2023 Nonfiction Challenge - Crimes, Mysteries, Puzzles, Enigmas
Talk 75 Books Challenge for 2023
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1benitastrnad
It is Spooktober (October) and time for a new topic.
October's topic is Crimes, Mysteries, Puzzles, Enigmas.
This month we will be exploring different kinds of Enigmas. If you want to find out what did happen to the Princes in the Tower? Does the Bermuda Triangle exist, really? Where did DB Cooper go? Or you can explore anything puzzling that intrigues you like who is the Mona Lisa? There are a spate of true crime books that are on the market and finding out how Ted Bundy was caught is one of the puzzles you want to know more about? It could be that the world Enigma conjures images of Bletchley Park or Tuxedo Park for you. Take your pick of what interests you in this category and let us know what you are reading.
October's topic is Crimes, Mysteries, Puzzles, Enigmas.
This month we will be exploring different kinds of Enigmas. If you want to find out what did happen to the Princes in the Tower? Does the Bermuda Triangle exist, really? Where did DB Cooper go? Or you can explore anything puzzling that intrigues you like who is the Mona Lisa? There are a spate of true crime books that are on the market and finding out how Ted Bundy was caught is one of the puzzles you want to know more about? It could be that the world Enigma conjures images of Bletchley Park or Tuxedo Park for you. Take your pick of what interests you in this category and let us know what you are reading.
2benitastrnad
Here is a list of the remaining topics for 2023. If you like to plan ahead go ahead and start finding a book title that will fit the coming topics, here they are.
October: Crimes, Mysteries, Puzzles, Enigmas. What did happen to the Princes in the Tower? Does the Bermuda Triangle exist, really? Where did DB Cooper go? Or anything puzzling that intrigues you.
November: Matters of Faith and Philosophy. Basically: books about any ideas that shape the way we live and how we interact in society.
December As You Like It. Yes, it's the other perennial bookend! A go-anywhere/read-anything challenge.
October: Crimes, Mysteries, Puzzles, Enigmas. What did happen to the Princes in the Tower? Does the Bermuda Triangle exist, really? Where did DB Cooper go? Or anything puzzling that intrigues you.
November: Matters of Faith and Philosophy. Basically: books about any ideas that shape the way we live and how we interact in society.
December As You Like It. Yes, it's the other perennial bookend! A go-anywhere/read-anything challenge.
3benitastrnad
I am going to try to hit two out of the four words listed in our topical prompt. I am going to read Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of Mona Lisa by R. A. Scotti. Art theft has always fascinated me and I just have to wonder about the desire to possess something like a work of art. Stealing it means that it will no longer be enjoyed by many people and will only be enjoyed by one - or a select few. And I am curious about how these things come about.
On August 21, 1911 the Mona Lisa disappeared from the Louvre. It was gone for more than twenty four hours before it was discovered missing. Clearly, at some point the painting was recovered, so I want to know how and why this happened.
On August 21, 1911 the Mona Lisa disappeared from the Louvre. It was gone for more than twenty four hours before it was discovered missing. Clearly, at some point the painting was recovered, so I want to know how and why this happened.
4alcottacre
The disappearance of the princes in the tower is one of those historical mysteries that has always fascinated me - at least since I read Josephine Tey's The Daughter of Time many years ago - so I am reading Richard the Third by Paul Murray Kendall.
5Jackie_K
I don't think I have anything obviously relevant to this topic on my TBR, so I'll sit out the month. Hope the rest of you find some treasures!
6kac522
I hope to be able to read The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson, which is about the solving of the cholera epidemic in 19th century London. This will fit in with my Victober (Victorian October) challenges.
7benitastrnad
>6 kac522:
I have read that book and it definitely fits into this category. It will be a very interesting book for you to read.
I have read that book and it definitely fits into this category. It will be a very interesting book for you to read.
8Familyhistorian
I pulled Conan Doyle for the Defense off my true crime shelves for this month's read.
9atozgrl
I read The Island of Lost Maps: a True Story of Cartographic Crime by Miles Harvey for this month's challenge. I had actually pulled this book to read at the beginning of this year, but that was before I got back onto LT and started reading books for various challenges. This one didn't fit any of the challenges I joined--until now. So I'm reading it for this challenge.
The impetus for this book was a news story about a man, Gilbert Bland, who was caught stealing maps from the Peabody Library in 1995. As it turned out, this was the tip of the iceberg, as he had already hit many other libraries. Miles Harvey became fascinated by the story and tried to learn more about it. This book is the result of his research.
Unfortunately, Harvey was never able to interview Bland to learn more about his life and his motives, because Bland just did not want to talk to anyone. But Harvey does delve deeply into the world of maps. He gives us a detailed history of maps and map making, the recent surge in interest in collecting maps leading to big increases in price, and a history of map theft, which is apparently a very long-standing tradition. As it turns out, maps were often state secrets, heavily guarded, and objects for theft by other countries.
Harvey also looks into the problem of theft from libraries. He spoke to several librarians and saw the damage that had been done to rare and valuable books mutilated by the thief. Since he was never able to speak to Bland, he investigates the public records of the man, tracing his history in the army and previous run-ins with the law. He also spoke to map dealers and collectors, to understand the passion for collecting maps. He interviewed psychologists who have studied the psychology of collecting. And he spoke to the FBI who had recovered a lot of the stolen maps and were attempting to return them to the libraries where they belonged--a difficult task, as it turned out.
I found this to be a fascinating tale, and the history of maps and map theft was just as fascinating. This book might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I certainly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in maps.
The impetus for this book was a news story about a man, Gilbert Bland, who was caught stealing maps from the Peabody Library in 1995. As it turned out, this was the tip of the iceberg, as he had already hit many other libraries. Miles Harvey became fascinated by the story and tried to learn more about it. This book is the result of his research.
Unfortunately, Harvey was never able to interview Bland to learn more about his life and his motives, because Bland just did not want to talk to anyone. But Harvey does delve deeply into the world of maps. He gives us a detailed history of maps and map making, the recent surge in interest in collecting maps leading to big increases in price, and a history of map theft, which is apparently a very long-standing tradition. As it turns out, maps were often state secrets, heavily guarded, and objects for theft by other countries.
Harvey also looks into the problem of theft from libraries. He spoke to several librarians and saw the damage that had been done to rare and valuable books mutilated by the thief. Since he was never able to speak to Bland, he investigates the public records of the man, tracing his history in the army and previous run-ins with the law. He also spoke to map dealers and collectors, to understand the passion for collecting maps. He interviewed psychologists who have studied the psychology of collecting. And he spoke to the FBI who had recovered a lot of the stolen maps and were attempting to return them to the libraries where they belonged--a difficult task, as it turned out.
I found this to be a fascinating tale, and the history of maps and map theft was just as fascinating. This book might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I certainly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in maps.
10benitastrnad
Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of Mona Lisa by R.A. Scotti
I read this book for the October theme for the Nonfiction Challenge here on LT. This book combined the Crimes, Enigmas and Mystery portion of the challenge for this month. I had purchased the book used and had it in my collection so it was easy to pull off the shelves and get it read.
The book was about the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre. The author tracks the theft and the investigation from the time the painting disappeared until after its recovery. Along the way, she dives into the lives of the painter, the woman whose portrait it is, the museum, the thief, and in the end, gives a plausible explanation for what happened and why the painting was stolen. The author also explains how this theft caused museums, the world over, to tighten security and forced people to think about why art is important and how it should be protected. As a result systems were put into place to start tracking stolen art, and prevent such thefts from occurring.
This book was not as in-depth as I would have liked, but it was interesting enough.
I read this book for the October theme for the Nonfiction Challenge here on LT. This book combined the Crimes, Enigmas and Mystery portion of the challenge for this month. I had purchased the book used and had it in my collection so it was easy to pull off the shelves and get it read.
The book was about the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre. The author tracks the theft and the investigation from the time the painting disappeared until after its recovery. Along the way, she dives into the lives of the painter, the woman whose portrait it is, the museum, the thief, and in the end, gives a plausible explanation for what happened and why the painting was stolen. The author also explains how this theft caused museums, the world over, to tighten security and forced people to think about why art is important and how it should be protected. As a result systems were put into place to start tracking stolen art, and prevent such thefts from occurring.
This book was not as in-depth as I would have liked, but it was interesting enough.
11benitastrnad
>9 atozgrl:
I read that book back in 2019 for another challenge for this group and liked it. I recommended it to one of my real life book groups and they will be reading it next March (2024).
I read that book back in 2019 for another challenge for this group and liked it. I recommended it to one of my real life book groups and they will be reading it next March (2024).
12atozgrl
>11 benitastrnad: I hope your real life book group enjoys the book as much as I did! The history of maps and map theft and its impact on history was not something I expected to find in the book, and it was all so interesting to me. I thought it was an excellent read!
13Familyhistorian
I went with the crime part of the challenge this month and read Conan Doyle for the Defense. It told of last real life case that the author involved himself with prior to his death. It was at once interesting and appalling. The early 1900s were a time when, if you were of the right class, you could get away with murder but if you were an undesirable foreigner in the wrong place at the wrong time, you could be fitted up for a crime by the police. That was what happened to a man calling himself Oscar Slater who sent a message to the author asking for his help to get out of Peterhead Prison.
14benitastrnad
Here is the link to the new thread for November.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/354851
Gamble on over and see what you want to read for November.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/354851
Gamble on over and see what you want to read for November.
15kac522
I finished The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson (2006). The book focuses on the 1854 cholera epidemic and the work of physician John Snow and curate Henry Whitehead. Using information about the cases, the two were able to create a map that helped pinpoint the source of the epidemic as coming from a pump. At the time, it was thought that cholera was caused by "miasma" or essentially, bad air/odors. Snow & Whitehead were able to show with their map that persons who used a specific pump in the neighborhood were the ones struck with the disease.
This was very interesting and extremely readable. His focus on the two personalities and strengths of Snow & Whitehead were particularly good. The edition I read was a new 2023 revision which included an Afterword by Johnson, with his reflections on the COVID pandemic and comparing it to some of the discussion in the book about the cholera epidemic.
This was very interesting and extremely readable. His focus on the two personalities and strengths of Snow & Whitehead were particularly good. The edition I read was a new 2023 revision which included an Afterword by Johnson, with his reflections on the COVID pandemic and comparing it to some of the discussion in the book about the cholera epidemic.
