Orange You Glad It's Friday

It's time for week two of Orange You Glad It's Friday.  This photo meme is sponsored by Hood Photo Blog.  The mission, should you choose to accept it, is to post a picture that you have taken or have permission to use with a little or a lot of orange, share your link at the site, visit others, and leave  comments if you wish.  Here's my bit of orange for the week:

These beauties are tiger lilies that my mom gave me to plant in my garden about 10 years ago. This picture is from June 2009--unfortunately, due to the drought, there were no blooms this year.

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's mine from The Necropolis Railway by Andrew Martin:

With the letters from Rowland Smith in my pocket, I had a lively ride from York to London: just four and a half hours in all. The engine was one of the new Atlantics of Mr. Ivatt, and when she came down Stoke Bank I put aside The Railway Magazine I was reading, and leant out the window at the carriage end to experience the amazing velocity.

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's mine from The Necropolis Railway by Andrew Martin:

Now Mike spoke up, and Rose gave a strange little sort of gasp as he did so. "Henry liked the cemetery," he said.

Theme Thursday: Walk

Hosted by Reading Between the Pages

Rules

• A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday’s)
• Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
• Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
• It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)
  

*Link back to Reading Between the Pages

And this week's theme is Walk (stroll, pace, step, etc).  Here's mine from The Necropolis Railway by Andrew Martin (p. 54):

It was fortunate--for I certainly did not want to be introduced--that White-Chester turned around at that moment and walked back towards daylight and his Bug.  The aim, I supposed, was not that he would see others but that others would see him, and stop their slackness. 

The Edgar Winners: Review

The Edgar Winners: 33rd Annual Anthology of the Mystery Writers of America edited by Bill Pronzini gives us twenty-four of the stories that have been selected as winners of the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Excellence.  It would be safe to assume that all of these stories should be knock-out mysteries...detective fiction...crime fiction.  Right?  Well...pretty much.  There are some just brilliant stories here.  My favorites: "After Dinner Story," "Lamb to the Slaughter," "Over There--Darkness," and "Moonlight Gardener."  There are some that have an element of the supernatural or the bizarre: "The House Party," "The Chosen One," and "In the Forests of Riga the Beasts Are Very Wild Indeed."  There are also a couple that I just don't get or much care for the style: ""Like a Terrible Scream" and "The Chosen One" (double-billing!).  

And one that I'm a little uncomfortable with.... Yes, Harlan Ellison's story starts out with a murder.  Can't fault him there.  But there's no mystery.  There's no detection.  Don't get me wrong--I love Ellison.  The man can write...and he can turn his characters inside out like no one else can.  This is a marvelous study of the psychology of the city-dweller.  It's pitch-perfect in sound....and feel...and atmosphere.  Does it deserve an Edgar?  Absolutely--but more in the spirit of "The Masque of the Red Death" or "The Premature Burial" than "The Purloined Letter" or "The Murders in the Rue Morgue."

A very nice collection indeed.  Four stars.

"The Adventure of the Mad Tea Party" by Ellery Queen: Like the adventures of Alice, this one has a slightly surreal feeling to it--from the odd "gifts" appearing on the doorstep to the mirror that disappears and reappears much like the Cheshire cat.

"After-Dinner Story" by William Irish: Seven men get on an elevator...with the operator, that makes eight.  When the elevator plunges from the tenth floor to the basement only six will come out alive.  The operator dies of his injuries, but the eighth man has been shot...with his own gun and apparently by his own hand.  It's officially ruled a suicide, but the man's father refuses to accept that and takes unique measures to find justice.

"Catfish Story" by Lawrence G. Blochman: A professor of ichthyology tells a story of sleepwalking and accidentally knocking a man downstairs...killing him.  Detective Max Ritter smells a fish story, but does that mean the professor is guilty?  Ritter throws out some bait and the professor and his wife are surprised at the catch of the day.

"Love Lies Bleeding" by Philip MacDonald: Cyprian has always been able to rely on Charles when he needed help.  But when he needs help to escape a murder charge, will the price be too high?

"Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl: A very clever way to get rid of the evidence....

"The House Party" by Stanley Ellis: What if you had to relive your mistakes....and your murder...over and over again?

"The Blessington Method" by Stanley Ellis:  Well, that's one way to deal with an elderly relative....

"Over There--Darkness" by William O'Farrell: Miss Fox learns that there are worse things than having your diamond and emerald ring stolen.

"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl: Bill Weaver meets a landlady who has fetish for stuffing her pets.

"The Sailing Club" by David Ely: What do successful business men do when they no longer get quite the same thrill out of closing a successful deal? They hope to be elected to the elite Sailing Club.  A nice boat trip will certainly get the ol' blood flowing.  Somebody's blood anyway.

"This Will Kill You" by Patrick Quentin: Harry Lund decides he wants to be rid of his wife.  He doesn't realize how hard it's going to be on him....

"H as in Homicide" by Lawrence Treat: Two young women set out for California.  One disappears and winds up dead.  Detective Mitch Taylor thinks he's going to wow his lieutenant with his brilliance....but a confession beats him to the punch.

"The Chosen One" by Rhys Davies:  Mrs. Vines has a very odd obsession with the man who lives in the cottage at the end of her property.  It may well be her undoing....

"The Oblong Room" by Edward D. Hoch: How far would you go for someone you worshiped as a god?  Would you die for them?  Would you do murder?

"The Man Who Fooled the World" by Warner Law: What's a little painting forgery among "friends"?

"Goodbye Pops" by Joe Gores: The black sheep of the family breaks jail to go home and say goodbye to his dad.  He may get a longer stretch as a result.

"In the Forests of Riga the Beasts Are Very Wild Indeed" by Margery Finn Brown:  This one is so bizarre that I'm not even sure what to say about it.  The real mystery here is....has a crime been committed?

"Moonlight Gardener" by Robert L. Fish:  reminiscent of Cornell Woolrich's "It Had to Be Murder" (On which the film Rear Window was based)--with a twist.

"The Purple Shroud" by Joyce Harrington:  George Moon cheats on his wife once too often.  Don't be fooled by that placid smile, George.

"The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" by Harlan Ellison: a study of the beast that lies within the average city-dweller.

"The Jail" by Jesse Hill Ford:  What happens when a pretend sheriff dreams up the "perfect" jail?

"Like a Terrible Scream" by Etta Revesz: There are some things a younger brother just doesn't need to know.

"Chance After Chance" by Thomas Walsh:  Can a drunken, defrocked priest redeem himself?  But what of the stolen money--will that be too big a temptation to resist?

"The Cloud Beneath the Eaves" by Barbara Owens: Alice has just a little bit of a Daddy fixation....just a bit.

Challenge Complete: The Classic Bribe.

Image Credit

The Classic Bribe – Challenge & Giveaway (sponsored by quirkygirlsread):

• Read at least 1 Classic over the summer – between Memorial Day and the end of Labor Day Weekend, September 3rd

That's it...that's all I had to do for this one.  Mission accomplished on June 3.  But...being the over-achiever that I am (and having signed up for various **cough** other challenges **cough**) I had plenty more where that come from.  Challenge closed on 9/3/12....so I'm claiming that as my completion date.

Classics Read:

1. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (6/3/12)

2. The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer (6/12/12)

3. The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare (6/30/12)
4. The 39 Steps by John Buchan (7/4/12) [Classic spy thriller]
5. File No. 113 by Emile Gaboiau (7/11/12) [Classic French detective story]
6. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (7/12/12)
7. North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell (7/18/12)
8. The Four Million & Other Stories by O. Henry (7/21/12)
9. Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen (8/13/12)
10. Crime on Her Mind: Fifteen Stories of Female Sleuths from the Victorian Era to the Forties by Michele B. Slung, ed (8/18/12) [Classic/Vintage Mysteries] 

Top Ten Tuesday: Fall TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is an original bookish meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week a new top ten topic is posted for followers to write about. This week we are asked to list our Top Ten Fall TBR Books.  

So, here we go....The books I ought to be reading while the leaves are turning colors and that crisp fall air starts swirling:

1. A Stranger in My Grave by Margaret Millar

2. Sweet Adelaide by Julian Symons

3. The Necropolis Railway by Andrew Martin 

4. The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes

5. 11/22/63 by Stephen King

6. The Penguin Book of Victorian Women in Crime by Michael Sims (ed) 

7. Lake of Sorrows by Erin Hart

8. Star Trek & Philosophy: The Wrath of Kant by Jason T Eberl & Kevin S Decker (eds)

9. History of the Millennium (so Far) by Dave Barry

10. Murder at the MLA by D J H Jones 

All of these are due for various reading challenges and I really need to get busy if I want to complete all those challenges by the end of December.

 

 

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 "The Man Who Fooled the World" by Warner Law (a short story in The Edgar Winners edited by Bill Pronzini): 

Do you realize, Gerald, the immensity of the treasure we have stumbled upon?

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 (click on titles for review):

The Fleet Street Murders by Charles Finch

Currently Reading:  

The Edgar Winners: 33rd Annual Anthology by Bill Pronzini, ed: Each of these twenty-four stories won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Mystery Short Story of its year.

 

 

Books that spark my interest:

A Stranger in My Grave by Margaret Millar

Sweet Adelaide by Julian Symons 

The Necropolis Railway by Andrew Martin

The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes

 

R.I.P. Screening III: House on Haunted Hill

Next up in my Vincent Price movie-thon for the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril event was House on Haunted Hill (1959).  Featured in the film along with Vincent Price is Elisha Cook--whose main claim to fame as far as I'm concerned is his role as Samuel T. Cogley, the space age lawyer who defends Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek episode "Court Martial." [Yes, I know he was also, probably more famously, Wilmer, the ineffectual, gun-happy fellow in The Maltese Falcon, but I like him as Cogley.]  It was good to see his familiar face as well.

This film shows Price as his most suave, most understated, most apparently villainous best.  He, as Frederick Loren, and his wife Annabelle (Carol Ohmart) are hosting a party.  Not just any party--but a ghost party.  Loren has rented the House on Haunted Hill--a place where seven people have died and their ghosts are said to haunt the place....looking for victims to add to their number.  The Lorens have invited five strangers to join them for a night of ghastly "good" times and will pay each of the $10,000 if they agree to spend the night in the haunted house.  The strangers are Lance Schroeder, a brave test pilot (Richard Long); Dr. David Trent, a psychologist who claims an interest in the effects of hysteria (Alan Marshal); Nora Manning, an employee at one of Loren's many companies who has never met the boss (Carolyn Craig); Watson Pritchard, the brother of a man murdered in the house and a survivor (barely) of that previous stay (Cook); and Ruth Bridges, a reporter with a gambling problem.  All of them are in need of the money. 

The guests have barely arrived before the fun starts.  A chandelier nearly kills Nora as they enter the house...and it isn't long before ghosts and bodiless heads and creepy hands are crawling out of the woodwork scaring the poor guests.  There are two apparent murders and two real ones...and the thrills and chills and twists and turns come at a nice clip to keep the watcher guessing.  Just who is trying to murder whom?   It is a lovely classic horror film with no real gore, no naked bodies, and spine-tingling fun built on atmosphere and the deadly interplay between Price and his on-screen wife.  

House on Haunted Hill is a nice wrap-up for my Labor Day Weekend viewing.  Now I have to wait, ever so impatiently, for Theatre of Blood to arrive via Netflix.... 
 
Quotes:
Watson Pritchard: Only the ghosts are glad we're here.

Lance Schroeder: If I were gonna haunt somebody, this would certainly be the house I'd do it in.

Schroeder: So there are two loose heads just floating around here someplace? 
Pritchard: You can hear them at night, they whisper to each other, and then cry. 

Frederick Loren: Don't let the ghosts and the ghouls disturb you, love. 
Annabelle Loren: Darling, the only ghoul in the house is you! 

Ruth Bridges: Who would want to haunt me? 
Frederick: I would say any self-respecting male ghost. 

Frederick: It's almost time to lock up the house and then your party will really begin. I wonder how it will end... 

Frederick: Don't stay up thinking of ways to get rid of me, it makes wrinkles. 

Frederick: It's a pity you didn't know when you started your game of murder that I was playing too. 

Crime Fiction Alphabet: Letter P

I have signed up for a second year of The Alphabet in Crime Fiction, a community meme sponsored by Mysteries in Paradise. Each week she'll be expecting participants to produce a post featuring a mystery/crime novel or novelist related to that week's letter.

Keeping up with the Crime Alphabet tour group, I'm all set to tell you about my choice for the Letter P.  Bernadette Pajer Pajer.  I've already talked about Bernadette Pajer on my blog and I've nominated one of her books for Kerrie's Crime Fiction Pick of the Month back in February.  

Bernadette Pajer is the author of the Professor Bradshaw mystery series.  She writes about the turn of the century Seattle--a time when electricity is just coming into use.  She takes us back in time with a deft use of detail.  And makes us believe that we're really walking the streets of over 100 years ago.  These mysteries are perfect for the historical mystery fan.  But she also weaves a pretty darn good mystery--with red herrings and misdirection enough to keep the reader guessing.  And she's created a wonderful cast of characters from Ben Bradshaw, the absorbed, somewhat absent-minded professor who is also passionately devoted to his son and very loyal to his friends to his housekeeper who worries about how much time he spends on his inventions....and his investigations to his growing relationship with Detective O'Brien of the Seattle police force.

I discovered Bernadette Pajer through Steve, aka The Puzzle Doctor, over at In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel.  He reviewed Bernadette's first book, A Spark of Death, on his site and it sounded so very interesting that I rushed to get the book from the library.  It was definitely worth rushing for.  My review of her debut novel may be found by clicking the title.  I have also read Bernadette's second book, Fatal Induction.  And am looking forward to the next installment.

For more information on Bernadette Pajer and her books, you may see her Professor Bradshaw Mysteries website.

R.I.P. Screening II: Laura

Onward in my Vincent Price movie-thon for the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril event!  I spent my rainy afternoon (mirrored by the weather in much of the film) watching the atmospheric classic noir film, Laura.  In this one, Price plays Shelby Carpenter, Laura's shallow, playboy fiancé.  

Admittedly, Laura (like The Great Mouse Detective) isn't exactly terribly horrific or gothic or supernatural and Price isn't being his usual villainous self.  But he is quite slimy in a genteel, gold-digging kind of way.  He's obviously looking for a meal ticket...and Anne (played by Judith Anderson) knows exactly what kind of piece of work he is and is prepared to take him on.  As she tells Laura...she and Shelby are suited to each other; they're neither of them very nice.  But he's what she wants.

The movie is a classic in misdirection.  First you have a corpse that isn't quite what you think it is.  And a dead woman who may not be quite as dead as you think.  Is the "corpse" really the murderer?  Or has someone else missed their target?  Detective Mark McPherson spends his time interviewing suspects, looking through Laura's letters, and reading her diary in an attempt to understand this woman and who might have wanted to kill her.  He'd like Carpenter to be the villain of the piece, but he's not sure he can make it fit.  

It was very pleasant to curl up on the couch and travel back to 1944 for this wonderful period mystery.  I not only enjoyed Price's smooth playboy, but Dana Andrews (McPherson), Clifton Webb (Waldo Lydecker), and Gene Tierney (Laura) are all perfect in their parts. Andrews as the tough detective; Webb as the rather effete newspaper columnist who feels he has claims upon Laura because of the part he played in starting her career; and Tierney as the mysterious and lovely Laura.  If you haven't seen this classic film, you should--you're in for a treat.

Quotes:
Waldo Lydecker: How singularly innocent I look this morning. 

Lydecker: My dear, either you were born on a extremely rustic community, where good manners are unknown, or you suffer from a common feminine delusion that the mere fact of being a woman exempts you from the rules of civilized conduct.

Lydecker: I don't use a pen. I write with a goose quill dipped in venom. 

Lydecker: In my case, self-absorption is completely justified. I have never discovered any other subject quite so worthy of my attention. 

Lydecker: I'm not kind, I'm vicious. It's the secret of my charm. 

Lydecker: I cannot stand these morons any longer. If you don't come with me this instant I shall run amok.

Shelby Carpenter: I can afford a blemish on my character, but not on my clothes. 

Carpenter: I don't know a lot about anything, but I know a little about practically everything. 

Carpenter: For the last time, Louise, will you marry me? 
Louise (Ann's Cook): No, but I cooked some chicken liver for you.

Mark McPherson: Yeah, dames are always pulling a switch on you. 

McPherson: I must say, for a charming, intelligent girl, you certainly surrounded yourself with a remarkable collection of dopes. 

Laura Hunt: You forced me to give you my word. I never have been and I never will be bound by anything I don't do of my own free will.

The Fleet Street Murders: Review

The Fleet Street Murders is the third novel in Charles Finch's  series of Victorian-era mysteries starring gentleman detective Charles Lenox. The story begins on Christmas in 1866.  It's a pleasant day for Lenox who is still basking in the glow of having recently become engaged to his long-time friend and love of his life, Lady Jane Grey.  But the day is not a pleasant one for two journalists across town.  Within minutes of each other, Winston Carruthers and Simon Pierce are stabbed and shot (respectively).  The police quickly track down suspects, but Lenox and his assistant Dallington believe there must be more to the story than what the police have found so far.  Soon, one of the suspects is dead by hanging--meant to appear a suicide, but proved to be murder--and then the investigating officer is killed as well.  Lenox becomes convinced that someone is directing the action from behind the scenes--someone with a bigger motive than just removing two bothersome journalists.

The investigation is made difficult for Lenox by several "distractions" in his life.  Worries about his betrothal, Lady Jane repeatedly assures him that she does want to marry him--but needs time.  Time for what?  Worries about his friend Thomas and his wife Toto who have recently lost their unborn child.  And worries about his run for Parliament in the northern town of Stirrington.  He's got a lot on his mind--and feels guilty taking time for any of his obligations in lieu of any of the others.

And the distractions tell a bit.  This story doesn't seem to run quite as smoothly as the first two and it's definitely not as good as the second novel in the series. Finch does have a very firm grasp of characterization and he gives every character from Lenox down to the pub owner in Stirrington their due.  You definitely feel like these folks are real people.  It makes it a lot easier to overlook the flaws in the mystery plot.  Not obvious holes--just the lack of smoothness (with all the rushing about from London to Stirrington and around Stirrington and then back to London) and the slightly disjointed method of story-telling.  But an interesting mystery and a good, solid three star outing.

Easing into R.I.P.: The Great Mouse Detective

 I decided to ease into my R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril viewing.  My plan is to view several films featuring Vincent Price, one of my all-time favorite classic horror stars.  Price starred in films ranging from The Abominable Dr. Phibes to House of Wax.  In 1986, The Great Mouse Detective, based the book Basil of Baker Street by Eve Titus, was released.  Vincent Price gave voice to Basil's arch-enemy, the fiendish Professor Ratigan.  The movie may be animated but Price definitely makes Ratigan a villain you love to hate.  He has such a delightfully evil little chuckle and he's so self-aware in his fiendish ways.

The story is obviously a tribute to Holmes....complete with a Doctor sidekick in Dawson and Ratigan's tip of the hat to Professor Moriarty.  We have Basil (and Dawson!) going undercover as seamen and the use of Toby (the only name not changed) to track the evildoers.  It is a pleasant animated adventure that will make Holmes fans feel right at home.

Ratigan has hatched an evil plot to take over all of mousedom.  The queen, most Victoria-like, is celebrating her jubilee and the professor plans to make this year her last on the throne.  He kidnaps a toymaker and forces him to create a replacement.  In the meantime, the toymaker's daughter Olivia has been found by Dr. Dawson who guides her to the address of Basil of Baker Street--the greatest mouse detective.  Basil, Dawson, and Olivia all work together track Ratigan down.....but Ratigan knows that Basil's on his trail and has a few surprises of his own.

Being a Holmes fan, I was anxious to see this when it came out.  I thought then, and still do, that it is one of the best Disney animated films to come out in the 80s and early 90s.  It's lots of fun and a nice tribute to the Holmes tradition.  I enjoyed introducing it to my son when he was small....and I enjoyed sitting down and revisiting tonight. 

Quotes:
Professor Ratigan: Oh, I love it when I'm nasty.

Ratigan: Oh, my dear Bartholomew.  I'm afraid you have gone and upset me.  You know what happens when someone upsets me.

Basil: I would think a stout-hearted army mouse like you would leap at a chance for adventure.

Ratigan: Fidget, you delightful little maniac! You've provided me with a singular opportunity. Poor Basil. Oh, he's in for a little surprise. 


Basil: Remember, Dawson, we're low-life ruffians. 
Dr. Dawson: Well, I was until that....
Basil: Shhh!

Ratigan: Bravo! Bravo! A marvelous performance! Although I was expecting you fifteen minutes earlier. Trouble with the chemistry set, old boy? 

Basil: Ratigan, no one can have a higher opinion of you than I have, and I think you're a slimy, contemptible sewer rat! 

Ratigan: You don't know what a delightful dilemma it was, trying to decide on the most appropiate method for your demise. Oh, I had so many ingenious ideas I didn't know which to choose. So I decided to use them all. Marvelous, isn't it? But, here, let me show you how it works. Picture this, first, a sprightly tune I've recorded especially for you. As the song plays, the cord tightens, and when the song ends, the metal ball is released, rolling along its merry way until... 
 [points at mousetrap] Slap! 
 [points at gun] Boom! 
 [points at crossbow] Twang! 
  [points at axe] Dunk!
  [points at anvil] SPLAT! 
And so ends the short, undistinguished career of Basil of Baker Street.  

Dr. Dawson: You're despicable!
Ratigan: [chuckles] Yes.

Ratigan: Oh, this is wicked. So delightfully wicked!

Dr. Dawson: You fiend!
Ratigan: Sorry, chubby. You should have chosen your friends more carefully.

Saturday Snapshot: Orange!

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. (Click pictures for close-up).

 

 

I've been working all week on a tissue cover for my boss.  Her favorite colors are Orange (!), yellow, bright blues, and just about any other bright color you can name.  She's also a professor with an interest in drama....so, thus, the comedy/tragedy theme.

 

 

[I also posted pictures of this for the Orange You Glad It's Friday meme sponsored by Hood Photo Blog.]

August Wrapup & Pick of the Month

Onward in my monthly statisic-gathering and a combo post with Kerrie's Crime Fiction Pick of the Month over at Mysteries in Paradise.

Aaaannnddd the totals go down again.  August has been my slowest reading month yet.  I know I figured out that I was actually ahead of the reading game last month....but my 2012 TBR pile still looks mighty big.  Gonna have to take my reading vitamins.....

Total Books Read: 9
Total Pages:  2,453
Percentage by Female Authors:  56%
Percentage by US Authors:  22%
Percentage by non-US/non-British Authors:  22%
Percentage Mystery: 88%
Percentage Fiction: 100%
Percentage written 2000+: 22%
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: 16 (47%)



AND, as mentioned above, Kerrie is sponsoring a meme for those of us who track our reading. What she's looking for is our Top Mystery Read for each month.  This month 8 of the 9 books I read count as mysteries

The Key by Patricia Wentworth
Mysterious Incidents at Lone Rock by Rajendra Pillai
Gideon's Month by J. J. Marric
The Anatomy of Death by Felicity Young
Crime on Her Mind: Fifteen Stories of Female Sleuths from the Victorian Era to the Forties by Michele B. Slung, ed
Mrs. Jeffries Stands Corrected by Emily Brightwell
The Innocence of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton
Death's Pale Horse by James Sherburne 

 and, of those, I handed out  2 four-star ratings to The Key and Crime on Her Mind.  If I have to choose an overall winner for this month, then I'm going to go with Crime on Her Mind.  This is a terrific collection of short stories that featured a high number of female detectives that I was unfamiliar with. Hopefully, you will find a whole new group of detectives to expand your mystery horizons too.