English Mysteries Club discussion

Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz?

I'd like to nominate The Clock Strikes 12 by Patricia Wentworth.

GR is glitchy & I can't post a link to the title sorry. & when I try to at least link to the author it posts a link to another book.

I second Patricia Wentworth. I would love to read a Miss Silver!!

I'll jump in - at the last moment!

A Murder of Quality by John le Carré

I like the Miss Silver idea so I am not nominating. I do wonder what would make the group members more active -- this nomination thread has been looked at by only 23 members so far...

I haven't commented for a while because all the mysteries seem to be old and I'm more a fan of current English writers.

I would like to nominate A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie.

Come on Kathleen, nominate something contemporary - I have! 8:D

I also like the Patricia Wentworth suggestion.

Thanks.
Joanne

I typically never nominate because I truly don't know that many English authors. I do always vote and I've tried to read several of the last few months picks, alas they weren't to my liking. I'll miss the Book of the Month as I found many good authors over the last year or so.

I'll keep checking back!

Jean-Luke wrote: "Due to a steady decline in participation over the past few months I am putting Book of the Month on hiatus until further notice. I apologize to those of you who did participate, but be assured that..."

Sad news but I understand your reasoning.

Jean-Luke wrote: "Due to a steady decline in participation over the past few months I am putting Book of the Month on hiatus until further notice. I apologize to those of you who did participate, but be assured that..."

Thats OK. I'll still read the Wentworth next month & report back.

GR feels quieter overall for me. Does this happen at the start of every North American summer?

***Carol*** wrote: "Jean-Luke wrote: "Due to a steady decline in participation over the past few months I am putting Book of the Month on hiatus until further notice. I apologize to those of you who did participate, b..."

Shall we have it in our pool Carol? I'm still looking for my third. :)

Yes, you can add it. :)

I understand the hiatus but I have not been participating because the last several books have not been available at my local library and I don't have an ereader.
Libraries don't seem to want to carry older books any longer which I find sad. Future generations of readers will never have a chance to discover writers from bygone eras.

The Mad Hatter Mystery isn't even available as ebook. The only one from Amazon is mass paperback which I have trouble reading. I enjoy reading other people's comments even if I can't get the book.

I volunteer at an op (charity) shop, so I have been able to get a hold of a few old titles, so I'm lucky in that regard. I picked up an old Christie & an oldish Rendell today.

Is the hiatus based on lack of nominations, lack of voting or lack of discussion???

I tend not to comment on books I've read because I never feel I have an educated or unique insight. My responses tend to be that the book wasn't to my liking or I found it very enjoyable. I do however love reading other's opinions. I must say though that often times discussions in general on good reads get stuck on one particular point and never encompasses the whole book.

I agree some of the books lately have been hard to find or very old and not relatable, but since I didn't nominate I guess I can't grouse.

Well said, Randa. I totally agree with you. Can't even add to it.

I read a plethora of English mysteries and have no idea why I haven't been participating in this book club. I will lift my game immediately. I am taking Sandy's suggestion of Deborah Crombie as this is the second time this week she has been recommended. Starting with the first one, of course,! A Share in Death as an audible book from Audible.com.

A share in death is one that I haven't read and my library has it. I'll vote for that.

Diane wrote: "I understand the hiatus but I have not been participating because the last several books have not been available at my local library and I don't have an ereader. ..."

Diane, you do not need a stand-alone e-reader in order to read digital books. If you have a computer, you can install the applications needed to read books in most formats. Do you have a computer?

I would love to read the last book but it was not available from the library or for Kindle and my vision no longer permits me to read paperbacks. It was available from Amazon in paperback but they just strain my eyes too much. If the group does pick back up I hope we can try to nominate books that would be more widely available.

Absolutely, Sharla. I was surprised that Amazon didn't have that one as ebook. I do like the older mysteries but they are often not available in local libraries.

I haven't been participating over the past few months due to a heavy school course load. I'm back to reading for pleasure, so I looked at the lists of past nominations and chose a great book. I've really enjoyed this group - I sincerely hope it comes back soon. In the mean time, I'll make notes of your excellent recommendations and work through the the list.

Bee wrote: "I haven't been participating over the past few months due to a heavy school course load. I'm back to reading for pleasure, so I looked at the lists of past nominations and chose a great book. I've ..."

That's a great point, Bee. I've read several of the books that were nominated but didn't win the most votes. It has been a source of inspiration.

As a suggestion - when it comes back maybe it could be alternate months for Golden Age & older mysteries & modern ones.

My library charges $2 for new books (can be up to 2 years old!) & with over a 100 books in my house that I haven't read/reread yet I just can't justify that.

Carol, that's a great suggestion. I would be very interested in that format.

***Carol*** wrote: "As a suggestion - when it comes back maybe it could be alternate months for Golden Age & older mysteries & modern ones.

My library charges $2 for new books (can be up to 2 years old!) & with over ..."

I think that would be good idea too. Alternating between older and modern would give everyone more of a chance to read what they like best.

I like that idea. I occasionally like reading older books, but mostly prefer modern mysteries.

I vote yes for alternate months, old/new.

Well it's Jean-Lukes call. I'm the opposite of Kathleen - like the older ones but occassionally like a more modern one.

I could go either way old/new but availability is a huge issue. I have found some wonderful authors through my Goodreads groups, but I don't necessarily want to buy a book to try an author, unless I can buy it real CHEAP.

I'll keep checking back to this group as I've read some great, interesting, and not my type books since joining. All's good.

Joan wrote: "Diane wrote: "I understand the hiatus but I have not been participating because the last several books have not been available at my local library and I don't have an ereader. ..."

Diane, you do n..."
I have downloaded books to my computer but have never read more than a chapter or two. The rest of the book just sits there and sits there. After a couple of years of procrastinating, I finally admitted to myself that I just plain don't like reading books on the computer. Short stories yes, a full book, nah.

Diane wrote: "I have downloaded books to my computer but have never read more than a chapter or two. The rest of the book just sits there and sits there. After a couple of years of procrastinating, I finally admitted to myself that I just plain don't like reading books on the computer. Short stories yes, a full book, nah."

That's a shame, because there are really enormous advantages that come with e-books. You can travel with dozens, even hundreds, of books without having to lug them around in a suitcase. And you can check out as many e-books as your library will let you without having to worry about whether you'll ever read them. When they're due, they'll automatically "return themselves." If you're not finished by the time they're due, you can often (but, alas, not always) renew them. If you're finished or you've decided not to read them, you can just ignore them. It's not like taking a physical book out of library on a whim ... and then having to return it when it's due, regardless of whether you've read it or not.

Joan, I know you're right. I've even bought an e-reader for a friend and she uses it more than books. haha
But the bottom line is that my eyes are more comfortable with real books. What is good for one person is not necessarily good for everyone.

Joan wrote: "...there are really enormous advantages that come with e-books"

My turning-point revelation was that, with an e-reader, I can check out an e-book anywhere in the world from my home library (or buy one).

And in a power failure or other lighting emergency, I can use my e-reader for illumination.

When I first contemplated reading a novel on an iPhone using a Kindle app, the whole idea seemed preposterous. But I tried it and was completely sold before I finished the first chapter of the first book I read on my phone. When I'm home, I use an iPad; the "page" on the screen really looks exactly like a page in a book, and the lighting is better. But I don't bother taking my iPad with me when I go out; I have my phone in my pocket anyway, and it's good enough. And I love the way Amazon synchs all of my devices.

Joan wrote: "When I first contemplated reading a novel on an iPhone using a Kindle app, the whole idea seemed preposterous. But I tried it and was completely sold before I finished the first chapter of the fir..."

Yes, syncing [sic] is great! I read books in bed on my Nook, & when I'm e.g. stuck on a slow bus or queue, I can pick up right where I left off on my phone.

Diane wrote: "I have downloaded books to my computer but have never read more than a chapter or two. The rest of the book just sits there and sits there. After a couple of years of procrastinating, I finally admitted to myself that I just plain don't like reading books on the computer. Short stories yes, a full book, nah."

Have you tried reading on your phone, or just on a laptop? Needless to say, the former's more convenient if you're on a bus or a train (or in a bathtub or a bed).

Obviously too late for book of the month; but Moriarty (by Horowitz) is a winner for me. Clever and pacy; he breaths new life into a stereotyped character. Can't say I enjoyed House of Silk. Please don't nominate that one.
anna