Bedknobs & Broomsticks: Disney Movie Review

Having just read the stories by Mary Norton that were the basis for Disney's Bedknobs and Broomsticks starring Angela Lansbury and David Tomlinson, I decided I just had to sit down and watch the film again. I hadn't watched it since my son was small (many moons ago). I mentioned in my review of the book how much I enjoyed the way the movie brings the World War II themes to the forefront. In fact, they become central to the plot.

Carrie, Charlie, and Paul have been evacuate (along with dozens of other children) because of the blitz in London. All of the other children have been sent home with village families, but the Rawlings have been billeted with Miss Eglantine Price, a reclusive single woman with some rather odd habits and even odder ideas of what makes up a good meal. 

Miss Price is not entirely pleased to be saddled with a trio of children. As she points out to the woman who has assigned homes to the children, "Children and I don't get on." Which seems entirely true--she doesn't know what to do with them and they are not keen on her supper which consists primarily of herbs, plants, and vegetables. Where are the bangers and mash? How about toad in the hole? Bubble and squeak? 

She finally gets them tucked up safely in bed and rushes out to her workroom to open her latest package from the Correspondence College of Witchcraft. It contains her very first broom and she can't wait to try it out. Unfortunately, Miss Price is not too steady as a pilot and the children witness her crash landing. Charlie, street-wise urchin that he is, decides to make the most of the situation. Vowing to keep quiet about her witchcraft if Miss Price promises to make some changes (primarily to the menu!). After a brief stint as a rabbit ("I never could manage toads"), Charlie and Miss Price strike an uneasy bargain with the children promising silence in exchange for a magic item. Result--the magic bed-knob and the traveling bed.

Miss Price finally confides in the children the real reason that she has been studying witchcraft--she is waiting for the final lesson which will contain a spell which she hopes will help her with the war effort. When she receives a disappointing letter from Professor Emelius Brown saying that the College will be closed before the last lesson can be sent, she and the children use the bed to go in search of the Professor. Their travels will take them from the countryside to London and down under the sea and up to the mythical island of Naboombu--all in pursuit of the spell that may save England from invaders.

This is a fun movie--like Disney's Mary Poppins, it is a mixture of live action and animation and provides lots of entertainment. My favorite part is the final moments when Miss Price uses her new spell to send the Nazis running from England's shore. A nice trip back down memory lane...to when I watch Disney movies with my son.

...Speaking of my son--he just wandered through and noticed the VHS case (yes--it's been 'round the house that long) and commented, "Someone's been watching Bedknobs & Broomsticks." I told him that I'd read the book and just had to watch the movie again and he asked if the book was as good.  I knew immediately what he wanted to know (it's his favorite part too) and explained that the war effort was not as prominent in the book.  "You mean she doesn't cast spells on ancient armor?" No. No, she doesn't. He has no interest in the book now.  I told him that the book was good. Just different. But I have to admit...I miss the animated armor in the book myself.

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a bookish meme hosted by Book Journey. Every week we check in with what we read, what we're reading now, and what's next on the reading docket.  Here we go....

...apparently I missed posting before I went on vacation as well as during my vacation last week. I'll be listing my reads since my last post....

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

Death by the Book by Julianna Deering 
The Lady of Sorrows by Anne Zouroudi
Dorothy Dixon & the Double Cousin by Dorothy Wayne
For Old Crime's Sake (aka Lucky Jane) by Delano Ames
The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer 
Ships of the Line by Doug Drexler & Margaret Clark (eds)
The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin
The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw
Death at the Medical Board by Josephine Bell 
Bed-Knob and Broomstick by Mary Norton

 

Currently Reading: 

Sinners & the Sea: The Untold Story of Noah's Wife by Rebecca Kanner: The young heroine in Sinners and the Sea is destined for greatness. Known only as “wife” in the Bible and cursed with a birthmark that many think is the brand of a demon, this unnamed woman lives anew through Rebecca Kanner. The author gives this virtuous woman the perfect voice to make one of the Old Testament’s stories come alive like never before.
Desperate to keep her safe, the woman’s father gives her to the righteous Noah, who weds her and takes her to the town of Sorum, a haven for outcasts. Alone in her new life, Noah’s wife gives him three sons. But living in this wicked and perverse town with an aloof husband who speaks more to God than to her takes its toll. She tries to make friends with the violent and dissolute people of Sorum while raising a brood that, despite its pious upbringing, develops some sinful tendencies of its own. While Noah carries out the Lord’s commands, she tries to hide her mark and her shame as she weathers the scorn and taunts of the townspeople.
But these trials are nothing compared to what awaits her after God tells her husband that a flood is coming—and that Noah and his family must build an ark so that they alone can repopulate the world. As the floodwaters draw near, she grows in courage and honor, and when the water finally recedes, she emerges whole, displaying once and for all the indomitable strength of women. Drawing on the biblical narrative and Jewish mythology, Sinners and the Sea is a beauti­fully written account of the antediluvian world told in cinematic detail.

 

 

Books that spark my interest:
Plain Sailing by Douglas Clark
By the Watchman's Clock by Leslie Ford  

Mind Fields: The Art of Jacek Yerka; The Fiction of Harlan Ellison by Yerka & Ellison

Whispers of Vivaldi by Beverle Graves Myers

Bed-Knob & Broomstick: Review

My edition of Bed-Knob and Broomstick is the 1957 version which combines both of Mary Norton's works (The Magic Bed-Knob or How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons AND Broomsticks and Bonfires) in a single volume. The first section of the book (equivalent to The Magic Bed-Knob) reveals how Carey, Charles and  Paul Wilson came to know Miss Eglantine Price and the adventures they had as a result. The children are sent to the country to stay with their Aunt in Bedfordshire.  One morning when they go out early in the morning to hunt mushrooms they find Miss Price in crumpled and torn clothes and with an injured ankle. She is pretty evasive when they try to find out what happened to her, but Paul (the youngest) calmly supposes that she must have fallen from her broomstick.

So, Miss Price confides to the children (I'm guessing she's been longing to share her secret with someone) that she's been studying to be a witch, but she's not so very good at it yet. It takes an enormous amount of concentration and uninterrupted time--especially if one wants to be a proper wicked witch. She no sooner reveals her secret when she immediately regrets her indiscretion and (in good wicked witch form) starts thinking of some way of shutting the children up. Carey suggests an alternative--what if Miss Price gives them something magical and puts a spell on it so if the children reveal her secret then the magic will no longer work?

The bargain is made and Miss Price enchants a bed-knob that Paul has unscrewed from his bed. If he screws it on half-way and makes a wish, the bed will take them anywhere they'd like to go--past or present. The children take it on a test run back to London--because Paul is missing his mother and get into all kinds of trouble with the police in the war-time black-out. They decide that their next adventure may need a little more (magical) insurance and invite Miss Price to join them on a visit to a South Seas Island. Their goal is to investigate the coral, but they wind up back in trouble...this time with cannibals. By the time Miss Price can get them out of harm's way and safely back to Paul's bedroom, they have no time left to clean up the sand and salty water before their aunt discovers the mess.  She naturally doesn't believe their explanation of how it happened and packs them up and ships them back to their mother. End of part one.

The second section (equivalent to Broomsticks and Bonfires) takes place two years later. Carey and Charles have systematically worked to convince Paul (and themselves) that their adventures with Miss Price were just dreams--all in an effort to prevent Paul from blurting out something strange at an inconvenient moment. Just when they've almost done the job, an advertisement from Miss Price appears in the newspaper saying that she would gladly take in children for the summer for a small fee. The children manage to persuade their mother that a summer in the country with their friend Miss Price is just what they need and off they go--ready for more adventures. (They are well-prepared because Paul left his aunt's house with the magic bed-knob in his pocket.) 

But when they arrive at Miss Price's they find that she has given up her studies. No more magic. Ever. She has bought the bed from the children's aunt--but they won't be allowed to travel on it. In fact, she unpacks their things for them and the bed-knob disappears. But then one morning, the bed, Miss Price, and Paul are gone and Carey and Charles are put out that Miss Price and their brother went traveling without them. After they reappear, Carey convinces Miss Price that it isn't fair that she and Charles didn't get one more chance and if Miss Price will let them travel into the past "just once" (because, after all, they didn't get to try that part out yet), then they could all be done with magic forever. So, the children travel back to the 1600s, meet a "real" necromancer, bring him back to the 20th Century, and that's when a new set of problems arise....

Previous to finding this book in a stack of books to be thrown out in the hallway at work (don't even get me started on that particular horrifying moment), my only exposure to the story of Miss Price, the apprentice witch, and the Wilson children (renamed Rawlings by Disney & co.), Carey, Charles, and Paul, was the Disney film starring Angela Lansbury and David Tomlinson. I thoroughly enjoyed Disney's animated/live-action treat but it was very interesting to read the original stories and see how much had been changed--as Disney always did. One thing I do like about the Disney film is that it brings the themes of World War II very much to the center of the story. 

The book(s) by Norton touches upon the war--with references to the black-out and the children wondering if it would be fair to use magic in war-time. What if all the soldiers were turned into white mice? But, unlike the movie, Miss Price is not studying magic to aid the war effort--she simply wants to become a witch. And apparently a wicked one at that--though her actions belie any real wickedness in her nature. I enjoyed this venture into the book behind the Disney film more than Mary Poppins (for my take on that please see my review)--there wasn't quite the difference between the book and the movie in the character of Miss Price as there was with Mary. 

This was a fun read. One that I know I would have enjoyed even more had I read it when I was a child. ★★★★

Challenges Fulfilled: Mount TBR Challenge, Bookish TBR, Monthly Key Word, Century of Books, Outdo Yourself, How Many Books, 100 Plus Challenge, Back to the Classics, Women Challenge, Literary Exploration, A-Z Reading Challenge, Semi-Charmed

Death at the Medical Board: Review

It is wartime in Britain and Ursula Finton is eager to join a branch of the women's services to do her part for her country. Her family most definitely disapproves--ever since Ursula had a bout of scarlet fever she has been prone to attacks of heart trouble when excited or stressed. Her devoted family fear that she will bring on a fatal attack if she gets herself involved in the war effort.

But Ursula doesn't believe she has heart trouble--the attacks only occur when she's at home--so she goes to a London specialist for a thorough examination. He provides her with a clean bill of health and a certificate for her to give the medical board stating that there was nothing wrong with her heart. The military doctors reach the same verdict when they examine her and are fully prepared to admit her to service. So why did she succumb to an apparent fatal heart attack in the dressing room as she prepared to leave?

Dr. Rachel Williams, a member of the medical board, can't believe that three eminent doctors (including herself) could have misjudged Ursula's health and calls on Dr. David Wintringham to investigate. Wintringham is currently involved in war work of his own and has pretty much given up his dabbling in crime, but when a certain clue comes to light which leads him to believe that Ursula's death may tie in with his current "hush-hush" assignment he willingly begins to dig further.  His investigations lead him to the Finton's country home where motives are thick on the ground. If her death is not related to the mysterious "PH" gang that Wintringham is trying to trace, then it may well be one of her "loving" relatives--eager to inherit the property she currently is heir to. Or perhaps dear old Nanny would prefer that her favorite--Ursula's cousin--were master of the house and land rather than beholden to Ursula for his livelihood.Wintringham and Inspector Staines follow up the clues...to a solution that is far more complicated than they imagined.

Josephine Bell's Death at the Medical Board is a typical Golden Age mystery with plenty of red herrings and mysterious-acting potential suspects. It does offer up an interesting method of murder--who would have thought of death by lipstick? [No spoilers here--you find that out quite early.] Her characters are interesting and realistic--the local inspector takes some time to warm up to the "interfering" outsider and the interactions between Staines and Wintringham reflect that. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this one until the end--it's a bit unbelievable and it takes one of Christie's famous twists and adds in the mysterious "hush-hush" gang for flavor and makes it more unbelievable still. Would that the ending were more satisfying...but all in all a fun read and well worth it.  ★★★ and 1/2 stars

This fulfills the "Features a Doctor or Nurse" square on the Golden Vintage Bingo car.

Challenges Fulfilled: Vintage Mystery Challenge, Mount TBR Challenge, Bookish TBR, Monthly Key Word, Monthly Motif, Century of Books, Outdo Yourself, How Many Books, My Kind of Mystery, 100 Plus Challenge, 52 Books in 52 Weeks, Women Challenge, Semi-Charmed, Book Bingo

The Greatest Generation: Review

In The Greatest Generation, Tom Brokaw brings to life the stories of a generation of people who taught America what courage really is--from the front-line heroes and heroines to the workers and loved ones at home. Each teaching us about sacrifice, honor, and bravery in their own way. Brokaw brings us profiles of the ordinary men and women who answered their nation's call and who returned home to continue their quiet lives with dignity and a sense of community spirit. He also highlights the lives of more prominent veterans whose service to their country didn't end when the war was over--men and women who served in high levels of government and the armed forces even after the peace treaties were signed.

The stories are poignant and touching--revealing the depths of sacrifice behind each profile. They are stories of loss and love, friendship and valor. They touch on the challenges that the women who served (or worked at home in place of the absent men) faced when the war was over. The difficulties in being forced to return to pre-war expectations. They also highlight the discrimination that all Americans of color faced even as they volunteered to put their lives on the line for their country. 

This is a very moving account that brought tears to my eyes at times and made me proud of the generation who came together for a common cause in the name freedom. How very different our world might be if the men and women of the 30s and 40s had been less dedicated, less resolute in their determination to serve their country (and the Allies) in a time of great need. My only quibble with the book is that it seems so very formulaic--introduce the hero/heroine, give a brief history pre-war, give another brief synopsis of their war-time assignment, and then tell what productive lives they had afterward. A bit more personal attention and a feeling of story-telling, rather than rote recital would bring this up to five stars....as it is: ★★★★

Summer 2014 Book Challenge

Megan is once again hosting the Semi-Charmed Summer 2014 Book Challenge! So, of course, I'm signing up. Yes, I know I need help. She's interested to see what we plan on reading for this challenge, so I'm going to try to come up with a list of proposed reads. We're not bound by our lists (which is good, because my whims may change). Why don't you join me?


General rules:

• The challenge will run from May 1, 2014, to August 31, 2014. No books that are started before 12 a.m. on May 1 or finished after 11:59 p.m. on August 31 will count.
• Each book must be at least 200 pages long. Audiobooks are fine, as long as the print versions meet the page requirements. Large-print books are also acceptable, as long as the regular-print version exceeds 200 pages in length.
• A book can only be used for one category, and each category can only be completed once. If you want to switch the category of a book during a later check-in, that's fine, just be sure to account for that in your point total.
• Rereads can be used for a maximum of three books in the challenge. This rule is meant to encourage you to try new books while still allowing you to revisit books from your childhood or young adulthood that you might get more out of now. Please reread the entire book within the timeframe of the challenge in order to count it; no simply finishing old books or partial rereads (unless the category explicitly states otherwise, of course)!
• The highest possible total is 200 points, and the first five people who finish the challenge will win a featured/guest post on Semi-Charmed Kind of Life and be invited to contribute a category for the winter challenge. Good luck!

And now for my list:
5 points: Freebie! Read any book that is at least 200 pages long.
— The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw (412 pages) [5/9/14]
10 points: Read a book that was written before you were born.
— Death at the Medical Board by Josephine Bell (1944; 218 pages) [5/16/14]
10 points: Finish reading a book you couldn't finish the first time around.
— On The Beach by Nevil Shute (1957; 311 pages) [7/7/14]
10 points: Read a book from the children’s section of the library or bookstore.
— Bed-Knob and Broomstick by Mary Norton (240 pages) [5/16/14] 

15 points: Read a book that is on The New York Times' Best Sellers List when you begin reading it.
— Me Without You by Jo Jo Moyes (#7 on Trade Paperback list on 7/20/14) [7/21/14]
15 points: Read a historical fiction book that does not take place in Europe.
— Sinners & the Sea: The Untold Story of Noah's Wife by Rebecca Kanner (Nile basin/Mesopotamia; 339 pages) [5/21/14]
15 points: Read a book another blogger has already read for the challenge.
— The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkein (read by Kalyn V @ Geez, Louise) [6/12/14]
20 points: Read a book with “son(s),” “daughter(s)” or “child(ren)” in the title.
— The Chief Inspector's Daughter by Sheila Radley (211 pages) [7/5/14]
20 points: Read a book that was/will be adapted to film in 2014.
— A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby (movie due in July; 333 pages) [7/8/14]
25 points: Read a book written by a blogger.
— Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell (307 pages) [7/30/14]
25 points: Read a biography, autobiography or memoir.
—  Beyond Uhura: Star Trek & Other Memories by Nichelle Nichols (320 pages) [5/29/14] 
30 points: Read a pair of books with antonyms in the titles.
—Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley (215 pages) [7/31/14] AND The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Angel of the Opera by Sam Siciliano (309 pages) [8/4/14]

Total points: 200

The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse: Review

The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse is an epic title. That would be why this book jumped off the shelf at the library, into my hand, and insisted that I needed to take it home with me. Which I did. Sadly, the book did not quite live up to its epic title. The book is good. The book is funny--as I expected it to be. But it's not that good. And it's not that funny. There are places in it where I am sure there are jokes and I'd get that feeling that I was supposed to laugh--like Robert Rankin had paused expectantly waiting for the audience to provide the laugh track. But then I'd be like Sherman in the Mr. Peabody & Sherman movie (which we just saw at the drive-in last Saturday) and I'd look up and think to myself I don't get it.

Rankin has created an interesting premise. A young man named Jack is on his way to the big city to seek his fortune--he's heard stories that that's where all the fortunes to be made are made. But when he gets there, all is not as glamorous as he's been given to believe. First off, the "big city" is really Toy City (aka Toy Town). Everybody is a toy except for the rich and famous nursery rhyme characters like Little Miss Muffet and Little Tommy Tucker and Ole King Cole, etc. And there is a serial killer loose who is knocking off the Mother Goose celebrities one by one in rather gruesome methods based on their rhymes. The Toy City police are stumped and Bill Winkie, a Private Eye who has starred in his own series of crime novels, has mysteriously vanished.

Jack runs into Winkie's sidekick, Eddie Bear, and Eddie convinces him to partner with him to solve the murders and collect a fabulous reward. Because you know, Eddie was the real sawdust--er, brains behind the P.I. business. Eddie leads Jack into underage drinking, high-speed car chases, in and out of jail, and into encounters with mysterious spider women. There will be quite a few more deaths and some high-tension drama before Eddie and Jack can find out who's really behind the nursery rhyme murders.

The book is a fantasy-style riff on the noir genre and private eyes in general. It is very self-aware and that is part of the fun. Jack and Eddie discuss how "if this were one of Bill Winkie's private eye books" then "we'd have met all the important characters by now" or "we'd have gotten hold of the MacGuffin by now." They also talk about whether or not the decisions they make along the way would be what a true detective in a crime novel would do. Lots of in jokes (and, as discussed, plenty that go right over my head) and plays off of the nursery rhymes. Excellent premise that manages to fall just short of being a fantastic story. Good solid entertainment, but not extraordinary. ★★★

Quotes:

It's a wise man who knows where he is. And if he knows where he is, he should stay there, don't you agree? (p. 22)

Things really could be worse. You'll be okay. I can direct you to the hospital if you think you need your head bandaged. Or I'll stagger with you, if you want. Or you can carry me upside down and I'll sing you drunken songs. I know some really rude ones. They're all about pigs and penguins. (~Eddie [Bill Winkie's bear], p. 27

It is a fact well known to those who know it well that we can only know what we personally experience. Above and beyond that, it's all just guesswork and conjecture. (p 72)

Ships of the Line: Mini-Review

Ships of the Line by Doug Drexler and Margaret Clark (eds) with Michael Okuda providing text is a gorgeous book of Star Trek artwork. It features beautifully drawn images from the Star Trek: Ships of the Line calendars and was put together as part of the celebration of the fortieth anniversary of Star Trek. The artists have taken various ships from all points of the ST universe (through 2006) and rendered them in scenes from both the series or movie from which they came as well as from their own imaginations. The result is a delight for Trek fans.  

The book was a serendipitous find for me...just sitting there on the featured books shelf of our Friends of the Library bookstore waiting for me to bring it home. As any good Trek fan would, I did. And promptly sat down the same day (May 1) and read it straight through. And somehow forgot to write up a review--so here it is, better late than never. Highly enjoyable--I spent a delightful evening flipping through the pages and reading the descriptions of each piece. Now I'll be passing it on to my son. ★★★★

Saturday Snapshot

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. To participate in Saturday Snapshot: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky below. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

As I mentioned on April 19 (last time I posted), I have been scanning pictures for a family heritage Facebook page. These are some of the finds in my mom and dad's collection of photos.

This is my Great-Grandma and Grandpa Bunch's wedding photo (circa 1912).

And an anniversary photo taken sometime in the 1960s.

Friday Memes

Book Beginnings on Friday is a bookish meme now sponsored by Rose City Reader (who originally inspired the meme). Here's what you do: Share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading on your blog or in the comments section. Include the title and author so we know what you're reading. Then, if you are so moved, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line and if you did or did not like that sentence. Link up each week at Gilion's place.

Here are the first few lines from The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies by Robert Rankin (a book whose title I could not resist:

"Once upon a time," said the big fat farmer, "it was all fields around here."

The traveller glanced all around and about. "It's still all fields," said he.

"And there you have it." The farmer grinned, exposing golden teeth. "Nothing ever changes in these parts. Nothing. Nor will it ever."

 

{I'm still waiting for it to live up to its title.}

The Friday 56 is a bookish meme sponsored by Freda's Voice. It is really easy to participate. Just grab a book, any book, and turn to page 56. Find a sentence that grabs you and post it.

 

Here is the mine from The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies by Robert Rankin:

 

Humpty Dumpty. Did he fall, or was he pushed, or was it that he jumped?

Faro's Daugher: Review

Poor Lady Mablethorpe is having a bout of the vapors. Her innocent, young, soon-to-be wealthy son has announced his intention to marry the beautiful twenty-five-year-old Deborah Grantham. The only difficulty? Miss Grantham is the niece of Lady Bellingham, the owner of a gambling establishment. And, even worse, Miss Grantham actually presides over the gaming tables--flirting with the gentlemen and playing them off one another in the hopes of driving them to leave even more of their wealth behind.

The distraught mama enlists the aid of her nephew, Max Ravenscar, to, at best, persuade young Lord Mablethorpe of his folly and put an end to the love affair or, if necessary (heavens she hopes not as she reaches for her vinaigrette), to buy off the shameless hussy at any cost. Mablethorpe is thoroughly besotted and there is no hope of changing his mind, so Ravenscar meets with Miss Grantham to try and make a deal. But--inexplicably--Deb Grantham refuses the more than handsome offer of 20,000 pounds and is thoroughly insulted by the insinuation that she would take advantage of an innocent. She determines to make Ravenscar pay for his injustices to her....and she and Ravenscar are plunged headlong into a battle of wits and wills to see who will get the better of whom.

Georgette Heyer was the queen of the Regency Romance. She did her research well and the reader is completely immersed in the age from the first sentence to the last. The conversations are pitch perfect and the descriptions of the gaming house, Vauxhall, and the Park (where everyone who's anyone goes to be seen) are delightfully on target. Despite the fact that historical romances tend to run in a somewhat formulaic manner to brooding, pompous, I'm-going-to-be-a bachelor-forever-so-there Heroes and strong-willed, feisty Heroines and even though the two declare throughout the book how much they despise each other, so we all know what will inevitably happen--despite all that, Heyer writes fantastic stories with characters that keep you reading for the fun of it. Her books have it all: witty dialogue, the life and doings of the ton, creditable characters that are some sometimes a bit larger-than-life (but not too, too much larger), a great concern with social standing which always, always puts a twist on the romance in question. She's my go-to author for historical romances and I love reading her books. ★★★★

April Wrap-Up & P.O.M. Award

Once again in 2014 I will be combining my monthly wrap-up post with Kerrie's Crime Fiction Pick of the Month over at Mysteries in Paradise.  I'm pretty pleased with my year so far...Goodreads still says I'm ahead of schedule.  Let's keep it that way.  Here are the stats:


Total Books Read: 14
Total Pages: 3778
Average Rating: 2.95 stars
Top Rating: 4.25 stars 
Percentage by Female Authors: 43%
Percentage by US Authors: 64%
Percentage by non-US/non-British Authors: 7%
Percentage Mystery: 86%
Percentage Fiction: 93%
Percentage written 2000+: 36%
Percentage of Rereads: 0%
Percentage Read for Challenges: 100% {It's easy to have every book count for a challenge when you sign up for as many as I do.}  
Number of Challenges fulfilled so far: 9 (23%)




AND, as mentioned above, Kerrie has started us up for another of Crime Fiction Favorites. What she's looking for is our Top Mystery Read for each month. In April, I read 12 books that qualify as mysteries.  




The Coral Princess Murders by Frances Crane (★★★)
Decoded by Mai Jia (unrated)   
After I'm Gone by Laura Lippman (★★★★)  
A Hangman's Dozen by Alfred Hitchcock [Robert Arthur, Jr (ed)] (★★★) 
The Mammoth Book of the Lost Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes by Denis O. Smith  (★★★★ 1/4) 
Gale Warning by Hammond Innes (★★★ 1/2)  
Murder at the Museum of Natural History by Michael Jahn (★★★) 
Death by the Book by Julianna Deering  (★★★ 1/2) 
The Lady of Sorrows by Anne Zouroudi (★★★)
Dorothy Dixon & the Double Cousin by Dorothy Wayne  (★★★)  
For Old Crime's Sake (aka Lucky Jane) by Delano Ames  (★★★★)
The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
 
This month saw three books in the four star range: After I'm Gone (Lippmann), The Mammoth Book of the Lost Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes (Smith), and For Old Crime's Sake (Ames). All three were excellent reads...but I did give the book of Sherlock Holmes stories just that quarter star more to give it an edge. 

It is an outstanding collection of non-canonical stories featuring the great detective. Smith manages to duplicate Watson's narrative voice with great skill--slipping only occasionally. The stories are very reminiscent of the original short stories without appearing to be mere copies of Doyle's work.

May Read It Again, Sam Reviews

 

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May Mount TBR Reviews

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May Vintage Mystery Challenge Reviews

 
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