What Are You Reading? Part Deux

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do1you9love?

Happy to be here!
Feb 18, 2012
9,284
70,566
Virginia
Just finished Moloka'i: A Novel by Alan Brennert. Absolutely loved it! It's a historical novel about the "leper colony" at Kalaupapa from the late 19th into the 20th century. Brilliant!

Now reading The World of Lore: Dreadful Places Aaron Mahnke. About places in America with a history of sad stuff. The chapter on New Orleans was especially interesting. Richmond, VA too.
Lore sounds intriguing! Thanks!
 

Kurben

The Fool on the Hill
Apr 12, 2014
9,682
65,192
59
sweden
1547151090397.png
I kind of like the old school when the how of a murder is the most important bit. The classic whodunit (you got the how and you got the who) Later when you focused on the why (instead of adding it to make the picture complete) they tend to broaden the perspective of the crime with both positive and negative aspects. The books get longer and more presumptious. And also the characters must be "real" meaning they cant be a poirot or a holmes anymore, They have to have all these private problems, like addiction to alcohol, a messy marriage or divorce, moneyproblems and so on. Some can pull it off, a lot cant. Most often, as a reader. i just say, get on with the story and dont bother me with his private life that has nothing to do with the crime. Mostly i blame Dorothy Sayers for this because she let her Lord Peter fall in love and get married. She could write and could pull it off but very few are as good as she was. But people started thinking if she can do it why not i? One who fell in that trap was Elisabeth George whose badly disguised variation of lord Peter also marries. After that her books has been under par. I want a book to entertain me if its a crime or detective story. A good plot is the backbone of that. Somehow when authors add on muscles, and clothes and everything else to make it look human sometimes the backbone is lost in the mix. And a story without that backbone,no matter how good the characters are and how good the setting descriptions are, are not a good crime or detective story. Poirot or Holmes never really were realistic characters but they served their purposes in the books admirably. The recent characters are much more realistic but also lacks the charming quirks the old school possessed.
Sorry for the lecture. just some thoughts that popped up when i read these old whodunit and compared it with many of todays exploits in the genre.
 

kingricefan

All-being, keeper of Space, Time & Dimension.
Jul 11, 2006
30,011
127,446
Spokane, WA
View attachment 29722
I kind of like the old school when the how of a murder is the most important bit. The classic whodunit (you got the how and you got the who) Later when you focused on the why (instead of adding it to make the picture complete) they tend to broaden the perspective of the crime with both positive and negative aspects. The books get longer and more presumptious. And also the characters must be "real" meaning they cant be a poirot or a holmes anymore, They have to have all these private problems, like addiction to alcohol, a messy marriage or divorce, moneyproblems and so on. Some can pull it off, a lot cant. Most often, as a reader. i just say, get on with the story and dont bother me with his private life that has nothing to do with the crime. Mostly i blame Dorothy Sayers for this because she let her Lord Peter fall in love and get married. She could write and could pull it off but very few are as good as she was. But people started thinking if she can do it why not i? One who fell in that trap was Elisabeth George whose badly disguised variation of lord Peter also marries. After that her books has been under par. I want a book to entertain me if its a crime or detective story. A good plot is the backbone of that. Somehow when authors add on muscles, and clothes and everything else to make it look human sometimes the backbone is lost in the mix. And a story without that backbone,no matter how good the characters are and how good the setting descriptions are, are not a good crime or detective story. Poirot or Holmes never really were realistic characters but they served their purposes in the books admirably. The recent characters are much more realistic but also lacks the charming quirks the old school possessed.
Sorry for the lecture. just some thoughts that popped up when i read these old whodunit and compared it with many of todays exploits in the genre.
Kurben- have you read any of the Patricia Cornwell 'Scarpetta' books? I really like these.
 

Kurben

The Fool on the Hill
Apr 12, 2014
9,682
65,192
59
sweden
Kurben- have you read any of the Patricia Cornwell 'Scarpetta' books? I really like these.
Have read perhaps 2.Then i made a mistake and read Cornwells Jack The Ripper book. Awful book!! Perfect example on how you cant pick and choose among facts just because some fit your theory and some dont. One of the worst ripper books written is a hard thing to do. got a bias against her work there which probably is unfair against Kay Scarpetta. If you liked those you might like Val McDermids Dr. Tony Hill series
 

do1you9love?

Happy to be here!
Feb 18, 2012
9,284
70,566
Virginia
Have read perhaps 2.Then i made a mistake and read Cornwells Jack The Ripper book. Awful book!! Perfect example on how you cant pick and choose among facts just because some fit your theory and some dont. One of the worst ripper books written is a hard thing to do. got a bias against her work there which probably is unfair against Kay Scarpetta. If you liked those you might like Val McDermids Dr. Tony Hill series
I hear you. I decided to skip her Jack the Ripper book because I had heard much the same thing. I was a fan of the Scarpetta series, but on trying a few other books (not Scarpetta) in the mid to late 90s it seemed like she was maybe going a little crazy. :( Haven't read much of her since then.
 

mal

content
Jun 23, 2007
4,714
27,243
61
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
I'm on my fourth revolution of the Dark Tower series. I gave my two original first books away and eventually replaced them with paperbacks. While at the Value Village in Peterborough, Ontario, I found the first 2 books again and snapped them up quickly as they would look much better on my SK bookshelves now. Due to this, I started reading the first one on vacation and was hooked all over again.
 

Spideyman

Uber Member
Jul 10, 2006
46,336
195,472
79
Just north of Duma Key
I'm on my fourth revolution of the Dark Tower series. I gave my two original first books away and eventually replaced them with paperbacks. While at the Value Village in Peterborough, Ontario, I found the first 2 books again and snapped them up quickly as they would look much better on my SK bookshelves now. Due to this, I started reading the first one on vacation and was hooked all over again.
Addictive indeed!! Enjoy the journey.
 

urrutiap

Well-Known Member
Jan 19, 2009
324
1,017
I was digging through the closet in my bedroom to see what I have for Dune books since Ive been kind of thining about getting Sandworms of Dune or one of the prequel novels of Dune.

Besides that As I was digging through my boxes of books, i found my old paperback of Bag of Bones so Im keeping that one out to read later this year.
 

osnafrank

Well-Known Member
Jan 24, 2017
7,121
50,822
47
Germany
I finished Bird Box. I liked it. Can't really say much without spoiling anything. But between reading this plus Dana Jean's review of On This the Day of the Pig in her Cemetery Dance thread, I will be seeking out more of Josh Malerman's work.

Is this the same as the Movie with Sandra Bullock?
I just watched a Trailer and it reminds me of "A quite Place" (Great Movie)
 

Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
61,289
239,271
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
I'm on my fourth revolution of the Dark Tower series. I gave my two original first books away and eventually replaced them with paperbacks. While at the Value Village in Peterborough, Ontario, I found the first 2 books again and snapped them up quickly as they would look much better on my SK bookshelves now. Due to this, I started reading the first one on vacation and was hooked all over again.
My older brother used to live in Peterborough before he moved down to the States with his American wife.

I'm still reading a book called "Educated" by Tara Westlake - it's a true story and a very good read


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I remember driving from Trenton Ontario to Peterborough to visit my brother in my old green 77 Plymouth Volare