The mystery genre

I just finished reading two mystery novels, The Three Evangelists by Fred Vargus and Arctic Chill by Arnaldur Indridason. Somehow I wasn't all that taken with this particular Fred Vargus choice. A review in a recent Sunday Chronicle Herald mentioned that she had written a series with a particular detective that were quite good. I think one was The Chalk Circle. I will keep my eyes open for it in the second-hand stores. I liked Arctic Chill. It was a page turner for me. I next want to try Henning Mankell and Harlan Coben.

Any suggestions for other mystery authors out there?

Kathy

Latest Reads !

I finished reading Good To a Fault by Marina Endicott. It was an okay read, but not one I would readily recommend to others. The descriptions of day-to-day routine got a bit tedious, and I found it difficult to appreciate any of the characters, with the exception of little Dolly. The concepts of goodness, selfishness, guilt, and the power of caring relationships were developed throughout a realistic family crisis.

I am currently 294 pages into They Were Counted by Miklos Banffy; a gift from Jane. It follows the lives of two Transylvanian male cousins during pre-1914 Hungary. The events and characters are almost Jane Austen-like in their manner, and follow the events of upper-class life and political goings-on at that time. The book gives us a little insight into what Darcy might have been thinking! It's the first in a trilogy. Back to my reading.

Kathy

Not sure if this will work but here goes: I just read a novel by Edwidge Danticat, a young Haitian writer, currently living in the U.S. It was called The Farming of Bones. An amazing book set in 1930's Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Definitely worth a read.

Another recent read was the Governor General's award winner The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger. Beautiful story set in 1860's Egypt told in the voice of an English maid to a rich woman and their lives in Egypt. Definitely worth a read. Amazing sense of place and time.

Looking for Interested Readers.

I am sending invitations out to a few people who might be interested in sharing their reading interests with others. I would also welcome your suggestions for other people who might be interested. The idea is for us to share names of authors we like and books we enjoyed or not. Reviews are also great.

I read a lot of Canadian literature, but also like to get my hands on a good mystery.

I am currently reading Marina Enright's Good to a Fault. It was a finalist for the Giller Prize. Hmm. I'll keep reading.

Kathy

Hello, ReadersConnection

I'm with you!
I know that it took a good bit of struggle to get this Blog up and running, so I appreciate the effort you made, Kathy. I will try to contribute regularly--books I am reading, those I like and why; those I don't cotton to, and why.

Among the Mad (Jacqueline Windspear)
I read this yesterday while I was putting off something more pressing.
This is perhaps the fifth in the Maisie Dobbs series, recounting the adventures of a young woman detective in 1930s England. An independent detective working on her own in the early-depression years, driven by a considerable intellect and a deep social conscience: a fresh idea with almost limitless promise. Windspear's first Maise Dobbs book delivered--an engaging plot and an acute description of the horrors that the WW I had visited on England and her people, made Maisie Dobbs a family must-read.
I was disappointed in the second, and I quit after the third.
Then here I was yesterday, so in need of diversion that I took up Kathy's Christmas gift of the most recent effort, Among the Mad.
I won't make the same mistake again (how often have I said that?). Despite the author's heavy-handed signalling that she is about to develop Maisie Dodds as a character, it hasn't occured: a sort of '...and now she felt freer than in years...', with no substance to it.
The social themes that enlivened the first in the series--the horrible damage done to England by war and through the class sytem--are revisited, the characters-as-social-critics mouthing the same easy observations they have made from the beginning.
England between the wars was all that, and so much more--and this series should have been much more too.
And that's how I read it....Ken

January 24, 2010

With the start of this New Year, I have taken comfort in knowing that I have a huge selection of interesting reading material to keep me going through the cold winter months. I also take comfort from the fact that many of my friends have also acquired a fresh supply of titles. The public library is within walking distance and the second-hand stores are worth the occasional browse.

Conversations among friends and fellow readers always brings to the surface names of new authors to be explored. I find this particularly welcoming, as I tend to get lost in the wealth of selection out there. I am loyal to my 'faves', but need to be willing to explore the unknown.

I did venture out a bit when I picked up Stieg Larsson's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I loved it! After reading the second in the threesome The Girl Who Played With Fire, I eagerly await The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.

It would be great to share finds with fellow readers. I look forward to your suggestions and brief reviews.

Kathy