hill. Westu hál. Ferðu, Théoden, Ferðu.
On paper I've read a mystery titled No Strangers Here, written by Carlene O'Connor. She's done a lengthy cozy series set in Ireland, but when I read one of those I was underwhelmed. Then I saw that this is the first in another, more serious, series, and, well, Ireland. However, there's not a character here who isn't either wallowing in his/her own misery or who isn't causing misery to others. I ended up reading the last half of the book by turning over about five pages at a time, just to see whodunnit---and don't feel I missed a thing when I got there. (This book may be from a major publisher, but it's yet another publisher who's give up on editing).
Now I'm reading a much better book on paper: Ten Tomatoes That Changed the World, by William Alexander. Alexander is witty and informative, using the history of the humble tomato to explore culture, cuisine, economics, and much more.
I read another work of fiction, this time as a library ebook: The Decagon House Murders, written by Yukito Ayatsuji and translated from the Japanese original by Ho-Ling Wong. This mystery is an homage to Agatha Christie's classic And Then There Were None, which is referenced several times. I was interested in the Japanese aspects of the story, but don't think the mystery plays out as well here as it does in the Christie novel.
I have a paper copy of Ayatsuji's second novel, The Mill House Murders, and am hoping that his sophomore effort is a bit more original and cohesive. But it will be a while before I get around to it.
Speaking of Agatha Christie, I've also listened to Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories, read by the superb Juliet Stevenson. These are enjoyable, briskly written short mysteries which are dated in many ways. But then I find the dated-ness adds to the entertainment value.
Right now I'm listening to John Eyre: A Tale of Darkness and Shadow, by Mimi Matthews. The title alone makes it clear that this is a gender-reversal re-telling of Charlotte Bronte's classic Jane Eyre, very cleverly done in multiple ways. I saw a spoiler in a review, and can't help but wonder how soon I would have picked up on one major (but well set-up) change to the story if I hadn't.
I'm also still listening to Alexander the Great: His Life and His Mysterious Death, by Anthony Everitt. Alexander is now poised to invade India, but his own followers are growing restive after years of campaigning---and after Alexander begins seeing himself as an autocrat like the Persian kings he defeated.
So what have you been reading?
Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow....
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Annael
Immortal
May 7, 4:56pm
Post #2 of 11
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to find a new writer I like. There have been several books I've taken out from the library or downloaded to my e-reader that I could not finish because they're so poorly written. One had an enticing enough premise that I actually started it three times, but never made it past page 30. I left a review on Amazon that said only "The author needs to take a basic English composition course." The hazard of being an editor is that you can't ignore the mistakes -- especially when they pile on.
So I went back to some old favorites: Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver. It would be a better book if it was longer; a lot happens in a very short time, plot-wise; but that's its only fault. I love the characters, I love the beautiful descriptions of place, and the part about the daughter who moves home because 1. her dad is failing and 2. she's at a standstill in her own life has new resonance for me.
Now I'm re-reading, slowly and with relish, The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer. One of her best, imho. A down-on-her-luck young woman answers an ad for a governess but is mistaken for someone who has volunteered to be married (in name only) to a dissolute wretch for complicated legal reasons. She refuses, but when the wretch is stabbed and about to die, she's more or less strong-armed into going through with the marriage and is widowed within hours. She finds herself mistress of a mansion in poor repair that holds a secret--a secret that many others are trying to find. The mystery unfolds, but despite gunshots in the middle of the night and foreign spies sneaking about, it's light-hearted fun. The widow is no shrinking violet and the wordplay between her and the local lord is hilarious.
I laugh every time I read this bit. The widow has surprised a stranger in the house at midnight. He is gracious and begs forgiveness, saying he did not realize his friend was dead, and then leaves. She describes the man to the lord and his younger brother. The lord identifies the man, but the younger brother can't believe it, because the name is one of someone well-known and liked in the ton:
"But you can meet him everywhere!"
"Yes indeed. Mrs. Cheviot even seems to have met him here."
I am a dreamer of words, of written words.
-- Gaston Bachelard
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NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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Lily Fairbairn
Half-elven
May 7, 7:21pm
Post #3 of 11
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The hazard of being an editor is that you can't ignore the mistakes -- especially when they pile on.
Having written and edited for many years is one reason I have become impatient with fiction. That and having read voraciously for so long that everything reminds me of something else.
Thank goodness for old favorites!
Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow....
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Annael
Immortal
May 7, 7:54pm
Post #4 of 11
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yes, nonfiction seems to mostly keep up the standards
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I am also reading books about family estrangement and how it's usually the healthy ones who have to leave/get scapegoated out, as the rest don't want to look at the dysfunction and do the work to change. They're miserable, but it's a familiar misery, and changing means stepping into the unknown, which is too scary for most.
This is not a fear I share. Can't count how many times I've launched myself into a a new life with no anchor. My niece gave me this card years ago, and yeah, that's me.
https://i.pinimg.com/...95ce045e88254589.jpg
I am a dreamer of words, of written words.
-- Gaston Bachelard
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
(This post was edited by Annael on May 7, 7:54pm)
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DwellerInDale
Rohan
May 9, 9:54am
Post #5 of 11
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This is the new Leaphorn-Chee-Manuelito book from Anne Hillerman. The book is not really a mystery; rather, the story centers on events in the lives of the main characters. "Lost Birds" refers to Navajo children who were separated from their families and moved off the reservation. Definitely better written than The Way of the Bear.
The Girl in the Eagle's Talons: this is the new Lisbeth Salander (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) novel, this time written by Swedish writer Karin Smirnoff. Major disappointment. The book has no central mystery or very much to do with Lisbeth Salander or Mikael Blomqvist. Instead, the plot centers on a niece of Salander's previously unknown to her, plus Blomqvist's daughter and her shady fiance. The book reads like an early draft; I can't understand how any competent editor allowed it to be published in this form. The publishers perhaps just assumed that any Lisbeth Salander book will sell no matter the quality of the story.
Don't mess with my favorite female elves.
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Annael
Immortal
May 9, 4:59pm
Post #6 of 11
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thanks for directing me to "John Eyre."
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Thoroughly enjoyed it (I was under the weather yesterday and spent the entire day on the couch reading, which made my cat very happy) and going to look for other books by Mimi Matthews.
I am a dreamer of words, of written words.
-- Gaston Bachelard
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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Greenwood Hobbit
Valinor
May 10, 8:53pm
Post #7 of 11
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There are entertaining flashes of humour
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throughout Georgette Heyer's work that add lightness and humanity to the period settings and situations. I particularly like 'Frederica' for that.
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Lily Fairbairn
Half-elven
May 11, 3:30pm
Post #8 of 11
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I should finish listening to the audiobook today, and am wondering if Ms Matthews will conclude with "Reader, I married her."
Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow....
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Immortal
May 13, 4:28am
Post #9 of 11
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Ivanhoe (I can't believe it took me so long to give it a try.) It was a ripping yarn and no mistake.
Poor Miss Finch by Wilkie Collins: This was a melodrama about a blind young woman who falls in love with an identical twin. There's all kinds of wild stuff: a knock on a head that leads a character to become epileptic, and then he takes silver nitrate which turns him blue. Which wouldn't matter except that the girl regains her sight... The interesting and surprisingly modern part was where the girl finds being able to see disconcerting: she can't gauge distance, or recognize shapes by sight until she feels them.
There are lots of wacky characters, including a nit-wit but surprisingly likeable mother-in-law. The point-of-view character is a wonderfully strong-minded woman who is a hired companion for the blind girl and is a great deadpan snarker.
And then I read this month's free kindle book, which was The Promise of Tomorrow by Mary Ellen Taylor, a mainstream novel set in 2023 Virginia. A woman gets pregnant and marries a man she doesn't know well, then miscarries the baby and goes on a road trip alone to get away from her grief. After a year, she comes back to sign divorce papers. Will they/won't they get back together? You can probably guess. It wasn't great literature and there were places I was rolling my eyes at plot holes, but it was enjoyable enough that I read it in a couple of days.
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GNU Terry Pratchett
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"For DORA BAGGINS in memory of a LONG correspondence, with love from Bilbo; on a large wastebasket. Dora was Drogo's sister, and the eldest surviving female relative of Bilbo and Frodo; she was ninety-nine, and had written reams of good advice for more than half a century."
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"A Chance Meeting at Rivendell" and other stories
leleni at hotmail dot com
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cats16
Half-elven
May 13, 10:50pm
Post #10 of 11
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I'll have to check out that Wilkie Collins book sometime
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I've read three of his and this one sounds interesting!
Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Sat, 10:46pm
Post #11 of 11
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The lastest issue of Smithosonian magazine
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I was intrigued by the article about the hiking trail that connects the ancient ruins in the Pisidia area of Turkey. As best as anyone knows, these cities were for centuries well-populated and cultural, but they started being abandoned and falling into ruin by 600 CE, and now all that's left are a few walls, remnants of roads, and fallen stones, all being overtaken by nature. It reminded me of Legolas talking about the stones of abandoned Eregion.
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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