2013 Top Ten Best Reads - Number 2

George Eliot

Counting down to Number 2 on my list of Top Ten Best Reads of 2013. I first heard this story when the missus was listening to a BBC Radio dramatisation of the story. She really enjoyed it very much, especially with Juliet Stevenson in the role of Gwendolen Harleth. That year for Xmas, I bought her a Penguin Edition of the book and also found on line, from Scarthin Books of Cromford, an 1877 Edition of the book published by William Blackwood and Sons, a lovely, well-maintained edition; one edition for reading, one for display (we do like, or I do like, rare books)

Getting back to my Number 2 selection, Daniel Deronda, George Eliot had the book published in 1876. This was her last novel; she's also written Adam Bede, The Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner, Romola, Felix Holt, the Radical and Middlemarch. I chose Daniel Deronda as one of my 12 + 2 challenges for 2013. It was definitely one of my most challenging reads of the year. It took awhile to gain familiarity with the writing style of the time and the English language of that era. I had a general idea of the story, from listening to some of the radio dramatisation and discussing with Jo. Not normally the type of story I would read, I found myself drawn into it. Daniel Deronda, as a character, is most interesting, a man raised by his mentor, but not knowing who his mother or father were; in fact, raised assuming that his mentor, Sir Hugo Mallinger, might be his father. He is a caring, thoughtful person, who cannot say no when it comes to helping a friend, a wonderful man, really. I will admit to being very frustrated and irritated with the character, of Gwendolen Harleth, a wilful, selfish girl, but even her character develops and grows, as crisis and heartache are thrust upon her (even if mostly of her own doing). It's a fascinating story, a portrayal of the time, bringing the issue of Judaism, poverty, even abuse to an extent. The story is rich, intelligent and fascinating.

Once again, I provide as well, my Goodreads' bookshelf review of the book,"Not my normal story at all; I do tend to more light reading, thriller, adventure, but at times I do try to explore more challenging stories. This was definitely one of those. It's a true classic, well-written and intelligent. The story focuses on two main characters, Gwendolen Harleth, a selfish, young lady who thinks the world revolves around her and Daniel Deronda, a gentlemen, searching for himself. This search has many aspects, the simple one being trying to ascertain who his parents are as he has grown up under the protection/ guidance of Sir Hugo Mallinger from childhood. This also involves more internal searching, who is he, why does he think as he does. He is a caring individual, selflessly helping friends and strangers; his flighty school friend Hugo Meyrick, the lovely Jewess Mira and even Gwendolen.. There is so much in this book, unspoken love, a brief study of what it is like to be Jewish in those times, death, romance, etc. I was very surprised how much I enjoyed the story and as I worked my way through the initial pages to get accustomed to the style of the time, it was published in 1876, I enjoyed it immensely. As much as Gwendolen irritated me to no end with her selfishness, at the same time, there was an inkling of sympathy for the plight she finds herself in (even if much of it is due to her own actions) and ultimately.. well, I won't go there. It's a heavy tome, but well worth reading. I'm very glad I did."

I'm so glad that I decided to take a chance on this story. It's a true classic. I will have to try others of Eliot's work; we also have Middlemarch and Romola on our bookshelves, plus I came to realise, another edition of Daniel Deronda. (You can't have too many) These are lovely 1894 editions published by Estes and Lauriat of Boston.

So there you have it, Best Read Number 2. My favourite read of 2013 follows tomorrow, unless I return home from our Section Xmas party a little under the 'weather'.

Have a great night and see you in a day or so.

2013 Top Ten Best Reads - Number 7

Number 7 - Kate Atkinson

I first became aware of Kate Atkinson when the missus and I watched a UK mystery series based on her first Jackson Brodie book, Case Histories. It starred the talented Jason Isaacs as Scottish detective, Jackson Brodie. Even though the TV series relocated the first three books in the Case Histories series from Cambridge to Scotland, it didn't really matter. It was a fascinating series, well - developed stories, with interesting plots that suddenly and satisfyingly fit together. Jason Isaacs was excellent as Jackson Brodie and the other characters were all well-developed and acted. I particularly liked the regular characters, Jackson's daughter, Marlee, his long-suffering secretary, Deborah and my favourite character, DC Louise Munroe, played by Amanda Abbington. I enjoyed the series so very much that I searched to find out if it was based on a written series. To my joy, I discovered that there were, in fact, books and they were written by Kate Atkinson.

That started my search for books from the series. Kate Atkinson is an English writer who was born in York in 1951. Her first book was Behind the Scenes at the Museum, which was published in 1995 and won her the Whitbread Book of the Year.  Case Histories, the first of the series, was published in 2004. She has since written three other books in the series. I finally read the first, Case Histories, in February of this year. It took no time at all to read, the book was just as good as the TV series. This is the review I wrote on my Goodreads' bookshelf (some slight editing), "Such an excellent book. I had seen the BBC TV series starring Jason Isaacs as Jackson Brodie, which I'd enjoyed immensely. So I approached this with both trepidation and excitement. I did find it somewhat odd that the book is set in Cambridge, whereas the TV series was set in Scotland, but once I'd accepted the difference, I enjoyed the book so very much. Kate Atkinson draws you in immediately, introducing the various Case Histories, then Jackson Brodie, then meanders through each, tying them together when felt necessary. Every character is interesting and well-presented, Jackson Brodie is super, witty but with his own issues. The story isn't really tense, even though there are awful crimes involved, but it's more of a character study. The writing is subtle, intelligent, funny at times. Loved it so very much. I look forward to reading more of Kate Atkinson's work. Thanks to the BBC to introducing me to her and making me search out her books."

I still have two of the remaining books in the series on my bookshelf to read and I'm sure I'll get to them in 2014. I highly recommend both the TV series and the book. You'll love it.

Number 6 tomorrow!.. :0)

December 2013 - Focus Author - Ellis Peters

Edith Pargeter AKA Ellis Peters

It's that time of year to start thinking up some Top Ten Lists, Top Ten Books, Top Ten songs, Top Ten Actresses, etc.  Also to start planning ahead for my Reading Challenges for 2014. I must admit I've jumped the gun there a bit, goaded into action by the other folks who post in my Goodreads Book Clubs. But more on that at a later date.

For now, it's only the beginning of December 2013, so time to take a look at some of my possible Reading choices for the last month of the year. (Gad! Still can't believe it's that time of year already. Must get those Xmas decorations up!)

So firstly, my Focus Author for December. This is the last of the 12 I selected for 2013. She is Edith Pargeter, although I will be reading books she wrote under the pseudonym of Ellis Peters. I've got to admit, that it took me quite awhile to realise that Ellis Peters was, in fact, a woman. But that's not a first for me. I originally thought that Alexander McCall Smith of the Number 1 Woman's Detective Agency books was 'Alexandra' and that Laurie R. King of the Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes books was in fact, 'Laurier'. As they say in Forrest Gump, 'stupid is as stupid does'.

Derek Jacoby as Cadfael

Anyway, back to Ellis Peters. Reading up on this lady, I've got to say, she is most impressive. Born in 1913, she lived until 1995. During her life, she was a prolific author, writing history and historical fiction and she also made a name for herself translating many Czech writers into English. She was born in Shropshire, which may explain her setting for the Cadfael (My December focus) mysteries, which are set in a monastery in Shropshire. She served in the Wrens during WWII and after the war visited Czechoslovakia, became so impressed with the country and the people, that she became fluent in the Czech language. As I mentioned previously, she was a prolific writer, both as Edith Pargeter and Ellis Peters. I will focus on her Cadfael mystery series, which she wrote from 1977 until 1994. She wrote 21 books in this series and it also became a very well-known TV series, starring Derek Jacoby as Brother Cadfael. The books are set in the 12th Century, running from 1137 to 1145. Cadfael is an ex-Man-at-Arms who fought in the Crusades and who late in his life has taken up the role as a Brother in a Benedictine monastery in Shrewsbury. I've already read five of the books in the series, in no particular order -

One Corpse Too Many (Cadfael #2) (4 stars)
The Leper of Saint Giles (Cadfael #5) (3 stars)
The Devil's Novice (Cadfael #8) (4 stars)
Dead Man's Ransom (Cadfael #9) (4 stars)
The Raven in the Foregate (Cadfael #15) (4 stars)

Cadfael #1

Over the past couple of years, since I first discovered Cadfael, I've slowly been collecting the books in the series. I particularly like the Warner Futura covers; the colouring, the lettering. They have a nice look to them. I currently have 17 of the books and I hope to read at least another four by end December.

As you can see from the picture above, I'm currently reading Cadfael #1, A Morbid Taste for Bones.  In this introduction to Cadfael, he and a group of monks from the monastery are off to Wales to try and obtain the bones of Saint Winifred from the town of Gwytherin. I've just started but so far the story is up to par and very interesting. I also hope to read -

Monk's Hood (Cadfael #3) (set Dec 1138)
St Peter's Fair (Cadfael #4) (set Jul 1139)
The Sanctuary Sparrow (Cadfael #7) (set Spring 1140)

Who knows, maybe I'll manage to read one more, but this should whet my appetite for more of Brother Cadfael.

I'm not too sure what else I'll be reading in Dec, but some possibilities come to mind -

Firstly I have to finish a book I started in November, a DCI Bliss mystery by James Hawkins, Missing: Presumed Dead. This is my first DCI Bliss mystery and I can't say I'm thrilled with it. The story is sort of outlandish and I think it's 100 pages too long. But I now want to see how it'll end up, so I will finish this week! So say I!! ;0)

I'm also reading an Alan Moore graphic novel, Fashion Beast, which I'm quite enjoying. He definitely has a unique style. I've enjoyed pretty well everything of his I've read up to now.
I also would like to read Rin Tin Tin, the Life and the Legend. I got this for Xmas a couple of years ago and I've wanted to read it for awhile. It will also be the 13th book in my 12 + 2 challenge this year. After that, I'm pretty well open to anything in my TBR shelves. So we'll see what I feel like and how many days left in December when it comes to finishing off the month.

Next post, I'll start with some of my Top Ten lists.. just have to make them up.

Have a great December!

Two months left in 2013... *shocked look*

The year is already winding down, amazing as that seems, so while the puppies are entertaining themselves by eating all the twigs and pine cones that have blown into the backyard the past couple of days, I thought I'd take a look at what I might like to read to finish off the year. Just as an aside, I had chosen a total of 80 books to read as part of my overall goodreads challenge and I'm happy to say I've completed 81 as of today. Maybe next year I'll increase by another 5. Time will tell. :0)

Overall so far, it's been a pretty good year. For my Reading Group 12 + 2 challenge, I've completed 11 of the 14 and overall enjoyed them all. My favourites of this challenge so far have been Daniel Deronda by George Eliot, Case Histories by Kate Atkinson and Consider Phlebas by Iain Banks, a classic, a mystery and a SciFi novel. I still have 3 to read, but only need one to complete the challenge. I hope to read at least two of them; The Far Country by Nevil Shute and Rin Tin Tin: The Life and Legend by Susan Orlean. I fear that Lady Chatterley's Lover will have to wait until next year. As to next year, well, I haven't given this challenge too much thought, but I can think of a couple at least; Parade's End by Ford Maddox Ford, one classic; Goliath  by Scott Westerfield, maybe Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh and Is it Just Me? by Miranda Hart. Unless I go in a completely different direction, I'd like to continue with a few classics, a mystery or two and maybe a SciFi or so. We'll see as Dec approaches.

At the moment, I'm in the process of finishing a genre challenge book for October, horror for the Halloween month. The book is The Secret of Crickley Hall by James Herbert. I had enjoyed the TV series a few months ago and the book is as good so far. It was a slow burn, but it's moving along nicely now, excellent horror/ ghost story. The other book I'm trying to finish by end month is Circus by Alistair MacLean. He has been my focus author this month and so far I've enjoyed South by Java Head and Night Without End, both excellent well-paced stories, one a war book, the second a pure thriller. Circus isn't quite as good as the first two, but still an entertaining, page-turning story in the thriller mode.

Focus Authors - I've enjoyed this challenge very much, that being focusing on a particular author each month as part of my reading selections. I've featured either specific series, like John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee books and Jane Haddam's Gregor Demarkian mysteries, as well, just books by favourite authors that have either deserved a re-read or were new to me; authors such as Philip K. Dick and Alistair MacLean. I still have two authors to focus on for the rest of the year, November will be Ian Rankin, of the Rebus mysteries and December will feature Ellis Peters, author of the Cadfael mysteries. I have read various books in both series, but I hope to catch up somewhat, with at least two if not three from each series. I've been reading the Rankin books in order, so the next three in the series are Dead Souls, Set in Darkness and The Falls. I haven't followed the Cadfael books in order, but now that I have most of the collection, I'll work my way from the earliest of those I haven't read.. Next three in line for me are #1 A Morbid Taste for Bones, #3 Monk's Hood and #4 St Peter's Fair. Looking forward to these. Taking a look at 2014, these are some authors I'd like to add to my focus challenge... Donna Leon's Inspector Brunetti books (I've read a few and enjoyed very much so far), James Hawkins' Inspector Bliss books and Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks books, to name a few..

Alphabetical Mystery Authors - Over the past two years, I've managed to read a mystery by various mystery writers, working my way up from A. This year I've made it to the letter H, my last book being An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris, a Harper Connelly mystery, which has become a favourite of mine. I'd like to continue with the letter H and read at least 2 more authors before year end.. The next two on the list will be Death on Demand by Carolyn Hart (or maybe Death in Paradise) and Blood Hunt by Jack Harvey. So many H's. Of the books in this challenge I've enjoyed the most include The Killing at Badger's Drift by Caroline Graham and Marnie by Winston Graham. I'll continue with this challenge. If I only read the two above this year, I'll start 2014 off with James Hawkins, Mo Hayder and Patricia Highsmith. I hope to get out of the H's next year. This year, so far, I have managed to read 14 books in this challenge.

Anyway, there you have it. I think with that, I've left myself some room for other books until the end of the year, especially if I can manage about 7 or 8 books a month. *fingers crossed* There are other challenges that are still being done, the Time Traveller Challenge. We're in the 1500's and I plan to read Revelation by CJ Sansom for that. We'll have two more genre challenges before year end, November at the moment looks to be Espionage, so I may dig out a John le Carre for that and who knows what December will bring.

Anyway folks, still have to do some laundry and see what destruction the puppies are causing. Keep on reading!!

2013 - Looking Back... So Far

It's not quite July 1st yet, but while I've got a bit of time; i.e. the puppies are having their mid-morning nap and for the moment, peace reigns, I thought I'd take a look back at my reading habits for the first half of 2013.

To start off with, I'm currently reading three books, one from each of three of my various challenges and I hope to have at least one completed by end Jun -

Focus Author for Jun - C.S. Forester - Flying Colours (the third of C.S. Forester's published Horatio Hornblower novels, chronologically in the sequence of Hornblower's life, number 11 chronologically in Hornblower's life);

Alphabetical Mystery Writers - Ian Hamilton's The Water Rat of Wanchai; and

12 + 2 Reading Group Challenge - Tim Maltin's Titanic; First Accounts.

Now to get the stats out of the way. I have so far completed 50 books out of my Goodread's Challenge of trying to complete 80 books in 2013 (63%). I do have some challenging books for the rest of the year, but I think I've got a pretty good chance of reading more than 80, which would be an improvement on 2012, when I completed 81. Total pages completed so far - roughly 13,800.

Specific Challenges -

12 + 2 Reading Group Challenge - As of today, I've completed 7 out of 12 of my Reading Group Challenge. I don't think I'll manage to complete Titanic by end Jun, but you never know. My favourite book of the 7 is Kate Atkinson's Case Histories, an excellent mystery that I discovered through the also excellent TV series, starring Jason Isaacs. I still have 5 books to read (7 if you count the +2 alternates) and I will try to get them completed. I do have some challenging reads in this particular challenge, including Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence and Daniel Deronda by George Elliot, but these books might fit in with some of my other challenges. Also remaining in this group are Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks, Murder in the Central Committee by Manuel Vasquez Montalban, Rin Tin Tin, the Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean and The Far Country  by Nevil Shute.

Alphabetical Mystery Writers. I started this challenge in 2012 in an effort to try and read at least one book on my To-Be-Read bookshelves by a mystery author, starting with the authors last name and beginning alphabetically with 'A' of course. At the end of 2013, I had reached 'F'. So far in 2013, I've completed 9 in this challenge and have reached the letter 'H' with the above-mentioned book by Ian Hamilton. I have been introduced to new authors such as Michael Gilbert, Kerry Greenwood and Tarquin Hall and also revisited some favourites such as Sue Grafton, Elizabeth George, Caroline Graham, Martha Grimes and Jane Haddam. I think my favourite story so far was Winston Graham's Marnie, the psychological thriller on which Alfred Hitchcock based his excellent movie. Honourable mentions also to Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher mysteries and Caroline Graham's Midsomer Mystery, The Killing at Badger's Drift. I am currently reading a new author for me, as mentioned, Ian Hamilton's The Water Rat of Wanchai and enjoying thus far.

Monthly Focus Author - One of my favourite challenges this year has been my attempt each month to focus on a different author (using one author's writings as my bed-time reading. The reason is that I've started so many series and have been unable for the most part to complete them due to the congestion of books on my TBR shelves. (Don't tell my wife.. lol.. I think she knows). While I've focused on one author each month (besides my other reading), some have been a revisiting of old favourites, rather than necessarily books I haven't read before. I put in that category, the books of Philip K. Dick and Ian Fleming. I read both many years ago and while choosing authors for this challenge, felt it would be great to read some of their stories again to remind myself why I enjoyed them so much before. I found Dick's unique SciFi stories interesting again and the adventures of James Bond a guilty pleasure once again. Also featured since January were mysteries by Ngaio Marsh (Inspector Alleyn) and Jane Haddam (ex-FBI profiler, Gregor Demarkian), the varies mysteries and fantasies of Charlaine Harris and this months visit to the high seas adventures of C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower stories. It's been great fun so far and I'm looking forward to reading Edgar Rice Burroughs in July.

Genre Challenges - This has been a continuation of an ongoing challenge that we started over again due to its popularity. Since January we've covered respectively Historical stories, Crime/ Detective/ True Crime, Modern British Classics (20th Century), War & Revolution, Award Winning and Fantasy. I enjoyed all of the books that I read for these challenges, including The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King, The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves, Bridge on River Kwai by Pierre Boulle, The Ship by C.S. Forester, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley and Puck on Pook's Hill by Rudyard Kipling. My favourite of this challenge was The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham for the Modern British Classics genre. This was my first exposure to Maugham and I loved his ability to develop and progress his story. It was just excellent. Next month looks to be Short Stories and I already have a few choices in mind if that ends up being the genre chosen.

The Time Traveller's Challenge. This is the newest challenge I've participated in. Basically, we'll visit various eras in history and read books set in those eras. We started with Ancient Times, e.g. the Roman Empire and others around the same time frame. I chose a book I'd read as a youngster, The Eagle of the Ninth, this time the complete trilogy by Rosemary Sutcliff. It was most enjoyable to read it again. I had no recollections of the story and it was very interesting. Next month we move on to the Middle Ages; The 100 Years War, The Crusades, etc. Once again, I've a few books in mind. The nice thing about this challenge is that it lasts for 3 months so you tend to have a nice amount of time to read one or two books covering the particular period. And I need the time.. lol

Also I've managed to squeeze a couple of freebies in between all of the challenges. All in all, it's been a great six months so far. So let's see, what are my Top Ten favourites for the first half of the year?

Top Ten So Far

10. Puck on Pook's Hill - Rudyard Kipling (4*)
9.   Eagle of the Ninth Chronicles - Rosemary Sutcliff (4*)
8.   The Spy Who Loved Me - Ian Fleming (4*)
7.   Bangkok 8 - John Burdett (4*)
6.   Marnie - Winston Graham (4*)
5.   The Woman in Black - Susan Hill (4*)
4.   Cast Histories - Kate Atkinson (5)
3.   The Man in the High Castle - Philip K. Dick (5*)
2.   The Ship - C.S. Forester (5*)
1.   The Razor's Edge - W. Somerset Maugham (5*)

Next BLog I'll try to take a look at my plans for July. :0)

Keep on reading!

June 2013 Focus Author - C.S. Forester

June Focus Author - C.S. Forester

(The Hornblower Books)

C.S. Forester was an English novelist who lived from 1899 to 1966. He is probably known most for his Horatio Hornblower series of books (this is my focus this month), but his writings were definitely limited to this series. Possibly his most famous, since it was used for the excellent movie starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn, was The African Queen, published in 1935. Forester wrote mysteries, stories about the World War II; the Peninsula War and so many others.

In the past few years, I've read -

 1. A Ship of the Line (1938) - This was my first Forester book and at the time I didn't realise that it wasn't the first of the Hornblower books; in fact, it's the seventh in the Hornblower chronology, following Hornblower as he Captains his own ship. I wanted to read the series as I'd enjoyed the BBC series based on Forester's books so very much. I read this one Jan 2010. I recall not liking Hornblower all that much after reading the story. There was just something about his personality, the way he treated his wife, that rubbed me the wrong way somehow. Having said that, the story was interesting, the adventures that Hornblower found himself involved in were well-written and I did leave the story wanting to read more.

2. Payment Deferred (1926) - This was Forester's 2nd novel and an excellent mystery. I found this at my local used book store and since I've been very much focused on mysteries of late, thought it would be interesting to see how he approached mysteries. I enjoyed very much; it's a very tense psychological mystery. I now have two other mysteries he wrote and look forward to reading them as well. The story focuses on a bank clerk who is constantly having financial problems. I won't say how, but by his actions, he acquires considerable money and with some financial wheeling/ dealing becomes quite rich. However, as his family begin to want more from the improved finances the psychological issues of dealing with how he acquired the money begins to prey on him. You really should read to get the full impact, but suffice it to say, I quite enjoyed.

3. The Ship (1943) - I read this recently and it is by far my favourite Forester novel to-date. Set in WWII, it follows a British light cruiser, part of a convoy trying to provide relief to Malta, as it engages an Italian fleet set upon stopping the convoy. Such an excellent story. This is the review I provided to my goodreads page. "Excellent naval war story. Forester sets his story in the Mediterranean on HMS Artremis, a British cruiser part of a convoy of ships trying to relieve isolated Malta. Each chapter starts as an excerpt from the Capt's log with the chapter detailing the actions that make up this simple entry. Forester explores the ship, the crew as he tells his story. A simple story, but one of heroism, one battle against an Italian fleet. So well written, smoothly paced to keep the pages turning. Excellent story. I rank it up with Alistair MacLean's HMS Ulysses in great naval war stories." I highly recommend.

June Focus - The Hornblower books

I have a few Forster novels on my book shelf, The African Queen, Plain Murder and The Pursued, but I want to try and reduce the number of Hornblower stories I have yet to read. The series featured 12 books and besides A Ship of the Line. I have 7 others and with any luck I will manage to complete at least 4 in Jun. Unfortunately, I don't have the complete sequence, but I will read in chronological order of Hornblower's life and adventures as much as possible.

I'm currently reading and almost finished Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, which is the first, chronologically, following Horatio from Jan 1794 - Mar 1798 as he experiences his first adventures in Her Majesty's Royal Navy. As a matter of interest, the stories that make up the book are used for the most recent BBC series on Horatio Hornblower. I will follow up this book with Hornblower and the Hotspur (Apr 1803 - Jul 1805), which follows Hornblower's career when he is promoted to Commander and receives his own ship, The Hotspur. Marriage also finds its way into his life, an issue that Hornblower must deal with. Book 3 will be Flying Colours (Nov 1810 - Jan 1811). This follows A Ship of the Line and finds Hornblower a prisoner of the French and being taken to Paris to be tried as a pirate. Hornblower and his companions escape and this is the basis of this story. Book 4 will be Commodore Hornblower (Apr 1812 - Dec 1812), in which Hornblower is asked out of retirement to command a Squadron of ships to the Baltic and try to entice the Russians into the war against Napoleon..

I do look forward to reading these Hornblower novels and also acquiring the complete series. I'm enjoying Midshipman Hornblower very much. I like Forester's writing style, how the stories flow off the page and the adventures, themselves.

May Summary



No prison will hold me!!!

Well, there you go, another month has passed us by. It's been a relatively busy month; lots of work to do, yard work accomplishments,  a new puppy to get used to (that would be Bonnie, who is so funny and cute. Can't wait for Clyde to come along in June. I still managed to get in a bit of reading, even with all the activities, although it was a bit of a flurry of completions at the end of the month.

I very much enjoyed my Focus Author, Ian Fleming, he of James Bond fame. I managed to finish five of the books in the series. For the most part these were rereads from my teen years (I won't say how many years ago that is, but suffice it to say, most of the books seemed new to me.). Of the books on my shelves (I've slowly been acquiring the Bond books this past 5 or 6 years - still a couple to get), I managed to read Moonraker, Dr. No (the movie with the iconic scene of Ursula Andress arising from the waves like Venus), Goldfinger (I'm still afraid of Odd Job), Thunderball and The Spy Who Loved Me. Of them, I think I enjoyed The Spy Who Loved Me the most. It was the most different of the stories (not at all like the Roger Moore movie, which only borrowed the title). It was more of a hard-boiled detective novel, the story of Vivien Michel, threatened by two thugs, with Bond showing up in the last half, the mysterious avenging spy. Loved it. All in all, each story was excellent and it was great fun to reread them.

For the rest of the month, I read 1000 Years of Annoying the French, history made fun by Stephen Clarke. It was an easy read, it covered English/ French history from William the Conqueror to present day and highlighted French/ English wars, differences and just overall historical facts. I was never one to enjoy history all that much in school, in fact, at the first opportunity I had, when it was no longer mandatory, I dropped it from my curriculum. But of late, I find myself drawn to well-written history books and this one was no exception. I enjoyed the novel very much, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys history.

The genre challenge for May was Award winning books. I chose The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, written by Canadian author Alan Bradley. It won him the British Crime Writer's Association Debut Dagger Award and others. It tells the story of Flavia de Luce, a bit of a throwback to those great Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy mysteries I enjoyed as a kid. Flavia lives in England with her father and two sisters and must try to keep her father out of prison for murder. She is a source of aggravation to the people she investigates and a source of amazement to the police. I enjoyed the story, at times more than others, but overall I ended up liking it very much. I also liked how the mystery was tied up in the end. I think I'd like to read more of the Flavia series to see how she grows.

My other books for May were tied into the Time Traveller challenge, from April to Jun, Ancient Times. I chose The Eagle of the Ninth Chronicles, which consists of three young adult stories about the Aquila family who settle in England as part of the Roman legions. I read the first two stories, The Eagle of the Ninth (one I'd read as a teen) and The Silver Branch, in May. I enjoyed them both very much. I liked the setting, Ancient Rome and England; I liked the characters and I liked the stories overall. The first story has been adapted for both TV and film, most recently The Eagle, starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell. I'm currently reading the 3rd story, The Lantern Bearers and it's as good as the first two; quite an excellent series by Rosemary Sutcliffe.

Overall, it was a satisfying month and I'm well on the road to satisfying my challenges. Looking forward very much to June.

Curling and Puppies and Currently Reading...

This week in Victoria, B.C. one of the big happenings is the Men's World Curling Championships. And of course, I do mean the Winter sport of curling, nothing to do with hair styling.. ;0). Since it's right on our doorstep, Jo and I thought we should at least try to see some of the games, so we're off to see the finals weekend. We do enjoy the sport; I've played on and off all my life and Jo and I played in a mixed league with some friends back a few years ago. We always make sure to watch the Brier (Canadian Men's championships) and the Scotties Tournament of Hearts (Canadian Women's Championships) and various other tournaments over the course of the year. We were fortunate to manage to go to Vancouver during the 2010 Olympics and see quite a few of the Olympic curling events. Definitely a highlight that year.

As well, we're combining this curling adventure with a side-trip to the mainland to pick up our new miniature schnauzer puppy, Bonnie. The photo isn't of her, but she may look like that when she's all grown up. We're very excited about getting her. With any luck we'll be back there in the summer to get a male, to be named Clyde (of course). It's been a couple of years now that we've been without a doggie companion(s) and we're ready to settle down and add a couple to our household.




Currently Reading

Of course, the main purpose of the Blog is to talk about books.. I do like to digress though; it is my Blog after all.. ;0) I'm currently enjoying one of my 12 + 2 Reading Group Challenge books for 2013, Stephen Fry's The Fry Chronicles. Stephen Fry is roughly my age (mid-50's) and is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter, etc. Yes, you've got it, the classic underachiever. I bought this book for Jo for Xmas a couple of years ago, but also wanted to read it myself. I enjoy Fry in so many things; Blackadder, QI, his talk show (although we generally have to wait to watch it when we visit family in England) and especially, his TV legal drama, Kingdom, which we managed to catch on Vision TV when it was shown here. It was such an excellent series. So when I saw his autobiography, I wanted to see what he had to say. Basically, he writes like he speaks; he's educated, well-written, self-deprecating (to a fault) and just a pleasure to read. The book, so far anyway, highlights his university career (Cambridge) and his early acting / writing/ show business career, with many forays down other alley ways. I've really had difficulty putting it down, when I pick it up and must say it's been a pleasure to read so far.

My bed-time book is the first from my April Focus Author challenge (Jane Haddam) . I won't discuss it too much as I highlighted the books I hoped to read in my previous Blog. Suffice it to say, I'm enjoying getting back into the Gregor Demarkian mysteries. Jane Haddam has a unique story-telling style that is a pleasure to sink into. She develops her story at a nice pace and keeps ex-FBI profiler on the periphery while the story unfolds. Gregor is an interesting detective, who seems to wander through his mysteries absorbing information until it all sort of gels into a solution. It's been too long that I've read one of Haddam's mysteries and it'll be a pleasure to read 4 or 5 of them this month. In case I manage to finish both of my currently reading books this weekend on the road, I've brought along the second book from my Haddam list, Feast of Murder. However the next book I'll pick up will be -

Bridge on the River Kwai, by Pierre Boulle. I found this edition, a Fontana / Collins 22nd impression published in Mar 1972, at the annual local Rotary Club Book Sale. The book was initially released in 1952. I first read it in High school and have seen the movie with Alec Guinness many times (one of my favourite war movies). So there's the preamble to say, I'm looking forward to reading the story again. Conveniently, my UK Book Club is featuring War / Revolution as the April genre, so it fits in quite nicely. It's an excellent story, set in World War II and uses the construction of the Burma railway as its theme. The story deals with British prisoners-of-war, forced by the Imperial Japanese army to build the railway. The story focuses on one camp, led by British Army Lt Colonel Nicholson and his conflict with the Japanese Camp commander, Colonel Saito. So many conflicts/ issues are covered; Nicholson's efforts to keep up the morale of his demoralised troops by giving them something positive and productive to work toward; that being the railroad, his efforts to get the Camp Commandant to respect his personnel; his struggles to deal with discipline and so many other issues, not the least his own internal struggles to deal with the conflict of his troop morale and the fact that as prisoners-of-war, should they be helping the Japanese war effort. I recall it being an excellent book and look forward to reading again.

Anyway, there you have it. I'm looking forward to our weekend adventure; and I didn't even mention our planned takeaway curry that we'll surely have from Da Tandoor (one of our favourite restaurants), while we're in Victoria, plus hopefully I'll squeeze in a couple of visits to Victoria bookshops when we're not at the curling events.. Should be great. I'll provide photos of Bonnie when we get her home.. So exciting!

Have a great weekend!

April 2013 - Focus Author - Jane Haddam



Jane Haddam

Jane Haddam is an American mystery writer. She was born in Bethel Connecticut in 1951 and published her first novel, Sweet, Savage Murder, in 1984. Her mysteries feature retired FBI profiler, Armenian - American detective, Gregor Demarkian. Forced to retire, as he'd reached his retirement age, and also due to the death of his wife, Gregor returns to his childhood neighbourhood, Philadelphia  and settles down with his childhood friends. Somewhat to assuage his boredom, he takes on the occasional mystery and these mysteries form the basis of the Gregor Demarkian series. He is often assisted by his friends; Tibor Kasparian and fantasy writer, Bennis Hannaford.

The mysteries are excellent. I read my first Demarkian mystery n 2007 and since then have read 7. Not in any particular order I have to say. The stories often revolve around religious themes, Gregor has been hired by various diocese in his cases and there is a holiday theme for a number of books. So far I've completed:

1. Not a Creature Was Stirring (#1) - Christmas (1990)
2. Bleeding Hearts (#11) - Valentine's Day (1995)
3. True Believers (#17) - (2001)
4. Murder Superior (#8) - Mother's Day (1993)
5. Quoth the Raven (#4) - Hallowe'en (1991)
6. A Stillness in Bethlehem (#7) - Christmas (1993)
7. A Great Day for the Deadly (#5) - St Patrick's Day (1992)

In the month of April, I plan to feature the Gregor Demarkian mysteries as my bed-time book and with any luck, I hope to read another four at least. I still have 7 or 8 in the series on my bookshelves to read and it's been awhile since I have read one. They are always enjoyable, the cast of characters are interesting and both the themes and the crimes are often very different.

I've started with Precious Blood, Gregor Demarkian #2, as my first book. It is one of the Holiday mysteries, Easter being its setting. The story is set in Colchester, NY and this is the book blurb: "Former FBI agent Gregor Demarkian is doing a friend a favour when he shows up in Colchester, NY. The Cardinal Archbishop has a problem: A young woman has been mysteriously murdered, and one of his parish priests had the strongest of reasons for wanting her dead. But Father Andrew Walsh isn't the only one with a motive. It seems that quite a number of parishioners shared a damning past with the diseased. Something happened twenty years ago. Something that's leading a desperate soul to break the deadliest commandment. And when the good Father himself keels over in the middle of High Mass, Gregor knows he needs a miracle."

This is my plan for the rest of the month; if I manage to be successful completing my challenge.

Feast of Murder, Gregor Demarkian #6. This is a Thanksgiving murder mystery. "Wall Street wizard Jonathan Edgewick Baird has some very good reasons for hauling friends, family and flunkies out for a Thanksgiving week cruise on his lovingly crafted duplicate of the good ship Mayflower, not the least of which are the fortuitous death of an embarrassing business associate and his own recent release from prison for insider trading. But why did Baird invite former FBI agent Gregor Demarkian, a noted murder specialist, along for the ride? And who put strychnine on the menu for their first dinner at sea? Add two wives - on ex, one current - with unusual appetites, a son who's a little too eager to fill Daddy's shoes, a brother with an adding machine for a soul, and a yuppie couple whose Saab story may have them losing the car and the condo, and it soon falls to Demarkian to determine which of the blue bloods really came to give thanks.. and which one is really out for blood.

Dear Old Dead, Demarkian #9, Father's Day Mystery. "Media mogul, Charles van Straadt could have picked a better time for an unannounced call on the uptown health-care centre he supported. A gang war rages across Harlem, making for wall-to-wall stretchers in the emergency room, and photos of the centre's saintly director have been splashed all over the front pages after a vice charge arrest. it was an inconvenient time to drop in.. and an even worse time to drop dead. Former FBI agent Gregor Demarkian is called in to investigate van Straadt's messy demise. Was it a premature Father's Day gift from one of the millionaire's grandchildren, hoping to head off a rumoured change in the old man's will? Did the clinic director have a falling out with his prickly, uptight patron? Or did the smiling nun with a will of steel send Charlie to his Heavenly Father? Soon Demarkian has a Father's Day gift of his own, even more unwanted than a gaudy tie.. another corpse."

Festival of Deaths, Gregor Demarkian #10, Hanukkah.
"Eight nights of murder. That's what Hanukkah in Philadelphia shapes up to be this year, as a killer stalks America's most outrageous talk show host from New York to the City of Brotherly Love - bailiwick of ex-FBI agent, Gregor Demarkian. The good folks on Cavanaugh Street have cajoled Gregor into appearing on Lotte Goldman's always controversial TV show. The topic: Sex and the Serial Killer. But Gregor is soon drawn into a jungle of behind-the-camera politics and off-the-set malice. He'll have to out bluff a murder.. before death lights a candle for them all."


Of course, even if I do manage to read these four in April, I still have these others in the hopper..

Fountain of Death, Demarkian #12
Baptism in Blood, Demarkian #14
Deadly Beloved, Demarkian #15
Skeleton Key, Demarkian #16
Glass Houses, Demarkian #22
Living Witness, Demarkian #24

It's an excellent series. I'm looking forward to re-acquainting myself with Haddam's excellent series. You might want to check it out yourself, if you like a good, well-paced, interesting murder mystery series. Give it it a try.

March 2013 Update

I'm jumping the gun a bit as it's not the end of March yet, but here is my interim update on what I've been reading this month and how my challenges are progressing. Since we spent the beginning of March travelling, I wasn't following my normal practice of having my downstairs book and bedside table book; rather, I focused on just one book at a time. I imagine it balanced out in the great scheme of things.. ;0)

Let's see. As an overall review, as of today 24 Mar 2013, I've completed 25 books so far in my Goodreads challenge of 80 books and have read approximately 6300 pages. I've completed six books in March and have two on the go. I might only finish one of those as The Phryne Fisher mysteries contains three books in one. (I have finished one of the books so far, mind you)

Genre Challenge (Modern British Classics 20th Century)

I've completed two books in this challenge so far. Graham Greene's Stamboul Train is also one of my 12 + 2 Challenge books. I do like his style generally and this story didn't let me down at all. This story focused on a number of people who get on and off the Orient Express between Ostend and Constantinople and their various interactions. It was so well-written and a most enjoyable read. I gave the book 4 stars. I've gotten back into Graham Greene somewhat again recently. I had read some of his books back in my university days and onwards, but it's been 20 years or so since I had picked up one of his books. But of late, I've completed Our Man in Havana and Brighton Rock as well and it's been  a pleasure to sit down to them.


The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham was the other book I completed in this challenge. I won't go into it again as I did mention it in my last Blog entry (which you can see here if you're interested) Suffice it to say that it's one of my favourite books of 2013 so far.

As a matter of interest, currently leading the poll for next month's Genre challenge is War/ Revolution.

12 + 2 Challenge

I had planned to complete two books in my 12 + 2 Challenge, but so far have only read Stamboul Train as I mentioned above. Maybe I'll be a bit more successful next month. My other planned read had been Puck of Pook's Hill by Rudyard Kipling.

Individual Reading Challenge (Focus Author - Charlaine Harris)

I've been very successful with this challenge, partly because the books are such easy page turners. I had planned to read one each of the four series that Charlaine Harris had written. I completed Shakespeare's Trollop, a Lily Bard mystery set in Shakespeare Arkansas, Definitely Dead, a Sookie Stackhouse fantasy set in Louisiana and Grave Sight, a Harper Connelly supernatural mystery, this one also set in Arkansas in the town of Sarne. At the moment, I'm in the process of reading Dead Over Heels, an Aurora Teagarden mystery set in Georgia. Charlaine Harris has such a nice way with her stories, whether the supernatural vampire/ werewolf fiction of the Sookie Stackhouse stories, or the cleaning lady cum detective Lily Bard. She has strong female leads, each with their own unique talents and issues and with a strong supporting cast. You can't go wrong with one of her stories and I've enjoyed them very much this month.

Individual Reading Challenge (Alphabetical Mysteries)

As you can see, since I started this challenge back last year, I've made my way to the G's. I had thought I might be able to complete two authors this month, but will actually be lucky to read all of Introducing the Honourable Phryne Fisher. I was introduced to the stories by the Australian TV mystery series of the same name and enjoyed it so much that I had to search out Kerry Greenwood's books. This particular edition has the first three mysteries; Cocaine Blues, Flying Too High and Murder on the Ballarat Train. As of today I have completed the first and am just starting the second. Maybe because I was introduced to the books through the most entertaining TV show, which stars the lovely, talented Essie Davis as Turn of the Century detective, I find the TV series to be somewhat better. However the stories so far have kept me turning the pages to see what happens next and they are full of action and entertainment. Lovely to cozy up to and experience Phryne's adventures.

Freebies

I did take along one book as a travel book for our flight from Comox to Toronto and it was Bangkok 8, the first Sonchaii Jitpleecheep mystery by John Burdett. As you can guess it's set in Bangkok, Thailand. A very horrific crime that left me feeling very creepy starts off the story. But I must say, the story drew me in immediately. The characters, the locale, the culture all were so very fascinating. The movie was so well-paced and I enjoyed Sonchaii very much. I also enjoyed the elements of Buddhism that were explained nicely, the clash between the Thai and US cultures as he must work with the female FBI agent, who was also quite lovely. Everything about the book was a pleasant surprise and made me look forward to reading many more of the series.

So there you have it. With luck, I'll finish my Charlaine Harris mystery and also Flying Too High. Then, I'll be planning my April reads. A bit more travelling planned for the beginning of the month; a weekend in Victoria to see the finals of the Men's World Curling Championships (with maybe a side trip by me to some of my favourite bookstores) and then over to the mainland to pick up our new miniature schnauzer pup.. Pictures next month maybe.. So excited.

For now, enjoy your reading experience and Keep on reading!

I've Been Away.....

The missus and I just returned from our travels to Ontario. We had a very nice two weeks, visited my daughter and her boyfriend in Kingston, my Dad and sister in North Bay, then finished off our trip to London where we enjoyed the World Figure Skating Championships. Stayed in a very nice B&B in Ingersoll and had a mere 30 minute drive into the event each day. It was pretty darn perfect. We ate well, visited family, saw some of Ontario, met new friends at the Championships and basically enjoyed the trip. However, it's always so nice to step in our front door and settle down in our comfy home. (The only bad thing that came out of the trip was that I managed to catch a head cold, now I've got a sniffly nose and sore throat..) :0(

Even though we were travelling I did manage to read a few books and also visited a couple of used book stores in Kingston and in London. It always makes a trip that bit more enjoyable if I can wander through a couple of bookstores and find some good books.. So let's see what did we find??

Kingston - Jo and I wandered around the center town area one day and found quite a few nice places. We started in an antique/ collectibles place called Turks on Princess Street. Unfortunately, the store is closing down after many, many years in business. It's hard times for the antique business. I bought a few books there as they did have a section at the back with some excellent books -

The Razor's Edge, by W. Somerset Maugham. I found this particular edition of The Razor's Edge in the store. I wasn't familiar with Maugham's writing but since one of my Goodread's Book Groups was featuring modern British classics, I thought this might be appropriate. I liked the age of the book, which was published in 1945 by Blakiston's and just the overall feel of the book. I decided to read the book as well for the genre challenge and must say, it is one of my favourite books of 2013 (heck, one of my favourite books ever). Maugham has such a flowing style and tells a great story. I'm so glad I found it and bought it.

Leave it to PSmith, by P.G. Wodehouse. I did like the look of this book. I have read some of Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster books and enjoyed his humour. It was first published in 1923 and, as I've since discovered, is the fourth and final installment of the PSmith stories. The synopsis of the story is as follows -

"A debonair young Englishman, Psmith ("the p is silent, as in phthisis, psychic, and ptarmigan") has quit the fish business, "even though there is money in fish," and decided to support himself by doing anything that he is hired to do by anyone. Wandering in and out of romantic, suspenseful, and invariably hilarious situations, Psmith is in the great Wodehouse tradition."

Can You Forgive Her, by Anthony Trollope. This was a book the missus found and liked the look of. I've never read any Trollope so if and when I do, I'll be having a new experience. :0) The story synopsis is -

"Can You Forgive Her? (1864-5) is the first of the six famous Palliser novels which, as a group, provide us with the most extensive and contradictory expose of British life during the period of its greatest prestige. In Can You Forgive Her? Trollope inextricably binds together the issues of parliamentary election and marriage, of politics and privacy. The values and aspirations of the governing stratum of Victorian society are ruthlessly examined and none remain unscathed. Above all Trollope focuses on the predicament of women. 'What should a woman do with her life?' asks Alice Vavasor of herself, and this theme is echoed by every other woman in the novel, from the uncomfortably married Lady Glencora to the coquettish Mrs Greenow and Alice's clear-headed cousin Kate."

Novel Idea, Kingston, ON

Parade's End, by Ford Maddox Ford. Jo and I watched the HBO / BBC series based on the book and were drawn in and enjoyed it so very much. I had added the book to my TBR list and while checking out other bookstores in Kingston, I found this copy, a Penguin edition published in 2012. I purchased the copy and do look forward to reading it and seeing how much I enjoy the book.
"Ford's masterly story of destruction and regeneration follows the progress of Christopher Tietjens as his world is shattered by the Great War. In four volumes - Some Do Not . . ., No More Parades, A Man Could Stand Up and The Last Post - Parade's End traces the psychological damage inflicted by battle, the collapse of England's secure Edwardian values and the new age, embodied by Tietjens' beautiful, selfish wife Sylvia. It is an elegy for the war dead and the passing of a way of life, and a work of amazing subtlety and profundity."

London ON - The Book Dealer. During one of the breaks from the Figure Skating, Jo and I went our separate ways and I checked out a couple of neat used book stores. At The Book Dealer I found the following books.

Russian Hide and Seek, by Kingsley Amis. Over the past couple of years, I've found a few Amis books and discovered that I enjoyed his humour and style of telling stories. I particularly enjoyed The Riverside Villas Murder. So when I saw this book and the excellent condition it was in, I took a chance on it. The story, itself, sounded very different.

"The scene is England 50 years after its conquest by the Soviets. The plot is to turn the occupying government upside down. A handsome and highly sexed young Russian cavalry officer, Alexander Petrovsky, joins the plot and learns to his regret that politics and playmates don't mix."

Clouds of Witness, Dorothy L. Sayers. I've been slowly gathering the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries and adding them to my shelves. I still have to read one, mind you, but each story sounds interesting and I will get to them. This is the second in the series -
"Rustic old Riddlesdale Lodge was a Wimsey family retreat filled with country pleasures and the thrill of the hunt -- until the game turned up human and quite dead. He lay among the chrysanthemums, wore slippers and a dinner jacket and was Lord Peter's brother-in-law-to-be. His accused murderer was Wimsey's own brother, and if murder set all in the family wasn't enough to boggle the unflappable Lord Wimsey, perhaps a few twists of fate would be -- a mysterious vanishing midnight letter from Egypt...a grieving fiancee with suitcase in hand...and a bullet destined for one very special Wimsey."

Time Out of Joint, by Philip K. Dick. Dick's unique SciFi stories are very hard to find in used book stores. (I look in each and every one.. lol). As I was paying for the other two purchases, I mentioned another author to the lady behind the counter (H.P. Lovecraft, that is) and she laughed and said they couldn 't keep Lovecraft on the shelf. Shepointed out this particular story that was on the shelf behind the cash. Yup, I had to get it and add it to my Philip Dick collection. (I did a Blog on him earlier this year as he was a feature author for me.) I enjoyed rereading my stories and look forwad to reading this one.
"Ragle Gumm, mathematical genius, earned his living in a queer way, solving complicated puzzles in the daily newspaper. But soon, imperceptibly, his vast network of equations began to go out of control...everything was out of its natural order...and the world and time were out of joint! "

City Lights, London, ON

The Moon and Sixpence, by W. Somerset Maugham. It was sort of fitting that I ended my journey by purchasing another Maugham novel. I enjoyed the first so very much that when I saw this in City Lights (such a neat store), I bought it too. It's listed as one of Maugham's top three novels.
"The Moon and Sixpence, published in 1919, was one of the novels that galvanized W. Somerset Maugham's reputation as a literary master. It follows the life of one Charles Strickland, a bourgeois city gent whose dull exterior conceals the soul of a genius. Compulsive and impassioned, he abandons his home, wife, and children to devote himself slavishly to painting. In a tiny studio in Paris, he fills canvas after canvas, refusing to sell or even exhibit his work. Beset by poverty, sickness, and his own intransigent, unscrupulous nature, he drifts to Tahiti, where, even after being blinded by leprosy, he produces some of his most extraordinary works of art. Inspired by the life of Paul Gauguin, The Moon and Sixpence is an unforgettable study of a man possessed by the need to create—regardless of the cost to himself and to others."

So there you go, not only did Jo and I have a great trip, I also managed to add a few books to my collection. I did read a few books during our travels as well. I'll try to talk about those next time.

Individual Reading Group Challenge - Focus Author for March

So far in 2013 I've focused on two authors; January being Australian writer Ngaio Marsh and last month being American SciFi author, Philip K. Dick. For March, I've chosen American mystery/ fantasy author, Charlaine Harris. I first noticed her writing as I was getting near the end of another author's books, the Anita Blake fantasy series by Laurell K. Hamilton. As I looked for the next book in the series, I remember noticing Ms. Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series; the series which eventually became a hit HBO TV series, True Blood. I read a few of the Deep South series and enjoyed it very much. It was similar in some ways to the Anita Blake books, in that Sookie Stackhouse has powers and also ongoing relationships with a vampire, Bill, and a shape shifter, Sam Merlotte. Other than that the books have their own unique qualities that make them worth reading. Over time as I've been going through my mystery author phase, I've discovered that she has also written a number of mystery books, featuring differing main characters. However, let's get down to basic facts first. Charlaine Harris was born in 1951 in the Mississippi river delta and now resides in Arkansas. This does help to explain some of the locales used in her stories. She's been a prolific writer who is best known for the Southern Vampire Books, aka the Sookie Stackhouse series. I've also enjoyed some of her other series, especially the Lily Bard mysteries which are set in the town of Shakespeare Arkansas and have been introduced to her Aurora Teagarden books and the first  Harper Connelly series. So that is my plan for March; to touch base with her various series once again and clean up some of her books from my To Be Read (TBR) shelf. Below is my tentative plan -

Shakespeare's Trollop, Lily Bard #4. I've enjoyed the other books in this series very much. There are 5 in the series, the last which was written in 2001. Lily Bard is a previous entitled Southern girl who suffered a traumatic experience in the past and who moved to Shakespeare Arkansas to escape her past and to rebuild her present. She is a fitness nut and the town cleaner (so-to-speak), making her living hiring out her cleaning services. As well, she gets involved in solving murders that have taken place in town. It's a very interesting series and I've enjoyed watching Lily grow and change and try to open up as the series progresses. The write up for this story reads as follows - "Shakespeare, Arkansas is home to endless back roads, historic buildings, colourful residents--and the occasional murder. It is also home to Lily Bard, the local karate expert/ cleaning woman hit a particular knack for finding skeletons in closets. But when Deedra Dean - the local woman of ill repute - is found murdered, her promiscuous lifestyle leaves more than a few suspects. And being familiar with Deedra's dirty laundry could make Lily the next Shakespearean to die....." Unfortunately when I finish this Lily Bard story, one that I have started the month with, I'll have completed the series and that will be a sad day as I've enjoyed the stories very much.

Definitely Dead, Sookie Stackhouse #6. The Southern Vampire books are most definitely Charlaine Harris' best-known series. It has been made more famous by the success of the True Blood series, with its graphic sex and violence. I discovered the books before the series was created and enjoyed the books so very much. They had a great quality, Lily was an excellent protagonist and her ongoing, developing relationships and the growth of her powers (basically she hears what other people are thinking) made the stories even more interesting. I enjoyed the setting, small town Louisiana, with wanderings through other Southern locales and I also liked the many other beings that populated the stories. I didn't read them in any sequence, and while it would have been better reading them from Book 1 in order, I don't think my enjoyment suffered any by not doing so. The write up for Definitely Dead is as follows - "As a person with so few living relatives, Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse really hated to lose one. But she never guessed that it would be her cousin Hadley—a consort of the Vampire Queen of New Orleans. After all, technically speaking, Hadley was already dead. And now, as unexpected heir to Hadley’s estate, Sookie discovers the inheritance definitely comes with a risk. Someone doesn’t want Sookie looking too deeply into Hadley’s past—or for that matter, Hadley’s possessions. And they’re prepared to do anything in their power to stop her. But who? The range of suspects runs from the Rogue Weres who reject Sookie as a friend of the Pack to the Vampire Queen herself, who could be working through a particularly vulnerable subject—Sookie’s first love, Bill." This is a series that seems to hold Charlaine Harris' interest as there are 12 books in the series. Unfortunately it appears that the next one will be the last. Bummer....

Grave Sight, Harper Connelly #1. I'm not as familiar with this series, in fact, although I highlighted it as having been read previously, I don't think I did. So I was going to read Book 2 in the series, but I don't think that would be fair to my enjoyment. If I have previously read Book 1, well, it'll be a fresh read and reintroduce me to the characters that populate the series. The series started in 2005 and features Harper Connelly, a young woman who after being struck by lightning, is able to locate dead bodies and see their last moments. The write up for Grave Sight is - "Harper and her stepbrother Tolliver are experts at getting in, getting paid, and then getting out of town fast, because the people who hire Harper have a funny habit of not really wanting to know what she has to tell them. At first, the little Ozarks town of Sarne seems like no exception. A teenage girl has gone missing and Harper knows almost immediately that this girl is dead. But the secrets of her death, and the secrets of the town, are deep enough that even Harper's special ability can't uncover them. With hostility welling up all around them, she and Tolliver would like nothing better than to be on their way. But then another woman is murdered. And the killer's not finished yet..." There are only 4 books in this series. It was supposedly optioned as a TV series in 2010 but nothing seems to have come of it yet.\

Dead Over Heels, Aurora Teagarden #5. The Aurora Teagarden series was Charlaine Harris' first. She wrote the first in 1990 and finished the series in 2003 after 8 books. I've read one book in the series previously and enjoyed it. It is a change of pace from her other books, with a more light-hearted tone. I'm obviously not reading in sequence, but the series has been difficult for me to find in my local new and used book stores. The write-up is as follows - "What's the world coming to when you can't relax with a glass of ice-cold beverage in your own backyard without a body falling from the sky into your garden? Part-time librarian and amateur investigator Roe Teagarden has good reason to ask herself this question when the remains of one of the Lawrenceton, Georgia police department's finest catapults into her flower bed. The mystery deepens as two federal agents arrive to investigate the murder. Its only when Madeleine the cat provides a clue that Roe begins to realise that using her yard as a temporary landfill may have been no accident and that Roe herself could be in terrible danger."


So there you have it, my tentative reading plan for my Charlaine Harris series. I hope to have the time to read at least these four books in March. Should my luck be even better, I do have a few others on my shelves to fill the gap. Wish me luck.