The Good House - Week 2 - Annotation 2

Another book I thoroughly enjoyed was the Good House by Ann Leary.

This book is a character study.   We follow the main character, Hildy Good, as she narrates about her life as a real estate broker living on Boston's North Shore.   She is a flawed character, and we are seeing things from her point of view, so she can be an unreliable narrator, and I often like this as a plot device.   We know that her family has staged an intervention because of her drinking and we know that she believes she does not have a drinking problem.   The reader needs to read on to discover the truth.   I think this may fall in the learning/experiencing category because Hildy is becoming more aware of herself as the story progresses.  She is not a stagnant character, but a dynamic one that changes with her surroundings.

This has a setting that is very important as well.  Leary describes the town, adds dalect, and fills the town with quirky side characters that really reflect the area in which they live.  The audio book was delightful because the actress narrating the work really captured the speech of the area,  and the reader really gets a feel for what life may be like in a town with deep historic roots.

The work is slightly literary,  the writing style is more important, though, it is not sluggish.  There are several plot twists and some suspense that does keep the story moving.   I would probably say the pacing for the one would be medium.  This is one novel that would probably appeal to several different types of readers for several different reasons. It has many layers to it, and makes it more complex and I think is ultimately successful.    I look forward to see what this author will write next.

Death on the Nile - Week 2 - Appeal factors.

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie is a perfect example to annotate based on appeal factors.

Hercule Poirot is taking a trip to Egypt,  and he encounters a young woman named Jaqueline DeBellefort who is madly in love with a man named Simon Doyle.   Fate intervenes and Simon does not marry Jackie, but instead weds Linnet Ridgeway,  Jackie's beautiful, glamorous and very wealthy friend.  Jackie confesses to Poirot that she would like nothing better than to place a pistol against her skull and pull the trigger.   Soon,  on a cruise down the Nile River, Linnet Ridgeway is dead.

Agatha Christie really creates a great main character with Hercule Poirot.   He is quirky and tenacious and always measures the facts before solving the crime.   But I love Agatha Chrities secondary characters the most.  It is important to have characters with hidden motives, or desires that need to be discovered in the course of the mystery. In Death on the Nile, many characters are hiding secrets and each of these layers need to be peeled away to solve the crime.   I am also a big fan of setting,  and Death on the Nile is a perfect example of an exotic locale.  Not only is it set in the 1930's  (it was written in 1937)   but also has the wonderful landscape of Egypt,  and a large cruise vessel traveling down the Nile.   I would not call Agatha Christie fast paced.  There is suspense, naturally, because Poirot is solving a murder.  But it is also a bit cerebral.   Chrisite takes time to interview suspects and lay out clues slowly, so the reader has time to digest the plot, and think about the new information, so that when the case is solved, it will make sense to the reader.   The story line becomes a bit important in a Christie because it does follow a "traditional mystery" format, with a murder, followed by an investigation and a solution.    The tone is slightly serious,  not comical or sweet as you would think of in a cozy.   It is slightly more glamorous because of the setting, and at times can even be a little sinister.   Truly one of her greatest works.

Modern mystery trap

Come on, really?

I am trying to like modern mysteries.  I really am.   Just once I would like to find a writer of modern day mysteries that has a classic sensibility.    I really miss the way  mysteries used to be written.

I started reading the Frozen Shroud by Martin Edwards and it had promise.   It had real atmosphere.  A small town in the Lake District,  a huge mansion,  a crime that happened in the past that created the legend of a wandering ghost,   a much more recent crime that mimicked the earlier crime,  and all of this happening on Halloween.   What more could you want?   I was ready for twists, turns, and suspects.

Then we meet the man who would be solving the case,  and he starts rambling about his life.   Soon, we meet his ex girlfriend and she starts rambling about her life,  and we have to hear about her ex husband,  and her best friend, and all the problems they are having in their lives,  and pages and pages and pages are going by, and we are NOT DISCUSSING the mystery AT ALL.   Soon, I start to forget why I am actually reading this novel,  and my reading slows down to a crawl.

You guys reading this blog know I love Agatha Christie.   How much do we really know about Poirot or Miss Marple?  Not much, really.  Just enough to keep us interested while they solve the case, and delve into the suspects, motives, alibis and clues.   That is what I want when I read a mystery.   The life of the detective is not important to me, and frankly, it wastes pages.

Please, writers, take a note of this.   I want to find a writer that really can write a mystery worth reading.

Elephants can remember, sadly, I cannot.

 The final two mysteries have been selected for my vacation.  I am taking Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie.  I have read this one before,  but don't remember much about the plot.  I do recall that it involves a murder that takes place in the distant past, and someone growing older and realizing what they now know or had seen.   I seem to remember enjoying it greatly.  This one is also being filmed by the BBC this year and is one of the final set of Poirot novels to star David Suchet.    He will have filmed every last one of them.   The other films on the horizon are Dead Man's Folly,  the Big Four and the Labors of Hercules.

I found this Margery Allingham novel while nosing around in my paperback cubboard.  It is the White Cottage Mystery,  and oddly, does not involve Albert Campion.    Further investigation of the novel showed that this was written as a serial in the 1920's and was later collected in its novel form.    It involves a country house,  a shooting,  a throughoughly disliked victim, and a cast of suspects  making it out to be  a true cozy.   I expect to thouroughly enjoy this one. 

This does mean I am taking four novels with me.   Chances are, I will not be able to read all four of them, but, I am better off prepared.     Hate to run out of books so far from shore.

Just delightful

A friend recommended me this novel on audio, and I have to say it is quite delightful.   It is read by Robert Ian Mackenzie who has the most wonderful soft Scottish lilt and it really brings the novel to life.

Alexander McCall Smith writes in his intro that he was intrigued by the idea of a serial novel,  as Dickens used to write in his day.   He proposed this idea to a local newspaper, and was accepted, not as a weekly, but as a daily story.  The story ran, and later, 44 Scotland Street was published.

Centered around the tenants of an apartment building in Edinburgh, the novel is full of quirky characters.  Matthew runs a gallery but obviously knows nothing about art.   Bruce seems more involved with making a good impression and looking good than actually accomplishing anything else.   And poor Bertie,  a hapless six year old,  is forced to learn Italian and play the saxophone while a true helicopter mother looks on.  I am enjoying the novel immensely so far, and have reserved the second volume, Espresso Tales,  also on audio.    It really makes the morning commute a treat. 

Librarian's curse

I love being a librarian.  But there is a bit of a downside.     In order to keep on top of the latest novels and trends to best help my customers,  I often have to ignore books that I really want to read.    There really isn't a good reason for me to be reading something from thirty years ago,  something out of print,  something that our library does not own.   This does not mean that I really don't relish the thought of reading it.

So,  on the occasion that I get to take a vacation and "get away" as it were, I often squirrel away novels that I really want to read for the sake of enjoyment alone,  and spend a week reading titles that I have always meant to read but never did.

This vacation I am going to read Curtain by Agatha Christie.   I am not sure if this is a wise choice on my behalf, as it is Poirot's last case and Poirot dies in the course of the novel.  I have been avoiding reading it for that very reason.  But as the film comes out later this year, I want to have read the book first.     Tissues are at the ready.  I will be prepared.

I also chose a Barbara Vine novel that I hear is quite good - Gallowglass.   Fans of Barbara Vine will know she is also Ruth Rendell,  an author I greatly admire and usually love anything she writes.    I tracked down a paperback copy and will put it in my suitcase.  I often purchase paperbacks for my trips, so if I accidentally lose them or drop them in the pool, I have only damaged my own personal copy.

I am still deciding on a third to take with me.  Things go better in three's.   Ruminating over an old Victoria Holt or perhaps a Margery Allingham.      Happy reading everyone!

Week One, and what I know (or don't know, as the case may be)

Accoding to Sporcle, it is apparent that I do not know the cover of Freakonomics.   It is also apparent that I read very little non-fiction.  If there is one thing I need to do, is familiarize myself with more non-fiction!

But I did reasonably well on Sporcle and judging books by the covers.    I can definitely sell a book based on cover image alone.  Now, if that only worked on getting me to a table in a restaurant faster.  

About the links.   I chose to read Salon, because when I opened the link, it looked like a lot of  non-fiction.  So much non-fiction I thought my head might explode.   I decided Salon would be good for me.

I also decided on Heroes and Heartbreakers, because I don't read a lot of romance, and I need a touch of whimsy and passion, after reading Salon.  I think the two will give me new information but be different enough from one another to keep me interested.

I did like the articles posted.   The tips were great, and some of the six year old's guesses were hilarious.   I am ready for this new challenge in my reader's advisory development.  

Don't do it.

Things to avoid when visiting Midsomer County:

1.  Avoid the church or any church related activity, like choir, or bell ringing.

2.  Avoid any local activity groups, like a garden society or a book club.

3.  Avoid any yearly events, like Morris dancing festivals,  craft fairs or re-enactments of anything.

4.  Avoid any special events, especially if they happen to be filming a movie, or a celebrity is coming to town.

5.  Avoid local shops, or shopkeepers.

6.   Sporting events are completely out.  This would include soccer, cricket and any rowing events.

7.  It would definitely be to your best advantage to avoid any nefarious characters, and if you do suspect wrongdoing,  DO NOT go to the wrongdoer and try to talk him/her out of it.

Following these simple rules may make your world not end in tears.

Long road ahead.

Started reading the Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates, and I like it so far, but suddenly I hit a snag, and a realization about myself.

This book is somewhat dense, and literary and awfully long.  So if you were expecting to get a meaningful review of the book on my blog post, I fear you are sadly disappointed.  This blog post appears to be more about my reading style!

I have trouble as of late getting into a really long book.  I think it is mostly time constraints.  I tend to read a bit, put it aside and have trouble getting back to it.    It is not the fault of the novel, or the novelist.   I think my old, tired eyes are not as easily trained to the page as they once were.

Though, this immense novel is interesting and has Woodrow Wilson as a main character.  There is also a curse, and I believe a paranormal element which is very different from anything Joyce Carol Oates has given the world so far.   I am really hoping to find this one on audio.  I think I would prefer listening to it.   It is very complex,  and the author does have an incredible way with words.

The Truth is out there.

Been listening to Nemesis by Agatha Christie on CD.   I am truly impressed by some of the talent they have reading her novels.  In this case, Rosalind Ayres, and she does a great reading that really seems to capture Miss Marple.

In this novel, we are reacquainted with Jason Rafiel, who we met in the Caribbean Mystery.  Mr. Rafiel has died, but has left Miss Marple a task.  She must once again become "Nemesis" and seek justice.  But he doesn't give her much more to go on.   He arranges for her to go on a bus tour of England's homes and gardens.  Their she meets a Miss Temple who appears to be on a pilgrimage of her own.  It is not long before Miss Temple is involved in a grisly accident.   Miss Marple is nearing the truth.  What will she find?

Miss Marple novels are wonderful.  Agatha Christie is one novelist that I can read over and over again, and although I know the outcome, I still enjoy the journey.   Listening to them is a treat, and if you are someone who enjoys the film versions, try the audios. You will not be disappointed.