"Let's quiz!" -- rabbitprincess in 2014, part 3

Your starter for ten...



As you may have guessed, this challenge is based on the filmography of Benedict Cumberbatch. Each category is named after a film, TV show or radio show he appeared in. The theme for this thread is Starter for Ten, a movie/book about a university quiz team competing on University Challenge in the 1980s. The movie is a huge 80s nostalgia trip, and the book is one I compulsively reread in bits and pieces. Having played university quiz myself I see a lot of familiar "faces" in those pages.

Sherlock / Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: Mysteries / Thrillers
Cabin Pressure: The Cabin Pressure episode reading challenge
Parade's End / To the Ends of the Earth: Military / Naval books
Fortysomething: General fiction
Starter for Ten: General non-fiction (anything is useful in trivia)
Amazing Grace: History
Van Gogh: Painted with Words: The arts
Star Trek Into Darkness / The Hobbit: Sci-fi / Fantasy
Hawking: Science
Neverwhere: Audiobooks
August: Osage County: Plays
Dunkirk: Livres en français (this one was a stretch…it’s set in France)
Third Star: Rereads (these can overlap with other categories)

Bonus Challenges

RandomCAT

January: (The Janus Rules) The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde
February: (Children's Literature) The Enchanted Castle, by E. Nesbit
March: (The First Birds of Spring) The Pelican Brief, by John Grisham
April: (Poetry Corner) Coke Machine Glow, by Gord Downie
May: (Motherhood) Rocket Girl: The Story of Mary Sherman Morgan, America's First Female Rocket Scientist, by George D. Morgan
June: (Roses) The Price of the King's Peace, by Nigel Tranter (Kings Macc Rose)
July: (Books About Books) The Sayers Swindle, by Victoria Abbott; possibly a crime-fiction-related book
August: (Back to School) The Case of the Gilded Fly, by Edmund Crispin; Napoleon's Buttons, by Penny Le Couteur
September:
October:
November:
December:

GeoCAT

January -- Canada and the US: Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, by Stephen Leacock
February -- Middle East and North Africa: Jerusalem: The Biography, by Simon Sebag Montefiore
March -- Central America, Mexico and Caribbean: The Republic of Pirates, by Colin Woodard
April -- Eastern Europe: The Last Frontier, by Alistair MacLean
May -- South Asia: Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle, by Dorothy Gilman
June -- Islands and Bodies of Water: Rilla of Ingleside, by L.M. Montgomery
July -- Polar Regions: Le Sphinx des glaces, by Jules Verne
August -- Western Europe: An Officer and a Spy, by Robert Harris
September -- East Asia (China, Japan, etc.): Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station, by Dorothy Gilman
October -- South America: The Lost City of Z, by David Grann
November -- Australia and Oceania
December -- Sub-Saharan Africa

MysteryCAT

January -- Detective novels: The Drowning Pool, by Ross MacDonald; The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
February -- Series: McNally's Luck, by Lawrence Sanders (Archy McNally); In the Woods, by Tana French (Dublin Murder Squad)
March -- Young Adult and Childrens' mysteries: Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Enola Holmes: The Clue of the Broken Blade, by Franklin W. Dixon
April -- Nordic mysteries: Black Skies, by Arnaldur Indridason
May -- Classic and Golden Age mysteries - A Bullet in the Ballet, by Caryl Brahms and S.J. Simon
June -- Police Procedurals: The Laughing Policeman, by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö
July -- Noir and Hard-boiled: Set in Darkness, by Ian Rankin; Red Planet Blues, by Robert J. Sawyer
August - British mysteries: The Case of the Gilded Fly, by Edmund Crispin
September -- Book-themed mysteries: Julie Kaewert
October -- Global mysteries
November -- Historical mysteries
December -- Cozy mysteries

And if you're interested in following my ROOT adventures, my thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/162069

Sherlock / Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Mysteries / Thrillers

Sub-challenges:
✓ One Sherlock Holmes book: The Valley of Fear, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, His Last Bow, The Return of Sherlock Holmes
- One John le Carré novel

Books read:

1. Laidlaw, by William McIlvanney
2. Rumpole at Christmas, by John Mortimer
3. Dying Light, by Stuart MacBride
4. Charity, by Len Deighton
5. Dead People, by Ewart Hutton
6. The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
7. The Christie Curse, by Victoria Abbott
8. Death in a White Tie, by Ngaio Marsh
9. Before the Fact, by Francis Iles
10. An April Shroud, by Reginald Hill
11. The Clue of the Broken Blade, by Franklin W. Dixon
12. The Sudden Arrival of Violence, by Malcolm MacKay
13. The Cold Cold Ground, by Adrian McKinty
14. The Secret Ways, by Alistair MacLean (aka The Last Frontier)
15. The Beautiful Mystery, by Louise Penny
16. A Tap on the Window, by Linwood Barclay
17. The Pelican Brief, by John Grisham
18. The Killings at Badger's Drift, by Caroline Graham
19. The Sayers Swindle, by Victoria Abbott
20. Set in Darkness, by Ian Rankin
21. Bleed a River Deep, by Brian McGilloway
22. The Case of the Gilded Fly, by Edmund Crispin
23. Entry Island, by Peter May
24. Rendezvous in Black, by Cornell Woolrich

Cabin Pressure - The CABIN PRESSURE EPISODE CHALLENGE

In this category I'll be reading books at least tangentially related to the episode titles of "Cabin Pressure". Books listed here can overlap with the rest of the challenge.

✓ Abu Dhabi - oil, resource extraction, F1 - To Hell and Back, by Niki Lauda
Boston - Erle Stanley Gardner (resident of Boston): Black Mass
✓ Cremona - Italy, Zen, something Latin - Empire: The Novel of Imperial Rome, by Steven Saylor
✓ Douz - set in the desert, about the desert - Jerusalem: The Biography, by Simon Sebag Montefiore
✓ Edinburgh - set in Edinburgh - Quite Ugly One Morning, by Christopher Brookmyre
✓ Fitton - Fitton is a fictional town "west of Daventry" - book set in a fictional town - The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches, by Alan Bradley
✓ Gdansk - WW2 - The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, by Robert M. Edsel
✓ Helsinki - a book about sisters: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, by Henry Farrell
Ipswich - The Fourth Protocol, Stardust, Orwell (from the River Orwell), Canterbury Tales
Johannesburg - S. Africa book, safari, Born Free?
Kuala Lumpur - The Railway Man, by Eric Lomax (Malaysia), or, because the episode is about a secret pub ("the Flap and Throttle"), a book with a title similar to the name of a pub in the UK, from this list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pubs_in_the_United_Kingdom - Jamaica Inn
✓ Limerick - set in or about Ireland - In the Woods, by Tana French
✓ Molokai - Christmas book or tropical setting - A Little Yuletide Murder, by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain
Newcastle - The Englishman's Daughter, by Ben Macintyre (originally published as A Foreign Field, adapted into a radio drama starring Tom Goodman-Hill, who stood in for Benedict in this episode)
✓ Ottery St. Mary - books about or set in Devon, or maybe an Agatha since she lived in Devon: Towards Zero, by Agatha Christie
Paris - set in/about Paris or France - An Officer and a Spy, by Robert Harris
✓ Qikiqtarjuaq - Northern Canada or Iceland, which is just a few degrees south of Q. Lots of Iceland series to choose from. Black Skies, by Arnaldur Indridason (Reykjavik Murder Mystery series)
✓ Rotterdam - something acting-related, since the episode is about MJN Air making a safety video - A Bullet in the Ballet, by Caryl Brahms and S.J. Simon
St Petersburg - Tolstoy? Gogol? Something else Russian Russka, by Edward Rutherfurd
✓ Timbuktu - story involving codes: The Invisible Code, by Christopher Fowler
✓ Uskerty - Ireland pt. 2 (and/or Northern Ireland): The Nameless Dead, by Brian McGilloway
Vaduz - European royalty (Royal Spyness mystery perhaps?)
✓ Wokingham - dysfunctional family: The Drowning Pool, by Ross Macdonald
✓ Xinzhou - China: (Mrs Pollifax on the China Station, by Dorothy Gilman
✓ Yverdon-les-Bains - professional development book - Don't Make Me Think, Revisited, by Steve Krug
✓ Zurich - the final book in a series - Light Thickens, by Ngaio Marsh

Parade’s End / To the Ends of the Earth: Military / Naval books

Sub-challenges:
✓ The Good Soldier, by Ford Madox Ford
- A Hornblower book OR an Aubrey/Maturin book

Books read:

1. Scottish Battles, by John Sadler
2. Rifleman Dodd, by C.S. Forester
3. The Good Soldier, by Ford Madox Ford
4. The Bridge Over the River Kwai, by Pierre Boulle (trans. Xan Fielding)
5. The Yellow Birds, by Kevin Powers

Fortysomething - General fiction

Books read:

1. One Day, by David Nicholls
2. Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, by Stephen Leacock
3. Bleak House, by Charles Dickens
4. The Three Musketeers, by Alexandre Dumas

Starter for 10 - General non-fiction (everything's useful in trivia)

Books read:

1. Father Knows Zilch: A Guide for Dumbfounded Dads, by Linwood Barclay
2. American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot, by Craig Ferguson
3. It's a Don's Life, by Mary Beard
4. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster, by Jon Krakauer
5. Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well, by Douglas Stone and Sharon Heen
6. The Curmudgeon's Guide to Getting Ahead, by Charles Murray
7. Cubed: A Secret History of the Workplace, by Nikil Saval

Amazing Grace - History

Sub-challenge:
- Biography of William Pitt the Younger

Books read:
1. The Path of the Hero King, by Nigel Tranter
2. The Republic of Pirates, by Colin Woodard
3. The Secret Rooms, by Catherine Bailey
4. Northern Ireland: The Reluctant Peace, by Feargal Cochrane
5. The Price of the King's Peace, by Nigel Tranter
6. The Last House of Ulster: A Family in Belfast, by Charles Foran
7. The Norman Conquest, by Marc Morris
8. Laws in Conflict, by Cora Harrison

Van Gogh: Painted with Words - Art, the arts (books about books, literature, TV, movies, whatever)

Sub-challenge: a book about art, the Impressionists, Van Gogh, etc.

1. The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde
2. Ten Years in the Tub: A Decade Soaking in Great Books, by Nick Hornby
3. Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks, by John Curran

Star Trek into Darkness / The Hobbit (SFF)

Sub-challenges: A Star Trek-related book, either fiction or non

Books read:

1. Summer Falls and Other Stories, by Amelia Williams
2. Doctor Who and the Planet of the Spiders, by Terrance Dicks
3. Doctor Who and the Seeds of Doom, by Philip Hinchcliffe
4. Broken Homes, by Ben Aaronovitch
5. Shada: The Lost Adventure, by Gareth Roberts
6. Doctor Who and the Brain of Morbius, by Terrance Dicks
7. The Dalek Generation, by Nicholas Briggs
8. Red Planet Blues, by Robert J. Sawyer

Hawking - Science

Sub-challenge: pick one of the following: A Brief History of Time, Black Holes and Baby Universes, My Brief History (Hawking's autobiography)

Books read:
1. The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements, by Sam Kean
2. Rocket Girl: The Story of Mary Sherman Morgan, America's First Female Rocket Scientist, by George D. Morgan
3. Cascadia's Fault: The Coming Earthquake and Tsunami That Could Devastate North America, by Jerry Thompson
4. The Science of Sherlock Holmes: From Baskerville Hall to the Valley of Fear, the Real Forensics Behind the Great Detective's Greatest Cases by E. J. Wagner
5. The Science of Doctor Who, by Paul Parsons
6. Bad Science, by Ben Goldacre

Neverwhere - Audiobooks

Candidates (as of Aug 23/2013):
- At Home: A Short History of Private Life, by Bill Bryson
- Three Men in a Boat, by Jerome K. Jerome (read by Hugh Laurie)
- I Am America (And So Can You!), by Stephen Colbert
- Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself, by Alan Alda
- Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned, by Alan Alda
- The Mission Song, by John le Carré
- Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, by Douglas Adams (full-cast dramatization)
- Doctor Who: Vengeance of the Stones, by Andrew Smith
- Doctor Who: Blackout / The Art of Death, by James Goss / Oli Smith
- Doctor Who: Darkstar Academy / The Day of the Cockroach, by Mark Morris / Steve Lyons
- Star Trek Into Darkness, by Alan Dean Foster (read by Alice Eve)

Also refer to my audio tag.

Books read:

1. The Body in the Library, by Agatha Christie (read by Stephanie Cole)
2.

August: Osage County - Plays

This picture came up in the search I ran... not sure what it has to do with the movie but I guess we shall see soon enough.

Books read:

1. Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare
2. Journey's End, by R.C. Sherriff
3.

Dunkirk - Livres en français (this was a stretch... it's set in France??)

1.
2.

Possibilités
- La grammaire est une chanson douce, par Erik Orsenna
- Cinq semaines en ballon, par Jules Verne
- Sous les vents de Neptune, par Fred Vargas
- Debout les morts, par Fred Vargas

Third Star - Rereads

This was a successful category last year, so I want to make sure I keep making time for the books I’ve enjoyed before.

1. The Everly Brothers: Walk Right Back, by Roger White
2. McNally's Luck, by Lawrence Sanders
3. The Enchanted Castle, by E. Nesbit
4. The Laughing Policeman, by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö
5. Coke Machine Glow, by Gordon Downie
6.

Starting Thread Three with a monthly recap. I appear to have neglected to do one for March, so in the absence of a better idea I'll repeat February's "Oscar-style" recap and give awards to all my books read.

Book with the Grossest First Chapter: Quite Ugly One Morning, by Christopher Brookmyre
Best Edwardian/WW1-era History: The Secret Rooms, by Catherine Bailey
Best Book of the Month: Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well, by Douglas Stone and Sharon Heen
Best Argument for Starting Series in the Middle: The Cold Cold Ground, by Adrian McKinty
Best Cold War Thriller: The Secret Ways, by Alistair MacLean
Best Science History: Rocket Girl: The Story of Mary Sherman Morgan, America's First Female Rocket Scientist, by George D. Morgan
Best Play: Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare
Best Subchallenge Inadvertently Added to Wrong Category: The Good Soldier, by Ford Madox Ford
Best Irish Crime Novel: The Nameless Dead, by Brian McGilloway

Currently reading:

- Coke Machine Glow, by Gord Downie (April RandomCAT carrying over into May)
- Murder by Moonlight and Other Mysteries: The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 19-24, by Anthony Boucher (audiobook featuring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Holmes and Watson)
- The Pelican Brief, by John Grisham (very late March RandomCAT, which was actually mentioned in the last recap!)
- Black Skies, by Arnaldur Indridason (April MysteryCAT carrying over into May)
- Shada, by Douglas Adams and Gareth Roberts (started today, so fun!)

Challenges for May:

- A Bullet in the Ballet, by Caryl Brahms and S.J. Simon (MysteryCAT)
- The Bridge Over the River Kwai, by Pierre Boulle, translated by Xan Fielding(GeoCAT)

Rocket Girl was my RandomCAT selection for May and I accidentally ended up finishing it over the Easter weekend. That's just as well, because I'm not sure how much reading May will bring. Most of it will probably be my own books, but I also have some lovely science books out from the library (and just when I was despairing of being able to fill my science category!). I'm also going to look into starting one of my French books for that sorely neglected category.

Happy new thread (or whatever the standard greeting is). I suppose it would be overkill to put up a picture of Cumberbatch with every book read?

Third thread already! Very nice.

Yeah, new thread!

Happy new thread!

Always a pleasure to review pics with Benedict! Congrats on a new thread.

Congrats on a new thread!

>16 RidgewayGirl: to >21 kkunker: inclusive: Thanks, everyone! :)

>16 RidgewayGirl: Probably a bit overkill for every book, but if I find any particularly interesting ones in my online travels I'll share them here ;)

>20 mamzel: I aim to please!

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Just finished one of my currently-reading books mentioned above: Black Skies, by Arnaldur Indriðason. It was very good. Review will be coming in the next day or so.

In other book news, Jane Austen fans may want to tune in to BBC Radio 4 Extra on May 12 at 2:00 p.m. (I presume UK time), when a 10-part adaptation of Mansfield Park begins, featuring Benedict Cumberbatch and David Tennant (pictured at the Evening Standard Awards in 2008).

I don't think I noticed the sub-challenges before: very clever! Happy reading!

B.C. AND D.T. ? Be still my heart!

Yay! New thread!

I spy a new thread!

>23 MissWatson: I figured it was a good way to add some element of challenge to my deliberately broad categories.

>24 mamzel: I know! It should be great. If I find a link to the actual program page, I'll post it here.

>25 leslie.98: and >26 lkernagh: Hello and thanks! :)

****

Well I'm doing pretty well for myself this month. Three days in (already? what the...?) and I've finished two books.

Black Skies, by Arnaldur Indridason

Category: Cabin Pressure, ep "Qikiqtarjuaq" (an Icelandic series, since Iceland is a few degrees south of the town of Qikiqtarjuaq)
Source: Chapters
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/89628800

I liked this one better than Outrage, even though I probably like Elinborg better than Sigurdur Oli (of Erlendur's two colleagues). The crime had more of an Icelandic focus and was probably very timely when it first came out, dealing as it does with the "New Vikings" who engineered Iceland's huge economic boom in the early 2000s. And the back-cover blurb is a bit misleading; the book is not as grim as it sounds. If I'd known I would have read it sooner.

Shada: The Lost Adventure, by Gareth Roberts, from original scripts by Douglas Adams

Category: Star Trek Into Darkness / The Hobbit
Source: Waterstones Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, Scotland
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/98147771

If you're a Doctor Who fan who's ever wondered about the lost Douglas Adams story, Shada, which was never filmed, pick up this novelization. Gareth Roberts does an excellent job bringing the story to life, and the story itself is a fun rollicking romp. I also recommend it if you've read Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, where Professor Chronotis also makes an appearance.

Happy new thread! I'm hoping to get to the remaining books of the Erlendur series soon, and I also like Elinborg as a character.

>27 rabbitprincess: Great new thread! I enjoyed reading Shada last year. I'm glad to hear you liked it too. I will have to retread Dirk Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency. I don't remember Chronotis being in it.

I am behind with the Erlendur series as well, but hope to get to one in June when the GeoCat is on Islands and Bodies of Water.

>28 mathgirl40: I like Elinborg too, but I would dearly love to see Sigurdur Oli get put in his place.

Nice new digs! I hope you're having a good weekend. Mine started off well with the news that Inspector Lewis is returning to PBS this fall with 3 new episodes! I was very sad last year when I thought the series had ended. Although it was different at first without Morse, I ended up liking Inspector Lewis better than the original series.

I like Inspector Lewis, too, but why couldn't they move on to Inspector Hathaway. I find him more complex and interesting than Lewis.

>28 mathgirl40: Thanks! I have just Strange Shores left to go, and I think there's a new one coming out later this year. I should also start rereading some of them (especially Jar City).

>29 craso: Thanks! I'm pretty sure he's in it... might have to reread Dirk Gently myself!

>30 DeltaQueen50: Good plan!

>31 mysterymax: Maybe it will happen soon!

****

Apologies for being away; I'm on vacation and my Internet access has been sporadic at best. But now I have a stable source and can post reviews and catch up on threads. It is sobering how much I rely on an Internet connection.

Managed to finish one book so far:

The Bridge Over the River Kwai, by Pierre Boulle (trans. Xan Fielding)

Category: Parade's End / To the Ends of the Earth
Source: Friends of Library and Archives book sale
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/102194321

I read this for the May GeoCAT, and it's a thin paperback, which is why it came with me on vacation. It's not exactly a fast-paced zippy thriller, although it does have its suspenseful moments. You can probably safely watch the movie without reading the book, but it is interesting to compare the two.

>32 cbl_tn: Thanks! We cross-posted :)

>32 cbl_tn: and >33 RidgewayGirl: I haven't tried Morse yet but I do like Endeavour. I tried watching an episode of Lewis and couldn't get into it. Maybe I should try another episode, perhaps one guest starring an actor I like from something else, if applicable.

>33 RidgewayGirl: The description of the new series indicates that Lewis is called out of retirement to work with a newly promoted Hathaway. It sounds like Hathaway will be in charge this time around. I agree with you that it's Hathaway's character that makes the show interesting.

>35 rabbitprincess: I likeEndeavour too. Not as well as Inspector Lewis, but better than Inspector Morse. This summer I plan to rewatch the Morse series from the beginning. I've already watched the first couple of episodes. One of these days I'll get around to reading the books!

Howdy rabbitprincess!

>36 cbl_tn: Lewis and Hathaway are back? That's great, thanks for the heads-up!

>34 rabbitprincess: I went through a Pierre Boulle faze a while back. I read The Bridge Over the River Kwai, Planet of the Apes, and Garden on the Moon. The Bridge Over the River Kwai and Planet of the Apes are very different from the movies. I have no problem accepting that a book is different from he movie adaptation and liking them both. I recommend Garden on the Moon if you are interested in the history of the space race as long as you realize the book is very dated.

>36 cbl_tn: Sounds like a good summer plan!

>37 luvamystery65: Howdy! :D

>39 craso: Yeah, the ending seemed different in the book. It was hard to remember what exactly was the same and what differed because I spent most of the movie waiting for the famous ending.

****

Finally! Book shopping! Dublin has a huge new and secondhand bookstore called Chapters, and unlike the bookstore chain in Canada called Chapters, this one actually sells books! No scented candles or throw blankets or gift packs of jam and marmalade in this establishment. I beelined immediately for the secondhand floor upstairs and came away with the following:

HMS Ulysses, by Alistair MacLean (the store had four shelves full of MacLeans so it would have been a crime not to take one!)
1916: A Novel of the Irish Rebellion, by Morgan Llewelyn (the first of her Irish Century novels; I borrowed this from the library before my trip and had to return it unread)
All the Colours of the Town, by Liam McIlvanney (had a hard time finding it in Canada but lucked out here!)

I could easily have bought way more books (they also had a very fine selection of Nevil Shutes), but I will be buying more books later on in our trip. And all of the books I chose were on my to-read list so I feel very virtuous.

Nice haul! It's easier to rationalize book purchases on vacation. Books make great souvenirs!

Can't beat a bit of book shopping. I'd better find a hanky if you're reading HMS Ulysses, it has me in floods of tears from about page 14. And then it's waterworks all the way. Put it this way, if I were on board it would have sunk due to being flooded long before the end of the book!

Ah, I remember the Chapters in Canada when they used to sell just books. It's a totally different store today.

I was at the conference last week, but I spent very little time in the exhibit hall except for the two hours when I was doing my turn at the Association of Professional Genealogists booth. I had two or three small things that I'd intended to purchase, but I just completely forgot about them. I guess I'll have to order them and pay exorbitant shipping rates.

unlike the bookstore chain in Canada called Chapters, this one actually sells books!

LOL, and like Judy, I totally understand where you are coming from with that statement! ;-)

Oh, enjoy Ireland! I'm very much hoping that we manage a few weeks there while we are still in Europe.

>41 cbl_tn: They sure do! I especially like picking up books related to the trip (hence my purchase of 1916).

>42 Helenliz: Very good to know! Sounds like a book I should read at home instead of on the bus. The cover art on mine is interesting because there are three guys in a raft and one of them looks like he's wearing a Santa hat, which is odd and would not fit the tone at all!

>43 DeltaQueen50: Indeed! I have no problem with them selling magazines, journals, pens, greeting cards and book bags, but some of their other stuff is rather odd for a bookstore to be selling.

>44 thornton37814: Darn! Hate when that happens. Whittard tea is my item with exorbitant shipping rates. Their shipping to Canada is eye-watering, so I have to stock up when I'm overseas. Waiting for some friends to move to the UK so they can get me a supply!

>45 lkernagh: The annoying thing is some of the non-book items are actually quite nice, but I am not going to buy them from Chapters because it will just encourage them!

>46 RidgewayGirl: I hope you are able to get here! It's beautiful country. Lots of driving though. We had to do a fair number of coach tours to get to the places we wanted to see, like the Ring of Kerry and the Cliffs of Moher (which are amazing). And definitely visit Chapters Dublin! ;)

Sounds like a great vacation so far!

I'm jealous! Both of your trip and of a Chapters that sells only books :)

Enjoy Ireland!

RP, I've been a few times, the best trip involved renting holiday cottages for a week at a time on the western edge of the Dingle peninsula and on the southeast coast near Waterford. Both places were very different and staying in one place meant we could explore on our own. I did let my SO do the driving, though. Ireland is a great place to vacation with kids and dogs. Our dog liked the Blasket island outing best. Those rabbits had never seen a dog before. She went off on her own that day and we would see her off in the distance being feral -- she kept us in sight (the rabbits were in no danger).

>48 LittleTaiko: It is! I'm also wearing out my camera taking so many pictures ;)

>49 paruline: I will! And I agree, the Chapters that sells books is amazing. Not sure if they do online shipping.

>50 RidgewayGirl: Dingle and Waterford sound lovely! We will have to come back to see those places.

----

I spoke too soon about having a stable source of wifi. Our latest flat doesn't have Internet either. This message is brought to you by the Glaisnock Cafe, Bookstore and Guest House in Wigtown, aka Scotland's Book Town. We've already visited two bookstores and I've bought the following:

South by Java Head, by Alistair Maclean
Gideon's Lot, by J.J. Marric
The Clansman, by Nigel Tranter
Gold for Prince Charlie, by Nigel Tranter
The Luck of Troy, by Roger Lancelyn Green

The cottage itself is lovely, even without Internet, and the town is just as lovely too. it's a sunny day for once, and I have tea and books, and the first bookstore we visited had a cat! Things are good. I hope to visit more threads soon.

Tea and books! Sounds like heaven!

>53 rabbitprincess: Indeed it was :)

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More books have been purchased, and my suitcase is protesting just a bit.

The Blue Hammer, by Ross Macdonald
Last Seen Wearing, by Hillary Waugh
Bun-chursa Gaidligh: Scottish Gaelic, a progressive course, by Bill Blacklaw (no touchstone, just hyperlink)
No Highway, by Nevil Shute
A Foreign Country, by Charles Cumming
The Hollow Man, by John Dickson Carr (which may also be known as The Three Coffins?)

I'm really pleased with the Waugh and Carr purchases in particular, because both were on the British Crime Writers' Association "best of" list and neither were at my library. Also, the Waugh and Macdonald titles are part of the Heron Books "Library of Crime" and as such have very nice covers.

****

Reviews now. I expect one will not be a terribly popular opinion.

The Beautiful Mystery, by Louise Penny

Category: Sherlock / TTSS
Source: Chapters
Rating: 1.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/99601091

I saved this book for my vacation and was looking forward to it very much. However, the main plot left me restless and bored, and the subplot left me infuriated. I know I'm in the minority on this one and there were probably more personal reasons contributing to my experience with the book, but overall I was disappointed.

A Bullet in the Ballet, by Caryl Brahms and S.J. Simon

Category: Cabin Pressure ep "Rotterdam" (acting-related)
Source: Book Bazaar
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/74407667

A nice refreshing Golden Age mystery. Short, snappy, delightfully dry-witted narration. Even somewhat educational; Brahms was a ballet critic for the Evening Standard and really knew her stuff.

I think the Louise Penny series is one that you either like or don't. I wasn't taken with it either and have decided not to continue on with it. So many other books out there that are calling to me.

I started the first Louise Penney with anticipation and gave up partway through. The characters were just so whimsical and full of extra character that I just couldn't continue. But there are people out there who didn't like the books they read by Kate Atkinson and Tana French, and allegedly even people who turned off Sherlock partway through an episode. It's like we all like different things. Apparently.

The chain bookstore I worked for in high school would have been happiest if we'd all liked the same books and so they could just carry a half dozen titles and be done with the backlist.

>53 rabbitprincess: I've read two Louise Penney books and didn't care for either of them. I was sure that I'd missed something in the first one and was persuaded to try another. I agree with your assessment.

>55 RidgewayGirl: I picked up a Tana French book at the library, read the first page and put it back on the shelf. I'll have another look sometime, but I just wasn't sold on that particular day.

>54 DeltaQueen50: I really liked the sixth one, Bury Your Dead, which is also the first one I read. I've liked the previous five to varying degrees, but the two after Bury Your Dead I haven't cared for as much. Maybe my tastes have changed. And maybe what I really liked was the Quebec City setting and the history of Bury Your Dead, not so much the rest of it.

>55 RidgewayGirl: That sounds like the current mission statement of Chapters Indigo as well!

>56 VivienneR: I do wonder if reading the book under different circumstances would have changed my opinion. And right now I'm not sure whether to continue the series or not. It's difficult to know when to give up and when to persevere.

****

No new books purchased since my last count, which is probably a good thing for my suitcase. I sure hope it meets the weight restrictions. Today we're back in Dublin after a couple of days well spent in Liverpool. We did the obligatory Beatles tour and now we all have Beatles songs stuck in our heads.

Not getting much actual reading done either, but when I am reading it's Linwood Barclay's excellent-so-far A Tap on the Window.

Trip ends on Thursday and then it's back to the real world Monday morning. I feel like I've been gone for a year!

"The Lemon is in Play" Ha! I get it now. I've been listening to Cabin Pressure - such fun. So far, I don't know what will top Passenger Derby. I nearly had to pull my car over I was laughing so hard.

Sounds like you're having a great time on vacation. Esp the book buying part. I hope your suitcase has wheels.
Did you happen to check out the Beatles Hotel while you were in Liverpool? One of my co-workers just retired and returned home to Liverpool. I told her to expect me for a visit and that maybe I'd stay in the Beatles Hotel.

Hope your trip home goes smoothly.

Did you hear your boy Benedict is going to be in Black Mass with Johnny Depp? They're filming here in Boston, so if I meet him, I'll get his autograph for you. ;-)

>58 raidergirl3: Glad you like it! I have to listen to them again in preparation for the series finale. I keep changing my mind about which is my favourite character.

>59 VioletBramble: Yes, fortunately it does. And actually my suitcase was the second-lightest of my family's luggage. It helped that I bought a lot of light paperbacks.
We walked by the Beatles Hotel but didn't go in. They seem to have a great gift shop as well.

>60 BookLizard: I did hear that! Very interesting. I've requested the book it's based on from the library.
And if you did get his autograph for me you would be my new best friend ;)

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Last book of my vacation done and dusted.

A Tap on the Window, by Linwood Barclay

Category: Sherlock / TTSS
Source: Chaptigo
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/100858397

This was a more typical Barclay thriller than his previous one, Trust Your Eyes, but still very good. I especially like his books for being enthralling but still easy to put down if necessary. Great for travelling with.

****

Tomorrow it's back to the real world. I reactivated a bunch of library holds and now have four items waiting for pickup, with more in transit! So my new acquisitions will be waiting a while ;)

It sounds like you had a lovely time in Ireland. I hope you have recovered from the shock of work! The weekend is almost here.

>62 luvamystery65: We did have a very lovely time :) The first week back at work was OK, if a bit uneven in terms of workload. And as my library holds kept pouring in over the course of the week, I kept wanting to be at home reading! This is my "borrowed books" shelf at the moment, organized by due date:



- The Killings at Badger's Drift, by Caroline Graham
- Northern Ireland: The Reluctant Peace, by Feargal Cochrane
- The Yellow Birds, by Kevin Powers
- Done.: A Cook's Guide to Knowing When Food is Perfectly Cooked, by James Peterson
- Black Mass: The Irish Mob, the FBI and a Devil's Deal, by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill
- The Science of Doctor Who, by Paul Parsons
- The Science of Sherlock Holmes, by E.J. Wagner
- Lexicon, by Max Barry
- Bad Science, by Ben Goldacre
- When Bad Things Happen to Good Knitters, by Marion Edmondson

Not on the shelf because I'm currently reading them are The Curmudgeon's Guide to Getting Ahead, by Charles Murray, and John Wayne: The Life and Legend, by Scott Eyman. The John Wayne book is HUGE so I decided to start it simply to make more room on the borrowed books shelf!

And on the far left, not shown, is a book I borrowed from my brother: Napoleon's Buttons, by Penny Lecouteur. That one isn't *as* urgent to read quickly.

****

Catching up with the last of my May reviews.

The Pelican Brief, by John Grisham

Category: Sherlock / TTSS
Source: gift
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/70473986

A classic John Grisham and a legal thriller that moves surprisingly fast. It's more about people in the legal profession than it is about the law, so this means fewer boring courtroom scenes and more breathless chase scenes. Darby Shaw is also a pretty resourceful heroine. And I was surprised that this book was set in New Orleans. Nice bonus if you like books set in that area.

Doctor Who and the Brain of Morbius, by Terrance Dicks

Category: Star Trek Into Darkness / The Hobbit
Source: South Mountain Friends of the Library Book Sale
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/102150369

A very serviceable novelization of a Fourth Doctor story that aired in 1976. Fun fact: the planet on which this story is set is also the setting of the 50th anniversary mini-episode "The Night of the Doctor", which aired in 2013.

Cascadia's Fault: The Coming Earthquake and Tsunami That Could Devastate North America, by Jerry Thompson

Category: Hawking
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/108666632

This book discusses the Cascadia fault, which is located about 30 miles off the Pacific coast of North America and which is expected to rupture in a major earthquake. The only question is when. This book provides a history of earthquake science and major earthquakes, and describes the steps taken to prepare for and predict the onset of this major quake when it comes. It's interesting but also a bit overwhelming when you read it over a very short period.

Found my way to your new thread - looking good! A little envious of your Dublin-trip (even though I just came back from vacation myself!) - it's been forever since I've been there!

>64 -Eva-: Welcome back! I understand the feeling of being envious about vacations even if you've just had one. I already can't wait for the next one!!

Oh and I know you'll appreciate this: earlier the BF and I were watching the DVD of the reconstructed Doctor Who story "Shada", and Harvey Baines from Waiting for God was in it!! It was too funny, but the BF hasn't seen Waiting for God so the humour was lost on him.

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And now it's time for the May recap, awards-style.

Best ScandiCrime: Black Skies, by Arnaldur Indridason
Best Doctor Who Novel: Shada: The Lost Adventure, by Gareth Roberts
Best Book to Pack on a Vacation Because It Was Really Thin: The Bridge Over the River Kwai, by Pierre Boulle (trans. Xan Fielding)
Most Frustrating Book in Series: The Beautiful Mystery, by Louise Penny
Best Golden Age Crime Novel: A Bullet in the Ballet, by Caryl Brahms and S.J. Simon
Best Book of the Month: A Tap on the Window, by Linwood Barclay
Most Pleasant Surprise in Legal Thrillers: The Pelican Brief, by John Grisham
Book with the Most Amusingly Named Henchman: Doctor Who and the Brain of Morbius, by Terrance Dicks
Most Worry-Inducing Science Book: Cascadia's Fault: The Coming Earthquake and Tsunami That Could Devastate North America, by Jerry Thompson

Currently reading:

- Coke Machine Glow, by Gord Downie: carryover from the April RandomCAT
- Murder by Moonlight and Other Mysteries, by Anthony Boucher: audiobook
- The Laughing Policeman, by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö: June MysteryCAT
- The Curmudgeon's Guide to Getting Ahead, by Charles Murray: with a title like that I had to pick it up from the library.
- John Wayne: The Life and Legend, by Scott Eyman: I LOVE the cover of this one. He almost has a James Dean vibe going on.

Challenges for June:

- get through my mondo stack of library books! I did a very bad job of managing my holds when I was on vacation.
- MysteryCAT: The Laughing Policeman
- RandomCAT: The Price of the King's Peace, by Nigel Tranter (from the King's Macc rose)
- GeoCAT: Rilla of Ingleside, by Lucy Maud Montgomery (for Prince Edward Island)

That's awesome - Harvey Baines is such a great character!!

Have you read Rilla before? I love that book, for the home front view as much as anything. I've taught a girl named Rilla. I was predisposed to like her, but she was sweet.

>66 -Eva-: He also appeared in a documentary on one of the special features discs, and he basically looks the same as before, just with more lines on the face.

>67 raidergirl3: Not yet. This will be my first time through and I'm looking forward to it. That's so cool that you taught someone named Rilla!

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First book down is a CAT.

The Laughing Policeman, by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö

Going Through the Stacks Book #12
Category: Third Star
Source: Chapters
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/70475198

Now that I own all of the Martin Beck series, I've been reading them in order. This was a reread, though, because I studied it in a university class. And it's still my favourite, at least so far.

****

More bookish goodness: Benedict Cumberbatch reads a letter by Kurt Vonnegut at the 2014 Hay Festival.
This makes me want to raid my dad's collection of Vonneguts RIGHT NOW.

>68 rabbitprincess: I started The Laughing Policeman last night.

Join us for Vonnegut in the AAC. http://www.librarything.com/topic/174613

Ouch! Book Bullet for The Curmudgeon's Guide to Getting Ahead.

No Benedict sightings yet, but my friend has her sister on the watch for him, too.

>69 luvamystery65: Yay! Hope you like it. And thanks for the link to the Vonnegut thread! I'll go check it out. I've borrowed A Man Without a Country and the library also informs me that Kurt Vonnegut: Letters is available for pickup.

>70 BookLizard: It's a very small-calibre book bullet, fortunately! ;) Thanks for the Benedict update! I hope you at least get to see the film set. That would be pretty cool in and of itself. I know people who live in Toronto and they're constantly seeing film crews and celebs.

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It's the weekend and the weather is finally starting to resemble summer. This means reading on the patio with a glass of iced tea! Best kind of outdoor activity ;)

Yet another mystery down... next year I am definitely putting some sort of restriction on this category. (@christina_reads pointed out a cool bingo card that I'll probably end up using.)

The Killings at Badger's Drift, by Caroline Graham

Category: Sherlock / TTSS
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/109388055

Overall I enjoyed this book, especially the narrative tone and the clash of personalities between Barnaby and Troy, but I wasn't crazy about the ending. Still, I'd probably read at least one more in the series if I thought of it, which is why it's a 3.5 instead of a 3.

My favorites in that series are Written in Blood and A Place of Safety, but they're all pretty good.

>72 -Eva-: Written in Blood sounds great! That will probably be my next one.

****

Both today and yesterday have been beautiful days. Yesterday was rather hotter than I was expecting, though, so lunch consisted of gelato, and later on an iced tea. (I don't really eat a lot when it's too warm.) I also attended Doors Open with a couple of friends: we visited a guide dog training facility, a greenhouse, and a vehicle showcase at City Hall (ambulance, fire truck, tow truck, different types of buses). On the way home we also stopped in at a bookstore, where I picked up:

No Relation, by Terry Fallis (why was the initial touchstone suggestion Macbeth?!)
For Who the Bell Tolls: One Man's Quest for Grammatical Perfection, by David Marsh

The past couple of days have also been productive on the finishing-books front, so here are a couple of reviews:

The Curmudgeon's Guide to Getting Ahead, by Charles Murray

Category: Starter for Ten
Source: library
Rating: 2.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/109463580

The first half is good, especially the writing tips, but the second half got a bit cantankerous. A library borrow rather than a buy.

Coke Machine Glow, by Gordon Downie

Going Through the Stacks Book 13
Category: Third Star
Source: gift
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/70476407

A book of poetry published to coincide with the album of the same name, back in 2001. My favourite poems, predictably, are the ones that are lyrics to the songs on the album, but I also like the atmosphere of the poems that describe life on the road as a musician. Thanks to @VioletBramble for the April RandomCAT, which inspired me to reread (and finally finish) this one!

Doors Open sounds like a great way to spend a weekend. The guide dog training facility would have fascinated me. Did they have any demonstrations for visitors to watch?

Cascadia's Fault sounds really interesting. I had read Simon Wincester's Krakatoa a couple of years ago and found it fascinating and would love to learn more about the geology on this side of the earth.

>74 lkernagh: Indeed they did! Here's a photo of the demonstration. This dog's name was Marvel.



Marvel is a mobility assistance dog; they're trained to help people in wheelchairs. They can fetch a mind-boggling amount of things -- even something as small as a bank card! Here he was fetching a cane.

We also toured the kennels and saw the residence where the new guide-dog owners live while they meet their new dogs and learn how to work with them.

>75 mathgirl40: You'll probably like this if you liked Krakatoa. That was a good one as well.

****

Another book for my Science category!

The Science of Sherlock Holmes, by E.J. Wagner

Category: Hawking
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/108666682

This is a good introduction to early developments in forensic science if you're also a fan of Sherlock Holmes. There aren't too many spoilers here; the quotes from Holmes serve as a springboard to discuss the history, but the cases themselves are not analyzed in extensive detail (if you want that, The Scientific Sherlock Holmes is a better option).

What an interesting demonstration to watch. Assistance dogs are just so brilliant!

The Science of Sherlock Holmes is already on the wishlist and instead of replacing it, I'll just add The Scientific Sherlock Holmes to the wishlist as well instead.

>78 -Eva-: Hope you like them! They're a bit on the light side, but in my mind that makes them good non-fiction reading for summer. :)

****

I've been pretty lucky with my reading lately. Two very good books in a row.

Northern Ireland: The Reluctant Peace, by Feargal Cochrane

Category: Amazing Grace
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/109439417

Published in 2013, this is a very thorough examination of the history of Northern Ireland, from basically the Plantation of Ulster to the present day. The author himself grew up in Belfast but does not turn this into a memoir; his anecdotes are carefully chosen and serve to illustrate the points he makes. Definitely worth a look if you want to learn more about Northern Ireland.

Rilla of Ingleside, by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Category: Fortysomething
Source: Chaptigo
Rating: 5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/81549742

This is a great conclusion to the Anne of Green Gables series (I'm not counting The Blythes are Quoted) as well as a good book about the homefront in the First World War. I spent most of the book prepared to cry, so for that emotional impact the book is raised from a 4.5 to the full 5 stars. Recommended particularly if you liked Anne's House of Dreams -- this book makes reference to it a fair bit.

My mother refused to read Rilla of Ingleside so that no one had to die. I haven't read that far in the series yet, but I'll get to it one of these days.

Oh gosh, I cried BUCKETS reading Rilla of Ingleside as a kid! I haven't read it since, but I do hope to reread the Anne series one of these years!

I'm so glad you loved Rilla! I feel proprietary about these books, living in PEI. Everyone should love them! Rilla has so much more going on than some of the others, with the war. It is a great conclusion to the whole series.

I definitely don't want to re-read Rilla of Ingleside at the moment. Between it and the loss of Brumley, I might be crying all 7 oceans of tears.

>80 cbl_tn: Aww! That's understandable.

>81 christina_reads: It makes a nice ongoing project, to slip an Anne book in between heavier reads!

>82 raidergirl3: It sure was! Think I have to pay a return visit to PEI one of these years. We visited Green Gables when I was 10 but I'm not sure I'd read any of the books yet. I'd probably get more out of it now.

>83 thornton37814: Oh dear yes, that would be an unfortunate combination of circumstances + book. Definitely read happier things!

****

Summer is here and so are the festivals! Yesterday I attended the RibFest downtown and ate ribs in a completely messy and undignified manner. (There is no graceful way to eat ribs.) Then I headed down to the Dragon Boat Festival for some free concerts. If you like Canadian roots rock, this was a good lineup: Harlan Pepper, Cuff the Duke, and The Sheepdogs. Cuff was the band I was there to see, but all were good.

Finally caught up with a few reviews.

John Wayne: The Life and Legend, by Scott Eyman

Category: Van Gogh: Painted with Words
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/109387991

A very comprehensive look at the life and times of John Wayne, with a fantastic cover. Worth reading for classic movie buffs and John Wayne fans. I guarantee you'll learn at least one new thing from it.

The Science of Doctor Who, by Paul Parsons

Category: Hawking
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/108666675

An interesting, light romp through the wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff of Doctor Who. The physics bits made my head hurt, but that always happens with physics so it's not necessarily the author's fault. If you like the new series, especially, this might be fun.

Towards Zero, by Agatha Christie

Category: Cabin Pressure, ep "Ottery St Mary" (an Agatha Christie book set in Devon -- she lived in Devon as well)
Source: Big Box o'Christies
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/70473895

All I can say is, Tom Baker was a good choice for Frederick Treves in the TV adaptation!

I haven't seen your boy yet, but he's in the area.

>85 BookLizard: Woo hoo! :D Love the expression in the first picture. And I hope you guys are having better weather than we are! It rained ALL DAY today.

****

Yet another Science book.

Bad Science, by Ben Goldacre

Category: Hawking
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/109479463

This is the sort of book I read and think that I really need my own copy for rereading purposes. (Also, I think my BF would enjoy it, if he were to accept recommendations.)

86> The rain is coming Wednesday/Thursday here. Hopefully it won't ruin any filming.

What does he have in his hand?
We might (emphasis on might) get a sprinkle tonight.

88> He's supposed to be leading the St. Patrick's Day parade, so some type of scepter, I guess.

I hope the rain was kind to the city and to the film set! Now we have a heat wave on our hands. Yuck. Thank goodness for air con, curtains over the east-facing windows, and iced tea!

****

The heat has fortunately not yet diminished my appetite for reading. Two reviews for you.

Journey's End, by R.C. Sherriff

Category: August: Osage County
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/109655233

A WW1 play which I picked up because of a rumour about a possible movie adaptation: http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jun/02/benedict-cumberbatch-tom-hiddleston-... At this point it's only speculation as to who will be cast, but at the very least I'm glad it led me to discover this play. And I hope it does become a movie in some form, because the characters have a lot of depth to them that could be explored.

The Price of the King's Peace, by Nigel Tranter

Category: Amazing Grace
Source: Moffat Books, Moffat, Scotland
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/98198694

The conclusion to the Robert the Bruce trilogy. Very much recommended for those with an interest in Scottish history. I was also amused to note at one point that the Scottish troops had to make a detour through Moffat, because that's where I bought this book.

Greetings!

First, I have to say that I love your categories - what a hoot!

Your reading looks pretty good, too. I laughed when I read your Louise Penny comments - add me to the list of those who weren't impressed.

I'm not familiar with Journey's End. As you know, I read plays, so I'll keep an eye out for it.

I'm also tempted by Cascadia's Fault - I agree with mathgirl40 - Krakatoa was excellent.

I'll be sure to keep up with your thread going forward!

90> Drink a glass of iced tea for me. I can't have any caffeine. :-(

Here's the latest gossip I could find on your man:
http://www.people.com/article/benedict-cumberbatch-sherlock-boston-black-mass-ca...

That's what heatwaves are for - a reason to stay indoors and read! :)

>91 Dejah_Thoris: Hi! Thanks for stopping by! I hope you like Journey's End. It was sufficiently vivid to serve me well as a bus book; usually I prefer to read plays at home. And yes this has been a very fun theme this year!

>92 BookLizard: Will do! Actually my iced teas are not strictly speaking "teas"; they're more of a "fruit infusion" or a tisane, so they might not have caffeine. I get them from DavidsTea.

Thanks for the article! And now I need to try cannoli too!

>93 -Eva-: Yes, a very good reason!

That's what heatwaves are for - a reason to stay indoors and read! :)

Spring showers, summer heatwaves, autumn storms, winter snowstorms - there's something in every season for the dedicated reader ;)

95> Don't forget holiday weekends!

>95 Samantha_kathy: I agree, every weather can be reading weather. I just find that what I want to read tends to vary with the weather. Each Christmas I start a big classic, because there's something about Christmas, the freedom to not do anything, and the (usually) miserable weather that's conducive to being curled up with a biggie.

>95 Samantha_kathy: I like your thinking! ;)

>96 BookLizard: Those too! Even random days off during the week are OK, although long weekends are much better...

>97 Helenliz: Agreed! That's a great time to check off the big books. I also like to have a big book on the nightstand and work my way through it a chapter at a time. At least that's the theory...

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June recap:

Best Reread: The Laughing Policeman, by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö
Mystery with Weirdest Solution: The Killings at Badger's Drift, by Caroline Graham
Most Discouraging Book: The Curmudgeon's Guide to Getting Ahead, by Charles Murray
Best Poetry: Coke Machine Glow, by Gordon Downie
Best Forensic Science Book: The Science of Sherlock Holmes, by E.J. Wagner
Best Non-fiction: Northern Ireland: The Reluctant Peace, by Feargal Cochrane
Book of the Month: Rilla of Ingleside, by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Most Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Wimey:The Science of Doctor Who, by Paul Parsons
Best Mystery: Towards Zero, by Agatha Christie
Book That Made Me Think the Hardest: Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks, by Ben Goldacre
Best Play: Journey's End, by R.C. Sherriff
Best Scottish Book: The Price of the King's Peace, by Nigel Tranter

Currently reading:
A Little Yuletide Murder, by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain (Cabin Pressure challenge)
Great British Bakes, by Mary Ann Boermans
The Arabian Nights, trans. Orton Lowe (year-long group read)
Dangerous Work: Diary of an Arctic Adventure, by Arthur Conan Doyle (July GeoCAT)
Murder by Moonlight and Other Mysteries, by Anthony Boucher (yes, still)

Plans for July:
- GeoCAT: Dangerous Work; Le Sphinx des glaces, by Jules Verne
- MysteryCAT: Set in Darkness, by Ian Rankin; Red Planet Blues, by Robert J. Sawyer (the library says it's noir!)
- RandomCAT: The Sayers Swindle, by Victoria Abbott; possibly a book about crime fiction if one of my requests comes in this month

Yesterday was Canada Day, and my Internet decided to celebrate by being glacially slow all day. So instead of spending too much time on LT I spent too much time reading :) Finished two books and have reviewed one.

The Yellow Birds, by Kevin Powers

Category: Parade's End / To the Ends of the Earth
Source: library
Rating: 2.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/109439401

I wanted to like this one more than I did. The story itself was interesting, but I was impatient with the writing style and the way it was told. It's supposedly being turned into a movie, and that might work better (especially since Benedict is said to be playing Sgt Sterling...).

****

Also, great news for Sherlock fans! A special and a fourth series have been officially confirmed. http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-28123420

The good news is that they willbe making a new. Sherlock. The bad news it will feel like forever until we get to watch it.

>100 mamzel: Exactly.

Just finished Towards Zero. I agree! Best Christie book I have read so far. Really enjoyed it.

>100 mamzel: and >101 MissWatson: Fortunately there will be lots of other projects by the actors to keep us occupied until then! I'm prepared to be as patient as necessary... although it does help that Doctor Who starts up again in August. :)

>102 mysterymax: It was quite enjoyable! I liked imagining Frederick Treves as Tom Baker (aka The Fourth Doctor, who you will meet in due course!).

****

Today @mysterymax and @paruline and I held our second annual International LibraryThing Summit, as we've termed our Ottawa meet-up. It's happened twice, so now it's a tradition! We partook of hot beverages and really, really filling cake at Oh So Good in the ByWard Market. I had a peanut butter cheesecake and do not need more cheesecake for the rest of the year! We talked books of course, next year's challenges and a lot more. Max surprised me with a copy of The Official Quotable Doctor Who, by Cavan Scott, which I fortunately did not have and was delighted to receive. Then paruline and I went to Chapters, where I got my own copies of Caitlin Moran's How to Be a Woman and Moranthology, after having read them from the library. It was a beautiful afternoon weather-wise and we enjoyed seeing each other again. We're already discussing next year's summit ;)

****

A couple of reviews. One is related to Doctor Who, oddly enough.

The Dalek Generation, by Nicholas Briggs

Category: Star Trek Into Darkness / The Hobbit
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/110005502

It is no surprise to me that Nicholas Briggs, the Voice of the Daleks, has written such a tense, thrilling story involving the Doctor's most recognizable archenemies. I powered through this in a couple of sittings, even while being filled with dread that the Doctor would not get out of this one. Diabolical.

A Little Yuletide Murder, by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain

Category: Cabin Pressure, episode "Molokai" (a Christmas book)
Source: EVM
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/92648602

I liked this Murder She Wrote book a lot better than the previous one I read (Murder at the Powderhorn Ranch). Less jarring narrative voice, more gritty story. And the skull on the cover is hilarious. I love those hidden skulls. They crack me up!

The Caitlin Moran books are worth having copies of.

And speaking as the voice of experience -- you will want another slice of cheesecake before 2015.

The Meetup sounds like fun - cheesecake and all!

>104 RidgewayGirl: We're going to a christening today and of course my mother decided to make mini Nutella cheesecakes for the reception afterward. Had I known this I would have had regular cake instead!

>105 Dejah_Thoris: It was indeed! :)

Meetups are fun. Next year take photos!

>103 rabbitprincess: -my book club is reading How to be a woman later this year. What are your thoughts on it?

A Dalek can write??? LOL

Sounds like you had a great meet-up! I just came from an SF convention. They are all volunteer run. Now you've got my wheels turning. I wonder if someone could pull off an LT Con. It would be one, great big weekend long meet-up. Think of all the book bullets! And of course, the dealer's room... Dangerous idea!

Awesome idea!

>107 luvamystery65: @paruline did take photos, so stay tuned ;)

>108 LittleTaiko: I loved it! I was constantly reading bits out loud to my boyfriend, usually after laughing out loud. She's very honest about her own experiences, which can be a bit startling but is always interesting.

>109 cammykitty: and >110 mysterymax:: Brilliant!
And yes, Daleks can write. They might not be able to type, but they can "DICTATE! DICTATE!" ;) ...that joke would work better if "dictate" had more syllables.

LOL! That's a good one!

LT Con!!! This should totally happen.

mini Nutella cheesecakes ..... Oh,.... I want! ;-)

We could certainly serve mini Nutella cheesecakes in the Con Suite.

Your Ottawa LT summit sounded great! Unfortunately, I don't think there are any LT members in my area of the country, but there are several BookCrossers that I meet with regularly, so I'm happy about that.

My daughter, who's a huge Nutella fan, would have loved those cheesecakes!

>112 cammykitty: :)

>113 christina_reads: Yes! With webconferencing for those who can't attend in person.

>114 lkernagh: and 115 I like this idea even more, especially if someone else makes them from my mum's recipe ;) They're a bit fiddly. Here is a photo of them I took at another event:



>116 mathgirl40: There might well be LTers from your neck of the woods lurking around here somewhere! And if we both happen to be in TO around the same time we can always take the opportunity for a meetup ;)

****

This is probably a bit of a stretch for the "noir" MysteryCAT, but I couldn't resist including it anyway.

Red Planet Blues, by Robert J. Sawyer

Category: Star Trek Into Darkness / The Hobbit
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/110387783

More interesting for the sci-fi than the noir, although the protagonist is quite clearly modelled on Sam Spade et al. What this really inspires me to do is reread Eric Idle's The Road to Mars.

Red Planet Blues looks like a hoot - and I already have it out from the library!

Re: photo - Yum.

Looks like that guy - 'what's his name' (Initials are B.C) iis racking up the Emmy nominations.

Read the review, without the spoiler, for Red Planet Blues. Hey, if Peter Lorre talks, it counts as Noir. But I can see how that could push you into the arms of Eric Idle.

>118 Dejah_Thoris: Yay book coincidences!

>119 mysterymax: He sure is! Haha someone commented that Sherlock got more Emmy nominations than it has episodes. (I hope David Arnold and Michael Price win for their music! They do an excellent job.)

>120 cammykitty: It was the "transfers" that did it; they reminded me so much of Carlton, the android in Road to Mars who is trying to decipher the essence of comedy.

Finally got my butt in gear and wrote a couple of reviews!

Empire: The Novel of Imperial Rome, by Steven Saylor

Category: Cabin Pressure, ep "Cremona" (Cremona and Rome are both in Italy)
Source: Indigo Eaton Centre
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/81549783

This is actually the second of two novels about Imperial Rome. It was certainly informative but there was a LOT of expository dialogue. Also, Caligula was a creep.

The Sayers Swindle, by Victoria Abbott

Category: Sherlock / TTSS
Source: birthday gift
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/109410715

The second installment of the Book Collector series proved even more enjoyable than the first. A nice light madcap book that also caters to my love of reading.

Caligula was a creep? You shock me! (Not). I'll bet he was even creepier in real life! Too bad the book was full of As-you-know,-Tituses. I think I'll pass on this one.

I've been meaning to get to the second Book Collector book - maybe in August. I think the third will be out soon....

Thanks for the reviews!

>117 rabbitprincess: Yes, let's do try to meet up! I'm reading some noir-influenced SFF too.

>123 cammykitty: I know! Who'da thunk?
Saylor also has a mystery series set in ancient Rome, beginning with Roman Blood, which I'm hoping will have less "As you know, Titus" dialogue. At the very least I want to read the installment about Catiline.

>124 Dejah_Thoris: Yes, October or November I think. Will probably receive it from somebody for Christmas!

>125 mathgirl40: It's an interesting mashup! And speaking of meetups, I keep checking the FanExpo site to see if they've posted the schedule yet, but not till August apparently.

****

In addition to books, lately I've been bingeing on DVDs from the library. One set I've been working my way through is "Coast", featuring Neil Oliver and a recurring cast of guest presenters as they explore the coastline of the British Isles and beyond. My library has a set containing Series 4 and 5, and yesterday I finished Series 4. The scenery is just breathtaking. I enjoy seeing the places I've been (Cork/Cobh, Dublin, Liverpool, the Welsh coast between Liverpool and Holyhead) and now have loads of ideas for future trips! Skye and the Hebrides are next on the list... gorgeous!

Speaking of Scotland, I used July as an excuse to indulge in some Tartan Noir.

Set in Darkness, by Ian Rankin

Category: Sherlock / TTSS
Source: parents
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/110516685

What I especially liked about this installment of Rebus was the time and place: the Scottish Parliament when it was being built, and the prospect of devolution. A copy of this was also on the bookshelves in the flat we rented in Edinburgh last year, so reading this brought back memories. Oh and the story was pretty good too!

"Coast" sounds like a great series to watch!

>126 rabbitprincess:
Set in Darkness is one of my favorite Rebus-books (actually, most of them are favorites, but this one just a little bit more than the others). :) I love Big Ger Cafferty!

>127 lkernagh: It is! Do check it out if your library has it.
And speaking of the library, I just discovered mine has Jack Taylor! I've placed a hold on Set 1 and added Set 2 to my "for later" list in the online catalogue. Hurray!
(I like how our group adds to each other's Netflix/library DVD queues as well as their TBRs!)

>128 -Eva-: Big Ger is certainly incorrigible! My favourite line was about the Grieve family being labelled "Scotland's first family", and Rebus thinks, "Everyone knows Scotland's first family is The Broons." :)

****

My new favourite Ngaio Marsh mystery (sorry, Artists in Crime):

Light Thickens, by Ngaio Marsh

Category: Cabin Pressure, ep "Zurich" (last book in a series)
Source: Friends of Library and Archives Canada book sale
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/70474093

Well of course I'm going to be favourably disposed toward a Ngaio Marsh theatre-based mystery that focuses on The Scottish Play -- it's my favourite Shakespeare. But this did a great job building up the atmosphere of the company and the performance, the murder was unexpected in its method, and there wasn't too much tedious repetition of witness statements. I got a bit lost toward the very end, probably because I was trying to finish this off at the bus stop, but this is a Marsh I think I'll reread.

The title is from The Scottish Play of course. Here's the context:

Light thickens, and the crow
Makes wing to th' rooky wood.
Good things of day begin to droop and drowse;
Whiles night’s black agents to their preys do rouse.
Thou marvel’st at my words: but hold thee still.
Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill.
So, prithee, go with me.

The Light Thickens isn't my favorite Ngaio Marsh, but that may simply be because it's the last Roderick Alleyn novel. 32 just isn't enough......

I really like Ngaio Marsh and I love The Scottish Play too (possibly my favourite Shakespeare ... but I reserve the right to change my mind at a later time), so I'll definitely have to read The Light Thickens! Unfortunately, I prefer to read a series in order, and I'm still on the early Marsh books, so it might be a long time before I get to it.

Hi rabbitprincess! I was eating breakfast out with the husband this morning when I saw a big picture of your guy Ben and John Malkovich on the front of the USA Today newspaper that a the lady next to me was reading! It was a pic from the San Diego Comic Con where he's promoting "The Penguins of Madagascar." How would that movie fit in as a book reading category?

>130 Dejah_Thoris: Fair enough!

>131 mathgirl40: Hope you like it when you get to it!

>132 craso: Yay! Thank you for thinking of me :)
If I were including the Penguins of Madagascar as a category it would be either children's literature or "cheesy fun books", especially of the spy thriller variety.

****

This review is neither a children's book nor a cheesy fun book.

The Last House of Ulster: A Family in Belfast, by Charles Foran

Category: Amazing Grace
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/110153305

Stumbled upon this in the library catalogue and thought it would be a good companion piece to the Northern Ireland book I read earlier this year. The Last House of Ulster is a more personal look at the Troubles and it was well done.

More reviews, yay!

Bleed a River Deep, by Brian McGilloway

Category: Sherlock / TTSS
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/110769687

This is the third book in the Inspector Devlin series and it was pretty good. I liked the particularly Irish angle of the crime (it wasn't a generic crime that could happen anywhere).

The Norman Conquest, by Marc Morris

Category: Amazing Grace
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/110584429

This was a very interesting look at the Conquest from the viewpoint of contemporary sources. I liked the inclusion of the Bayeux Tapestry in particular and the comparison between the tapestry and the written documentation. Now I want to read more about the Tapestry -- any good book recommendations?

Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station, by Dorothy Gilman

Category: Cabin Pressure, ep "Xinhou" (a book set in China)
Source: library book sale
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/78616984

A Mrs. Pollifax novel that somehow escaped my notice back when I first started reading the series. It's a bit dated, since it was published in 1983, but overall pretty good. A mixture of the familiar and suspenseful that was devoured in about a day and a half. And bonus, this is the one where she marries Cyrus!

I took a look at The Norman Conquest. Ouch. That's a book bullet.

>135 MissWatson: And large calibre too! Sorry about that ;)

Seriously, how is it already the end of JULY?!

This month I read:

The Yellow Birds, by Kevin Powers -- 2.5 stars
The Dalek Generation, by Nicholas Briggs -- 4 stars
A Little Yuletide Murder, by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain -- 3 stars
Red Planet Blues, by Robert J. Sawyer -- 3 stars
Empire: The Novel of Imperial Rome, by Steven Saylor -- 3 stars
The Sayers Swindle, by Victoria Abbott -- 3.5 stars
Set in Darkness, by Ian Rankin -- 4 stars
Light Thickens, by Ngaio Marsh -- 4.5 stars
The Last House of Ulster: A Family in Belfast, by Charles Foran -- 4 stars
Bleed a River Deep, by Brian McGilloway -- 3.5 stars
The Norman Conquest: The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England, by Marc Morris -- 4.5 stars
Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station, by Dorothy Gilman -- 3.5 stars

Best book of the month: Light Thickens, by Ngaio Marsh

Challenges for August:

GeoCAT: An Officer and a Spy, by Robert Harris
MysteryCAT: The Case of the Gilded Fly, by Edmund Crispin
RandomCAT: Napoleon's Buttons, by Penny Le Couteur (science, as a topic studied in school)

Other plans:

I'm visiting my parents for a couple of weeks so I'm planning to limit myself to books they already own or books of mine that I've left at their place. Some titles I hope to get to:

either A Delicate Truth or A Most Wanted Man, by John le Carré
Born Free, by Joy Adamson
A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking
and probably some Ian Rankin

And before that I have a big stack of library books to get through...

Have a great time - I do enjoy foraging among the books at my mum's house when I go back for a visit.

I hope you have a lovely visit with your parents. It is always nice to catch up I think. My Dad is currently visiting us from New Zealand, he hasn't been over for 8 years! Such a long time. How long since you've seen your parents?

You're really zipping along. Hope you have a good vacation.

>137 -Eva-: It's also partly to redress the balance in my "Borrowed from library" and "Borrowed from family and friends" collections -- my parents have so many books I want to read that I should just borrow from them! Now I need to make them an LT catalogue so I know what they have ;)

>138 Roro8: Eight years! Wow! I saw my parents last month at my cousin's christening, but that was just a weekend. This vacation will be longer.

>139 dudes22:: Thanks! It's not till the end of the month, so I have some time to look forward to it. Going to Fan Expo and TIFF as well, so it will be busy but fun.

>140 rabbitprincess:
That's a very good idea - I should make a collection for my mum's books as well!

Enjoy your visit with your parents.

Born Free! What a blast from the past. (and now I have the song stuck in my head, too!)

>134 rabbitprincess: - The Norman Conquest sounds interesting. 1066: The Year of the Conquest also compared the Bayeux Tapestry with the written documentation in an attempt to find some actual truths in the history.
I'm curious to see what you think of The Case of the Gilded Fly. I have that one on the shelf. I read a Crispin 2 years ago and didn't really like it.

>141 -Eva-: I asked them if they wanted to set one up themselves (with me providing tech support), but it's easier if I just do it ;)

>142 luvamystery65: Thanks, I will! Less than two weeks to go.

>143 mamzel: Ha, sorry about that! I haven't read the book but it fills one of my Cabin Pressure category slots.

>144 VioletBramble: I'll definitely have to add 1066 to the TBR!

****

Exhausted after a long day attempting and probably failing to buy tickets for photo ops at Fan Expo. Apparently their photo op company did not realize that Fan Expo attracts as many as 100,000 people and so it's probably a bad idea to make all photo ops available to everyone at once. The site has been crashing and burning all day. It's quite the gong show.

I'm not entirely caught up with reviews but managed to get these three in:

Cubed: A Secret History of the Workplace, by Nikil Saval

Category: Starter for Ten
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/110832133

Interesting while I was reading it, but it's taken me too long to review so I can't really remember much about it.

The Case of the Gilded Fly, by Edmund Crispin

Category: Sherlock / TTSS
Source: All Books
Rating: 1/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/105782821

I grew very impatient with this book and ended up skipping to the end to find out whodunnit. Didn't particularly care about the murder victim either. I'm glad I read other Crispins first, otherwise I would not have continued the series.

To Hell and Back, by Niki Lauda (trans. Herbert Völker)

Category: Cabin Pressure, ep "Abu Dhabi"
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/111003347

Probably of greater interest to the more hardcore Formula 1 enthusiast. It gets very technical. But I did enjoy imagining Niki Lauda's voice as I read, or at least Daniel Brühl's version of him in the movie Rush.

Two more reviews to do sometime this weekend. Have a good one!

Caught up with reviews!

Entry Island, by Peter May

Category: Sherlock / TTSS
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/111422517

My first Peter May and certainly not my last. Great choice of setting: Entry Island, part of the Magdalen Islands / Îles de la Madeleine, Quebec. That's actually what prompted me to read it. A very good stand-alone work.

Laws in Conflict, by Cora Harrison

Category: Amazing Grace
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/111028533

This is the eighth in the Burren Mysteries series. Earlier this year I visited the Burren and Galway, where this particular installment of the series is set, so of course I was interested in reading it. It was enjoyable, a nice comfortable historical read, and I would read more in the series.

I made the mistake of reading The Case of the Gilded Fly as my first Edmund Crispin and I haven't been tempted to pick up any of his other books. Maybe I should give him a second chance.

I discovered Peter May last year with The Firemaker from his Beijing Series and it was excellent. He is quite prolific and has a number of series that I want to investigage.

>147 DeltaQueen50: I have that Crispin in a TBR pile. Your comment makes me wonder if I'll like it.

>145 rabbitprincess: As a former F1 fan (still like racing just don't have the time to follow it as much), I'm interested in To Hell and Back. Would be a nice follow up to Rush which I really enjoyed.

>145 rabbitprincess: I had to look up Fan Expo and see what it was about. I am impressed by the number of Science Fiction celebrities that are making an appearance. Who are you trying to get a photo op with, Matt Smith or Nathan Fillion?

>147 DeltaQueen50:, >148 thornton37814: My first Crispin was Love Lies Bleeding, which I read as part of a mystery fiction class in university and quite liked. I also liked The Moving Toyshop. If you're inclined to try him (again) I'd suggest one of those.

Given his talent for describing the Scottish landscape, I think the Lewis trilogy will be my next Peter May reading.

>149 LittleTaiko: Am considering borrowing Rush from the library to watch it again! It was really well done. The Lauda book is a bit drier and starts really abruptly -- no introduction, no foreword, just straight into an account of his childhood. But in one sense I feel like that's a very Lauda thing to do, just jump right into things without preamble.

>150 craso: I ended up being successful with my purchases and now have photo ops with Matt Smith, David Morrissey (he's the reason I'm going in the first place!) and Patrick Stewart. I'm hoping to get Nathan Fillion's autograph for my mother, who's a huge fan of Castle. It is a pretty impressive guest list overall.

> oooh, David Morrissey! Yes, he's worth waiting in a long line for. Have a great time!

I'm another who has The Case of the Gilded Fly on the shelf, but luckily I also have The Moving Toyshop so I'll remember to start with that one. Thanks for the review.

Patrick Stewart! Nathan Fillion! I'll be watching this space for updates!

Patrick Stewart! Nathan Fillion! I'll be watching this space for updates!

My other half and I just re-watched Serenity this weekend. Joining Carrie in watching for updates!

>152 mstrust: I knew you'd appreciate how excited I am about DM! :D Hoping to get his autograph too at some point.

>153 cbl_tn: Will definitely keep you posted! ;)

>154 lkernagh: You know, I STILL haven't seen Serenity, despite having owned it pretty much since it came out on DVD. Perhaps I'm in denial; as long as there is some unwatched-by-me Firefly out there, it's not over.

We started with Serenity and then hunted down Firefly! really good but a few sad moments...

>156 hailelib: Interesting! One of my friends watched Serenity first and was really confused because she hadn't watched Firefly (and hadn't realized at the time that Serenity was based on a TV series...).

****

Just went to the library to pick up one of my last holds before vacation (The Great Game, by Peter Hopkirk, and it turns out that the book is 500 pages! I have been surprised by the size of my books quite a lot lately.

This review is of a slim book whose size is unsurprising:

Rendezvous in Black, by Cornell Woolrich

Category: Sherlock / TTSS
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/111527208

James M. Cain is still my favourite noir writer, but Woolrich is pretty darn good too. I was genuinely creeped out in places, especially the fifth rendezvous. Woolrich has a great way with description and I hope to find more of his books somewhere!

It's Doctor Who Day!!! Hold all my calls.

Season 8 trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TivqZTq5u6Y

Trailer for Episode 1, "Deep Breath": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f_wYmTl7Bo

Have a fun day!

>157 rabbitprincess: That's a Woolrich I don't have- on the list!

I ended up doing a bunch of other things yesterday, so I'll have to see "Deep Breath" later tonight - I do hope it's good!

So what's your vote on the new Dr. Who?

>159 mstrust: Hurray!

>160 -Eva-: I hope you like it! I loved it but of course I am biased because Peter Capaldi is the man!

>161 mysterymax: I love him! He was gloriously spiky and unpredictable in this episode -- it was a particularly discombobulating regeneration for him because he was granted a new cycle of regenerations in Matt Smith's last episode, "The Time of the Doctor". Much was made of the new Doctor being Scottish, which I approve of, and there are hints that they will address why he looks like Caecilius from the Season 4 episode "The Fires of Pompeii" (or even John Frobisher from "Torchwood: Children of Earth"). There was also a dinosaur! Overall I was laughing quite a lot and on the edge of my seat quite a lot. I watched it twice this weekend and will probably watch it at least once more before next Saturday's episode.

And bonus: someone on Ravelry has devised a pattern for the wristwarmers he's wearing at one point. See image 7 of this gallery:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/galleries/p0250z0l

I see Cumberbach won an Emmy last night for Sherlock. But he wasn't there alas.

Cumberbatch's ALS ice bucket challenge is worth watching.

So we all watched the new Dr Who last night. My SO has never seen any of them, so he kept complaining about not understanding stuff. We ignored him. My daughter was upset that Matt Smith is no more (although she liked his brief appearance). She feels that time lords need to be hot. And my son and I just enjoyed the show.

>163 dudes22: And the show itself won six other Emmys! Quite an achievement. :)

>164 RidgewayGirl: That it is! He certainly went all out on his challenge :D

My BF considers Matt Smith "his" Doctor, since that's the one he started watching -- he refuses to watch Tennant (who is "my" Doctor at present, although Peter will probably give him a run for his money) because I was so drooly over him when those episodes first aired. So I have to provide clarification if an episode contains any references to the Tennant years.

>163 dudes22: Martin Freeman also won for best supporting actor. Yay!

>160 -Eva-:
Yep - Capaldi did not disappoint, which I'm very relieved about!

>164 RidgewayGirl:
That was the best of the ice challenges I've seen.

I don't follow the Sherlock series ( hangs head in shame), but I at least recognized his name from rabbit's thread here. Might have to Netflix it and, if it's available, give it a try.

>168 dudes22:
You should! All three seasons are on Netflix.

Echoing Eva with mucho enthusiasm!

Glad to hear you got the photo ops you wanted for FanExpo! See you there in a few days. :)

>166 mamzel: Woo! Very glad Martin won for that :)

>167 -Eva-: Yaaaay Peter! He was fantastic. I love how prickly his Doctor is.

And yes I definitely watched that Ice Bucket Challenge. Actually we watched it again at Fan Expo yesterday while waiting in a photo op line; the ladies behind us hadn't seen it so naturally we had to fill in that knowledge gap.

>168 dudes22:, 169, 170: Indeed! And bonus, only nine episodes. Minimal time investment ;)

>171 mathgirl40: Yes it was quite the relief! Fan Expo was a lot of fun.

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So it seems I have been quite remiss in updating my thread. This is mainly because I have been on the go for the past few days. Since today is September, which does not seem possible, I'll just go ahead and start a new thread with my August recap and an update on my adventures. See you there!