skip to main content

Reader's Paradise

April is here. What are you reading?

15 years ago

I am a new member and am delighted to be here. I practically live in libraries and bookstores. My husband bought me t-shirts that say So Many Books...So Little Time and I

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

twobigdogs
15 years ago
Welcome suz 1. You are certanly in the right place. There are many RP-ers here who state mystery as their favorite genre (including me).

I did read The Thirteenth Tale. And while it started out well, I personally thought it lost steam 2/3 of the way through. But that's the great thing about RP - we can all discuss books and disagree on books and we all respect each other's opinions.

My very favorite Agatha Christie is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I think it is her best, but then again, I've only read about half of them and then they get all muddled up in my head anyway. I've never read Laurie R. King, but am a big fan of books set in the Victorian Era so I'll have to take a peek at them at the library.

Some of my favorite mystery writers are:
Kate Sedley
Ellis Peters
Margaret Yorke
MC Beaton
Hazel Holt
John Sandford
Elizabeth George

But I like many other authors and genres as well. Currently, I am reading Jasper Fforde's second in the Thursday Next series, "Lost in a Good Book". Not far enough along to form any opinions yet.

Again, welcome to RP.
PAM
Chris_in_the_Valley
15 years ago
Welcome, Suz!

I, too, enjoyed The Thirteenth Tale but still found it vaguely disappointing in the end.

Do you know Carlos Ruiz ZafÃ³n's The Shadow of the Wind, a thriller that begins with a visit to The Cemetery of Forgotten Books?

Arturo PÃ©rez-Reverte's The Club Dumas is fun for a bibliophile. The protagonist is a sometimes unscrupulous rare book dealer commissioned to find a special book of the devil.

I like mysteries but my tastes fall somewhere between the gentle reads and the crime novel. I'm a great fan of James Lee Burke. I once loved all the women mystery writers of the 1990s - Muller, Grafton, Cornwell, ... - but they have lost my interest lately. Sharyn McCrumb, a great favorite, has also disappointed in her recent novels. Joan Hess continues to satisfy.

Thanks to Carolyn I've discovered Margaret Maron, who, now that I think about it, could qualify as a writer of the gentle mystery. You will find many fellow mystery fans here.
Related Discussions
April is here - what are you reading?
Q
Comments (136)
I've had sporadic internet access over the past month, since we are in the process of moving. As a result, I've spent much more time reading all the books I've been meaning to read. So, in April, I finished: Naked by David Sedaris (he always cracks me up, though, the last chapter takes place in a nudist colony and sometimes his descriptions are a bit to apt to stomach) Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (it was on my husband's reading list for a world history class and I started reading it aloud to him during a car trip--then of course I had to finish it) When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka (I picked it up because it was short-only 144 pages-but what a beautiful book!) Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides (Not my favorite book ever, but lots to think about long after the book is finished) Stones in Water by Donna Jo Napoli (I love her YA novels that are take-offs on fairy tales, but this was a much harsher book about an Italian boy kidnapped during WWII and forced into hard labor for the Nazis. It was okay.) The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst (It started gimmicky, but interesting. A man's wife falls from a tree in there back yard with only their dog as a witness, so he decides to teach the dog to talk. The story became really far-fetched with a weird society that surgically mangles dogs so they can talk etc. And it didn't even have a good ending.) Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler (I loved this book. The entire novel takes place in one day as Maggie and Ira are going to a funeral for her friend's husband. Only drawback was that I had "Love is a Many Splendored Thing" running through my head for three days after reading it.)
...See More
Oh, to be reading now that April is here
Q
Comments (42)
So, my head is just surfacing after a few weeks being submerged in work. My reading has dropped off (baah), but I think once things are on a more even keel, I'll be back close to normal levels. I'm still reading that Sandberg management book which has some valid points in it and a nice mix of new info and reminders. As proof of an outside-the-office life, I have finished an NF by Julia Alvarez which details modern day Quinceanearas, a Latina/o celebration of the 15th birthday. (It's most typically for girls, but the celebration is being spread among boys as well in some areas.) It's a fascinating read as Alvarez looks at this tradition through the eyes of herself, one who grew up having one herself (I think) and one who is a feminist. Plus - learned a new term related to the Latino/a culture: <i>Marianisimo</I> (compared w <i>machismo</I>). Most, I would think, are fairly cognizant of the <i>machismo</I> tradition in Latino/a culture, but (as I learned) there is also the <i>Marianisimo</I> which is where women are assumed to have the characteristics associated with Mary (re: Catholic belief) -- virginal, pure, sacrificial etc. Living in Texas, we have almost a majority of Latino/a people (as opposed to Caucasian) and so our cities tend to be quite heavily influenced depending on your area. In my city, we are probably close to one-third Latino (I should check this), and we have a steady population of migrant workers from Latin America. It's going to be interesting to see how this demographic trend affects future voting patterns and the Good Old Boy network.
...See More
April is the cruelest month...what are you reading?
Q
Comments (141)
I finished Plainsong (Haruf) yesterday. It was just as I had hoped. I loved it. I thought that I had a copy of Evensong, which is a continuation of some of the same characters but a cursory look around hasn't produced it. Available at the Library though, which I'll get soon because it's an older book and the new Library Director is a mad culler. Grab it now before it disappears - just like a flea market. (many classics have met this fate too, much to my chagrin) Speaking of elephants, I'm trying to track down The Eye of the Elephant by Mark and Delia Owens. An older book that I'll try to get via interlibrary loan.
...See More
April 2023...What are you reading ?
Q
Comments (68)
I finished Homecoming by well-regarded Australian author Kate Morton. I then went to check if I had read any others of hers, and found my assessment of The Forgotten Garden (aka The House at Riverton) which concluded 'I don't think I will bother with any more'!! It was an interesting story about a 40-ish Australian woman living in London who flies home to Sydney after her grandmother, who brought her up, had a fall. She is an investigative journalist who finds out about a tragedy in her family's past, but in doing research on the internet, finds there was a book written at the time about it, and gleans all her information from that. Of the main characters, the grandmother was a bully who considered everything had to be done her way, the mother was a cipher for most of the book, and the journalist character was OK. The mystery was done well. However, the author had done a lot of research, and the reader was made to pay. There was so much extraneous information, long descriptions of the birds, the trees, the weather and so on. But most annoying were the factual mistakes, many of which should have been avoided by the above-mentioned research. Since part of the book was set in the Adelaide Hills near where I live, I picked up on them, but I suppose the out-of-town reader wouldn't have noticed. I also finished listening to the wonderful House of Niccolo books by Dorothy Dunnett.
...See More
biwako_of_abi
15 years ago
Welcome, Suz! (Though it is a bit presumptuous of me to be welcoming new ones when I have been such a sporadic poster here. I love the site, though.)

I also love mysteries, but am another reader who was disappointed by The Thirteenth Tale. I gave up on it part-way through. The older I become, the more ruthless I am about giving up. There are so many good books out there waiting to be read.

Some of my favorite mystery writers have been Elizabeth George, Ngaio Marsh, Anne Perry (A decade or more ago, I read everything by her that I could get my hands on, but since then my interest has cooled.), and Georgette Heyer. Josephine Tey is another favorite who I wish had written more books.

I especially appreciate a touch of humor in a mystery and love the humor in all Heyer's books. Her mysteries are really good, in my opinion. Too bad she didn't write more of them, but then, she did give us all those wonderful regency novels!
sherwood38
15 years ago
I am another reader who found The Thirteenth Tale a disappoinment.

I am currently reading All the Colors of Darkness by Peter Robinson who writes a mystery series set in England with his DCI Alan Banks investigating.

Pat
carolyn_ky
15 years ago
I'm about halfway through All the Colors of Darkness. I really like Peter Robinson. I'm another mystery addict. I also like James Lee Burke, Elizabeth George, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, Anne Perry, Margaret Maron (glad you like her, too, Chris), Hazel Holt, M.C. Beaton's Hamish books, Ian Rankin, Charles Todd--really, too many to list.

Do you know about the website Stop You're Killing Me? It lists mysteries by author as well as main character and gives series in order of publication.
sherwood38
15 years ago
Carolyn I had never heard of Margaret Maron so just looked her up on Fantastic Fiction web site (I prefer it to SYKM) and requested Bootlegger's Daughter from the library. I see she is quite a prolific writer and it amazes me that there are still so many good writers out there that I am discovering every day!

Pat
ajpa
15 years ago
I'm glad I saw this thread -- I haven't heard of Stop You're Killing Me or Fantastic Fiction before. Awesome.

I am reading a lot of historical mysteries lately. Mostly Victorian & Regency but I happened on a medieval one last week that I like - Hangman Blind by Cassandra Clark. I read it soon after Mistress of The Art of Death, which I also like very much.

Before I got on this historical mystery kick my staple was fantasy novels. I still read them, and some paranormal and romances and straight historical novels. What I love most of all are characters who are truly in their era -- no transplanted modern sensibilities, you know?

I read the Thirteenth Tale but it was just ok ... didn't really care what about the characters.
twobigdogs
15 years ago
ajpa, If you like historical mysteries, do check out Kate Sedley. Her main character is Roger the Chapman, a pedlar in 1400's England. There are about 15 of them - not one has disappointed me.

PAM
carolyn_ky
15 years ago
Pat, I looked and see that you are in California, which may be why you hadn't heard of Margaret Maron. Her books are set in North Carolina, and she has down home southern family conversation and meals down to a tee. I assume she knows whereof she speaks (or writes).

I'm glad you got Bootlegger's Daughter, the first of the Deborah Knott series. She wrote a few earlier books in which the main character was a New York policewoman with an NC grandmother. They were not as good as the Knott books, IMO.

Related Stories

MOST POPULAR Spring Gardens Are Blooming — Here’s What to Do in April

By Annie Thornton

Get the guide you need for gardening in your U.S. region, with tasks, climate-appropriate plantings and more

LIFE You Said It: ‘We’re Here to Stay’ and Other Houzz Quotables

By Becky Harris

Design advice, inspiration and observations that struck a chord this week

DESIGNER SHOWCASES San Francisco Decorator Showcase: Happy Days Are Here Again

By Mary Jo Bowling

Creative ideas, bold colors and inventive materials abound under one (very large) roof

SPRING GARDENING Spring Gardens Are Waking — Here’s What to Do in March

By Annie Thornton

Excitement fills the air when gardens come back to life. These guides will help you make the most of yours

COLOR Want More Color in Your Home? Here’s How to Get Started

By Affecting Spaces Design Studio

Lose your fear of dabbling in new hues with these expert words of advice

MOVING Relocating? Here’s How to Make the Big Move Better

By Jennifer Phelps: Organize. Design. Reinvent!

Moving guide, Part 1: How to organize your stuff and your life for an easier household move

KITCHEN CABINETS Choosing New Cabinets? Here’s What to Know Before You Shop

By Ventana Construction LLC

Get the scoop on kitchen and bathroom cabinet materials and construction methods to understand your options

STAIRWAYS Got Stairs? Here’s How to Choose the Right Runner for You

By Toronto Interior Design Group

Get the skinny on material selection, color and pattern, installation and more

REGIONAL GARDEN GUIDES Pacific Northwest Gardener: What to Do in April

By Genevieve Schmidt

Get ready for annual flowers and watch out for snails to ensure a bountiful garden now through summer

EVENTS Design Calendar: March 17–April 5, 2012

See artwork in bloom, learn about handmade wallpapers, get inspired by Buckminster Fuller and more

0

Sponsored

More Discussions

Best Reads of 2023

9

2024 A New Year a New Game

110

February 2024 Game

91

The Game for March

106

OT........what are you other pleasures ?

16