Mysterymax's 2015 Challenge

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Mysterymax's 2015 Challenge

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1mysterymax
Edited: Sep 16, 2014, 8:29 pm

'Tis the Ides....

My 2015 Challenge needs to be easier for me to keep track of as it seems my life is getting hectic. I've had trouble keeping my 'ticker' up to date, it never seems to match the number of books I seem to have entered. So this year a ticker at the end of each month.

As well, So many of my books usually fit in several categories so that gets confusing and winds up being a not really valid indicator of the books, and types of books I have been reading. This year I am going to have 12 'categories' - one for each month. They will be highlighted with an event that occurred on the 'ides' (the 15th) of the month. I will hope for at least 15 books per month, and I hope to read mostly books that would be in keeping with the event of the month...but I am not going to hold myself to it... we'll just do what we can. (After all, I can't wait until December to read steampunk!)

2mysterymax
Edited: Jan 31, 2015, 6:43 pm

January
15 January 1947 - The corpse of Elizabeth Short "The Black Dahlia" was discovered.



Mystery and Crime is the overall theme.

1. The Whites by Harry Brandt - 4.0
2. Dreadnought by Cherie Priest - 4.0
3. Einstein Must Die by Chris Kohout - 3.5
4. A Taste For Death by P. D. James - 3.5
5. The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott - 3.5
6. The Sayers Swindle by Victoria Abbott - 3.5
7. The Wolfe Widow by Victoria Abbott - 3.5
8. The Murder of the Century by Paul Collins - 3/5
9. Thieftaker by D. B. Jackson - 4.0
10 A Death in Summer by Benjamin Black - 3.0
11 Strange Shores by Arnaldur Indridason - 3.5
12 Steampunk Holmes : Legacy of the Nautilus by P. C. Martin - 3.5
13 Winter House by Carol O'Connell - 3.5

4mysterymax
Edited: Apr 1, 2015, 7:30 am

March
15 March 44 BC - Julius Caesar was assassinated. (You guessed that one, right?)



Historical fiction and anything historical for this one overall.

1. Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes - 4.5
2. Dead Wake by Erik Larson - 4.0
3. The Hollywood Murders by Ellery Queen - 4.0
4. The Day of Atonement by David Liss - 4.0
5. A Fine Summer's Day by Charles Todd - 4.0
6. Snake Bite by Andrew Lane - 4.0
7. Oscar Wilde and a Game Called Murder by Giles Brandreth - 4.0
8. The Gates of Rome by Conn Iggulden - 4.0
9. The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook by Kate White - 5.0
10 Festive in Death by J. D. Robb - 3.5
11 Obsession in Death by J. D. Robb - 3.5
12 The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters - 3.0

6mysterymax
Edited: Jun 6, 2015, 10:47 am

May
15 May 1973 - Nolan Ryan pitches his first no-hitter



Baseball, of course.

Now it looks as if I won't get many baseball books read in May as I will be away for the whole month. Have loaded down my ipad with books, but they are almost all mysteries. I will list them here, of course.

1. Stray Souls by Kate Griffin - 5.0
2. The Glass God by Kate Griffin - 5.0
3. Sally's in the Alley by Norbert Davis - 4.0
4. The Club of Queer Trades by G. K. Chesterton -3.0
5. This Doesn't Happen In the Movies by Renee Pawlish - 4.0
6. The Mystery of the Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux - 4.0
7. Ratcatcher by Tim Stevens - 4.0
8. At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie - 3.0
9. Never Say Spy by Diane Henders - 3.5
10. Oh, Murder Mine by Norbert Davis - 4.0
11. The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor - 3.5
12. Terminal City by Linda Fairstein - 3.5
13. The Informationist by Taylor Stevens - 4.0

7mysterymax
Edited: Jul 3, 2015, 6:58 am

June
15 June 1921 - Bessie Coleman becomes the first African-American to obtain a pilot's license (She had to go to France to get it)



Women!!!

1. Irreparable Harm by Melissa F. Miller - 4.0
2. 4:50 From Paddington by Agatha Christie - 4.0
3. The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules by Catharina Ingelman Sundberg - 4.0
4. Sabine by Nicolas Freeling - 3.0
5. The Diamond Conspiracy by Philippa Ballantine - 4.0
6. The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein - 3.0
7. Murder in Pigalle by Cara Black - 4.0
8. Murder on the Champ de Mars by Cara Black - 3.0
9. The Doll by Taylor Stevens - 4.0
10. Time and Again by Jack Finney - 3.5

8mysterymax
Edited: Jul 31, 2015, 2:51 pm

9mysterymax
Edited: Dec 20, 2014, 8:31 am

August
15 August 1994 - The assassin Llich Rameriz Sanchez (The Jackal) is arrested



Here's where we put assassins, thieves, anti-heros and assorted bad guys.

10mysterymax
Edited: Dec 20, 2014, 8:32 am

September
15 September 1890 - Agatha Christie's Birthday



Classic mysteries is the overall theme.

11mysterymax
Edited: Dec 20, 2014, 8:32 am

October
15 October 1917 - Mati Hari executed



Spies!!!

12mysterymax
Edited: Dec 20, 2014, 8:33 am

November
15 November 1904 - Ethel Barrymore says, "That's all there is. There isn't any more." as the curtain falls



Anthologies and essays overall theme.

13mysterymax
Edited: Dec 20, 2014, 8:35 am

December
15 December 1854 - The first street cleaning machine is patented



Steampunk and science fiction of all sorts is the overall theme.

15mysterymax
Edited: Aug 1, 2015, 7:49 am

Cooking With KIT
Doing this while sticking to my diet will be tricky.
January - focus breakfast/eggs
- The Tabasco Cookbook by Paul McIlhenny - Shirred Eggs With Sherried Mushrooms

ER Reads
Nov 2014 Batch: The Whites by Harry Brandt
Dec 2014 Batch: Dead Wake by Erik Larson
Oct 2014 Batch: The Day of Atonement by David Liss
January 2015 Batch: never received
February 2015 Batch: The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook
March 2015 Batch: A Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre
April 2015 Batch: not yet received
May 2015 Batch: The Mask (Taylor Stevens) by Taylor Stevens
June 2015 Batch: no book
July 2015 Batch:

RandomCAT
Feb: Book made into a movie
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Holes by Louis Sachar
Mar: Everybody's doing it
The Last Policeman by Ben Winters
May: Life Changes

16mysterymax
Edited: Aug 1, 2015, 7:51 am

The Best of the Batch & Some Disappointments

January
Best: Dreadnought
Disappointing: A Death in Summer

February
Best: The Glass Sentence
Disappointing: I Came, I Saw, I Lost My Luggage

March
Best: Matterhorn
Disappointing: The Last Policeman

April
Best: And Hell Followed With It
Disappointing: The Last Voyage of the Lusitania

May
Best: Stray Souls
Disappointing: The Club of Queer Trades

June
Best: The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules
Disappointing: Sabine

July
Best: Dry Bones
Disappointing: Vicious Circle

17.Monkey.
Sep 2, 2014, 4:57 am

I see your posts are as full of info as mine! ;P

18majkia
Sep 2, 2014, 6:37 am

oh, the suspense!

19mysterymax
Sep 2, 2014, 6:40 am

I have decided on the content of those saved sections - just didn't/don't have the time right now to get it all in there.

>18 majkia: Maybe its a good idea - add some suspense for all the mystery fans, he he.

20mamzel
Sep 2, 2014, 5:46 pm

I'll be back!

21-Eva-
Sep 15, 2014, 12:26 am

Have you and @PolymathicMonkey been planning categories together?? :) Looking forward to coming back.

22mysterymax
Sep 16, 2014, 8:32 pm

About the 'Black Dahlia' - James Ellory wrote a book about the murder and there was a movie, but apparently the movie bore little relation to the actual crime.

23DeltaQueen50
Sep 21, 2014, 2:51 pm

You've been very clever with your dates and themes. Looking forward to following your reading again next year. I have Black Dahlia by James Ellroy on my shelves, but I have to admit the movie sort of put me off reading it.

24MissWatson
Sep 22, 2014, 3:48 am

There are some amazing finds here. Looking forward to your reading!

25mysterymax
Sep 22, 2014, 9:43 am

>23 DeltaQueen50: It was a very gruesome murder but it is my understanding that the movie took a lot of liberties with the actual crime.

26Bjace
Sep 22, 2014, 2:05 pm

I read The Black Dahlia and don't remember liking it that much. Actually, I can barely remember it and there was some sort of romance. Very clever theme.

27rabbitprincess
Sep 22, 2014, 5:00 pm

Great theme! Also, didn't realize I'd missed Dame Agatha's birthday last week! So I shall wish her a very early one for next year ;)

28mysterymax
Sep 22, 2014, 5:45 pm

I will probably won't be reading The Black Dahlia, either, since I don't have a copy and I am really going to try to read off my shelves even more than I did this year. But I felt it was an interesting event for Jan 15th. Tons of books about the event, movies, etc.

29dudes22
Sep 23, 2014, 8:28 am

I think your plan is very clever. I look forward to seeing what you'll be reading in each month.

30VivienneR
Sep 27, 2014, 1:39 pm

Very interesting to read of all the events occurring on the 15th. Yours is a very clever theme, I look forward to following your reading.

31Tazoh
Sep 30, 2014, 11:09 am

This is pretty much fantastic! I adore the teddy bear trivia....and the illustration. :)

32thornton37814
Dec 6, 2014, 9:23 pm

Dropping in to hang my star. Always fun to see what you are reading.

33mysterymax
Dec 7, 2014, 11:44 am

Glad to have you all on board!

34lkernagh
Dec 25, 2014, 6:56 pm

A monthly theme idea sounds perfect and I really like the event choices you have chosen to represent your categories. Ironically, my other half and I just watched the movie "The Black Dahlia" the other evening. What a wonderful noir movie and great cast too!

35mysterymax
Jan 4, 2015, 6:55 am

My first read for the year was The Whites by Harry Brandt. It was my November ER book and it fit so well into the Jan. theme I waited to read it.

Hard to get into as every time I picked it up I was tired and there were so many characters I couldn't keep them straight. But it turned out to be a very good police procedural. The Whites are those criminals that get away with a horrendous crime and then their case haunts the detective even into retirement. Here they begin winding up dead. It was a good read with some real moral questions and characters that were completely real. 4 stars.

36Tanya-dogearedcopy
Jan 4, 2015, 2:00 pm

>35 mysterymax: The Whites is on my January read list as well! I picked in based on my love for Richard Price's book, Lush Life (which is also excellent in audio format, narrated by Bobby Canavale.) I wonder why he chose to write under a pen-name, but then be so open about it?

37mysterymax
Jan 4, 2015, 3:23 pm

>36 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I am only guessing but I have noticed that sometimes very good authors use a pen name when writing in a genre that is markedly different from their usual stuff. Catherine Webb uses her real name for her YA books, but writes as Kate Griffin when she writes adult stuff. And I can remember from my bookmobile librarian days when Len Deighton wrote "Only When I Laugh". Readers were incensed as they had expected a spy novel and this wasn't. But, like I said, it is only a guess...no insider info. Maybe his web-site comments?

38mysterymax
Jan 6, 2015, 10:56 am

For the Sci-fi KIT I read Dreadnought by Cherie Priest. This was the followup to Boneshaker.

39mysterymax
Jan 8, 2015, 9:18 am

One more for the Sci-fiKIT - Einstein Must Die by Chris Kohout. This is one that readers either hate or love. Those that don't like it seem to have all sorts of reasons - but I choose to look at it simply and say was it entertaining? Yes. Not the best steampunk I have read, but not the worse. If there is a second book in the series will I read it? Probably.

The story involves a war in 1910 between Britain and the US and tank with a human mind, Einstein and Churchill in England and Tesla and Edison in the US. As in a lot of scifi fiction the rivalry between the two of them makes up the basis for some of what happens, and as usual Edison is painted as the 'bad guy'.

40mysterymax
Edited: Jan 11, 2015, 7:22 pm

My AlphaKit book is A Taste For Death by P. D. James. I am not sure that it warranted 459 pages.

One thing I really liked in the book was Dalgliesh's view of London:

"London, laid out beneath him under a low ceiling of silver-grey cloud,looked eternal, rooted, domestic .... Sometimes it had the softness and immediacy of watercolour, sometimes, in high summer, when the park burgeoned with greenness, it had the rich texture of oil. This morning it was a steel engraving, hard-edged, grey, one-dimensional."

41VivienneR
Jan 11, 2015, 9:48 pm

Great quote from P. D. James. That's a perfect description of a view of London.

42mysterymax
Jan 13, 2015, 10:11 am

The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott was an enjoyable cozy. I have never found that cozy mysteries are too difficult to solve quickly. What makes them good, for me anyway, are the characters. Can you get attached to them? Are they interesting? Do they 'work'?

An ad brings Jordan to the Van Alst household. She is employed to find a manuscript of an Agatha Christie play, rumored to possibly be for sale.

This is the first book in the 'book collector series' and when I think about other 'first in the series' books I have to say that I thought it was better than A is for Alibi. The characters - all of them - were great. I immediately had to go check out the second book to see if Jordan would remain in the employ of Vera. The answer is yes, and I feel the need to stop typing so I can start the second book!

43LittleTaiko
Jan 13, 2015, 1:57 pm

I enjoyed The Christie Curse as well as I found the characters to be refreshingly different from other cozies somehow. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the second book in the series to see if I should seek it out sooner than later.

44mysterymax
Jan 13, 2015, 2:16 pm

>43 LittleTaiko: I love her relationship with her uncles. I agree, the characters were refreshingly different. I am going to start the second one as soon as I do the dishes and get my clothes out of the dryer! It's too cold today to run errands. (what an excuse for reading, eh?!)

45LittleTaiko
Jan 13, 2015, 4:20 pm

>44 mysterymax: Perfect excuse! I used the same excuse this past weekend and it was wonderful. Love winter hibernation with lots of reading.

46rabbitprincess
Jan 13, 2015, 6:03 pm

>42 mysterymax: Yay! I like this series too. The uncles are my favourites. I got the third book in the series for myself as a Christmas present and am looking forward to reading it!

47mysterymax
Jan 13, 2015, 10:25 pm

Does she keep a thing going with Lance, the librarian?

48rabbitprincess
Jan 13, 2015, 10:28 pm

They are at least still friends... wow, that's terrible, I really can't remember!

49mysterymax
Jan 13, 2015, 10:29 pm

How's your cold?

50rabbitprincess
Edited: Jan 14, 2015, 5:18 pm

Much better, thanks! :)

I hope you're keeping well!

51Dejah_Thoris
Jan 14, 2015, 8:46 pm

I really likes your Ides theme - excellent choices for your Categories!

I read The Christie Curse a while back and I enjoyed it but haven't felt motivated to pick you the other two? that have been published. One of these days..... In truth, I used to read a lot more mystery than I do now. I've fallen back into the Fantasy and SF habit.

52mysterymax
Jan 16, 2015, 10:53 am

>50 rabbitprincess: Glad to hear you're getting back to normal. I hate colds.

I'm doing pretty good. Some good days and some bad days. My diet seems to have hit a plateau and I have been at a standstill for a month now. Lost a total of 37 lbs since I started, I get it up to 40 and then slide back. Going to have to make a real push.

>51 Dejah_Thoris: I hear you. Usually I am not too motivated to follow up on cozy series. I much prefer the hard-boiled detective or a police procedural, but I like this one. Just finished the second.

53mysterymax
Edited: Jan 16, 2015, 10:56 am

The Sayers Swindle by Victoria Abbott has Jordan seeking her cranky boss's missing Dorothy L. Sayers first editions. Lots of danger and excitement. I was going to do a non-fiction next, but have decided to finish with the published ones in this series first

54luvamystery65
Jan 16, 2015, 4:46 pm

Amazing categories! Book bullet with The Whites. I need to read more classic mystery novels.

55mysterymax
Edited: Jan 31, 2015, 6:53 pm

>54 luvamystery65: Hope you don't need a bandage from the BB injury! I enjoyed The Whites. I finally put a post it note on the page that described each of the police officers and the person that was their "white" as I had to keep going back and checking to see who was who for awhile.

56mysterymax
Jan 19, 2015, 9:43 am

Finished The Wolfe Widow by Victoria Abbott so I am caught up with the series. Things really heated up. Someone arrives at the Van Alst house, moves in, has Jordon, the Signora, and Uncle Kev evicted. Vera's not the only one whose life in danger. I am going to continue with this series.

57rabbitprincess
Jan 19, 2015, 5:04 pm

>56 mysterymax: Wow! I really have to get to that one soon! That sounds intense.

PS I am going for tea at the Chateau Laurier on Friday and will raise a cup to you and paruline :)

58mysterymax
Jan 19, 2015, 11:44 pm

Wish I could be there! Have fun.

59mysterymax
Jan 21, 2015, 12:15 pm

I thought The Murder of the Century by Paul Collins would be a fitting read for the month. A sensationalized murder just as was that of "The Black Dahlia". The murder was of a man, dismembered, whose body parts were found across New York City. But the book was more about the yellow journalism, and journalists of the day. The book wasn't spell-binding, or tense, but it was well organized, well written, well research and documented. I found it to be quite an 'eye-opener'.

60mysterymax
Edited: Jan 24, 2015, 4:29 pm

Finished Thieftaker by D. B. Jackson. This fit into the AphaCAT. I also placed it in the SFFFCAT because someone else put it there I guess as it had a historical element. Steampunk should really be Victorian Era, and there really weren't any steampunk elements. It was really urban fantasy in a historical setting rather than present day or future. It really isn't alternative history either, as the historical part is pretty much correct. So it would have fit well into the genre benders month.

The read was great. You were really pulled into the time period and the character of Ethan.

61cbl_tn
Jan 24, 2015, 5:11 pm

>59 mysterymax: I listened to the audio of that one a few years ago. I wasn't expecting the journalism focus either. I thought it was a good study of a case built on circumstantial evidence.

62mysterymax
Jan 25, 2015, 12:01 am

>61 cbl_tn: And it was a cold wake-up about how far we have come in police procedure. Journalist walking all over a crime scene, etc etc. And the media circus - guess the O.J. trial wasn't such an aberration after all.

63mysterymax
Edited: Jan 27, 2015, 10:19 am

Entered my egg breakfast in the CookingKit - Shirred Eggs with Mushrooms from The Tabasco Cookbook by Paul McIlhenny. It's a good little cookbook, not a lot of recipies, but some very good ones including a chicken mole.

The book is also 'peppered' with interesting history and trivia about Tabasco such as the fact that in 1893 the Hasty Pudding Club at Harvard University produced a Tabasco opera which was even staged in New York.

64Dejah_Thoris
Jan 27, 2015, 10:27 am

>63 mysterymax: Which just goes to prove that with enough money and influence you can get ANYTHING produced in NYC. Snicker.

65mysterymax
Jan 27, 2015, 4:40 pm

What I wonder about is what is there about Tabasco that you could make an opera out of?!?

66rabbitprincess
Edited: Jan 27, 2015, 5:37 pm

Just saw your post on VioletBramble's thread and am stopping by to see how you're holding up with the weather.

67mysterymax
Jan 27, 2015, 11:08 pm

We did get snow, but not anything like what was predicted. Power is still on so I think all is well. Hubby was on his way back to Ottawa and had a flat tire, but I got an email that he was back safe and sound as well.

68Tanya-dogearedcopy
Jan 28, 2015, 12:36 am

>60 mysterymax: Yeah, I agree that "Steampunk", given the surprising number of people who opted for the comfort of a novel set in the Victorian Era vs a Steampunk title, it should have been renamed. When the phrase, "... and Historical SFF" was added to the description, I thought it was to include books in the spirit of Jules Verne. When I was pulling lists of possible reads for people though, time and again, I kept seeing Sherlock Holmes included in the sets, so I thought I should include them. "Historical SFF" got interpreted very broadly; but regardless of what people picked for the SFFF cat, I'm hoping everyone who participated found something they enjoyed; and hopefully one or two people tried something new and liked it :-)

69mysterymax
Jan 28, 2015, 9:10 am

>68 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I remember the first steampunk book I read - didn't even know there was such a term - and I described the book as a "rollicking good adventure store". And of course I am of an age when the term 'punk' was very much a negative term, so there I was thinking "I like steampunk???"

70mysterymax
Jan 28, 2015, 9:18 am

I picked up A Death in Summer because I had read The Black Eyed Blonde and really liked it. I will say up-front that Benjamin Black is a very good writer. But there were several times when I wanted to give up on this book. It moved so slowly that I wasn't sure that the murder was even being investigated, much less that it would ever be solved. There are many, many clues as to who the murderer is and the motive, but they are so buried amidst all the other slow moving stuff that one could fail to recognize them - or right off the bat you know and you wonder what it took the whole book to figure it out. When I started the book I was so impressed with Black's writing that I wanted to get his other ones in the series, but I think I will pass. Once was enough.

71dudes22
Jan 29, 2015, 11:43 am

Glad you made out ok with the storm. Pete and I are in Alabama for a month so I managed to luck out and miss it.

72mysterymax
Jan 29, 2015, 9:17 pm

>71 dudes22: Very nice play! Hope you are having a good time. We only got about 8 inches, but it has turned bitterly cold today. (minus 6 F)

73mysterymax
Jan 29, 2015, 9:23 pm

Mixed feelings about Strange Shores by Arnaldur Indridason. I have really enjoyed all of these Inspector Erlendur books so far, but this one is probably not my favorite. Only because he is the only one involved. He is visiting his childhood home and learns of a woman that went missing in a blizzard and gets intrigued by what might have happened to her as his younger brother was also lost in a storm when they were children. Of course, it turns out that it wasn't the storm that killed her. It was good, but I enjoy the actual police cases more.

74mysterymax
Jan 29, 2015, 9:27 pm

Then a quick, fun read, Steampunk Holmes by P. C. Martin. This will also go into my SFFF reads. It works well as a Sherlock Holmes pastiche. The steampunk elements are all there as well: strong female - Mycroft is his sister, robot or mechanical man or parts thereof - Watson has a mechanical arm, rather than a limp, and transportation - hot air balloons and a motorized cycle, and an adventure - trying to recover Britain's plans for rebuilding the Nautilus.

75Tanya-dogearedcopy
Jan 30, 2015, 1:57 pm

>74 mysterymax: Oh! That's sounds like fun! I won't be able to read it before the month is out; but I think I'll take the BB :-)

76Chrischi_HH
Jan 31, 2015, 5:22 am

I'm still trying to find my way around to all the other threads, so now it's yours. I really like your set-up. Monthly reading sounds so simple and broad, but combined with the events and themes it's just so clever!

I like mysteries and thrillers myself, so I will be happy to follow your readings. First BB taken, The Christie Curse. :)

77mysterymax
Jan 31, 2015, 7:51 am

>76 Chrischi_HH: Enjoy! I'm not a huge fan of cozies, but I really enjoyed all three and am looking forward to the next one.

78rabbitprincess
Jan 31, 2015, 8:56 am

I second mysterymax's recommendation! :)

79hailelib
Jan 31, 2015, 2:26 pm

A female Mycroft!?

80mysterymax
Jan 31, 2015, 5:24 pm

Every steampunk book has to have a strong female character...

81mysterymax
Jan 31, 2015, 7:10 pm

January in Review
My theme was mystery and crime with 11 books falling in that category, and 4 falling into the SFFF Cat challenge. (Two counted in both). All were off my own shelves.

Books Read: 13
Reviews Written: 4
Off My Shelves: 13
New Authors: 6

Book That Left Me Breathless:Dreadnought by Cherie Priest
Mystery I Enjoyed the Most: The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott
Biggest Disappointment: A Death in Summer by Benjamin Black
Honorable Mention: Thieftaker by D. B. Jackson

Cooking with Kit: The Tabasco Cookbook
RandomCAT reads:
SFFF Cat: Dreadnought, Einstein Must Die, Thieftaker, Steampunk Holmes : Legacy of the Nautilus
AlphaKit: A Taste for Death, Thieftaker

82mysterymax
Jan 31, 2015, 7:18 pm

So now I have to put my 'unread' Jan books back and make my FEB pile.

83DeltaQueen50
Jan 31, 2015, 11:05 pm

I love this time of the month, when I get to pull a fresh pile of books down from the shelf.

84-Eva-
Feb 1, 2015, 1:04 am

>63 mysterymax:
I want to hear the Tabasco opera!!

>81 mysterymax:
13 total is very nice indeed - congrats!

85Dejah_Thoris
Feb 1, 2015, 12:22 pm

Great reading for January! And I'm doubly impressed that they all came off you own shelves. I hope you're having a great weekend!

86mysterymax
Feb 1, 2015, 1:04 pm

Yes, my weekend. Well we didn't do too badly with the 'monster storm' but instead we got another common variety Vermont 8 inches. So all those stories about crocus, daffodils, and picnics on the beach ...

87leslie.98
Feb 1, 2015, 1:16 pm

>86 mysterymax: Are you getting hit by this next storm (coming into Boston tonight and lasting through Monday) as well? Hope you have wood on the woodpile for nice reading by the fire...

I am also impressed with your all your Jan. books coming from your shelves!

88mysterymax
Feb 1, 2015, 6:26 pm

>87 leslie.98: Who knows? When they say we'll be hit, we aren't; and when they just say 'snow' we get dumped on.

89thornton37814
Feb 1, 2015, 10:08 pm

>83 DeltaQueen50: Isn't it fun? I will have to wait to do that. I've got several ARCs on my iPad that I need to read as well as a couple of library books. I will need to check out a couple more library books to complete my British and American author challenges, but I'm hoping to get into some of the "borrowed" books this month too.

90dudes22
Feb 2, 2015, 9:14 am

You've had a good reading month. We're heading back to RI tomorrow and expect cold, cold temps when we get back.

91mamzel
Edited: Feb 2, 2015, 3:21 pm

And here in the Bay Area - not a drop of rain for the whole month of January!

PS - That's not a brag but a desperate cry for drought relief!

92mysterymax
Feb 2, 2015, 3:07 pm

>90 dudes22: Be glad you are coming today! We are having a blizzard, heavy snow fall and high winds. I am going to post an 'after' picture to match the one I had before... when this is all over. Cancelled the library board meeting for tonight.

93sturlington
Feb 2, 2015, 3:24 pm

I know the year is already well under way, but I just wanted to say that I like your categories. I like the idea of organizing reading by month. I usually have trouble sticking to a year-long plan. And it looks like you got a lot of reading done in January!

94mysterymax
Feb 2, 2015, 3:43 pm

Thanks! It is working so far...

95mysterymax
Edited: Feb 3, 2015, 10:54 am

Finished Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. It fit into my Feb. category as kids certainly devoured the book when it was written. It also fit the SFFF Cat, being written 1870, and it fit the RandomCAT, having been made into a movie (at least three times).

The twenty thousand leagues was the distance traveled in the Nautilus while Professor Aronnax, Conseil and Ned Land were aboard, not the depth they dove to. I think the book contains the best example of pragmatism one could hope for:

"If you're invited to hunt bears in the Swiss mountains, you might say, "Oh, good. I get to go bear hunting tomorrow!" If you're invited to hunt lions in the Atlas plains you might say, "Ha! Now's my chance to hunt lions and tigers!" But if you're invited to hunt sharks in their native element, you might want to think it over before accepting." - Professor Aronnax.

96mysterymax
Feb 3, 2015, 11:13 pm

Finished As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley. My least favorite of this series. I prefer Flavia at Buckshaw with her chemistry lab.

97mysterymax
Feb 4, 2015, 10:00 am

This month, since I am focusing on children's books, I will have lots of smaller reads. One of my 'favorite' authors is Daniel Pinkwater and hopefully I will get to lots of his, starting with this one. The Hoboken Chicken Emergency. If you think of them a short stories instead of kid's books, you see why even though he is a children's author, the average age of his fans is 40!

In this one, young Arthur Bobowicz is sent out to pick up a turkey for Thanksgiving. Instead, he comes home with Henrietta - a 266 lb chicken that was taller than he was.

It's a 'tall tale' in the grand tradition of tall tales and laugh-out-loud funny.

98Dejah_Thoris
Feb 4, 2015, 10:03 am

>96 mysterymax: I missed Flavia being in her laboratory, too. Flavia does not belong in school in Canada! We'll see what the future holds.....

99mysterymax
Feb 4, 2015, 7:21 pm

For the AlphaCat I did I Came, I Saw, I Lost My Luggage. I'll have to work to find a book that disappoints me more than this one. I thought it would be humor. Well, the Introduction was funny. In fact, the description of the Atlanta airport had me in stitches (having been there myself) -

"Worse still, land in Atlanta, Georga, where they have the craziest luggage system I've ever come across anywhere in the entire galaxy. You get your luggage from the carousel. You go through Immigration. You go through Customs. I'm not saying they're slow. It's just that the last time I went through my passport expired by the time I got up to the desk."

But the rest of the book was full of all the negative things he has come to know of the countries he covered. About the only place that came off without the brunt of his scathing reports was Ho Chi Minh City. This one I am donating to the library booksale.

100hailelib
Feb 5, 2015, 1:52 pm

Sounds like you've already read your disappointing book for this month! And such a great title too.

101mysterymax
Feb 5, 2015, 3:05 pm

Yeap. The next line was "Et tu, Swazi Air?" But he didn't even get to eastern or southern Africa, where travel is a thing unto itself. In fact, other than the introduction, there wasn't anything really about luggage or airports, just very negative 'snapshots' of the towns/countries included.

102DeltaQueen50
Feb 5, 2015, 6:13 pm

>99 mysterymax: Have to agree with the author about the Atlanta airport. My sister was returning from Europe and had to change planes at Atlanta. She and quite a few others ended up missing their connection as customs and security were so slow.

103mysterymax
Feb 6, 2015, 12:59 am

The only good experience with slow (but thorough) custom/immigration people was leaving Tel Aviv on El Al. I was nearly at the back of a long line. Turned out they had overbooked... so when I got done getting my luggage cleared they just threw me into an empty first class seat. Very nice

104mysterymax
Feb 6, 2015, 1:00 am

Finished Catherine, Called Birdy. Not the best, but not the worst. She did have spirit.

105cbl_tn
Feb 6, 2015, 6:26 am

My father, a couple of my brothers' friends and I flew out of Atlanta to Mexico for my brother's wedding. When we flew back into Atlanta, we didn't get out of the airport until exactly 2 hours from the time our plane touched down. Ugh!

106mysterymax
Feb 6, 2015, 8:53 am

The only reason to fly into Atlanta, in my opinion, is if you are actually going to Atlanta... even then it might be faster to fly somewhere else close and drive to Atlanta, lol!

107mysterymax
Edited: Feb 6, 2015, 9:01 am

Just finished Looking for Bobowicz by Daniel Manus Pinkwater. I hadn't read this one before. It is actually twice the length of The Hoboken Chicken Emergency. I loved it. This is a follow up to the other one. Years later and three kids are looking for Henrietta. In desperation for information the turn to their local librarian, Starr Lackawanna -

"Sterling," Starr Lackawanna said. "It was Sterling. I never forget a first name."
"Astonishing!" I said.
"Amazing!" Bruno Ugg said.
"Astounding!" Loretta Fischetti said.
"I live to astonish, amaze, and astound," Starr Lackawanna said. "Those are things librarians do well."

You've got to love Pinkwater.

108lkernagh
Feb 7, 2015, 8:46 am

>96 mysterymax: - I just finished that one.... not my favorite in the series. I wasn't overly keen on the previous one either. Here is hoping Bradley goes back to his original formula for the next book.

109mysterymax
Feb 7, 2015, 9:14 am

Agreed, fingers crossed! It's sad when, for whatever reason, a series suddenly goes south on you. But it keeps us busy looking for new series, I guess. I usually give the series one more try before giving up. I'm in that situation with the Eve Dallas series by JD Robb. The last one was truly awful so I am hoping the new one gets back on track. I haven't been buying the Robb books, just reading them from the library but I have been collecting the Bradley series. Think I will read the next one from the library to make sure I want to spend the money.

110leslie.98
Feb 7, 2015, 12:50 pm

>109 mysterymax: I gave up on the Eve Dallas series a while ago. You aren't tempting me to change my mind about that with your comment above!

111mysterymax
Feb 7, 2015, 1:15 pm

>110 leslie.98: I wish that when an author gets tired of a series, or wants to do something different they would just start a new series instead of trying to remake the one already going.

112mysterymax
Edited: Feb 7, 2015, 1:37 pm

Finished Peter Pan and Wendy by J. M. Barrie. Now I am eager to read the rest of the Starcatcher series. - Can't find the right touchstone for my copy. Also there is something wrong with the world when the first touchstone for Peter Pan and Wendy is by Walt Disney.

Edited to add touchstone which was under Peter Pan rather than Peter Pan and Wendy. There are lots of copies of PP&W listed, but none come to this book. I have the edition illustrated by Attwell and there are two for the Atwell edition, but neither come to this book. Probably a nightmare for some one that likes to combine, lol.

My copy has such thick pages (uncut also) that I kept thinking I had turned multiple pages!

113mysterymax
Feb 7, 2015, 2:45 pm

I must spend at least a quarter of my time hunting for things... keys, glasses, my cup of coffee... Somewhere in my pile of books is an ER book waiting to be dealt with. Think I can find it?

114mamzel
Feb 7, 2015, 3:54 pm

there is something wrong with the world when the first touchstone for Peter Pan and Wendy is by Walt Disney.

Right?

I, too, am at the time of my life where I have to leave things in a precise spot so I can find them again. Luckily I always wear my glasses so there's no chance of me losing those!

115VioletBramble
Feb 7, 2015, 8:39 pm

>114 mamzel: LOL- I've lost my glasses while wearing them. After wearing them for hours I sometimes no longer "feel" them on my face. I've looked for them for minutes before realizing they're on my face. I blame menopause.

116mysterymax
Edited: Feb 8, 2015, 12:28 am

>114 mamzel: Then menopause must be a permanent condition...

117dudes22
Feb 8, 2015, 8:10 am

Are you due for a lot of snow today? Tomorrow? Tuesday? Close to the coast, we're only supposed to get 8-12. But snow maps look like you guys in the north might get a lot more.

118mysterymax
Feb 8, 2015, 8:55 am

Everyone is bracing for it, but it seems like when the weather says we are getting a huge dump, we don't, and when they just say snow we get a ton. I blame it on the mini-climes we have here. It all depends on which mountain you are behind... Right now it is coming down quite heavily.

119-Eva-
Edited: Feb 8, 2015, 6:55 pm

>99 mysterymax:
What a shame - that title sounds so appealing!

>103 mysterymax:
The Ben Gurion staff is nothing if not thorough! My luggage was violated in ways I blush to say, but I guess "better safe than sorry" is very true for that particular country. I was visiting local friends, so they knew to drop me off three hours early. :)

120mysterymax
Feb 8, 2015, 11:12 pm

>119 -Eva-: It was the only time that I have actually felt 'secure' about getting on an airplane. They are indeed very thorough. I've been three times, it such a wonderful place.

121mysterymax
Feb 8, 2015, 11:58 pm

Another AlphaCAT for the month - In the Ballpark by George Gmelch.

This was a good read in that each of the chapters is told by someone that works in baseball - from beer vendors, to mascots, to groundskeepers, to trainers and front office people. It's all here. All the things that come together to make a baseball game. Easy to read since each chapter deals with a separate topic. You can read one or two, put it down and come back later. The chapter I enjoyed the most was by Paul Zwaska, head groundskeeper for the Baltimore Orioles. Now I know why the grass has that 'checkerboard' look...

122-Eva-
Feb 9, 2015, 12:06 am

>120 mysterymax:
It should be on everyone's bucket-list! I have a few friends there, but I'd go for the food alone. :)

123mysterymax
Feb 9, 2015, 12:08 am

oh yes!!!!!!!

124dudes22
Feb 9, 2015, 7:50 am

Who knew I'd take a BB and a travel bullet at the same time?

125mysterymax
Feb 9, 2015, 3:02 pm

"Yup, Wyatt, a through and through," she said, blowing the smoke from her gun.

126mysterymax
Feb 9, 2015, 3:07 pm

Sequels by authors other than the original... so seldom do they hit the right note.

The Willows In Winter by William Horwood is one that does. Here are Badger, Mole, Otter, Rat and Toad just as we left them. Absolutely excellent! The drawings by Patrick Benson are as true as Shephard's. Can not get over how good it was in keeping true to the original Wind in the Willows.

127Dejah_Thoris
Feb 9, 2015, 9:08 pm

>121 mysterymax: I think you got me with In The Ballpark - pitchers and catchers report soon!

128mysterymax
Feb 10, 2015, 1:40 am

>127 Dejah_Thoris: Hey, only 8 more days till spring training starts... can spring be far behind?

129Dejah_Thoris
Feb 10, 2015, 7:55 am

Precisely! What a lovely thought, Pippa.

130mysterymax
Feb 11, 2015, 11:22 am

A quick fun read - a jr. fiction book - The Chicken Squad by Doreen Cronin. Purchased because I LOVED The Trouble With Chickens and many other Cronin books. One review commented on The Trouble With Chickens as faux noir.

It called to mind all the discussion about all the sub-genres in science fiction. There is a real difference between 'noir' and 'hard-boiled'. The Trouble With Chickens was a kids hard-boiled... nothing noir about it.

In The Chicken Squad you meet the same four, fuzzy chicks and they are playing detective. The squirrel comes into the coop terrified of some BIG in the yard. It's funny and kids will love it.

131mysterymax
Feb 11, 2015, 2:28 pm

The Education of Robert Nifkin by Daniel Manus Pinkwater. High school and Chicago in the 1950s seen through the eyes of Pinkwater.

132mysterymax
Feb 12, 2015, 8:21 am

Fitting both my children's book category and the RandomCAT is Holes by Louis Sachar. I actually saw the movie before reading the book and it has always been one of my favorites. I was happily surprised to find that the book and the movie were extremely true to each other. That happens so seldom. I can't remember the kid that played Stanley, but I do remember Zero and he fit the image in the book perfectly.

133MissWatson
Feb 12, 2015, 8:33 am

>132 mysterymax: I seem to remember that it was Shia LaBeouf, if only because of that really weird name...

134mysterymax
Feb 12, 2015, 8:38 am

I looked it up, you're right.

135mysterymax
Edited: Feb 14, 2015, 10:54 pm

Paul Gallico is one of my favorite authors. Every story he tells is simple yet full of all that humans are. In The Boy Who Invented the Bubble Gun he tells the story of a young boy who has invented a gun that instead of water (as in a toy water pistol) it blows huge amazing soap bubbles. Feeling that his father has a very low opinion of what and what he can achieve he sets out on his own, with money that his grandmother gave him, to go to Washington, DC to patent his invention. His trip has far reaching effects - all the way to the Pentagon and to the Kremlin - and Julian, sadly, grows up.

This is a good example of my question re 'tags'. Sometimes tags appear for a book which have no relevance to the book. There are tags for both science fiction and fantasy for this book, neither of which is applicable by any stretch of the imagination. It's a little maddening when you are trying to keep your catalog as precise as possible. No solution, I know, so I will just grimace and bear it.

It wasn't until I had entered it that I realized that it filled the AlphaKIT!

136mysterymax
Feb 15, 2015, 9:13 am

The Fighting Shortstop is a typical 'boy's book' from the 50s. Things turn out all right in the end and the boy learns a good moral lesson about himself and sportsmanship.

137mysterymax
Feb 15, 2015, 3:27 pm

The Twenty One Balloons is a nice adventure/science fiction story written for youth back in 1947. Great illustrations.

138mysterymax
Feb 19, 2015, 9:48 am

Red Sky at Morning by Richard Bradford remains one of my favorite books and was a great re-read. I haven't read it in years and loved getting back to it.

139mysterymax
Feb 20, 2015, 9:13 am

Another in my children's section, Absolutely Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick is one of the new books at the library. Twelve year old Truly moves with her family from Texas to a small town in New Hampshire when her father returns home from Afghanistan without an arm. The story is about Truly's adjustment and her family's as they take over the bookstore owned by Truly's grandparents. Well done.

140dudes22
Feb 20, 2015, 9:21 am

I read one of hers last year - The Mother-Daughter Book Club from one of her other series and liked it.

141mysterymax
Feb 24, 2015, 10:48 am

I haven't read that one, but have added it to my list. I liked Truly and the rest of the characters. It felt true in that Truly saw her father's behavior and attitude, after returning home minus an arm, only as how it affected her. As any child would. Both this book and Red Sky at Morning dealt with kids here at home while their fathers went away due to war.

142mysterymax
Feb 24, 2015, 11:16 am

The Glass Sentence by S. E. Grove was an amazing read. Had I realized what the book would be like I might have saved it for the world-building part of the SFFFCat, because Grove has built a very unique world. I have not read lots of sci-fi, but of all that I have read this was the most unique world. I have always loved and been fascinated by maps and this book made maps a whole new thing.

I will have to read it again at some point, probably just before the second book comes out, because there was just so much in it, besides the adventure and race to save the world.

143DeltaQueen50
Feb 24, 2015, 5:35 pm

I am definitely adding The Glass Sentence to my wishlist, it sounds like a fun read.

144mysterymax
Feb 25, 2015, 9:24 am

145mysterymax
Edited: Feb 25, 2015, 9:29 am

Not doing a lot of posting as the keyboard on my computer has ceased functioning and I am working only with my iPad but I need to keep my reading up to date, or I will forget to enter something.

I am closing off my February section with the non-fiction work On Children's Literature by Isabelle Jan. I found it an excellent review. Unfortunately it was written in 1969 and I would really like to know her thoughts on books since that time.

146mamzel
Feb 25, 2015, 1:23 pm

So much has changed since then. YA lit certainly has taken off.

147mysterymax
Mar 1, 2015, 6:24 pm

February in Review
My theme was JP/JF/YA and children as main characters
with 17 books falling in that category, and 6 falling into the various Cat challenges. It's important to remember than my theme was children, so don't compare my 'best mystery' with an adult one. 17 were off my own shelves.

Books Read: 19
Reviews Written: 6
Off My Shelves: 17
New Authors: 12

Book That Left Me Breathless:The Glass Sentence by S. E. Grove
Mystery I Enjoyed the Most: Looking for Bobowicz by Daniel Manus Pinkwater
Biggest Disappointment: I Came, I Saw, I Lost My Luggage by Peter Biddlecombe
Honorable Mention: The Willows In Winter by William Horwood

Cooking with Kit:
RandomCAT reads: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Holes, Peter Pan and Wendy
SFFF Cat: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
AlphaKit: I Came, I Saw, I Lost My Luggage, In the Ballpark, The Boy Who Invented the Bubble Gun

148mysterymax
Mar 4, 2015, 10:07 pm

March is history and historical fiction focus for me. The Vietnam War isn't 'historical fiction' by definition for either the author or myself, but it was part of history. I've had Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes on my shelf for a time, but always put it off for something quicker. This seemed like a good time.

I would say that this should go down as the classic story of this war. The stupidity of war is just so sad and this book tells it as no other that I have read.

149Tanya-dogearedcopy
Mar 5, 2015, 9:30 am

>148 mysterymax: I listened to 'Matterhorn' (by Karl Marlantes; narrated by Bronson Pinchot) and it is one of my favorite audiobooks of all time. From the first words in, I was completely engaged with the story, had dreams about being there, cried in relief when the helicopters came in with Cokes, and ultimately the novel led me to view veterans of the Vietnam War in a different light: Their issues were both obvious and complex, and still relevant forty years later. I agree with you that this should be considered the classic story of the war - flawed men waging a flawed campaign.

150mysterymax
Mar 8, 2015, 9:32 am

It is difficult to find new words to use in reviewing Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania. Erik Larson continues to write superbly, in an easy-flowing style that makes non-fiction come alive, creating tension even though we all know the outcome. His research is, as always, thorough and detailed. A mark of how good he is, is that I find myself also reading the 60 pages of notes he documents his story with. As always, he is careful to present all sides of the event, showing up the ideas that are believed, yet false.

Coming through clearly is how those who steer a country in time of war consider objectives more important that the lives that will be lost. The British Admiralty clearly considered keeping the secret of their ability to monitor German transmissions more important than keeping over a thousand civilians safe. One wonders what they were saving the information for.

151mysterymax
Edited: Mar 13, 2015, 11:05 am

AlphaCAT for this month was H & Q, so I have done The Hollywood Murders by Ellery Queen. Ellery has gone to Hollywood to write some movie scripts and these three cases: The Devil to Pay, Four of Hearts and The Origin of Evil just happen to come his way.

152mysterymax
Mar 13, 2015, 11:09 am

Wow. David Liss has penned another excellent historical fiction read. This one of 18th century Lisbon during the Inquisition. The Day of Atonement carries you along on a roller-coaster. Sebastian Foxx escaped the horrors of the Inquisition as a teenager and ten years later returns to Lisbon, a hardened thieftaker, to make the priest responsible for his parents deaths atone for his crimes. He remains one of my favorite authors.

153-Eva-
Mar 16, 2015, 4:34 pm

>152 mysterymax:
I enjoyed that one a lot too. I have a few more of his books on Mt. TBR and am looking forward to getting to them.

154mysterymax
Mar 16, 2015, 10:58 pm

So far I have enjoyed every one of his books. I am sure one will turn up sooner or later than I don't but right now he is batting 100%.

155mysterymax
Mar 16, 2015, 11:04 pm

Fitting both the SFFF Cat and the Random Cat was The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters. This book tested my determination to fill those CATs this month as I found the book boring beyond all belief. I know so many people really liked it but it wasn't my cup of tea. I may, in the distant future read another in the series, if I have run out of books to read.

156mysterymax
Mar 18, 2015, 4:38 pm

A Fine Summer's Day was really enjoyable. I have loved this series by Charles Todd. This book actually takes place before the first one in the series. Here we see Rutledge as a Scotland Yard inspector solving a very difficult case that involves several murders which everyone believes to be suicides. The book ends with his departure for the war. One short part of the book deals with Hamish's wedding, but he isn't mentioned again and I have to wonder (hope?) that the next one will be the back story of Hamish.

157mysterymax
Edited: Mar 20, 2015, 10:46 am

Snake Bite by Andrew Lane is another wonderful entry in the early life of Sherlock Holmes series. Sherlock has been kidnapped and placed on a ship going to China. In his adventures there he solves murders, prevents a war between China and England and learns martial arts. Lane is carefully weaving the skill of the adult Holmes into these stories. Great series for Holmes' fans.

158mysterymax
Mar 23, 2015, 12:41 pm

Quite enjoyed Oscar Wilde and a Game Called Murder for both the atmosphere of Wilde and his friends, but also I didn't figure out the mystery for once.

159mysterymax
Mar 27, 2015, 4:15 pm

Many thanks to majkia for the BB for The Gates of Rome by Conn Iggulden. Loved the book. The rest of the series is a must-read. The ending had me going OH - NO! and a few other choice words. Great read, very enjoyable. Julius Caesar from a young boy to a young man. Three more in the series to go. Since it is historical, we know how this will end, drat it all.

160mysterymax
Edited: Mar 29, 2015, 2:19 am

The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook edited by Kate White was an ER book. I can't say enough about it. Beautiful book, great recipes, highly enjoyable reading.

161LittleTaiko
Mar 29, 2015, 9:56 pm

>158 mysterymax: - have that in my TBR. Looking forward to reading it now!

162dudes22
Mar 30, 2015, 7:23 am

>160 mysterymax: - Hi max - I checked out your review and this looks like an interesting cookbook. Not that I need another cookbook, but I might check it out the next time I go to the bookstore.

163mysterymax
Mar 31, 2015, 9:22 am

>161 LittleTaiko: & >162 dudes22:
Kate White points out in one of her short side bars that over half of the victims in Agatha Christie's books were done in by poison. She lists some of the poisons and also they means by which they were administered -almost always: food.

164mysterymax
Edited: Apr 1, 2015, 7:10 am

While not part of my month's 'theme' I had to check out Festive in Death to see if the Eve Dallas series was going to be one I would continue with or not. I also checked out the latest one Obsession in Death but haven't read it yet.

'Festive' is certainly better than 'Concealed' which was so badly written I suspected that someone else had done it. Eve seems to be getting over a lot of her normal 'hang-ups'. I'll read 'Obsession' too, but the series as a whole has dropped a few levels in my 'fav' standings.

165mysterymax
Edited: Apr 1, 2015, 7:10 am

Finished off the month with Obsession in Death. At the end I felt like she had saved all her friends and ended the year and I could leave Dallas feeling like the series was complete.

166mysterymax
Apr 1, 2015, 7:36 am

March in Review
I started off the month with Matterhorn, which was really long and it seemed like a busy, crazy month, so I didn't get as many read as usual. I did manage to have 7 of my books fit my theme. Exceptions were the J. D. Robb books that I wanted to get to, my ER book and my read for the SFFF Cat. All the historical reads were very good.

Books Read: 11
Reviews Written: 5
Off My Shelves: 8
New Authors: 2

Book That Left Me Breathless:Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes
Mystery I Enjoyed the Most: A Fine Summer's Day by Charles Todd
Biggest Disappointment: The Last Policeman
Honorable Mention: The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook and The Gates of Rome

Cooking with Kit:
RandomCAT reads: The Last Policeman
SFFF Cat: The Last Policeman
AlphaKit: The Hollywood Murders by Ellery Queen

167thornton37814
Apr 3, 2015, 6:36 pm

>160 mysterymax: I'm still waiting on that one to arrive. I also won it. I hope I get it since you loved it so much.

168mysterymax
Apr 5, 2015, 6:08 pm

I hope it does, too. You would think they would mail them all at the same time, so hopefully you'll have it soon.

169mysterymax
Apr 9, 2015, 2:16 pm

Well, it took me long enough to get my first book finished. It has been a crazy month so far, and it isn't even two weeks old yet. Good Grief. I have a big pile of disaster books piled up. Hopefully I will get through most of them.

Started with The Last Voyage of the Lusitania, can only give it 3 stars as I felt some of the 'personal touches' were in question. Not overly written in an exciting manner either. Written in 1996, it read more like a book from the 40s. If you are interested in this ship and the voyage, I recommend Dead Wake.

170dudes22
Apr 9, 2015, 7:03 pm

I'll be watching which disaster books you read. Pete likes disaster books and I'm always looking for a new one I can get him.

171mysterymax
Apr 10, 2015, 12:19 pm

Well, the one I am reading now is excellent. Will list it soon.

172mysterymax
Edited: Apr 13, 2015, 5:59 pm

Two books:

The Tragic Story of the Empress of Ireland by Logan Marshall was a reissue of the book written a year after the disaster with a new forword and afterword. Two years after the Titanic sinking the Empress collided with another ship in the St. Lawrence River after leaving Quebec bound for Liverpool. 1477 people were on board, the boat sank in less than 15 minutes and 1012 oeople died. What I did not know was that Captain Kendall, who survived, went on in later years to be the Captain of the Montrose and recognized one of his passengers as the wanted murderer Dr Crippen. He telegraphed authorities and Crippen was arrested on leaving the ship. I had heard about this when I read Walter Dew The Man Who Caught Crippen during the 2013CC.

The three ships - the Titanic (1912) (1513 dead), the Empress (1914) (1012 dead) and the Lusitania (1915) (1198 dead) make up the three largest ocean liner tragedies. A fourth ship deserves to be on this list, but it was not an ocean liner, but a river steamboat. The steamboat Sultana exploded 7 miles south of Memphis TN, on the Mississippi River on April 27th, 1865 carrying 2300 Union soldiers who had just been released from Confederate prison camps. 1700 died.

58 Degrees North by Hugo Kugiya is about the sinking of the Arctic Rose in the Bering Sea in 2001. It sank in under four minutes and all 15 crew members died. It was the most deadly fishing accident in almost 50 years. While ocean fishing is the most dangerous profession there is most deaths are one or two men at a time.

The book is very comprehensive and may contain more information than you thought you needed about fishing, individual fish, boat building, governing of the industry, the fishing history of Seattle and Alaska and a lot more things, it is still very interesting to see how the Coast Guard inquiry, which took over 2 years, finally came to its conclusions.

173dudes22
Apr 13, 2015, 9:34 am

>172 mysterymax: - Those both sound interesting. The problem I have now is that I can't remember what I've picked up for him at library sales or bought and what might still be in his TBR pile. I might have to start a collection in my list and put his books in it so I can keep track.

174rabbitprincess
Apr 13, 2015, 5:42 pm

>172 mysterymax: I read the Empress of Ireland book earlier this year and found it very interesting. Now I want to go to Rimouski and see the memorial they have set up for the victims.

175mysterymax
Apr 13, 2015, 5:55 pm

>174 rabbitprincess: Did you see the exhibit at the Museum of History? Is it still on? I want to go back there again this summer. What a fantastic place.

176mysterymax
Apr 13, 2015, 5:56 pm

>173 dudes22: I have a "Richs Books" in my collection as well. We have my books, his books and our books at our house!

177rabbitprincess
Apr 13, 2015, 6:04 pm

>175 mysterymax: No, I didn't get a chance to. I think it just closed over Easter weekend. Maybe the museum store will still have some souvenir catalogues available.

178mysterymax
Apr 14, 2015, 9:30 am

>177 rabbitprincess: Too bad, it was really well done. Still would like to go back, the building itself is worth a trip!

179mysterymax
Apr 16, 2015, 11:39 pm

When the Dancing Stopped by Brian Hicks is the story of the Morro Castle, a cruise ship that went between New York and Havana. On its last voyage in September of 1934 it carried 318 passengers on the run from Havana and 240 crew (half of it's passenger capacity). On its last night fire broke out and eventually consumed the ship. The fire was almost certainly arson. 135 people died.

The book looks at the ship, the company, the passenger and the crew and holds forth the premise that the person responsible for the arson was George Smith, even though the cause of the fire appears not to even have been investigated by authorities. Later evidence showed that Smith was a psychopath and a killer.

Certainly the deaths must have been due to the owners and the captains laziness toward fire boat drills and proper training of the crew. The general attitude was that the boat was safe and there was no reason to hold drills and therefore possibly alarm passengers. So when the fire did break out it seems no one knew what to do. The captain had died shortly before the fire and the temporary captain did not seem to grasp the seriousness of the situation.

If the detailed notes and sources are anything to go by it is a very well documented book. It was very readable. My only complaint, and it is a small one, is that often Hicks seems to equate the Morro Castle disaster with that of the Titanic or the Lusitania. While the destruction was almost complete the lost of life was nowhere nearly equal that of either of those disasters. Also, on those ships the lost of life was not so much due to incompetence as it was in this case. There were more than enough life boats to have saved everyone on board and there was certainly time enough, from the when the fire was discovered to have saved everyone.

Sad.

180mamzel
Apr 17, 2015, 10:49 am

I know a little about this maritime disaster. A lot of safety laws came about because of it. A few years ago Monsieur and I (we both have maritime backgrounds) took a Hawaiian cruise. Some people near us grumbled about the emergency drill we had almost as soon as we left port but we kept our mouths shut.

181mysterymax
Apr 19, 2015, 8:57 am

>180 mamzel: Yes, I won't ever ignore life boat drill! What stands out, especially after just finishing Snowbound Streamliner is how much can depend on the crew and how seriously they take their responsibilities. Much of that attitude comes from the Company, to the captain and then to the crew. The Morro Castle is probably one example of what happens when that attitude is careless, and the City of San Francisco, Train 101, is an example of the opposite.

The book is so detailed that it is almost like an archival historic document, but it is loaded with tons of photographs and is very interesting.

182mysterymax
Edited: Apr 21, 2015, 11:12 am

For the SFFFCat - Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman. A good continuation of the first book Seraphina Just about 600 pages. If you love dragon myths, this story is a good one.

183mysterymax
Edited: Apr 24, 2015, 10:15 am

And Hell Followed With It by Bonar Menninger was a very well done account of the 1966 F5 tornado that went through Topeka, Kansas in 1966. It is very readable and touches on the make-up of a tornado and the history of tornado warnings and the history of the Weather Service in this issue.

When it began the tale of this individual tornado I liked how Menninger told it neighborhood at a time, allowing you to become familiar with the people involved and what happened to them.

Very well done; would recommend the book to anyone interested in natural disasters and how humans fare when confronted with them.

184mysterymax
Apr 27, 2015, 1:35 pm

Barometer Rising was a reread for me, but it was probably 30 - 35 years ago that I read it so it was almost like reading it for the first time. It's the classic fictional love store that takes place with the 1917 Halifax Explosion as a background.

185mysterymax
May 3, 2015, 12:04 pm

April in Review
This month I have been really busy both with library stuff and getting ready to go on my trip so there's not been a long of reading. I stuck pretty much to the theme and while I had wanted to read each of them, none were really outstanding. The best of the batch was the one about the tornado.

Books Read: 8
Reviews Written: 3
Off My Shelves: 2
New Authors: 7

Book That Left Me Breathless:
Mystery I Enjoyed the Most:
Biggest Disappointment:
Honorable Mention: And Hell Followed With It

Cooking with Kit:
RandomCAT reads:
SFFF Cat: Shadow Scale
AlphaKit:

186mysterymax
May 3, 2015, 12:15 pm

What a wonderful way to start a month! Another Kate Griffin book. I wanted to get the SFFFCat done before I left as I am only taking one 'real' book on my trip. The rest will all be on my ipad.

Kate Griffin is a wonder. In my opinion she is one of the best 'wordsmiths' alive. Unfortunately since she write science fiction there are so many people that won't ever enjoy her. Well, too bad for them. Usually it takes me one page before I think - how can she be such a good writer? And Stray Souls was no exception.

What I did not expect was to find out how funny she can be as well. Although this book is set in Matthew Swift's London, it is a bit different from her other books. Sharon Li, our lead character, has learned that she is a shaman and her friends are a bit of magical misfits. Swift, the Midnight Mayor, calls on Sharon to save London because it requires a skill that he doesn't have.

I loved this book! And I am going to try to read the next one before I go.

187Tanya-dogearedcopy
May 3, 2015, 1:59 pm

>186 mysterymax: Oooh! Good to know that it's in Matthew Swift's universe! I've been holding off on the last two MS novels, waiting it not to end; but in a way, even though I won't be following the adventures of the electric blue angels, it's close! :-)

188mysterymax
May 12, 2015, 6:45 pm

I had to bring The Glass God with me because I couldn't finish it before I left. A very good end to the series, but I want to know what happens next.

Also managed to read Sally's in the Alley by Norbert Davis. It is another Doan and Carstairs story. Carstairs is the very large Great Dane that Doan won in a poker game. They have a fun love/hate relationship.

189mysterymax
Edited: May 19, 2015, 9:17 pm

Two more:
This Doesn't Happen In the Movies - Quite good tongue in cheek hardboiled detective and The Mystery of the Yellow Room, a very early detective that Sherlock Holmes might have been patterned after. Likeable young character.
Also... A good thriller by Tim Stevens - Ratcatcher - 4.0

190mysterymax
May 23, 2015, 9:04 am

At Bertram's Hotel a Miss Marple mystery by Agatha Christie

191mamzel
May 25, 2015, 2:05 pm

Can't ever go wrong with a classic Christie!

192luvamystery65
Edited: May 25, 2015, 8:34 pm

Wow I lost your thread but now it is found! Lots of good reading this year. I haven't been on LT that much but glad I found you again.

193mysterymax
May 28, 2015, 8:04 pm

Glad you found me again! I have barely been able to get my reading posted, as I am on a trip and reading time is cut down and internet connections haven'T been very consistent, either.

194mysterymax
May 28, 2015, 8:08 pm

Another Doan and Carstairs mystery, this one was Oh, Murder Mine. Love these.

195mysterymax
Edited: May 30, 2015, 10:35 pm

The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor gets only 3.5 stars as it is too much on the action and not enough on the plot. But if you just need a time passer, it will do the job... sort of like an action flick. It will also serve for the month's RandomCAT for having "Lucerne" in the title.

196-Eva-
Jun 2, 2015, 6:59 pm

>186 mysterymax:
I tried one of her books, but found the writing somewhat contrived - sounds like I should give it another try.

197Tanya-dogearedcopy
Jun 3, 2015, 12:11 am

>186 mysterymax: >196 -Eva-: I was introduced to Kate Griffin last year (via Christina_Reads) and read & loved the first two Matthew Swift novels! I need to go back and finish off that series and try this Shaman one. Perhaps I'll focus on doing that during the SFFFCat month for Urban Fantasy (October) since I missed the month for Women authors/protags (this past May).

198christina_reads
Jun 4, 2015, 5:22 am

>197 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Much as I'd love to take the credit, I don't think you heard about Kate Griffin from me…I don't think I've read any of her books! But they do sound interesting. :)

199Tanya-dogearedcopy
Jun 4, 2015, 11:00 am

>198 christina_reads: My apologies, it was luvamystery65 on booklizard's thread last year!

200mysterymax
Jun 6, 2015, 9:58 am

>197 Tanya-dogearedcopy: >198 christina_reads: Hope you get to finish the Swift series as well as the shaman series. Stray Souls and The Glass God have a lot of humour which I loved plus seeing Sharon, in her novice ways, save Swift was great.

201mysterymax
Jun 6, 2015, 10:05 am

Have returned from the Nova Scotia trip. What a wonderful time, except that I managed to fall over a concrete barrier and hurt my hip forcing us to cut the trip short by a couple of days. Appointment lined up for Wednesday to hopefully figure out what I did. LOTS of pain when I stand up or walk.

Every place we went the people and the food and the view was wonderful. Lots of changes since I lived there almost forty years ago. Can't wait to go back. Got some tremendous photos.

Now I need to get caught up with LT... a months reading of threads, I can see, books I need to review, etc. Did manage to visit one used book store in Halifax and picked up some stuff... Mickey Spillane, Charlie Chan original stories, even an Upfield... among others.

202mysterymax
Edited: Jun 6, 2015, 10:51 am

May in Review
This month I was reading off my iPad and really didn't have a lot of time to read. Hopefully this month that will change. Had to edit to add the two audio books we listened to in the car!

Books Read: 13
Reviews Written: 0
Off My Shelves: 11
New Authors: 6
Books to Date: 65

Book That Left Me Breathless: Stray Souls
Mystery I Enjoyed the Most: This Doesn't Happen in the Movies
Biggest Disappointment: The Club of Queer Trades
Honorable Mention: The Mystery of the Yellow Room

Cooking with Kit:
RandomCAT reads: Lions of Lucerne
SFFF Cat: Stray Souls and The Glass God
AlphaKit: (R) Ratcatcher and (L) The Lions of Lucerne

203luvamystery65
Jun 6, 2015, 1:05 pm

I'm sorry for your accident. I hope you figure out what's wrong and that it is easily managed.

204leslie.98
Jun 6, 2015, 1:07 pm

>201 mysterymax: Ouch!! I hope that it doesn't turn out to be serious.

205DeltaQueen50
Jun 6, 2015, 3:46 pm

That's a shame about your accident and having to cut your trip short. I also hope the doctors don't find anything too seriously wrong.

I am trying not to take too many book bullets as I can barely manage my reading list these days, but I am going to check out Kate Griffin, I've been seeing this author mentioned all over the place!

206mysterymax
Jun 6, 2015, 4:21 pm

>205 DeltaQueen50: Hope you enjoy her. When I started The Midnight Mayor I almost gave up because I didn't have a clue what was going on but it all does become clear and why should we know when the main character doesn't!?!

207mysterymax
Jun 6, 2015, 4:22 pm

>203 luvamystery65: >204 leslie.98: and >205 DeltaQueen50: Thanks for the good wishes, keeping my fingers crossed.

208rabbitprincess
Jun 6, 2015, 4:53 pm

Oh no! I hope you can get that hip sorted out soon!

Also, are we having another summit?

209mysterymax
Jun 6, 2015, 5:56 pm

Yes to the summit! June 19th or July 3rd or 4th?

210rabbitprincess
Jun 6, 2015, 8:48 pm

3rd and 4th are probably better for me.

211mysterymax
Jun 6, 2015, 10:30 pm

Know where we are going yet?

212rabbitprincess
Jun 7, 2015, 9:27 am

We could try the Scone Witch on Elgin. It's not a full afternoon tea, but they are supposed to have very good scones and sandwiches.

213mysterymax
Jun 7, 2015, 10:00 am

Sounds good to me, I will leave it up to you.

214-Eva-
Jun 7, 2015, 7:20 pm

Sorry to hear about your accident - those should not be allowed on vacations! Hope the doctor has good news.

215mysterymax
Jun 7, 2015, 10:16 pm

>Thanks! It was a stupid mistake, I had my camera up taking pictures and decided to get closer and just stepped forward a couple of steps and the next thing I knew I was on the concrete with a couple of wonderful Mounties bending over me! (I do have such undignified moments...)

216mysterymax
Jun 8, 2015, 12:10 pm

A book I got in Pubnico on my trip (no pun intended) - The August Gales about the fishing schooners lost in the North Atlantic in 1926 and 1927.

217paruline
Jun 8, 2015, 2:56 pm

Sorry to hear about your hip. Hope you're feeling better and that your doctor will be able to help you.

218mysterymax
Edited: Jun 8, 2015, 4:08 pm

>217 paruline: Are you ready for the Ottawa LT Summit???

219paruline
Jun 8, 2015, 4:14 pm

Oh do you mean the Third Annual International Librarything Summit? Yes, yes I am ;)

220mysterymax
Jun 8, 2015, 4:15 pm

Is it still just the three of us, or is the membership growing?

221rabbitprincess
Jun 8, 2015, 8:52 pm

>220 mysterymax: I could canvass a couple of bookishly minded coworkers...

222mysterymax
Jun 8, 2015, 10:58 pm

Sure, we might even sell them on LT!

223mysterymax
Jun 11, 2015, 5:27 pm

Every mystery/crime/caper fan over the age of 60 should read The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules. Then they should pass it on to their children as a lesson that life - and adventure - doesn't end with retirement. A fun read proving that Swedish writers do more than serious crime and noir when it comes to mysteries.

224-Eva-
Jun 12, 2015, 12:07 am

>215 mysterymax:
Hope you at least got a great photo out of the ordeal! :) Or that the Mounties were worth it... :)

225mysterymax
Jun 13, 2015, 8:30 pm

>224 -Eva-: Both!!!

Word is back from my MRI and I am a happy camper, a burst bursa and a large bone bruise but no fracture or broken bones. So some pain pills to take the edge of and give me a hazy view of the world, to which I will eventually return mended.

226mysterymax
Jun 13, 2015, 8:35 pm

Taking time away from my month's theme of women to do a time travel for the SFFF Cat, Time and Again by Jack Finney, a time travel classic that I think is more timely now than when it was written in 1970. In places it was a bit heavy on the detail for my personal taste, but enjoyable all the same.

227rabbitprincess
Jun 13, 2015, 10:52 pm

>225 mysterymax: Oh thank goodness for no fractures! Hope the pills are helping and that everything heals soon.

228mysterymax
Jun 14, 2015, 7:51 am

>227 rabbitprincess: Hey I will be soooo ready for tea!

229lkernagh
Jun 15, 2015, 12:19 am

Sorry to learn abut your accident. Good to find out no fractures! No BB for the Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules as I already own a copy, but I am very happy to see your positive review!

230mysterymax
Jun 15, 2015, 8:39 am

>229 lkernagh: You didn't say if you had read it yet, or not! It was a hoot. What a gang.

231VivienneR
Jun 16, 2015, 3:33 am

So sorry to hear of your holiday accident but glad to hear the prognosis.

I picked up The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules at the library today. Not sure if I'll actually get to it before the due date though. So many books...

232dudes22
Jun 16, 2015, 5:08 am

Catching up again ( how easy it is to fall behind on threads). Glad to hear your fall wasn't any worse and hope you have a quick recovery.

233mamzel
Jun 16, 2015, 3:00 pm

I'm halfway through my vacation. My daughter and her boyfriend headed home today and I have one more week. Having her come down encourages me to go to the beach and have little adventures. We took the car ferry to St. John and went snorkeling at a challenging location. It involved swimming out to a little cay that is surrounded by young reefs and lots of fish. When we got out to the windward side of the island I realized we were swimming with a kazillion little jellyfish that were up to 1.5 inches long and transparent. By the time we realized we were amongst them it was too late to avoid getting stung but luckily they weren't stingers! Getting out of the water I slipped and scrapped up a hand and leg. I was very conscious of bleeding in the water but nothing with teeth threatened me. I think this will be the last time I make that trek. I'll stick with easier locations and put up with the other people. In short, I'm glad your injuries weren't too serious and you are on the mend!

234thornton37814
Jun 16, 2015, 10:30 pm

>233 mamzel: Jellyfish are definitely a "beach hazard."

235mysterymax
Jun 17, 2015, 9:00 am

>223 mysterymax: Yuck! Jellyfish! I am so sorry, but better them than those things with teeth.

236lkernagh
Jun 18, 2015, 10:48 am

>230 mysterymax: - No, I haven't read it yet, so I am looking forward to reading it!

My brother was stung by a jellyfish on vacation on year. luckily, we were near to shore and the hotel doctor, as he was zapped pretty good. All turned out well in the end but he wasn't keen to go back into the ocean for the remainder of our trip after that.... he took to the hotel pool instead.

237mamzel
Jun 19, 2015, 11:53 am

I have suffered stings as well which is why I was so alarmed at first to find myself surrounded. After I realized I wasn't getting stung, however, I was able to appreciate their delicate beauty.

238mysterymax
Jun 20, 2015, 5:40 pm

>236 lkernagh: & >237 mamzel: Now I don't feel so bad about being a beach 'walker' rather than a swimmer!

239mysterymax
Jun 20, 2015, 5:46 pm

I'm not sure that I should count Sabine by Nicolas Freeling or not because I didn't finish the book, but I am going to because I spent so much time on it. (I could have read 2 or 3 books in that time.) The writing style took some getting used to, but I found it ok, but I couldn't get into the plot or the characters. The New York Times Review compares him to Simenon. I think that is reaching a bit. Possible the Times doesn't know many police procedurals set in France (?) Anyway I gave up about half way.

240mysterymax
Jun 20, 2015, 5:58 pm

I forgot to add in The Diamond Conspiracy by Philippa Ballantine. I read it before I started Sabine, but it wasn't on one of my 'remember to add the book' days, lol. This was another steampunk romp with Books and Braun and I greatly enjoyed it.

241mysterymax
Jun 21, 2015, 10:44 am

A junior fiction read that doesn't fit into any of my categories, but it was just in at the library, The Island of Dr. Libris is by the author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library. I think kids would enjoy and it might even get them interested in some of the classic kid's books.

242thornton37814
Jun 21, 2015, 4:32 pm

>241 mysterymax: I had heard of Mr. Lemoncello, but Dr. Libris is a new one to me. Sounds like a fun adventure!

243mysterymax
Jun 21, 2015, 10:07 pm

>242 thornton37814: I didn't enjoy it as much as Mr. Lemoncello, but I think that boys, especially, would. The idea was excellent - that your imagination could make a book real (and that we lose that ability as we grow up).

244thornton37814
Jun 22, 2015, 8:36 pm

Mr. Lemoncello was already in my TBR list. I've added Dr. Libris also. I think it was available as an e-book and audiobook at my library, but if not, it was available in Raleigh so I should be able to eventually get to it.

245mysterymax
Jun 23, 2015, 2:06 am

>Speaking of Raleigh... are you planning on attending Bouchercon?

246mysterymax
Edited: Jun 23, 2015, 2:11 am

Catching up with the Cara Black series. I have had Murder in Pigalle since the day it was released and finally got to it. I enjoyed it and am going to open the next one tonight. Am a bit worried about where Aimee is going in her personal life, but the books are still enjoyable. I like the focus in each book on a distinct area of Paris

247thornton37814
Jun 24, 2015, 9:54 am

>245 mysterymax: I didn't realize it was being held there. I'll probably be in Raleigh at least for the weekend, but I didn't see a way to register for a single day instead of the entire event, and I don't particularly want to spend that much for a single day. I guess I can change my mind later. There doesn't appear to be a registration deadline although there is a deadline for getting a refund.

248mysterymax
Jun 27, 2015, 9:51 am

>247 thornton37814: You might email them and ask if it is possible to register for just one day. I am really looking forward to it.

249mysterymax
Jun 27, 2015, 9:52 am

Murder on the Champ de Mars brings me up to date on the Cara Black series. This is my least favorite book in a series I have enjoyed. I think the decline started when she became pregnant. At times I didn't think I would finish the book, and if fact wound up skipping several pages at a time. Perhaps due to hormones, Aimee has gone from a hard-assed savvy detective to an emotional, almost frantic person. It just didn't work for me.

250mysterymax
Jul 1, 2015, 11:26 am

The Doll by Taylor Stevens was a really good read. I think Taylor Stevens is a neat lady and her books are top notch. This is the third in the Vanessa Michael Munroe series. I have missed the second and must try to find a copy. Munroe is a strong female character and the books will stand comparison with any thriller by Lee Child.

251mysterymax
Jul 3, 2015, 10:07 pm

June in Review
I really and truly have no idea where this month went.

Books Read: 10
Reviews Written: 2
Off My Shelves: 9
New Authors: 4
Books to Date: 75

Book That Left Me Breathless: The Doll
Mystery I Enjoyed the Most: The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules
Biggest Disappointment: Sabine
Honorable Mention: The Diamond Conspiracy

Cooking with Kit:
RandomCAT reads:
SFFF Cat: Time and Again
AlphaKit: (D) The Doll and The Diamond Conspiracy

252rabbitprincess
Jul 4, 2015, 8:48 am

>251 mysterymax: Same here! This year is going by much too fast.

253mysterymax
Jul 6, 2015, 1:14 pm

Here it is - I hope! The Third Annual International LT Summit members on a book buying spree.

254rabbitprincess
Jul 6, 2015, 6:27 pm

Yay, us! :D

255paruline
Jul 6, 2015, 8:22 pm

Looking good :)

256mysterymax
Jul 7, 2015, 11:26 am

Finished in Ottawa - The Thirty Nine Steps by John Buchan. Now I will have to rewatch the Hitchcock movie. And maybe some of the other versions as well. It held up well considering how long ago it was written.

257rabbitprincess
Jul 7, 2015, 5:32 pm

>256 mysterymax: I endorse the Rupert Penry-Jones version; he is very easy on the eyes ;)

258leslie.98
Jul 7, 2015, 5:38 pm

>256 mysterymax: I was surprised at how different the book of The Thirty-Nine Steps was from the Hitchcock film. That doesn't diminish my enjoyment of either the book or the film though (the Hitchcock film is one of my favorite Hitchcock movies!) I have read the next two books in the Richard Hannay series (Greenmantle and Mr. Standfast) and have the next one waiting patiently... but I think the first is the best.

259mysterymax
Jul 7, 2015, 9:36 pm

>257 rabbitprincess: & >258 leslie.98: Good to know both things! I will look for the other Hannay ones. Wasn't familiar with them.

260-Eva-
Jul 13, 2015, 10:09 pm

>253 mysterymax:
Book buying spree are just about the prettiest words ever! :)

261mysterymax
Edited: Jul 16, 2015, 11:12 pm

The Mask (Taylor Stevens) by Taylor Stevens. Slightly less liked than the previous ones in the series. The other was Thief (Mark Sullivan) by Mark Sullivan. This was the second in the Robin Monarch series. Robin is a thief... a bit of a Robin Hood... and I loved his last line, when the bad guy is having his wealth stripped away and bellows, "You can't do that! Give it to fucking cavemen and orphans?" Robin laughs, "Of course I can. I'm a thief. I can do anything I want."

262mysterymax
Edited: Jul 18, 2015, 12:16 am

My grandaughter and her fiance and his son arrive in a couple of hours! so I was determined to finish Too Close To Home by Linwood Barclay. It moved along quite quickly. Promise Falls is a quiet place, more or less, until the family next door to Jim, Ellen and Derek Cutter are all killed. In typical 'thriller/suspense' fashion, Derek is arrested for the murders. While trying to prove his son's innocence all sorts of secrets and crimes are revealed. Some are surprises and some are not. I liked it more than The Mask but less than Thief.

263mysterymax
Jul 20, 2015, 4:35 pm

Vicious Circle by Wilbur Smith was, for me, one of those books that you read to the finish while wondering why you are reading it. I read a book by Smith a hundred years ago and hadn't read any others. Maybe the one I read before was like this one? I had seemed to remember it as a good adventure story, but this was just one of those books that tries to see how much depraved sex and violence you could fit into one book. In the end it is resolved in such a way that does not fit with the characters. I am thinking this will be my 'disappointment' book this month.

264mamzel
Jul 21, 2015, 9:42 pm

>263 mysterymax: Smith can be hit or miss. I really enjoyed his series starting with River God.

265mysterymax
Jul 22, 2015, 10:37 pm

>264 mamzel: Who was the 'hero' in that series? It seems to me that the one I read before took place in Africa. Vicious Circle was Russia/Afghanistan area.

266mysterymax
Jul 23, 2015, 9:55 am

Scratch that. Reading before I went to sleep I realized that the Russia book is the one I am currently reading...good grief I need another vacation.

267mysterymax
Jul 23, 2015, 3:36 pm

The Hydra Protocol by David Wellington was a bit of a downer. The spy/thriller plot part was okay - trying to dismantle a Russian 'doomsday' weapon system, but our 'hero' was so emotionally involved that it became unbelievable how he could not miss evident signs. And surely no spy would live long if they constantly used the 'brain' in their pants instead of the one in their head. That is two less than sterling books in a row. Gads.

268mamzel
Jul 23, 2015, 8:21 pm

>265 mysterymax: Three of the four books of the series took place in ancient Egypt and stars a eunuch named Taita. The second book jumps to the present and follows archeologists tracking him.

269mysterymax
Jul 24, 2015, 7:44 am

>268 mamzel: Might give them a try.

270mysterymax
Jul 27, 2015, 11:15 am

A Spy Among Friends was an excellent read. The story of Kim Philby and the betrayal of not only his country but of his close friends who were also spies. He gleaned information out of them, which he passed on to Russia, costing many lives. A clear message that it is difficult, if not impossible, to never truly know someone.

271mysterymax
Jul 29, 2015, 10:03 am

Dry Bones by Craig Johnson was great as all the Walt Longmire books have been. I love the humor and the depth of the friendships, especially between Walt and Henry. The book was light and felt like Part I of a really heavy thing to come. Can't wait for the next one.

272christina_reads
Jul 29, 2015, 8:17 pm

>270 mysterymax: Good to know! I've read two of Ben Macintyre's other books (Operation Mincemeat and Double Cross) and really liked them, so A Spy Among Friends is definitely on my TBR list!

273rabbitprincess
Jul 29, 2015, 8:50 pm

>270 mysterymax: Yay! That was a good one. :)

274DeltaQueen50
Jul 29, 2015, 9:00 pm

>271 mysterymax: Although I am a few books behind you in the Walt Longmire series, I enjoy these books as much for the characters as the mystery. It's like catching up with old friends when I read these books.

275mysterymax
Jul 29, 2015, 9:16 pm

276mysterymax
Edited: Aug 1, 2015, 8:09 am

July in Review
Not my best reading month either in quantity or quality. Will have to get busy if I am going to get to my hoped for goal.

Books Read: 10
Reviews Written: 5
Off My Shelves: 10
New Authors: 4
Books to Date: 85

Book That Left Me Breathless: Thief (Mark Sullivan)
Mystery I Enjoyed the Most: Dry Bones
Biggest Disappointment: Vicious Circle
Honorable Mention: A Spy Among Friends

Cooking with Kit:
RandomCAT reads:
SFFF Cat: Sherlock Holmes: The Will of the Dead
AlphaKit: (W) Sherlock Homes: The Will of the Dead

It really takes forever to force the touchstone for that one. I guess it is time to start a new thread...
This topic was continued by Mysterymax's 2015 Challenge = Part 2.