Reading the Detectives discussion

A lot of us have other reading passions as well as mysteries. Have you been reading any other good books lately which you'd like to share with others? Please post about them in this thread.

I am currently reading the Booker prize winner Brief History of Seven Killings and enjoying it, but it is not an easy read.

I am currently reading a first edition of Dorothy Whipple's ' They Were Sisters'. Our library found me a copy. It is the story of three sisters and the different life choices they make regarding their spouses and the far-reaching consequences of these choices. She is my new favourite author. Her characters have great psychological depth and help build up tremendous domestic tension.

Currently reading The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic that Shaped Our History by Molly Caldwell Crosby. Sounds a little dry but I am finding it fascinating. Yellow fever accompanied the wet seasons and pretty much wiped out communities where it came to visit. Here it usually came up the Mississippi River and made stops along the way. This book started with Memphis where people either left town or died. I'm about half-way through now and the doctors are trying to find out about the illness in Cuba - trying to stop it before it visits the US. This is where Walter Reed made his name.

I am reading an English satire/comedy of manners from the 1920s called Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley. Nothing much happens but I am finding the characters a hoot! And there are definitely some signs of Brave New World (which hadn't been written when this first came out).

I am also rereading via audiobook one of my favorite classics, David Copperfield narrated by Simon Vance.

Leslie wrote: "I am reading an English satire/comedy of manners from the 1920s called Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley. Nothing much happens but I am finding the characters a hoot! And t..."

I hadn't associated Aldous Huxley with comedy as I've only read Brave New World. Is it similar to Evelyn Waugh at all?

Ruth wrote: "Leslie wrote: "I am reading an English satire/comedy of manners from the 1920s called Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley. Nothing much happens but I am finding the character..."

A bit but I think Waugh is funnier.

Not a book, but a podcast, however one that will probably have some interest for the denizens of this fine group. Indeed I am late to the party with this, so I suspect many of you will already by familiar with....

SERIAL

I'm about halfway though and I'm gripped. It's made by made by "This American Life" which is also well worth a regular listen.

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-rad...

The 1999 case has recently been reopened as a consequence of the Podcast....

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/20...

If you enjoy True Crime then this will appeal to you. I can see why it has become such a global sensation

By the by, Serial’s second season, coming soon, will probably take on the mystery of Bowe Bergdahl, the army sergeant who left his base in Afghanistan under mysterious circumstances and was then captured by the Taliban. In 2014, he was recovered by the US government in a swap for five Guantánamo Bay prisoners and charged with desertion. He currently faces life imprisonment. Serial, the podcast made by This American Life, which became hugely popular last year, will attempt to get to the bottom of the mystery of his desertion.

I haven't heard of that podcast, Nigeyb, but will certainly download it and have a listen. I know we both love True Crime and I do listen to "All Killa No Filla," and the extremely silly, "Penny Morthouse Podcast," which does a lot of True Crime - that one has a lot of swearing, so only to be listened to in the car on my own, with no little ears nearby!

^ Splendid Susan - both those are new to me so I shall follow up. Please let me know what you make of SERIAL. My confident prediction is that you'll be hooked by the end of episode one.

Duly downloaded, Nigeyb. I shall save episode one for when I have to face the pile of ironing waiting for me tomorrow!

Speaking of podcasts, I listened to 'In Our Time' today and enjoyed the discussion about Austen's Emma. In case anyone is interested it is free to listen to from BBC radio.

Arpita (BagfullofBooks) wrote: "Speaking of podcasts, I listened to 'In Our Time' today and enjoyed the discussion about Austen's Emma. In case anyone is interested it is free to listen to from BBC radio."

Someone mentioned that to me this morning Arpita & your comment hss just reminded me to download it.

I like In Our Time too :) I also enjoy Books and Authors and A Good Read. Does anyone else have any recommendations?

I also like Desert Island Discs especially the author episodes!

Oh and also enjoyed the BBC radio drama 'In and Out the Kitchen' by Miles Jupp. Terribly funny. I bought it via audible.

Other BBC podcasts I enjoy are Thinking Allowed, Great Lives, Four Thought and Beyond Belief. I've got them all saved as favourites on the BBC iplayer on my phone then I can listen to the current episode or go back and listen to any of the previous episodes.

Thanks for those suggestions Ruth. Will listen to them. We cannot download the BBC iplayer app here in the U.S. Makes me infinitely sad. But at least we can listen to the radio programmes and some of the archives as podcasts.

Arpita (BagfullofBooks) wrote: "Speaking of podcasts, I listened to 'In Our Time' today and enjoyed the discussion about Austen's Emma. In case anyone is interested it is free to listen to from BBC radio."

I have also been listening to BBC Radio - both a Miss Marple (A Murder is Announced) and Proust (In Search of Lost Time). The links given will take you to the first episode, which should be good for another couple of weeks.

Arpita, I have the BBC app on my Kindle Fire - still can't download episodes but it allows the audio to stream in the background if you want (I rarely do anything else on my Kindle while listening but it is nice to have the option).

Where would we be without the Beeb, eh? :)

Thanks Leslie for letting me know. I suppose iTunes doesn't allow the download but Kindle store does. Help ! Now I have to buy a kindle fire!

Susan is that what you call it? :) genius invention- the Beeb!!

Sometimes 'Auntie Beeb'- or just Auntie - but usually with affection...

Just a quick update on….


SERIAL

See message 8 above

Not a book, but a podcast, however one that will probably have some interest for the denizens of this fine group. I devoured all the episodes and now fully understand why so many millions of people are consumed by this murder case.

I have to say if this even slightly intrigues you, and you have the time to listen to podcasts then I find it hard not to imagine you won’t find it fascinating.

Having finished Serial I’ve now moved on to Undisclosed and Serial Dynasty.

Undisclosed is really compelling, and moves the Serial story on….

The Undisclosed Podcast is a listening experience that reframes, enhances or otherwise shifts everything you've come to know about the State of Maryland's case against Adnan Syed, especially as you've come to know it through listening to Serial. In order to do that, we intend to revisit the case from the beginning, looking at all the available evidence. Not only will we look at the evidence that was presented in Serial, but we will also provide new evidence that we've uncovered in our investigation. We have combed through police and court records that the Serial team did not possess during the podcast, and done much, much more to get to the truth. Accordingly, we aspire to present the best possible version of the events as we believe those events to be. We will also present theories that we believe the evidence best construes. Perhaps most importantly, we will provide you with all of our evidence as part of that process.

We want our listeners to know that this podcast will not give you purely pro-Adnan information or intentionally slant it in his favor. We will present a smart, nuanced legal argument based on the totality of the facts in the case. As attorneys, we pride ourselves on looking dispassionately at facts, analyzing those facts, and applying the appropriate law in our analysis. Our coverage of Adnan's case on our blogs has taken this tack, and we aim to continue our assessments in this new medium. We promise you, our listeners, that our goal in this podcast is not to exonerate Adnan. Our goal is to get to the truth of what happened on January 13, 1999, and we believe that the best way to do so is to analyze all of the available information to come to an informed conclusion. That's what this podcast is all about.


http://undisclosed-podcast.com/about/

Totally unrelated to anything else, but Mary Beard's S.P.Q.R.: A History of Ancient Rome has just come up as £1.80 on Amazon UK as a deal in their sale. If you like history books, it should be good.

I have just finished reading...





Palace Pier by Keith Waterhouse

Click here to read my review

I recently finished a marvelous classic -- How Green Was My Valley. A 5★ read for me; you can read my review here if you want.

I've just come back from a holiday in SE Asia. The most moving experience was visiting the Killing Fields & S-21 prison. Our guide's parents were murdered by the Khmer Rouge.

So I'm reading by Loung Ung. I have a few more books listed in 2 of my to read lists in an effort to become better informed.

Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford
The Life of the Bee by Maurice Maeterlinck

Recently read A Very English Scandal: Sex, Lies and a Murder Plot at the Heart of the Establishment, which is out today and both fascinating and often, very funny.

TO KOKODA by Nicolas Anderson

SHERMAN'S MARCH by Burke Davis

Currently reading Chernobyl Prayer: A Chronicle of the Future which is absolutely horrifying, but I recommend it highly.

I have two non-mysteries going:
The Great Wave: Gilded Age Misfits, Japanese Eccentrics, and the Opening of Old Japan , New Englanders' fascination with Japan at the end of the 19th century. I'm from Boston, USA, and so many of the characters are familiar. Many of them were buying for a couple of our art museums.
84, Charing Cross Road , New York writer's letter exchange with a London bookstore. A light, quick read and very enjoyable.
And, almost forgot, I am listening to The Wind in the Willows

I love 84, Charing Cross Road. I have read it several times.

Betsy wrote: "I love 84, Charing Cross Road. I have read it several times."

I can understand rereading it. This is a library book but I hope to see it a library book sale sometime so I can have my own copy.

I know you can get it through Amazon's third person sellers for an inexpensive price. Did you see the film?

Betsy wrote: "I love 84, Charing Cross Road. I have read it several times."

I've heard many good things about this one. I should give it a try but perhaps next year- this year I'm focusing on cutting down my existing TBR.

Betsy wrote: "I love 84, Charing Cross Road. I have read it several times."

I've heard many good things about this one. I should give it a try but perhaps next year- this year I'm focusing on cutting down my existing TBR.

Betsy wrote: "I love 84, Charing Cross Road. I have read it several times."

I've heard many good things about this one. I should give it a try but perhaps next year- this year I'm focusing on cutting down my existing TBR.

Susan wrote: "I am currently reading the Booker prize winner Brief History of Seven Killings and enjoying it, but it is not an easy read."

Read this for a Bookclub. Many hours of my life I won't get back. The patois is unnecessarily complicated, at least give us a chance to work out what is going on. in summary, it's not brief and there are way more than seven killings.

I just finished reading a very well written historical novel, The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea, set in Mexico in the second half of the nineteenth century.

Sandy wrote: "I have two non-mysteries going:
The Great Wave: Gilded Age Misfits, Japanese Eccentrics, and the Opening of Old Japan , New Englanders' fascination with Japan at the end of the 19th c..."

I love 84 Charing Cross; in addition to the two related books, Q's Legacy and The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street.

I didn't enjoy A Brief History of Seven Killings, I must admit. I felt much the same way - several hours of my life I won't get back!

I have been re-reading a series I really like, by Tracy Grant, about a husband and wife who are spies/intelligence agents during thePeninsular and Napoleonic Wars in the 1810s. In a way they are mystery stories, except that they're not usually about solving a murder. I like them principally for the characters and relationships, and they're very accurate historically. I've been re-reading because the latest book, London Gambit, is just out.

It is important to read them in order, but that's a bit tricky as publication order is not the same as chronological order! Also, the first books were written for another publisher when the characters were called Charles and Melanie, whereas the more recent ones have them called Malcolm and Suzanne and they overlap slightly.

https://tracygrant.wordpress.com/faq/

Susan wrote: "I didn't enjoy A Brief History of Seven Killings, I must admit. I felt much the same way - several hours of my life I won't get back!"

I read it for a bookclub or I may have given up partway through.

84, Charing Cross Road is probably my favourite. Book of all time, I've reread it loads of times and now have an audio version as well. Whenever I'm in the vicinity in London, I walk past the shop which was a McDonalds on my most recent trip last year!

Just getting started on Orley Farm.

A History of New Zealand Women It will have to go downhill very rapidly for me not to give it 5* (I'm a little over half way) but there are a couple of book related omissions - starting with no Ngaio Marsh!

I have just started Britain's War: I: Into Battle, 1937-1941 , which is currently 'read now' on NetGalley. It is pretty huge and the first of two books, but I am really enjoying it so far. I am really reading too many books at the moment, but this is one I was thinking of buying and it was too tempting to be offered it free!

Just finishedVictoria's Daughters. I enjoyed it very much. Just goes to show being born into a life of privilege doesn't make you happy.