Top Ten Tuesday: What I Love About Blogging.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish. Today The Broke and the Bookish are celebrating their Blogoversary and in honor the event Top Ten participants are asked to share the Top Ten Reasons We Love Blogging.

Here we go:

1. All the marvelous people I have met in the blogosphere. Book Bloggers, especially, are some of the nicest people on earth. I have made so many virtual friends that I know I'd love to meet in person. It's been awesome.

2. It's been the best way to track my reading. That was the initial reason I started blogging. I just wanted a place to write about my books and what I thought and how much I love to read and how much I love vintage mysteries....and I get to do ALL of that and anything else too.

3. Challenges. I love the challenges. If I'd never started blogging, would never have found all the challenges. Challenges to stretch my comfort zone. Challenges to get me to read books that have been gathering dust on the TBR shelves way too long. Challenges that help me feed my mystery habit. Love them.

4. And I've discovered that I love sponsoring Challenges as well. I've been having a grand time with my Vintage Mystery Challenge and the Color-Coded Challenge.

5. Reviews by my fellow bloggers. I don't have all that many people in my life who read like I do. So, having people suggest books to me doesn't happen all that often. You'd think it would since I work in an English Department at a university...but not so much. I love reading the reviews and finding new books to put on the TBR list (like I need more...but that's another story).

6. It allowed me to "meet" Carol K Carr, author of India Black: A Madam of Espionage Mystery and read her fabulous book as an ARC. Never would have happened without blogging.


Okay...that's it. I'm sure there are many more reasons why I love blogging. But I can't think of them at the moment.....

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 mine from Scorpions: The Battles & Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices by Noah Feldman (p. 3):

The mingled smells of oiled mahogany paneling, polished brass, and good tobacco were familiar ones to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Folding his slim frame into a leather-upolostered chair in the new, three-story clubroom of the Harvard Club of New York, the recent graduate was exactly where he belonged.

The Detections of Dr. Sam: Johnson: Review

Lillian de la Torre wrote a series of short stories for Ellery Queen's Mystery magazine (over 40 in all) which featured Dr. Samuel Johnson as a great detective as well as a great lexicographer. These stories were later collected into four volumes, of which The Detections of Dr. Sam: Johnson is one. These stories set Johnson up as a Holmes-like character with James Boswell acting as his Watson. The mysteries themselves are good without being great, but the main attractions are the personality of Johnson, the Boswellian commentary on events, and the obvious amount of research de la Torre put into her stories. Notes at the end of each story reveal that the fictional accounts have their basis in either actual events and characters from the 18th Century or legends that were circulating during the time period.

This was a very quick, light read. The first story, "The Stroke of Thirteen," is very good and she even tries her hand at a locked room mystery. Interesting period detail and pleasant mysteries that didn't require a lot of heavy-duty brain work. The most difficult part for some readers might be wading through some of the 18th C terminology--but quite a lot can be inferred from the context. I thoroughly enjoyed Johnson as a character and will certainly be keeping my eye out for the other collections. Three and a half stars out of five.

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):
Oscar Wilde & the Vampire Murders by Gyles Brandreth
The House of Paper by Carlos María Domínguez
The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay
The Detections of Dr. Sam: Johnson by Lillian de la Torre


Currently Reading:
Panic in Box C by John Dickson Carr: Dr. Gideon Fell is all at sea. Sailing from England to America with a writer friend, Philip Knox, Dr. Gideon Fell, that eminent crime solver, encounters some odd characters who are fated to have a volcanic effect on his stay in the U. S. Prominent among them is the imperious Lady Tiverton (the former actress, Margery Vane), her latest young lover, and her longtime female companion. All wind up at a dress rehearsal in a Connecticut theater endowed by Miss Vane. Murder stops the show, but provides Dr. Fell with an opportunity to display his own singular talents.

Books that spark my interest:
The Savage Garden by Mark Mills
Seven Gothic Tales by Isak Dinesen
Scorpions: The Battles & Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices by Noah Feldman
The Affair of the 39 Cufflinks by James Anderson

Vintage Mystery Sunday: Night of the Jabberwock

It's Vintage Mystery Sunday and time to step into my vault of classic mysteries and choose one to feature that I read and loved before blogging took over my life and I began reviewing everything I read. This week the spotlight is on Night of the Jabberwock by Fredric Brown (1950).

Probably best known for his story, The Fabulous Clipjoint which garnered an Edgar Award for outstanding first mystery novel, Fredric Brown was a prolific author of hundreds of pulp short stories and several novels. He considered his best work to be in the science fiction arena, but a good two-thirds of his work were mysteries/thrillers. His story quality is high and attention to plotting is very unique.

The Night of the Jabberwock is exactly what the title indicates--the story of one Thursday night in the small town of Carmel City. Doc Stoeger, the editor of the city's newspaper, the Clarion, has just put the Friday edition to bed and is on his way to his favorite bar. He is wishing that something, anything, more interesting than the lead story's church rummage sale would happen to make his newspaper more exciting to read. Little does he know that the night ahead holds the answer to his wish. And you know what they say: Be careful what you wish for....you just might get it. Before the night is over a couple of big-time mobsters will roll into town, the bank will be robbed, and a lunatic will escape from the local asylum. By the time morning has come, four people will be dead. Stoeger is also a Lewis Carroll fan and while he is trying to cope with the night's madness he finds himself dealing with an odd little man who claims he can take Stoeger through the looking glass. But "beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!" And the most disturbing thing of all--Stoeger will find that none of the events of the night are printable.
I remember this mystery as an incredibly bizarre--but wonderfully so--story of murder. There is an odd feeling of being in the middle of a Lewis Carroll dream world, but Brown brings it all together with an ingenious wrap-up and fine writing. Highly recommended.

Saturday Snapshot: Father's Day

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.



I'm a little late for the Saturday Snapshot....but I wanted to go ahead and post a picture of my Dad (with me) for Father's Day. Happy Father's Day, Dad! I love you!

100+ Challenge 2011--Goal Met

Another Challenge Conquered! Back in December I signed up for the 100+ Reading Challenge for 2011 sponsored by Amy at My Overstuffed Bookshelf.

A FEW DETAILS: Read 100 or more books this year. Anything with an ISBN or equivalent or can be purchased as a book counts. What doesn't count: Individual short stories or individual books in the Bible. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Crossovers from other reading challenges count. Books started before January 1st do not count. You can join any time. Sign up using the Mr. Linky on her site.

Today I finished my 100th book and have met the challenge goal! Of course, since it's only June, I'm not done reading for the year and will continue to add to my tally. To see my list of books read so far, you can hop over to My Original Post.

The Secret of Lost Things: Review

The Secret of Lost Things: A Novel by Sheridan Hay: Coming to New York from Tasmania at the age of eighteen, Rosemary takes a job at a used and rare bookstore run by the gruff Mr. Pike and his idiosyncratic staff and becomes caught up in the search for a long-lost Melville manuscript. She meets Oscar, who is in charge of non-fiction and who seems to have an encyclopedic knowledge of anything and everything; Arthur, who naturally manages the art section and seems to spend more time looking at the merchandise rather than selling it; Pearl, the loving, motherly transsexual who runs the cash register and becomes one of Rosemary's truest friends; and Walter, the store manager and an albino who is a lonely figure even in the Arcade. When Walter's eyesight begins to fade, Rosemary becomes his assistant and it is then that she first reads about the missing manuscript. Soon she is involved in a tricky game--trying to get more information from Walter while trying to please Oscar.

This is another on the fence book for me. The book's synopsis reads like Hay was trying to write a literary mystery. Was there a missing Melville manuscript? Will they find it? Who has it? A literary mystery set in a used bookstore should have been right up my alley. The mystery portion is a bit of a disappointment. Not nearly as suspenseful and interesting as it might have been (and should have been to meet literary mystery standards). However, as a coming of age novel; as a novel of self-discovery; as a novel about loss and grief and remorse; Hay has done a pretty darn good job. She manages to tie the themes ascribed to Melville's missing book, The Isle of the Cross, to themes that run through Rosemary's life--as well as the lives of many of the inhabitants of The Arcade and Rosemary's first landlady and first friend, Lillian. The writing is at times exquisite and fully brings out the nuances of emotion. I have read an Advanced Reading Copy edition of the book and can only hope that some of the portions that did not flow as well and some of the obvious mistakes and typos were fixed before final publication. Three stars out of five.

Theme Thursday: Shapes

Hosted by Reading Between the Pages

Rules
*A theme will be posted each week on Thursday
*Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from your current book that features the theme
*Post it and don't forget to mention the author and title of the book
*Event is open for the whole week
*Link back to Reading Between the Pages

This week’s theme is SHAPES.
Here is my contribution for the week--from The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay (p. 66):
Oscar's recall of his section was practically infallible, but if the book didn't fall into the shapeless category of nonfiction, those with a slightly less remarkable memory needed to be found and consulted.

Best I could do...not really talking about shapes in here.

Friday Memes

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 did or did not like that sentence. Link up each week at Katy's place.


Here's mine from The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay:

I was born before this story starts, before I dreamed of such a place as the Arcade, before I imagined men like Walter Geist existed outside fables, outside fairy tales.

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

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link up at Freda's site.

Here's mine from The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay:

He challenged me with auburn eyebrows raised, conventionally attractive and confident of the fact.

Booking Through Thursday: Book "Enhancement"

This week's Booking Through Thursday question:

With the advent (and growing popularity) of eBooks, I’m seeing more and more articles about how much “better” they can be, because they have the option to be interactive … videos, music, glossaries … all sorts of little extra goodies to help “enhance” your reading experience, rather like listening to the Director’s commentary on a DVD of your favorite movie.

How do you feel about that possibility? Does it excite you in a cutting-edge kind of way? Or does it chill you to the bone because that’s not what reading is ABOUT?

Given that I'm not a fan of e-readers in general....this is a no-brainer. NO. Especially adding videos and music. If that's the kind of experience you're looking for, I'm thinking that what you want is a movie and not a book. Books are for reading. Books are for using your own imagination in addition to what the author has given you in the text and setting the mood and "seeing" the characters. It's what (to me) makes literature such an interesting field--because each reader brings something different to the book. If we have the author "leading us by the hand"--giving little interviews about what they meant and explaining every little detail about what they did and why, then why bother to read the thing?

The House of Paper: Review

The House of Paper by Carlos María Domínguez begins with Bluma Lennon, a distinguished professor of Latin American literature at Cambridge, who attempts to cross a street while immersed in a book of poetry by Emily Dickinson and is killed in a traffic accident. In the months that follow, a package addressed to her arrives from Argentina. It contains a Conrad novel, crusted with cement and containing a mysterious inscription. Bluma's successor in the department decides to try and track down the sender to return the book. He discovers that the sender is Carlos Brauer, someone Bluma met at a writer's congress in Monterrey--and who has disappeared himself. The narrator's journey takes him to Uruguay and on a journey to discover where Brauer went and why he built a house out of his fabulous library.

I am very on the fence with this one. On the one hand, it has some very interesting commentary on books and the people who love them. Domínguez provides great insight into the differences between the common reader and the bibliophile and the collector. The common reader likes to read--may even collect books to an extent and scan their friends' shelves to see what they're reading and if there's something they want to put on the TBR list. Bibliophiles have their own libraries--in extreme form they spend every penny they can on books and use up all the available room they have to house them. They truly believe that "there is no such thing as too many books" [all who agree please raise your hands]. It's possible they catalog their books. Then there are the collectors who consider their books as works of art. They display them. They keep them pristine. They pull them down from the shelves only to show them off or to gloat over them.

On the other hand, the story itself is not entirely satisfying. The blurb on the book flap calls this novel "part mystery, part social comedy, and part examination of all the many forms of bibliomania." Told as an allegory about readers and book lovers, The House of Paper works very well. I will even allow the social comedy, but as a mystery, it falls down on the job. In fact, there isn't much time for mystery at all. The clues follow one another in pretty succession. He only need speak with one contact to discover most of the story. And the ultimate solution is very tidily handed to the narrator on a silver platter. I find it highly unlikely that he could just waltz into his former colleague's office and immediately bring up information on her computer. Passwords, anyone?

A very quick, light read. Very enjoyable if you want a book about books and book lovers. If you're looking for a satisfyingly mysterious plot line, not so much. Three stars out of five.

WWW: Wednesdays

WWW: Wednesdays which is hosted by MizB ofver at Should Be Reading. This is a weekly meme that I have been participating in for over a year now.

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:
The Secret of Lost Things: A Novel by Sheridan Hay: Coming to New York from Tasmania at the age of eighteen, Rosemary takes a job at a used and rare bookstore run by the gruff Mr. Pike and his idiosyncratic staff and becomes caught up in the search for a long-lost Melville manuscript.


Read Since the Last WWW: Wednesday (click titles for reviews):
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Oscar Wilde & the Vampire Murders by Gyles Brandreth
The House of Paper by Carlos María Domínguez


Up Next:
The Savage Garden by Mark Mills
Seven Gothic Tales by Isak Dinesen

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 spoil 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 mine from The House of Paper by Carlos María Domínguez (p. 12):

Every year I give away at least fifty of them to my students, yet I still cannot avoid putting in another double row of shelves; the books are advancing silently, innocently through my house. There is no way I can stop them.

Oscar Wilde & the Vampire Murders: Review

In the interview at the back of Oscar Wilde & the Vampire Murders Gyles Brandreth says that one of the the things he wants most as a writer is "to write what the Victorians would have called 'a rattling good yarn'...I want to leave the reader satisfied." I would say that Brandreth does just that in all of his Oscar Wilde mystery stories--of which the Vampire Murders is the fourth.

Having read the first three, I was very ready to snatch this one up when it appeared on the library's New Arrivals shelf. And I wasn't disappointed. I'm not much for the latest vampire craze--no Twilight for me, sorry--but Brandreth uses the vampire legend to good effect and as good cover for his murderer. He employs diary entries, newspaper clippings, telegrams, letters and straight narrative to tell his story. In other hands the switch from medium to medium might have distracted, but the varied approach seemed to suit the story.

The story itself begins with a reception held at the home of the Duke and Duchess of Albemarle. Oscar Wilde and his right-hand man Robert Sherard have been invited as well as the Prince of Wales and his son Prince Albert Victor; Dr. Arthur Conan Doyle; and Lord Yarborough, a physician and nerve specialist. In the course of the evening, Wilde becomes enchanted with a young man by the name of Rex LaSalle who claims to be a vampire. It will remain to be seen how long the enchantment lasts when the Duchess is found dead--brutally wounded on the chest and with two deep puncture wounds on her neck. Is this murder or has some romantic interlude gone too far? The Prince of Wales himself requests that Oscar look discreetly into the matter and soon the witty author and playwright finds that there are deeper matters on hand than may first appear. A visit to the Vampire Club, a hurried journey to Paris and two more deaths will be necessary before Wilde can put all the clues together to unmask the culprit. Is it a true vampire? Is it a unscrupulous physician looking for bodies for his research? Or perhaps a royal son who truly is mad and has resorted to murder? Or...someone the reader will least suspect?

I love these stories. Brandreth absolutely gets his research right. You can tell he knows his Wilde and his Victoriana--but the research does not weigh down the story. If anything I would call these stories brain candy. Not because they are so light-weight and fluffy, but because they are addictive and fun to consume--like popping M&Ms. The characters and settings feel authentic and the action is fast-paced and enjoyable. Wilde fans will enjoy the way that Brandreth sprinkles all those famous aphorisms throughout the dialogue...and he does it without it seeming forced. Delightful! Four stars out of five.