Booking Through Thursday: Thankful

This week's Booking Through Thursday has a Thanksgiving theme: What authors and books are you most thankful for?

Wow. That's a difficult one. All of the authors I like. Every single one of them. But if I've got to give a list...here we go (in no particular order other than how they pop into my head):

Dorothy L Sayers, Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, David Lodge, Julian Barnes, Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew started my love affair with books and mysteries), Edna St. vincent Millay, Emily Dickinson, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Lewis Carroll, Katherine Anne Porter, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Robert Louis Stevenson, A. A. Milne, Michael Innes, Cyril Hare, S. S. Van Dine, Amanda Cross, Scott Sanders, Daphne du Maurier, John Dickson Carr, Robert Silverberg, Georgette Heyer...and many, many more!

WWW: Wednesday

WWW: Wednesdays is hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading.

To play along, just answer the following three questions....

*What are you currently reading?

*What did you just recently finish reading?

*What do you think you'll read next?

Current:
A Blunt Instrument by Georgette Heyer: Who would kill the perfect gentleman? When Ernest Fletcher is found bludgeoned to death in his study, everyone is shocked and mystified. Ernest was well liked and respected, so who would have a motive for killing him? Superintendent Hannasyde, with consummate skill, uncovers one dirty little secret after another, and with them, a host of people who all have reasons for wanting Fletcher dead. Then, a second murder is committed, giving a grotesque twist to a very unusual case, and Hannasyde realizes he's up against a killer on a mission....

Finished Since Last Wednesday (click titles for reviews):
Penhallow by Georgette Heyer
Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer

(I'm on quite a little Heyer reading jag....)

Up Next:
A Foreign Affair by Caro Peacock
Death in Hellfire by Deryn Lake
Behold, a Mystery! by Joan Smith (which...if it takes long enough to get there, could count towards the Christmas Challenge, it's set in Regency England at Christmas time)

And I'm still waiting impatiently for Nov 26th so I can start the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge. Looking forward to:

A Christmas Carol & Other Christmas Writings by Charles Dickens

Mistletoe Mysteries collected by Charlotte MacLeod

Christmas Stalkings collected by Charlotte MacLeod

A Christmas Grace by Anne Perry

A-Z Wednesday: The Letter P

It's A-Z Wednesday! Hosted by Reading at the Beach. To join in, here's all you have to do.

*Go to your stack of books and find an author whose first or last name starts with the letter of the week.

*Post:

1~ a photo of the book

2~ title & synopsis

3~ a link (amazon, barnes & noble, etc)

4~ go back to Reading at the Beach and link up your post

This week the letter is "P"

My Pick: The List of Adrian Messenger by Philip MacDonald
Info from Amazon

• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Vintage Books / Random House; 1st Vintage Books ed edition (September 12, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394717120
• ISBN-13: 978-0394717128

Synopsis from Jeanne Tassotto's review on Amazon: Author Adrian Messenger has come to a friend with a request, a rather strange and mysterious one. He wants his friend, a police detective to investigate a list of names, a list that encompasses a seemingly unrelated group of individuals scattered across the UK. All Messenger wants to know is if those people are still living in those cities. Messenger would return to collect the results of the search when he returned from his business trip in a few days. But Adrian Messenger would not return to ask his friend about the results because the plane he was on crashed in the Atlantic. By chance Messenger and a fellow passenger were adrift in the ocean awaiting rescue. The semiconscious Messenger babbled a few random phrases over and over before he died, words that meant nothing to the other crash victim but would come to shed light on his odd list and have shattering impact to Messenger's family.

It's been a while since I read this one and the book's buried in a box in storage--otherwise I'd give the blurb from the book. I do know that I like Philip MacDonald's mysteries a lot and I have all of his titles (at least the ones I don't own) on my list of books to find & buy. This is an intriguing mystery from its time. It is only dated because today's technology would simplify the mystery so, well, there wouldn't really be any mystery. But if one is willing to time travel to a less advanced age, it's a pretty little problem indeed.

Read My Review: America

Read My Review, hosted by A Trillian Books, is a chance for book bloggers to share new and old reviews--all related to a theme.

What to do:

*Find one of your reviews that fits this week's theme (you can be as creative as you like when choosing what fits). It can be new or old, good or bad.

*Leave your link with Mr. Linky at the bottom of her post [Blog Name (Book Title)].

*Visit some of the other reviews and leave a "quality" comment (at least a couple of sentences).

*Grab the button and let people know about Read My Review.

A nice easy one this week. A lot of you will be celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday so this week’s theme is:

America

Be it an American setting, and American author, American character, all three or even some other element of Americanism. The theme stays for a week so you can leave your link any time and don't forget to pop back and check out some more fab reviews. You can also clink here to see the previous weeks reviews. My choice is Death Is a Lonely Business by Ray Bradbury, one of America's all-time best science fiction authors. But this one isn't SF...it's mystery set in 1930s California. Click the title for the review. Thanks for checking it out!

Victorian Literature Challenge 2011

Yes, I know. I have a Book Challenge Addiction. But really...how was I supposed to resist this one? After all, I consider myself a Victorianist. Signing up for just one more...(until the next one comes along). I'll be thinking about the books I want to read (and how many can count for the other bazillion challenges I can't resist) and picking my level soon. In the meantime, here's the scoop for my fellow challenge junkies:

Victorian Literature Challenge 2011

Sponsored by Bethany at words, words, words

What you need to know: This challenge will run from 01 Jan 2011 - 31 Dec 2011. Participants can sign up at any time throughout the year. Read your Victorian literature. Queen Victoria reigned from 1837-1901. If your book wasn't published during those particular years, but is by an author considered 'Victorian' then go for it. We're here for reading, not historical facts! Also, this can include works by authors from other countries, so long as they are from this period. Literature comes in many forms. There are so many Victorian reads out there, including novels, short stories, and poetry. One poem doesn't count as a 'book': pick up an anthology instead!

Choose your books. List your books before you begin, or pick up titles along the way. It's up to you! You can review them if you choose to, but it's not necessary. If you don't have a blog, that's fine! Link to a Facebook, or a page somewhere where you can list what you've been reading. If you can't link up, no problem - feel free to just comment and enjoy.

Spread the love.

Post the reading challenge on your blog - make your own post(s), or stick the button on the side of your page. The more the merrier, after all. Let's build a big community of Victorian literature lovers!

Choose from one of the four levels:
Sense and Sensibility: 1-4 books.
Great Expectations: 5-9 books.
Hard Times: 10-14 books.
Desperate Remedies: 15+ books.

Go to her site. Sign up, and enjoy!

Added 11/26/10: I've decided on my level...Great Expectations: 5-9 books.

Here's my tentative list:
The Master of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stevenson [8/17/11]
Three Victorian Detective Novels by E. F. Bleiler (ed.) [8/20/22]
The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katherine Green [2/8/11]
Sir Nigel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (8/21/11)
Tom Brown's Schooldays by Thomas Hughes [5/13/11]
The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope [2/1/11]The White Company by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle [3/29/11]
Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (I know he didn't actually write until the 1900s, but he was a Victorian, and he wanted to write earlier, but his father forbade him.) [4/11/11]
Victorian Tales of Mystery & Detection by Michael Cox (ed) [4/26/11]
The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope [4/29/11]Middlemarch by Georg Eliot [9/27/11]
Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon [8/24/11]
Hide & Seek by Wilkie Collins

If I can squeeze in a few more, I may up my challenge to Hard Times: 10-14 books.


***Addendum 3/29/11: I am now ready to do the Hard Times level.

Challenge Complete (Hard Times level) with 10 books [8/21/11]. Will most like complete the three others listed...and perhaps more...by the end of the year.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Holiday Reads

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at the Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is your top ten favorite holiday reads.

I'm giving this my own little twist and listing my top ten Christmas mysteries. Here we go, in no particular order:

1. Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie

2. Tied up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh

3. The Twelve Deaths of Christmas by Marion Babson

4. The Christmas Crimes at Puzzle Manor by Simon Brett

5. The Christmas Night Murder by Lee Harris

6. Shrouds of Holly by Kate Kingsbury

7. A Christmas Visitor by Anne Perry

8. Envious Casca by Georgette Heyer

9. The Twelve Crimes of Christmas by Waugh, Greenberg & Asimov (eds)

10 "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Teaser Tuesdays

MizB of Should Be Reading hosts Teaser Tuesdays. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

*Grab your current read.
*Open to a random page.
*Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! You don't want to ruin the book for others.
*Share the title and author too, so other TT participants can add it to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!

Here's my teaser from A Blunt Instrument by Georgette Heyer (p. 30)

"Are you an escapist?" inquired Neville solicitously. "Is that why you write improbable novels? Have you felt the banality of real life to be intolerable?"

Footsteps in the Dark: Review

Footsteps in the Dark is a very welcome return to Georgette Heyer's usual breezy, comic mystery style--far removed from the dark and brooding Penhallow which I just recently finished.

In this one, Peter, Margaret and Celia inherit a rambling, run-down old house from their uncle. Despite its lack of modern conveniences, they think it has a certain charm. At least they do until the locals start telling them stories of The Monk who is supposed to haunt the ancient priory mansion. And then they start hearing uneartly groaning in the cellars and find skeletons in the most unlikely places. Is it a real ghost or is someone just trying to scare them away for nefarious reasons? There are also all sorts of suspicious characters lurking about...from the French painter Duvall to the late-night moth hunter to the strange man named Strange who haunts their garden at midnight. And what about the commercial salesman who doesn't seem to be able to sell a thing? There are plenty spooky happenings and plenty of suspects. There are priest's holes and secret passages. But what is at the bottom of it all?

This is a fun little 1930s romp. Not quite a true country house mystery. In those, you have a set cast of characters all trapped in the house due to storm or snow or what-have-you. In Footsteps it seems that anybody and everybody can pop in and out of the house at will. There is plenty of witty by-play between the three heirs and Celia's husband, Charles. Lots of hearty English village types who make you want to say "What ho" and "I say." A bumbling country bobby who means well, but just can't quite manage to get a handle on a real criminal. And, of course, it wouldn't be complete without an attempt to contact the spirit world via the planchette board. Just good clean fun from the Golden Age of mysteries. Not the most intricate of detective novels--I spotted the culprit fairly early, but given Heyer's adept handling of the characters and atmosphere that didn't spoil it at all. Three and a half stars.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?, a bookish meme hosted by Book Journey, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It's a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list. So hop on over to Journey and join in...and leave a comment here so I can check out what your are reading.

Books Read Last Week (click on titles for review):

The Strange Return of Sherlock Holmes by Barry Grant
Penhallow by Georgette Heyer

(Not quite as good a week as usual. Penhallow seemed to take forever....)

Reading Now:

Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer. Bed, Breakfast, and Murder: It wasn't the lack of modern conveniences that made a summer spent at the ancient priory mansion such an unsettling experience. It was the ghost...or whatever was groaning in the cellars and roaming the countryside around Framely Village after dark. But traditionally ghosts don't commit murder. And in this case, the things that go bump in the night are flesh and blood...and deadly.

Books that spark my interest:

A Blunt Instrument by Georgette Heyer (more for my Georgette Heyer Challenge)
A Foreign Affair by Caro Peacock
Death in Hellfire by Deryn Lake
Behold, a Mystery! by Joan Smith (which...if it takes long enough to get there, could count towards the Christmas Challenge, it's set in Regency England at Christmas time)

And I'm still waiting impatiently for Nov 26th so I can start the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge. Looking forward to:

A Christmas Carol & Other Christmas Writings by Charles Dickens

Mistletoe Mysteries collected by Charlotte MacLeod

Christmas Stalkings collected by Charlotte MacLeod

A Christmas Grace by Anne Perry

Meet Me On Monday (23)

Meet Me on Monday is a blogging meme hosted by Java at Never Growing Old. As she says: "Blogging is a funny thing...we tell our most intimate thoughts for all to read and yet most of the time I find myself wondering, "who is this person?" I know them....but yet I don't know them! I want to know who the person behind all those words is so I thought of a great way for all of us to "meet" each other!"

Every Sunday she will post five get to know you questions that we can copy and past into our own Monday post and we can all learn a little more about each and every one of us. To play along, click on her meme name and join up with the linky.

This Week's Questions:

1. How many pillows do you sleep with?
Two: One flatter as a base and one nice and fluffy to lay my head upon



2. Where will you eat on Thanksgiving?
This year...my house. My parents will be coming here.


3. Would you rather go to a party or host a party?
Go to a party. Mainly because our house is just way to small to host one. If I could rent a place that didn't cost an arm and a leg, then I'd be all about throwing a party. (I enjoyed throwing a 40th b-day party for the hubby...we just had to rent space out at the local ball field).




4. How many purses (for the guys..wallets) do you own?
Four...maybe five. Not really into purses. I'm hard to please. It can't be too big, but it has to have room for a book. It has to have a certain amount of pockets....etc.



5. What is your favorite kind of seafood?
Salmon...grilled to perfection

Top Five Sundays: Vampires & Weres

Every week Larissa's Bookish Life hosts the Top 5 Sundays meme. Here's what you need to do:

1 - Write a post listing your TOP 5 choices within the theme she chose (or was chosen on a poll) for the week.
2 - Mention Larissa's blog on the post and link back to it.
3 - Feel free to use the Feature's image
4 - After you've finished your post, add you link (of the post, not your blog's main page) to the Mr.Linky at the end of that week's post.

5 – If you don’t have a blog to post, just leave your list in the comments =)

This week’s theme is Top Five Vampires X Shape Shifters {Weres}.

Well, with the paranormal not exactly being my favorite kind of thing, this one was a bit more difficult for me. And I certainly can't come up with five favorite vampires PLUS five favorite shape-shifters {weres}. So my list shall be a mixed bag:





1. Count Dracula from Bram Stoker. My very first vampire



2. Carmilla from Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (creepy, female vampire)




3. Lord Maccon from the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger
4. Professor Lyall from same
5. Lord Akeldama from same.

As you can see...my paranormal reading is not all that wide and varied.

Added: I forgot a vampire! Saint-Germain from the Chelsea Yarbo series.

(Almost) Sunday Stealing

Today we ripped this meme off a blogger named Kimmy from the blog The Smug Cloud. She doesn't state where it came from. But, it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as we go. Tracing back our theft's thieves might take some time. Link back to us at Sunday Stealing!

Sunday Stealing: Questions a la Randomness, A Meme

Cheers to all of us thieves!

What was the last thing you put in your mouth?
Night-time medication

How late did you stay up last night and why?
Reading until about 11:30 pm. Had to finish the book.

If you could move somewhere else, would you?
Where (city) doesn't matter so much...but it would be to a bigger house, with a dedicated library (built to MY specifications). We can throw in a spiffy audio/visual room for the hubby and son too--with surround sound, big screen tv, subwoofers and the works (and sound-proofing so the neighbors won't complain & I can read in peace..lol).

Have you ever been kissed under fireworks?
Not that I remember

Do you believe ex’s can be friends?
Yes and no. My experience...am friends with my first ex-boyfriend and not with my second. And quite frankly, I don't care if I ever see/talk to/whatever my second again.

When was the last time you cried really hard?
A couple of years ago

What items could you not go without during the day?
shower, breakfast, book

Who was the last person you visited in the hospital?
I'm taking it as a good thing that it's been long enough that I can't remember....

How do you feel about your life right now?
It's okay. Been better...definitely been worse

If we were to look in your facebook inbox, what would we find?
The answers to all these questions. In code.

Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass?
Probably not. I'm on prescribed pain meds...they're bound to show up.

Has anyone ever called you perfect before?
My hubby...makes me wonder what little favor he might be wanting. :- )

Someone knocks on your window at 2:00 a.m.: who do you want it to be?
Publisher's Clearinghouse with a nice fat check

Do you think too much or too little?
WAY too much. I over-think everything.

Do you believe in fairy tales?
Yes

Have you ever licked the back of a CD to try to get it to work?
No

What’s the largest age difference between yourself and someone you’ve dated?
3 years

Have you ever been on a blind date?
no

Do you have any friends that you’ve known for 10 years or more?
Oh yeah

Have you ever had a crush on a teacher?
A teacher that I actually had? No. Someone who teaches? Yes.

What song do you want played at your funeral?
I have never thought about it. Probably something from Eden's Bridge (Celtic Christian group)

Would you tell your parents if you were gay?
That's another one I've never thought of...since I don't swing that way. Not really an issue.

What would your last meal be before getting executed?
My mom's home-made fried chicken, mac & cheeses, and chocolate pie. If I can only choose one food item...I'll take the chocolate pie.

Do you walk around the house naked?
Not around the outside of the house....

What do you do as soon as you walk in the house?
Hang up my coat...unless it's warm enough not to need one. Then it's take off my shoes and put on the slippers. I hate shoes.

Who is the person you can count on the most?
My best friend...that just might be the hubby, you know.

What is your favorite Holiday?
Christmas

Would you ever get plastic surgery?
no

Have you ever caught a fish?
Plenty of times

What is the first thing you notice about people?
Their smile and the way they laugh

What is the farthest you’ve been from home?
Estes Park, Colorado (Rocky Mountains)

How did you meet your spouse or significant other (or most recent one)?
At church

Where was the last place you drove (other than home/school/work)?
To Jiffy Treet (local ice cream place)...my husband loves their Dream Delite (ice cream substitute for the lactose intolerant...it's pretty good)

Five Question Friday (a little late)

I just found out about this meme through Violette over at The Mystery Bookshelf. It is hosted by the Five Crooked Halos Blog.

Questions for Friday, November 19th: (Special thanks to Colleen, Sandy, Bethany, Adena, and a question from the deck of random question cards, for their question suggestions! If you would like to be linked in a future 5QF, c'mon over to my community and offer up your best question suggestions!)

1. What Christmas song do you loathe?
Holly Jolly Christmas (When I worked in retail, Burl Ives was Holly Jollying ALL the time. Drove me nuts.)

2. Do you and your significant other cuddle at night or sleep on opposite sides of the bed?
Actually...we're very Victorian. We have separate rooms. He likes to sleep tropical & I prefer a chill in the air. We've never managed to find a temperature where we'll both be comfy enough to sleep well.

3. Have you ever had surgery?
Unfortunately. Oral surgery when I was in third grade (to "fix" a gap between my front teeth). Wisdom teeth out at 22. And two female-type surgeries.

4. When do you typically have your holiday shopping done?
Early December...but I'm not sure I'm going to make it this year.

5. If money were not an issue (and you HAD to pick something), what would your ultimate luxury item be?
A new house with a dedicated library room--built to specifications. And we'll throw in a spectacular audio/visual room for my hubby and son with the big screen tv, surround sound, sub-woofers (and sound-proofing so the neighbors won't complain and I can read in peace..lol).

Penhallow: Review

I have had Penhallow by Georgette Heyer on my TBR (and, in fact, my TBB--To Be Bought) List for ages. Ever since I first discovered her 1930s/40s mysteries about 10-15 years ago. Up until this year, Penhallow has proved very elusive-the library never had it and I never could find it on my used bookstore rounds. But Sourcebooks Landmark has recently re-issued Heyer's books in a compact, nicely covered series and when I saw Penhallow sitting on the shelf at my local Border's I snatched it right up.

I believe I know why this book has been so hard to find. It is a definite departure from Heyer's usual mystery-fare. It is dark and depressing, full of snide and sarcastic characters. How the Penhallow children managed to reach adulthood without murdering each other and their tyrannical father long ago is the real mystery here. Set at the Penhallow manor, we meet Adam Penhallow, an old man with a cruel streak who rules his family with an iron fist. Various members of the clan have left the hallowed halls of home, but Adam is determined to bring them all back and bring them to heel. He has had enough of his "artistic" son's debts, his youngest son's wasted years at college, and the other children who are not living up to the Penhallow name. But it isn't just that he wants them home...he sets out to re-fashion their lives so they must employ themselves in ways least suited to their nature. It really seems that the old man is out to make everyone as miserable as possible.

The novel is unusual in a number of ways--beyond the darker, more depressing tone. The first two-thirds of the novel is primarily character study. We are given a full run-down of every member of the Penhallow clan, including his son Jimmy, who was born on the wrong side of the blanket. And it's not a pretty picture. Penhallow's offspring are the most sarcastic, competitive, quarrelsome bunch you're likely to come across in fiction. The house is continually in an uproar and it seems unlikely that there is ever a moment's peace--even at night. What with Adam calling for the servants at all hours. We also have Heyer presenting us with the murder way in the last half of the book...handing us the culprit right up front so there isn't even any mystery to be solved. Her books usually begin with the murder and follow the usual who-dunnit procedures.

As a psychological study, this book is superb. A dysfunctional family at its worst. Heyer has every character dissected before us and plays each type to the hilt without quite going over the top. However, as a mystery--and particularly as an example of the type of mystery that Heyer fans will expect--it is less than stellar. This makes it very difficult for me to rate. It is well-written as all of Heyer's books are, but definitely takes me out of my comfort zone. As psychological fiction: 4 1/2 stars. As an example of the mystery genre: 2 1/2 stars. Final score: Three stars (a nice middle of the road rating.)

Quote It! Saturday

Freda's Voice has an awesome Saturday meme called Quote it! I have another blog, Quote Mistress, which is entirely devoted to quotes--I collect quotes like black clothes collect link. So, my Saturday Quote It! may be found on my quote site (yes, I'm shamelessly trying to get you to go look at my other blog).