It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a bookish meme hosted by Book Journey. It's 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 via the link above and join in...and leave a comment here so I can check out what you are reading.

Books Read Last Week (click on titles for review):
Time to Be in Earnest: a fragment of autobiography by P. D. James
Publish & Be Murdered by Ruth Dudley Edwards
The X in Sex: How the X Chromosome Controls Our Lives by David Bainbridge
Live or Die by Anne Sexton
Black Orchids by Rex Stout
Cordially Invited to Meet Death by Rex Stout
Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis
The Ampersand Papers by Michael Innes

Currently Reading:
The Fashion in Shrouds by Margery Allingham. Homicide with style. Among the beautiful people, George Wells's suicide was last year's gossip. But Campion stubbornly refused to close his personal books on the affair. It came down to professional ethics, a commodity rare In aristocratic circles. He had barely scratched the surface before Campion found himself vest-deep in a deadly game of cat and mouse, chasing through a maze of adultery, blackmail and espionage. All done in the world of the wealthy with the best of taste, for the worst of reasons: blood money.

Books that spark my interest:
Zorro: A Novel by Isabel Allende (need to get on this one from the library)
Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon (impatiently waiting for this one to be available from the library)

The Ampersand Papers: Review

The Ampersand Papers (1978) is another mystery by Michael Innes which stars Sir John Appleby. Sir John is a retired member of Scotland Yard and is on his way to the home of some friends when he decides to take a rest from his travels and take a walk along a likely-looking stretch of beach. He is literally on the spot when the body of Dr. Ambrose Sutch, an archivist, falls to his death down the cliff from the North Tower of Treskinnick Castle. The Castle is the ancestral home of Lord Ampersand and Sutch had been employed to sort out family papers...hopefully to find long-lost correspondence from Shelley and Byron among the papers of Adrian Digitt (one of the family's ancestors). Is this death just an accident? Or was he pushed? Could there be motive in the potentially valuable family documents? Or perhaps there is some truth to the legend of Spanish gold hidden on the estate?

Appleby's investigations take him through a puzzle of speleology and genealogy and reveal bitter family rivalries. There are many twists and turns before Appleby reveals the surprising solution. I found this mystery to be one of Innes' fairly solid outings. Not one of his best...but the twist at the end does make it a bit better than it might have been. It took rather a while to get to the action and to get Appleby involved. I much prefer the stories where Appleby appears early on. Something about the plot line works much better and I enjoy those stories so much more. Three stars.

Meet Me on Monday (32)

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 paste 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. What is your favorite kind of fudge? Chocolate with no nuts; nothing else mixed in. Just plain ol' chocolate.



2. Is there snow outside your window? Yep. About 5 inches. Supposed to get more tomorrow. (This is my yard. And that is my son....just not this year. Snow's a little deeper and, of course, it's dark outside my window right now.)



3. What is your favorite meal of the day? Breakfast





4. Do you text on your cell phone? No. I only have one for emergencies. And I have it for phone calls. No camera involved. No texting.




5. Waffles or pancakes? Waffles. I love the way the butter melts into all the little squares.

The Alphabet in Crime Fiction: Letter C

Kerrie over at Mysteries in Paradise is sponsoring The Alphabet in Crime Fiction community meme. Your post MUST be related to either the first letter of a book's title, the first letter of an author's first name, or the first letter of the author's surname. So you see you have lots of choice. You could write a review, or a bio of an author, so long as it fits the rules somehow. (It is ok too to skip a week.) Link your post for the week back to Kerrie's site.

This week we are featuring the letter C. And I say that "C" is for The Casino Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine.

I read The Casino Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine back in June 2010. The saddest part about having found & read this very hard to find Golden Age story (one of the treasure trove from a week's book bonanza) is that I think I only have two more Philo Vance stories to read before I'll be all done. Another delightful series finished. I'll be in the same state as when I realized I'd read the very last Lord Peter Wimsey. "What do you mean there aren't any more???"

I can always count on Philo Vance to deliver the goods in his detectin' (his lack of "g," not mine). In this story, Philo Vance receives an anonymous letter alerting him to the possibility that violence will soon be done within a well-known family, and the letter also suggests that something of interest will take place that night at the casino. Vance attends and witnesses the collapse of the son and heir to the family fortune, a heavy gambler, due to his having been poisoned—immediately after he drinks a glass of water from the casino manager's private decanter. At approximately the same time, across town, the son's wife, a former Broadway musical star, dies from poison. The curious factor is that the medical examiner cannot identify the way in which the poison was administered.

The casino story has a whiz-bang finish (to keep in line with the American genre of the time), but knowing Vance, I wasn't nearly as surprised as his companions were at how things wound up. I will say this (without giving too much away, in case anyone out there is dying to try this one out)...it's an interesting twist on the poison murder. Or at least an interesting twist on what the murderer wanted you to think had happened. I actually got the method before Vance did this time--unusual with these stories. Three and a half stars out of five.

Out of the Silent Planet: Review

Out of the Silent Planet (1938) is the first book of C. S. Lewis' space trilogy. I have had these books sitting on my shelves for decades. And I had every intention of reading them much sooner. Having finished the first one and having loved other works by Lewis, I can't imagine why I have waited so long.

The first book of the trilogy tells the story of Dr. Elwin Ransom. It begins with Ransom on a walking tour which brings him to a house where two men are trying to force a boy into doing something he doesn't want to do. Ransom discovers that one of the men is someone he went to school with (and who he despised) and the other is an eminent physicist. Before he knows quite where he's at, he's been drugged and hustled into a spaceship and awakens to find himself on a interplanetary journey. A little eavesdropping soon tells him that he has been kidnapped as some sort of offering to the Sorn. He has no idea who the Sorn are, but he's quite sure he won't like being made an offering to them.

Once the trio make their landing, Ransom escapes from his captors at his earliest opportunity. His adventures lead him to make friends with one of the inhabitants of the planet. He is welcomed into the Hross village and he soon learns the language and customs. Eventually, he is taken to the master of the planet, the Oyarsa, who it seems is the one who really wanted to meet him (or at least one of his kind) all along. The Oyarsa has become concerned about the inhabitants of Earth (Thulcandra to inhabitants of this world) and the intentions of the two men who brought Ransom with them.

Lewis, as usual, writes beautifully. He is incredibly adept at bringing the scene to life--whether it is a scene from Ransom's walking tour in the beginning chapters or a description of the alien landscape. One can actually see the vivid colors of the other world in the mind's eye. And the story is brilliantly told--with the action moving quickly and carrying the reader along to the finish. Of course, since it's Lewis, there is Christian imagery...a Christ-like figure, God and even a mention of Satan. But the imagery is not blatant and could quite easily fit other stories as well.

Truth be told, the most important idea I'm going to take from this book is that of tolerance. That just because someone looks different from you, doesn't mean you should fear them. It reminded me of the Vulcan ideology of IDIC: Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations....the celebration of the differences that make each of us valuable. The book also speaks to the idea that there are more ways than one to view things. When Ransom is talking with Hyoi, his friend from the Hross, they are trying to come to an understanding about enjoying something. Ransom tries to make his new friend see that when humans enjoy something they tend to want more of it--or to experience it over and over again. Hyoi has trouble understanding this....for him the doing of something and the memory of the doing are all one. It all makes for one complete experience that is enjoyed throughout life--there is no need to have more or to experience it again or to be jealous if someone else now has it or is doing it. He says:

A pleasure is full grown only when it is remembered. You are speaking as if the pleasure were one thing and the memory another. It is all one thing....When you and I met, the meeting was over very shortly, it was nothing. Now it is growing something as we remember it. But still we know very little about it. What it will be when I remember it as I lie down to die, what it makes in me all my days till then--that is the real meeting.

If only we could learn to be tolerant and to fully enjoy what we have rather than always wanting more. A marvelous book. Four and a half stars.

Cordially Invited to Meet Death: Review

As a partner to Rex Stout's Black Orchids, I have just finished Cordially Invited to Meet Death (aka Invitation to Murder; 1942). This mystery was packaged together with Black Orchids because the orchids themselves play a minor role.In this one Nero Wolfe is asked by Bess Huddleston, party-planner for the rich and famous, to find out who is sending anonymous messages aimed at ruining her. Wolfe sends Archie Goodwin to begin the investigation, but before Goodwin can make much headway, the famous hostess is dead from an innocent case of tetanus. Or so it seems. Her brother is adamant that she has been murdered, but it isn't until Inspector Cramer rudely drags the brother away from an invitation to the Wolfe dinner table that our detective becomes involved. Another murderous attempt using the same method is all it takes for Wolfe to have all the facts at his fingertips and once again he hands Cramer the murderer and necessary evidence after a final showdown in Wolfe's office.

I found this second mystery to be much better plotted than Black Orchids. A nifty little murder method and a murderer that I never suspected...at least not seriously. It made for a very pleasant afternoon of reading. Four and a half stars.

Oh and the orchids? Wolfe sends them as a funeral offering for his deceased client. He doesn't give up those black orchids for just anyone...

Quote It! Saturday

Freda's Voice has an awesome Saturday meme for quote lovers called Quote It! And I have another blog, Quote Mistress, which is entirely devoted to the quotes I have collected over my lifetime. So my Saturday Quote It! may be found on my quote site. I'd love for you to visit...and be sure to visit Freda's Voice too!

Saturday Snapshot: Jan 22

Saturday Snapshot is a meme hosted by Alyce at At Home with Books. All you have to do is "post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken and then leave a direct link to your post in the Mr. Linky on [her] blog. Photos can be old or new, and be of anything as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give is up to you." All she asks is that you don't just post random photos that you find online.


A snowy day in 2003....my son buried in his snow fort.

Vintage Mystery Challenge Update

Vintage Mystery Challengers....Let's all take a moment from reading Agatha or Dorothy or Rex or whatever fascinating mystery we've got going and give a rousing cheer for Becky at Becky's Book Reviews. Hurray for Becky!! Becky has just completed her challenge level [Golden Age Girls] and will soon be receiving her prize. Be sure and check out her vintage reviews on the progress site!

A word about challenge completion and prizes:

When you've finished your challenge level and are ready to collect a prize, send me an email at phryne1969 AT gmail DOT com. I will then send you a list of available prizes. All prizes are fair to fine reading copies of mysteries. Most are by vintage authors and are duplicates that I've accumulated through forgetfulness (I could have sworn I didn't have a copy of....) or because I've found a better copy. Better for me may mean anything from a first edition or pocket-size edition (I love those little books) or just one that has a really cool cover....and doesn't necessarily speak to the condition.

Here's a little mystery for you....Who will be next to join Becky in the winner's circle?

Black Orchids: Review

So, I finally found out how Nero Wolfe gained possession of the coveted black orchids. This had been alluded to in several of the Wolfe mysteries that I have read but I hadn't gotten my hands on a copy of Black Orchids (1941) until this past year.

Nero Wolfe sends Archie Goodwin to the flower show in downtown NYC. Not once, but every day for a whole week. Finally, Wolfe cannot stand it any longer and rather than hear Goodwin's reports on how they look he actually leaves his brownstone home to see for himself. Faithful readers of the Wolfe novels will know what a rare event this is. While they are at the show...Wolfe gazing longingly at the orchids and Goodwin gazing longingly at a lovely young woman who has been part of a garden scene at the show each day...a man is murdered. In full view of all the flower lovers.

When Inspector Cramer finds out that Wolfe and Goodwin were on the scene, he naturally assumes that Wolfe was on a case and knows more than he does. It doesn't take Wolfe long to provide himself with all the facts and he winds the case up in what seems to be record time. This time the wrap-up takes place in the famous Wolfe orchid rooms and as payment for a closed case Wolfe is able to call the black orchids his own.

All of the standard Wolfe mystery ingredients are present and accounted for. Archie finds a lovely lady to fall in and out of love with; he gets to be irritated with Wolfe for turning down a case (before actually investigating the murder); and he gets to subject Cramer and Purley Stebbins to his sterling wit. We even get a little bit of Saul Panzer. The murder method is interesting and the little twist Stout gives to who actually did the deed makes it even more so. A good entry in the Nero Wolfe collection. Four stars.

Live or Die: Review

Just finished the first book for this year's Birth Year Challenge. With a quick roll of the virtual dice I found myself reading books from my husband's birth year: 1966. First up: Live or Die, a collection of poetry by Anne Sexton. I have always found it much harder to write about poetry than I do fiction. I like poetry. I have written poetry. But writing about or reviewing it seems difficult to me. I feel rather like the proverbial philistine of the arts who "just knows what she likes."

Poets.org has this to say about Sexton's collection: Her most celebrated collection, Live or Die, is a fictionalized memoir of her recovery from mental illness. Each poem is dated as she moves from the opening lines of "And One for My Dame," to the closing lines of "Live." In the author’s note, she says that the poems were written chronologically, "despite the fact that they read like a fever chart for a bad case of melancholy." Although the recovery mapped within the volume was not complete, the poems do not portend her suicide in 1974, just eight years later. While there is cause for sadness in these poems, there is celebration as well.

It is true that there seems to be a definite progress through these poems as she makes her way through the turbulent waters of mental illness. And the last poem holds a bit of triumph and hope as she decides to live. My favorite poems are "Little Girl, My String Bean, My Lovely Woman" and "A Little Uncomplicated Hymn"--both written for her daughters. I particularly like the last line part of the second one:

I look for uncomplicated hymns
but love has none.

A painful, emotional, and touching collection of poetry. Four stars out of five.

X in Sex: How the X Chromosome Controls Our Lives (Review)

First off, The X in Sex is a very accessible non-fiction book about the genetics that make us who we are sexually. It was interesting to the non-scientist and a very quick read. But I do have to say that I didn't learn nearly enough new material to make me feel like it had been absolutely worth my time. David Bainbridge acts like he's bestowing never-before-mentioned news when he talks about X and Y chromosomes and sex-linked diseases. I'm 41 years old...back in the dark ages when I was in 9th grade I took a science class called "The Study of Life." And, oooh, we talked about chromosomes. Even got our own little set (all mixed up) for us to sort and arrange in pairs and find out if we had a boy or a girl and if they had any odd things going on (like and extra X or whatever). Maybe I just had one of the most progressive science teachers ever...but he also taught us about hemophilia and color-blindness and other sex-linked diseases.

Oddly enough, given the title of this book, the most informative bits that Bainbridge relates have to do with the Y chromosome. It's always been thought that just having the Y was enough to make you a boy...in theory, this is true. But it is absolutely essential that you have a Y and a working Sry gene. Because the Sry gene is the switch that starts the chain of events that insures that the baby will be a boy. No Sry, no chain of other genes, no testicles...no boy. Overall, I did not find the amount of information given about the X chromosome compelling enough to convince me that "she" is the controlling influence in our lives. When I picked up this book, I imagined finding evidence that sweet little X is sitting there inside our cells holding the remote control and sending out instructions hither and yon throughout our bodies to tell us what to do and how to behave. Not quite.

As I mentioned, this is a very accessible book for the non-scientist. I think it would be an excellent book for someone who has very little or no knowledge whatsoever of chromosomes, genes, DNA, etc, and how they work. Bainbridge manages to talk about fairly complex topics in language the layman can understand and infuses his writing with humor. His humor is much better when it is unconscious (or at least gives a better impression of being so). The more blatant, "wink-wink, nudge-nudge" sexual references and the anecdotes which are prefaced with "Let me tell you this funny little anecdote" aren't nearly as funny as he would seem to think. The one exception is his anecdote about (quite literally) the Duke of Kent's testicles. I'm giving this one three stars--good solid read, some humorous bits, but nothing to knock my socks off.

Friday 56

The Friday 56 is a bookish meme sponsored by Freda's Voice. It's really easy to participate.

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to page 56.

*Find any sentence that grabs you.

*Post it.

*Link it up at Freda's site.

Here's mine from The X in Sex: How the X Chromosome Controls Our Lives by David Bainbridge:

All our other chromosomes come in neat pairs, but men inherit a messy pair of unequal sex chromosomes--gangly big X and stunted little Y.

Not exactly a riveting passage. BUT, for non-fiction, this is a pretty interesting (and quick-reading) book. Here's a better quote from page 47:

So, some animals have no sex at all, some animals can be either sex, and some animals decide what sex to be on the basis of where they are, how hot they feel, or which of their friends happen to be nearby.

Book Beginnings on Friday

Book Beginnings on Friday is a bookish meme sponsored by Katy at A Few More Pages. 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 liked or did not like that sentence. Link-up each week at Katy's place.




Here's mine from The X in Sex: How the X Chromosome Controls Our Lives by David Bainbridge:

It has been six week now. Six weeks of tireless, frenzied activity since that sperm jostled its way into that egg.

Makes early pregnancy sound a lot more exciting than it seems from the outside.....

Booking Through Thursday:

This week Booking Through Thursday wants to know: "Even I read things other than books from time to time....like, Magazines! What magazines/journals do you read?"

I have had a subscription to the London Review of Books for quite some time and was a faithful reader. But I just let my subscription lapse so I won't be reading it this year. I still have a Smithsonian subscription and read that. And any time there's a New Yorker available I'll read that too. But, really, I'm not much of a magazine reader. If I want something shorter, then I'll go for short stories or poetry.