A bit of trivia for you. On today's episode of Charlie's Angels (yes, we're re-watching the old episodes), the villain was one Timothy Dalton. So there you go.. :)
Just Finished
"Over the past few years I've read and enjoyed a few of Bill Bryson's excellent novels; At Home, One Summer, A Short History of Nearly Everything, etc. I like his wit and intelligence and the varied information that he imparts and his enjoyable, readable manner of doing so. The Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes From a Small Island was published in 2015 and could be considered as a sequel to his previous Notes from a Small Island (I haven't read that yet, my wife Jo has).
In Notes, he journeyed throughout Great Britain, talking about the localities, the history, culture, etc. In The Road to Little Dribbling, Bryson revisits this previous journey, this time trying to take a look at locales he missed on his previous journey, starting in southern England, Bognor Regis and ending on the most northern point of Scotland, Cape Wrath.
As per all of the other books I've read, it's a meandering journey, criss-crossing England and Wales until his final dash to Cape Wrath. Bryson is getting more crusty and irascible as he gets older, but then again who isn't. He does spend a fair amount of time deriding 'stupidity' and being gently turned away from conversations that might turn cranky, either by his wife or friends taking him by the elbow or by having the conversations with his inner voice.
In each locale, he finds bits of history or science or just interesting tidbits that add to the richness of his journey. At one point he wanders into a discussion of two books that discuss how the English motorway numbering system works and doesn't work, or how the various districts of London are numbered and, once again, how it works and doesn't work and how it confuses even long-time residents. It might seem a boring subject, but Bryson has a way of making it interesting, touching lightly on it to impart information and making it humorous to make you enjoy discovering those facts.
I've always had an interest in Great Britain, having spent some time traveling throughout during the course of my military career. My wife, like Bryson's, is English so I spent a lot of time reading her excerpts to see what she thought, which added to my enjoyment. All in all, the journey was fun and informative and continued my enjoyment of reading and following Bryson's unique perspective and writing. (4.5 stars)"
Currently Reading
"A novel which is both playful and serious, hilarious and melancholy. It takes a journey which starts at the foot of the Benjamin Franklin statue in Washington Square, San Francisco, and wanders through the wonders of America's rural waterways."
My Ongoing Look at the Mystery Genre - English Detectives Part 6
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| Ann Cleeves |
"It was Eleanor Masefield 's idea to sponsor an Open Day at her beautiful Grose Hill Hotel--a celebration designed to raise funds for the protection of the local peregrine falcons that had been her late husband's obsession. But who knew she'd be dead by teatime? Amateur detective George Palmer-Jones, who's always been a little in love with Eleanor, doesn't think it was the tea--and he's determined to find out which human did its preying."
The remaining books in this series are -
- A Bird in the Hand (#1 / 1986)
- Come Death and High Water (#2 / 1987)
- Murder in Paradise (#3 / 1988)
- Sea Fever (#5 / 1991)
- Another Man's Poison (#6 / 1992)
- The Mill on the Shore (#7 / 1994)
- High Island Blues (#8 / 1996)
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| Edmund Crispin |
"Hired to advise on a movie about the poet Alexander Pope, Professor Gervase Fen is introduced to the glamorous world of 1940s film -- a world with which Crispin (in reality composer Bruce Montgomery, particularly noted for his film-scores) was gleefully, maliciously familiar."
"Before odious Edwin Shorthouse can sing the lead in the first Oxford post-war Die Meistersinger, someone kills him in his own locked dressing room. Gervase Fen, eccentric professor of English Literature with a passion for amateur detecting, is on the case."
"Who burglarized the train heading for Victoria Station, and whatever became of its conductor?
Did the village idiot or Mrs Foley murder the mean-spirited Edgar Foley, or could the constable be responsible for the devious deed?
Who on Earth will be able to untangle the affair of the disappearing car, the black necktie, and the abortive theft?
Enter Gervase Fen, Oxford professor and sometime super-sleuth, an expert at solving cases that baffle even the most astute policemen. These sixteen short classics by a master of the modern detective story will test your crime solving abilities as well; Edmund Crispin has provided all the clues you need to detect the solution, using logic and common sense. Can you meet the challenge?"
"Professor Gervase Fen is happy to step in when his old friend, the headmaster of the exclusive Castrevenford School, needs a guest speaker for the school's annual Speech Day. Fen's happiness, however, turns to positive glee when it becomes clear that his sleuthing skills are needed: Not only has a student at the local girls' school been trifled with in some unspecified, clearly fiendish fashion, but poison has been swiped from the chemistry department, and two, yes two teachers have been murdered! Too bad, of course, for the teachers, but for Fen it's a very good day indeed."
The remaining Fen stories are -
- The Case of the Gilded Fly (#1 / 1944)
- Holy Disorders (#2 / 1945)
- The Moving Toyshop (#3 / 1946 / 2 stars)
- Buried for Pleasure (#6 / 1948)
- The Long Divorce (#8 / 1951 / 3 stars)
- The Glimpses of the Moon (#9 / 1977 / 3 stars)
- Fen Country (1979 / Short stories)
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| Sir AC Doyle |
"The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle was originally published in 1905. Doyle had tired of his famous sleuth before this and killed him off in 1893 in The Adventure of the Final Problem. Due to outcry, he released The Hound of the Baskervilles and a number of short stories featuring Holmes. This book contains 13 excellent short stories with the first, The Empty House bringing Holmes back to Watson and includes his explanation of how he survived the battle of Reichenbach Falls, all very interesting.
I enjoyed the collection, every story was well-crafted, tightly woven and entertaining to read. I always like Holmes' crime solutions and these stories had this excellent quality. I don't think I had a favourite, each was a tidy, entertaining story and had an interesting cast of characters. You can see why Sherlock Holmes is such a world-wide favourite sleuth. Great stuff. (4 stars)"
"The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle is a collection of 11 mysteries/ adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It contains the final case of Sherlock, the one Doyle penned when he wanted to finish the Holmes' adventures. I enjoyed this collection very much. They featured Holmes' unique skill at solving his mysteries. They introduced his brother Mycroft, who Sherlock claims is smarter than he is, except that he doesn't like to make the effort to follow through on his deductions. We are also introduced to Moriarty, in the Final Chapter, which surprisingly to me, is quite a short, simple, but touching story. Watson clearly loves his dealings with Holmes. Even after he marries and moves to his medical practice, he readily drops everything to head off on an adventure with Holmes. Doyle created an excellent detective and displayed a skill at the short story, quickly getting into the mystery and providing an excellent solution. I've enjoyed getting back into the Holmes' mysteries and will continue this journey. Excellent stories! (4 stars)"
"From the moment Dr John Watson takes lodgings in Baker Street with the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes, he becomes intimately acquainted with the bloody violence and frightening ingenuity of the criminal mind.
In A Study in Scarlet , Holmes and Watson's first mystery, the pair are summoned to a south London house where they find a dead man whose contorted face is a twisted mask of horror. The body is unmarked by violence but on the wall a mysterious word has been written in blood.
The police are baffled by the crime and its circumstances. But when Sherlock Holmes applies his brilliantly logical mind to the problem he uncovers a tragic tale of love and deadly revenge . . . (4 stars)
"[book:The Hound of the Baskervilles|8921] by [author:Arthur Conan Doyle|2448] is one of those classic mysteries that should be on everybody's 'must-read' list. It's been made into many TV and movies, all of which have kept the story alive and fresh.
I don't know that I've read it previously; it's one of those books that I think I probably have, but maybe it's just that I've seen one or two of the adaptations. However, with all of that preamble, I'm pleased to say that I have now read and enjoyed immensely.
The story is familiar to so many people that I won't go into it in detail. Suffice it to say a family legend draws Holmes and Watson to the Dartmoor moors to try and help the heir to a family estate, one that might have been cursed by a supernatural hound. They work diligently to keep the heir alive as they try to solve the murder of the previous heir.
The nice thing about this particular Holmes' mystery is that the focus is Watson for a nice change. Holmes sends Watson ahead with Henry Baskerville, both to keep him safe and to investigate the neighbors and to try and find out more about the death / murder of Sir Charles Baskerville, Henry's uncle. Holmes stays behind to work on other cases.
It's a different way of telling a Holmes mystery, relying on Watson's correspondence to Holmes and also Watson's diary entries. But don't let that mean that there isn't lots of action because for a Holmes' mystery, there is a fair bit and the story moves along nicely and tensely. It's an interesting mystery with nice twists and turns and the ending is exciting and satisfying. One of the best Holmes' mysteries I've read so far. (5 stars)"
The remaining Holmes books are - (asterisk if I have)
- The Sign of the Four (#2 / 1890)
- The Valley of Fear (#4 / 1914 - 1915) *
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Short stories / 1891 - 1892)
- His Last Bow (Short stories / 1908 - 1917)
- The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1921 - 1927)
Well, there you go. It's taken awhile to prepare this entry as we've been enjoying a great TV evening. The weekend is almost here. I hope you've got a great one.
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