Robertgreaves ROOTING again in 2023 continued
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Talk 2023 ROOT CHALLENGE
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1Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 142, The House of Eyes by Kate Ellis. This ebook is not a ROOT.
My review of Queen of the Tiles:
A year after her BFF, Trina Low, died during a championship Scrabble game, Najwa Bakri is ready to enter a Scrabble tournament again. But there is a rumour flying round the competitors: was Trina murdered?
This was an intriguing mystery though there were times when I wondered whether the characters really were talking like 15 and 16 year olds when discussing their relationships. Also, according to the story's timeline Trina died in November 2021 but a lot of the characters seemed to have been familiar with each other from tournaments for quite some time before that, which seems unlikely.
My review of Queen of the Tiles:
A year after her BFF, Trina Low, died during a championship Scrabble game, Najwa Bakri is ready to enter a Scrabble tournament again. But there is a rumour flying round the competitors: was Trina murdered?
This was an intriguing mystery though there were times when I wondered whether the characters really were talking like 15 and 16 year olds when discussing their relationships. Also, according to the story's timeline Trina died in November 2021 but a lot of the characters seemed to have been familiar with each other from tournaments for quite some time before that, which seems unlikely.
2Robertgreaves
Starting the next in the series, The Mermaid's Scream as my No. 143. Again, this ebook is not a ROOT but this time it does fit the AlphaKIT.
My review of The House of Eyes:
Leanne Hatman has gone missing and soon after the man her father accuses of stalking her returns from Sicily her father is found dead. But Wesley Peterson has a more personal issue to deal with.
As usual, an interesting blend of past and present, though I did think one issue was wrapped up rather perfunctorily.
My review of The House of Eyes:
Leanne Hatman has gone missing and soon after the man her father accuses of stalking her returns from Sicily her father is found dead. But Wesley Peterson has a more personal issue to deal with.
As usual, an interesting blend of past and present, though I did think one issue was wrapped up rather perfunctorily.
3Robertgreaves
Also reading my No. 144, Sergius Mencari Bacchus by Norman Erikson Pasaribu. This is my sixty-second ROOT and brings the treebook TBR shelves to 30. It fits the AlphaKIT.
My review of The Midnight Library:
As Norah Seed hovers between life and death after a suicide attempt she finds herself in a library where she gets the chance to explore what her life would have been like if she'd made other choices at various points.
We all wonder "what if" sometimes and I think I'd already reached the same conclusion the book does, but it was still an interesting journey to reach that point.
My review of The Midnight Library:
As Norah Seed hovers between life and death after a suicide attempt she finds herself in a library where she gets the chance to explore what her life would have been like if she'd made other choices at various points.
We all wonder "what if" sometimes and I think I'd already reached the same conclusion the book does, but it was still an interesting journey to reach that point.
5Robertgreaves
Thanks for dropping by, Connie
6Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 145, The Mechanical Devil by Kate Ellis. This ebook is not a ROOT, but it does fit the AlphaKIT.
My review of The Mermaid's Scream:
A middle-aged couple are found dead in a caravan park. They seem to be fans of a reclusive local author whose would-be biographer has also disappeared. While Wesley investigates, an American millionaire has hired Neil to excavate a ruined mansion to look for evidence that his ancestor was not a murderer.
Another enjoyable mix of past and present mysteries.
My review of The Mermaid's Scream:
A middle-aged couple are found dead in a caravan park. They seem to be fans of a reclusive local author whose would-be biographer has also disappeared. While Wesley investigates, an American millionaire has hired Neil to excavate a ruined mansion to look for evidence that his ancestor was not a murderer.
Another enjoyable mix of past and present mysteries.
7Robertgreaves
Starting my the next in the series, Dead Man's Lane, as my No. 146. This ebook is not a ROOT but it does fit the AlphaKIT.
My review of The Mechanical Devil:
Two people are shot dead in a field. An MP's daughter has gone missing. Wesley investigates while dealing with a crisis on the home front. Meanwhile Neil investigates an automaton buried near a local church.
It all came together nicely but although the extracts from Alcuin's thesis were interesting and kept my attention they did not convince as a piece of doctoral academic writing rather than a popular account of his research.
My review of The Mechanical Devil:
Two people are shot dead in a field. An MP's daughter has gone missing. Wesley investigates while dealing with a crisis on the home front. Meanwhile Neil investigates an automaton buried near a local church.
It all came together nicely but although the extracts from Alcuin's thesis were interesting and kept my attention they did not convince as a piece of doctoral academic writing rather than a popular account of his research.
8Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 147, The Diamond Setter by Moshe Sakal. This ebook is my sixty-third (ETA: actually sixty-fourth) ROOT and fits the AlphaKIT and the GeoCAT.
My review of Dead Man's Lane:
A skull is found in the cellar of what used to the home of a serial killer but is now being re-developed as part of a holiday resort. Did the skull belong to one of the victims whose body was never found or is a copycat starting up?
I certainly didn't see who the murderer was. I felt quite a bit of tension about the fate of a minor character who I hope we will see again. But when will people learn that being a friend or relative of a fictional detective is not safe?
My review of Dead Man's Lane:
A skull is found in the cellar of what used to the home of a serial killer but is now being re-developed as part of a holiday resort. Did the skull belong to one of the victims whose body was never found or is a copycat starting up?
I certainly didn't see who the murderer was. I felt quite a bit of tension about the fate of a minor character who I hope we will see again. But when will people learn that being a friend or relative of a fictional detective is not safe?
9Robertgreaves
My review of Sergius mencari Bacchus:
A poetry collection which I got mainly as a reading exercise. I was able to get the general meaning of most of them but would not presume to judge them as poems.
A poetry collection which I got mainly as a reading exercise. I was able to get the general meaning of most of them but would not presume to judge them as poems.
10Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 148, The Abbot's Gibbet by Michael Jecks. This ebook is not a ROOT but does fit the AlphaKIT and the MysteryKIT.
My review of The Diamond Setter:
An apprentice jeweller, assistant to his uncle, is writing a novel based on family stories about the effects on the extended family of a blue diamond given to his great-great-aunt, a famous singer, by Sultan Abdul Hamid II of the Ottoman Empire and supposed to be cursed.
A confusing mish-mash where it is not clear whether what we are reading is what "actually" happened or Tom/Tomi's creative re-telling of the family stories. Another novel where I wished I'd constructed a family tree to keep me oriented, especially as the family is even more extended than first appears. I was reading this through a bout of illness, which was probably the wrong time to do it.
My review of The Diamond Setter:
An apprentice jeweller, assistant to his uncle, is writing a novel based on family stories about the effects on the extended family of a blue diamond given to his great-great-aunt, a famous singer, by Sultan Abdul Hamid II of the Ottoman Empire and supposed to be cursed.
A confusing mish-mash where it is not clear whether what we are reading is what "actually" happened or Tom/Tomi's creative re-telling of the family stories. Another novel where I wished I'd constructed a family tree to keep me oriented, especially as the family is even more extended than first appears. I was reading this through a bout of illness, which was probably the wrong time to do it.
11Robertgreaves
Starting the next in the series, The Leper's Return, as my No. 149. This ebook is not a ROOT.
My review of The Abbot's Gibbet:
As Tavistock fills up with visitors to the annual fair, a headless corpse is found in an alley. How can you find a murderer without any way to identify the victim? Both strangers and locals have secrets to keep which impede the investigation.
This was an intriguing mystery which I am pleased to say I managed to work out before Simon and Sir Baldwin.
My review of The Abbot's Gibbet:
As Tavistock fills up with visitors to the annual fair, a headless corpse is found in an alley. How can you find a murderer without any way to identify the victim? Both strangers and locals have secrets to keep which impede the investigation.
This was an intriguing mystery which I am pleased to say I managed to work out before Simon and Sir Baldwin.
12Robertgreaves
Starting the next in the series, Squire Throwleigh's Heir, as my No. 150. Again, not a ROOT.
My review of The Leper's Return:
A goldsmith from London who retired to Crediton with his daughter after the death of his wife has been found murdered and his daughter and bottler knocked unconscious. In the meantime anti-leper sentiment is growing in the town, with the potential for rioting not far away.
Another intriguing puzzle mixed with interesting period detail - particularly with regard to lepers. I couldn't help but think "These people have no idea what is heading their way in 25 years."
My review of The Leper's Return:
A goldsmith from London who retired to Crediton with his daughter after the death of his wife has been found murdered and his daughter and bottler knocked unconscious. In the meantime anti-leper sentiment is growing in the town, with the potential for rioting not far away.
Another intriguing puzzle mixed with interesting period detail - particularly with regard to lepers. I couldn't help but think "These people have no idea what is heading their way in 25 years."
13Robertgreaves
Possible reading for September:
14Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 151, Vita Brevis by Jostein Gaarder. This is my sixty-fifth ROOT for 2023 and leaves 29 on the treebook shelves. It fits the AlphaKIT and the GeoCAT.
My review of Squire Throwleigh's Heir:
A few days after Squire Roger of Throwleigh dies his five year old son and heir also dies. Was he run over by a horse and cart in a traffic accident or was there a more sinister cause?
The usual twisty fun with a solution I didn't see coming. The author's afterword sounds as if he'd been receiving complaints about how authentic or not his linguistic choices are. I have no complaints on that score, but there are a lot of typos.
My review of Squire Throwleigh's Heir:
A few days after Squire Roger of Throwleigh dies his five year old son and heir also dies. Was he run over by a horse and cart in a traffic accident or was there a more sinister cause?
The usual twisty fun with a solution I didn't see coming. The author's afterword sounds as if he'd been receiving complaints about how authentic or not his linguistic choices are. I have no complaints on that score, but there are a lot of typos.
15Robertgreaves
Currently reading my No. 152, Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction by Damien Keown. This is my sixty-sixth ROOT for 2023 and leaves 28 on the treebook shelves. It fits the AlphaKIT.
My review of Vita Brevis (unchanged since I last read it):
A fictional novella-length letter giving the reactions of Floria, St. Augustine of Hippo's concubine who he abandoned, to his Confessions.
I enjoyed the debunking of the Confessions, and her insistence that God's creation is to be enjoyed, not despised.
My review of Vita Brevis (unchanged since I last read it):
A fictional novella-length letter giving the reactions of Floria, St. Augustine of Hippo's concubine who he abandoned, to his Confessions.
I enjoyed the debunking of the Confessions, and her insistence that God's creation is to be enjoyed, not despised.
16Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 153, The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. This ebook is my sixty-seventh ROOT for 2023. It fits the RandomKIT and the AlphaKIT.
My review of Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction:
Just what it says on the tin.
My review of Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction:
Just what it says on the tin.
17Robertgreaves
Also reading my No. 154, The Apex Book of World SF, an anthology edited by Lavie Tidhar. This ebook is not a ROOT but some of the stories fit the SFFKIT.
18Robertgreaves
My review of The 19th Wife:
This book has dual timelines: historical fiction about the life of Ann Eliza Young, former wife of Brigham Young and campaigner against Mormon polygamy, and a modern-day mystery in which a child of a polygamous marriage sets out to prove that it wasn't his mother who killed his father.
I found both parts compelling. I would like to know more about the 19th century characters and I would certainly read a mystery series with Jordan as a main character and Johnny and Tom as his sidekicks.
This book has dual timelines: historical fiction about the life of Ann Eliza Young, former wife of Brigham Young and campaigner against Mormon polygamy, and a modern-day mystery in which a child of a polygamous marriage sets out to prove that it wasn't his mother who killed his father.
I found both parts compelling. I would like to know more about the 19th century characters and I would certainly read a mystery series with Jordan as a main character and Johnny and Tom as his sidekicks.
19Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 155, The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn by Colin Dexter. This ebook is not a ROOT but it fits the MysteryKIT.
My review of The Apex Book of World SF:
An anthology of SF stories from beyond the US and UK. As with any anthology the quality of the offerings is variable, but one author has gone straight onto my wishlist, Aliette de Bodard, with a noirish tale of a private detective searching for a missing person in her AH Xuya series, where N. America was colonised by China from the West, Europe from the East, and the Aztecs from the South.
My review of The Apex Book of World SF:
An anthology of SF stories from beyond the US and UK. As with any anthology the quality of the offerings is variable, but one author has gone straight onto my wishlist, Aliette de Bodard, with a noirish tale of a private detective searching for a missing person in her AH Xuya series, where N. America was colonised by China from the West, Europe from the East, and the Aztecs from the South.
20Robertgreaves
Next in the series is my No. 156, Service of All the Dead. Again, not a ROOT.
My review of The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn:
Nicholas Quinn, a member of the Oxford Foreign Examinations Syndicate, who is almost totally deaf but a very talented lip reader, is found murdered at his home. Morse and Lewis investigate.
I enjoy these stories, and there was a good twist at the end, but I wish Hathaway was involved.
My review of The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn:
Nicholas Quinn, a member of the Oxford Foreign Examinations Syndicate, who is almost totally deaf but a very talented lip reader, is found murdered at his home. Morse and Lewis investigate.
I enjoy these stories, and there was a good twist at the end, but I wish Hathaway was involved.
21Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 157, The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith. This ebook is my sixty-eighth ROOT for 2023 and fits the GeoCAT.
My review of Service of All the Dead:
On staycation, Morse comes across the solved case of the murder of a churchwarden followed a few days later by the suicide of the Vicar of St. Frideswide's, assumed to be the murderer, but he feels something isn't right.
The trouble is that although I like Oxford setting and the fiendishly clever puzzles in these books, I've come to realise that despite the occasional flashes of erudition I don't actually like Morse himself very much. Yes, this is the 1970s but the spectacle of a middle-aged man who acts like a teenager who has just discovered the top shelf at the newsagent's is just too depressing.
My review of Service of All the Dead:
On staycation, Morse comes across the solved case of the murder of a churchwarden followed a few days later by the suicide of the Vicar of St. Frideswide's, assumed to be the murderer, but he feels something isn't right.
The trouble is that although I like Oxford setting and the fiendishly clever puzzles in these books, I've come to realise that despite the occasional flashes of erudition I don't actually like Morse himself very much. Yes, this is the 1970s but the spectacle of a middle-aged man who acts like a teenager who has just discovered the top shelf at the newsagent's is just too depressing.
22rabbitprincess
>21 Robertgreaves: I agree with your assessment of Book Morse. I prefer Endeavour (Shaun Evans) myself.
23Robertgreaves
Currently reading my No. 158, Founding Fathers by Alfred Duggan. This ebook is not a ROOT, but I am reading it for my online reading group. Also reading my No. 159, Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie. I'm reading it out of order but in preparation for going to see the film on Saturday. This ebook is my sixty-ninth ROOT for 2023. It fits the SeriesCAT and the film title "A Haunting in Venice" fits the AlphaKIT.
My review of The Double Comfort Safari Club:
Double comfort just about sums up these gentle mysteries set in Botswana. This time round Precious Ramotswe is asked to investigate an allegedly unfaithful husband and find a tourist guide who has been left a legacy. Also, Mma Makutsi's romance has run into difficulties.
My review of The Double Comfort Safari Club:
Double comfort just about sums up these gentle mysteries set in Botswana. This time round Precious Ramotswe is asked to investigate an allegedly unfaithful husband and find a tourist guide who has been left a legacy. Also, Mma Makutsi's romance has run into difficulties.
24Robertgreaves
My review of Founding Fathers:
The story of the founding of Rome down to the choosing of Numa as the second king, told successively by a Latin, a Sabine, an Etruscan, and a Greek. It kept fairly close to the legendary account but I didn't find it very engaging.
The story of the founding of Rome down to the choosing of Numa as the second king, told successively by a Latin, a Sabine, an Etruscan, and a Greek. It kept fairly close to the legendary account but I didn't find it very engaging.
25Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 160, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This is my seventieth ROOT for 2023 and brings the treebook TBR shelf down to 26. It fits the AlphaKIT.
My review of Hallowe'en Party:
During the preparations for a halloween party, a child boasts of having once seen a murder without realising at the time what was happening. By the end of the party she has been drowned in the bucket used for apple bobbing. Ariadne Oliver, who was at the party, asks Poirot to investigate.
As usual I had no idea who the murderer was until Poirot told us. What struck me most was the continual laments from the characters about how awful life was nowadays (the 1960s).
My review of Hallowe'en Party:
During the preparations for a halloween party, a child boasts of having once seen a murder without realising at the time what was happening. By the end of the party she has been drowned in the bucket used for apple bobbing. Ariadne Oliver, who was at the party, asks Poirot to investigate.
As usual I had no idea who the murderer was until Poirot told us. What struck me most was the continual laments from the characters about how awful life was nowadays (the 1960s).
26Robertgreaves
20 pages in and I really can't be bothered with The Book Thief.
Starting Death Before Bedtime by Edgar Box. This ebook is my seventy-first ROOT for 2023. It fits the AlphaKIT and the SeriesCAT.
Starting Death Before Bedtime by Edgar Box. This ebook is my seventy-first ROOT for 2023. It fits the AlphaKIT and the SeriesCAT.
27Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 162, the third and final Edgar Box novel, Death Likes It Hot. This ebook is not a ROOT.
My review of Death Before Bedtime:
An American Senator preparing to run for President hires Peter Cutler Sargeant II as his publicist. During the night after Sargeant arrives in Washington, the Senator is killed. But is the obvious suspect a bit too obvious?
Good twisty fun. Fascinating as much for the picture of 1950s Washington as anything else.
My review of Death Before Bedtime:
An American Senator preparing to run for President hires Peter Cutler Sargeant II as his publicist. During the night after Sargeant arrives in Washington, the Senator is killed. But is the obvious suspect a bit too obvious?
Good twisty fun. Fascinating as much for the picture of 1950s Washington as anything else.
28Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 163, Monteverde: Memoirs of an Interstellar Linguist by Lola Robles. This ebook is not a ROOT but fits the SFFKIT.
My review of Death Likes It Hot:
Peter Cutler Sargeant II is hired to publicise a society hostess's house party in the Hamptons. Despite being a strong swimmer, one of the guests drowns before the eyes of the rest of the party.
I found this one rather confusing because I kept forgetting who was who, especially as they were referred to by different names.
My review of Death Likes It Hot:
Peter Cutler Sargeant II is hired to publicise a society hostess's house party in the Hamptons. Despite being a strong swimmer, one of the guests drowns before the eyes of the rest of the party.
I found this one rather confusing because I kept forgetting who was who, especially as they were referred to by different names.
29Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 164, Number9Dream by David Mitchell. This ebook is my seventy-second ROOT for 2023, which means I have reached my target.
My review of Monteverde: Memoirs of an Interstellar Linguist:
Extracts from papers and books by and about Rachel Monteverde, a linguist sent to study the languages and culture of the inhabitants of Aanuk.
Not much of a plot, the anthropology and linguistics only really got interesting when we left the noble savage Aanukiens and joined the cave-dwelling Fihdia.
My review of Monteverde: Memoirs of an Interstellar Linguist:
Extracts from papers and books by and about Rachel Monteverde, a linguist sent to study the languages and culture of the inhabitants of Aanuk.
Not much of a plot, the anthropology and linguistics only really got interesting when we left the noble savage Aanukiens and joined the cave-dwelling Fihdia.
31Cecilturtle
Congratulations!
32Robertgreaves
Thank you both
33Robertgreaves
Currently reading The Last Herald-Mage by Mercedes Lackey as my No 165. This ebook is not a ROOT.
My review of Number9Dream:
DNF. Another dud as a day-dreaming Japanese teen tries to find his father. I used to really like David Mitchell, but of the last two of his that I've read I've DNF''d both of them.
My review of Number9Dream:
DNF. Another dud as a day-dreaming Japanese teen tries to find his father. I used to really like David Mitchell, but of the last two of his that I've read I've DNF''d both of them.
34Robertgreaves
I read Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie out of order in preparation for the film, but I needn't have bothered. Apart from there being a children's halloween party and some of the characters' names being the same, there was no relation at all between them. I don't know why they didn't just market the film as a new Poirot adventure not based on the books at all.
35Robertgreaves
Happy International Translation Day everybody
