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Messages - Becke Davis

646
Welcome and General Discussion / Re: The 2020 Edgar Nominations
« on: January 23, 2020, 03:16:46 pm »
Having just read the list of nominees for the 2020 Edgar Awards, I've never been more aware that I am seemingly out of step with the majority of mystery readership.

I own exactly 1 book amongst all the nominees. And I've yet to read that one so far. There are three other titles I want to read. Not that I feel the need to be one with the crowd but damn that's a lot of nominees that I've never read, or in some cases, even heard of before now.

Here's the list: https://mysterywriters.org/mwa-announces-the-2020-edgar-nominations/

I'm doing slightly better - not much - with the Agatha nominees: https://mysteryreadersinc.blogspot.com/2020/01/agatha-nominees-malice-domestic.html?fbclid=IwAR1vRdKvZtYD7gi2WnYglfKyet9m53HAww3DrKaytL-lw0R4EW_icwaHtlw

I've read two of the nominees for Best Contemporary Novel:
A Better Man by Louise Penny (Minotaur)
The Murder List by Hank Philippi Ryan (Forge)

And, thanks to the current issue of Mystery Scene magazine, I've got one of the Best First Mystery Novel nominees on order:
One Night Gone by Tara Laskowski (Graydon House, a division of Harlequin)

As to the Edgars, I'm in the same ballpark as you are:

I'm almost finished with this one: The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

THE SIMON & SCHUSTER MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD

The Night Visitors by Carol Goodman (HarperCollins – William Morrow)
One Night Gone by Tara Laskowski (Harlequin – Graydon House)
Strangers at the Gate by Catriona McPherson (Minotaur Books)
Where the Missing Go by Emma Rowley (Kensington Publishing)
The Murder List by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Tom Doherty Associates – Forge Books)

I read a lot of Catriona McPherson's books and I think STRANGERS AT THE GATE is in my to-be-read pile.

I'm intrigued by some of the books in the critical and historical categories. The History of Collins Crime Club is especially intriguing but also expensive. I'm putting together a birthday list for my family! :-)

647
What I'm Reading / Re: My latest read is...
« on: January 22, 2020, 12:15:40 am »
I'm halfway through Elly Griffiths' THE STRANGER DIARIES - I like it a lot! I'm looking forward to reading books from her Ruth Galloway and Magic Men series soon, too.

648
Welcome and General Discussion / Re: Bookmarks?
« on: January 21, 2020, 04:24:43 pm »
Molly MacRae shared some images of a cool handmade bookmark that's a cut-out teapot with a teabag attached to it by a string. I tried to attach an image but I can't reduce it enough to get it to fit. Search "teacup bookmarks" and all kinds of cute ones come up!

649
I read The Seven and Half Percent Solution when I in college, I think. I remember being very startled by the drug addiction material. Somehow I had read the stories, admittedly when I was a kid, and hadn't quite processed Sherlock's whole cocaine habit....

I didn't figure that out until I was older, either, and at first I was sure I must be mistaken.

650
Welcome and General Discussion / Re: Bookmarks?
« on: January 21, 2020, 09:47:55 am »
The Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA is wonderful. I was surprised to see some movie posters along with all the magazine illustration work which was, of course, outstanding. The Four Freedoms and his other civil rights work was moving. It's a well-designed museum, very worth a day trip.

My grandmother, who lived in Adams, was a huge fan of Rockwell and use to talk about that museum a lot.

651
What I'm Reading / Re: What I am Reading
« on: January 20, 2020, 12:06:25 am »
My daughter was frustrated when I started to read THE BODIES IN THE LIBRARY 2, a collection of mystery short stories, because I have so many books waiting to be read. I've mentioned THE SILENT PATIENT - she read that months ago and has been after me to read it so we can talk about it together. "Just read the first two pages," she said. Well, this morning I did just that. And by the time she got home from work this afternoon, I had finished it.

Well, when she's right, she's right. It's a gripping thriller, with lots of small twists and a killer surprise ending. Like GONE GIRL, it's not a book you're likely to forget.

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250301697

652


I must be on your wavelength when it comes to mysteries. I spotted that one, too, and added his series to my wish list. If you get to it before I do, please share your thoughts on it!

Oh I will. I always post reviews of stuff I'm not reviewing for Mystery Scene on my Goodreads page.

Thanks - I need to get in the habit of going to Goodreads more often.

653
Welcome and General Discussion / Re: J.K. Rowling
« on: January 20, 2020, 12:00:18 am »
Brian and I watched the Cormoran Strike TV show and really enjoyed it. We haven't seen the episodes based on Lethal White yet, though. Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger seem perfectly cast.

I'd read the Robert Galbraith books except for Lethal White which has disappeared somewhere into the towering stacks of books around here. After much searching, I may have to give up and get it from the library.

I remember reading the Harry Potter books and thinking Rowling could probably write a great mystery. When the first Cormoran Strike book, THE CUCKOO'S CALLING, came in for review we didn't know it was Rowling. (Remember her identity was a big secret until a big mouth attorney spilt the beans.) But our review, which was very complimentary, said it was unusual for a first novelist to be so accomplished.

Here's the review
https://www.mysteryscenemag.com/component/content/article/26-reviews/books/3104-the-cuckoos-calling?highlight=WyJjdWNrb28ncyIsImN1Y2tvb3MiLCJjYWxsaW5nIiwiY3Vja29vJ3MgY2FsbGluZyJd&Itemid=113

By the time I read THE CUCKOO'S CALLING the secret was out. Rowling or not, I don't think I would have continued reading the other books in the series if I hadn't really liked the first one. We finished watching the episodes of THE CUCKOO'S CALLING tonight and tomorrow we'll probably watch the first episode of THE SILKWORM.

It's been awhile since I read LETHAL WHITE. I found it harder going than the other books in the series but I don't really remember why. I hope the producers of the TV show publicize the LETHAL WHITE episodes when they are ready. If the TV series continues the way it started I will definitely watch more!

My husband Marty and I have now watched all the Cormoran Strike episodes we could find - those based on the first three books. I hope they will be showing episodes based on LETHAL WHITE soon - I don't want this series to end!

https://deadline.com/2018/10/j-k-rowlings-detective-drama-strike-to-return-to-bbc-one-with-lethal-white-1202474079/

654
Welcome and General Discussion / Re: Lee Child Quits!
« on: January 19, 2020, 11:18:06 pm »
I've never read any of Andrew Grant's books so I don't know how it will turn out.

What the article doesn't make clear is if Lee Child is stopping writing altogether or just with the Reacher series.

This will definitely be news to watch!

655
Welcome and General Discussion / Re: Bookmarks?
« on: January 19, 2020, 11:17:11 pm »
Denise - I'm not sure if this board is set up to include images. I remember we had a lot of fun sharing images on the B&N board but maybe they had something to do with all the notorious glitches at that forum.

I think that the B&N boards used different software, but I have been a member of several boards like this one in the past. I know that we couldn't load actual image files, but had to link to an online image (that was when I used to use Photobucket a lot!). I tried the icon above the text box to Insert Image, but it didn't seem to do anything. Then I tried Insert Hyperlink. Finally, I typed the HTML tags in myself. No luck. Oh, well, maybe another member knows how to do it, and will see this.

Edit: Ah! Got it! Was using the wrong kind of brackets!

You are both patient and persistent - admirable traits! And that image is gorgeous! We celebrated my parents' 50th anniversary (also many years ago) not far from your celebration. I remember visiting an art collection either in the Berkshires or Vermont, but I remember sculptures more than paintings. Did you ever visit the Massachusetts Museum of Modern Art in North Adams? VERY cool!

656
Welcome and General Discussion / Re: Lee Child Quits!
« on: January 19, 2020, 12:48:00 am »
With the news that author Lee Child has quit as the author of his Jack Reacher series and handed the reins of the character over to his brother, what do you think the legacy of his work will be?

Are you nervous about the hand off like the publishers seem to be if you read the article link: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jan/18/jack-reacher-series-author-lee-child-quits-and-lets-brother-step-in

If you read the series, will you continue reading it? Usually in this situation the continuation comes about because the author has died not retired. I'm a couple books behind in the series but I do have hopes that things will be great going forward.

Thanks so much for sharing - I hadn't heard about this. Some of you may already be aware of Lee Child's brother, Andrew Grant, who is already a best-selling thriller author: https://www.andrewgrantbooks.com/books.php

He visited the Barnes & Noble Mystery Forum a few times when I was moderator there, and I met him at Bouchercon several years ago, where he gave a fascinating talk on writing mysteries. He compared writing a mystery to driving in the fog - you might have a general idea of where you're going (with the plot) but you don't always see the details clearly along the way. Were any of you there? As I write this, I'm wondering if I'm remembering his words accurately. Anyway, I have read several of Andrew's books and enjoyed them very much. I think it's interesting that Andrew will be taking on his brother's pen name (Child) in the new books. I'm curious how closely Andrew will stick to Lee's template. I would guess he won't deviate much from the Jack Reacher format and style, otherwise he'd risk being marched on by millions of fans with pitchforks and torches.

657
Speaking of finding authors from them being featured in Mystery Scene, there's a new article on the homepage of the website on Con Lehane.

He's completely new to me but I'm quite interested in checking out his Murder at the 42nd Street Library series now. I'll probably head to the library in a bit to see if they have the book on hand and if not, I'll have them transfer a copy to them so I can read it.

I must be on your wavelength when it comes to mysteries. I spotted that one, too, and added his series to my wish list. If you get to it before I do, please share your thoughts on it!

658
I always read Jon's columns, they are informative and interesting no doubt. I just don't buy these books. I'm already busy enough with reading the regular prose novels as it is.

I got into autobiographies when I was in middle school, and I continue to read them, in no particular pattern, to this day. Some that I remember especially are Agatha Christie's autobiography, Ngaio Marsh's (as I mentioned already), Frank Capra's autobiography, Lilli Palmer's CHANGE LOBSTERS AND DANCE (I'm sure I bought it for the title). I'm currently reading a short story collection: THE BODIES IN THE LIBRARY, 2, and I'm really enjoying the pocket biographies following each story. The first autobiographies I remember reading were in a special edition made for school children - one was about Clara Barton and one about J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI. I don't know if Mary Stewart or Josephine Tey ever wrote autobiographies, but if they did I would snap them up in a minute!

I also buy reference books on writing and about mysteries and the people who write them. I love to find unusual editions - for instance, my husband and I came across a lot of graphic novels based on Agatha Christie's books and he gave them to me for Christmas that year. :-)

659
Welcome and General Discussion / Re: Bookmarks?
« on: January 18, 2020, 12:49:11 am »
Denise - I'm not sure if this board is set up to include images. I remember we had a lot of fun sharing images on the B&N board but maybe they had something to do with all the notorious glitches at that forum.

660
In honor, I am rereading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I have a quality paperback that is supposed to be a facsimile of the original edition, with Sidney Paget's illustrations. I also have The Memoirs...; they came as a pair.  I have a paperback of The Hound of the Baskervilles, that I got when I was in junior high! I'm actually not sure that I've read any of the other novels; much more familiar with the short stories.

For me, Jeremy Brett is the definitive Holmes. Basil Rathbone was very good, too, although I think a number of those movies had original plots not from the stories. The Cumberbatch series is excellent in its own way, and really fascinating. I particularly enjoyed the character of Moriarty in that series. Elementary was also a good series.

And don't forget the movie The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother! So long since I've seen it, but what a comedy cast! Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman, etc. Basically a Mel Brooks film, only without Brooks - Wilder wrote and directed.

Denise - I had forgotten all about the Wilder/Holmes movie! You just reminded me of another book-and-movie: THE 7 1/2 PERCENT SOLUTION. It had a good cast but I seem to remember the movie dragged a bit. The book, on the other hand, was well-received. I'm sure I read it when it first came out - I remember I had a book club edition of the book (that I no longer have) - but I don't remember much about it.