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Messages - Becke Davis

661
Welcome and General Discussion / Re: J.K. Rowling
« on: January 18, 2020, 12:40:56 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!

662
Welcome and General Discussion / J.K. Rowling
« on: January 17, 2020, 12:11:20 am »
I've read all the Harry Potter books and so have both of my kids. My favorite was the first book in the series. I was hesitant to see the movies but on the whole, I liked them. And I am so thankful for J.K. Rowling writing the books that made my not-a-fan-of-reading son shut himself in his bedroom so he could read these books without interruption. His daughters might be too young for the movies but they LOVE them (except the scene where Dobby dies, that makes them sad). My son, daughter-in-law and both girls went to Harry Potter Universal in Hollywood over Christmas break and now they are constantly casting spells on us and on each other. Our library is having a Harry Potter night on February 8 - we are counting the days!

I also really enjoy the Cormorant Strike books by Robert Galbraith aka J.K. Rowlings. I've read them all like them a lot, but don't go into them expecting anything resembling Hogwarts. I didn't realize there was a TV series based on the books until I read about it in the current issue of Mystery Scene. It's on Cinemax, and my husband and I watched the first of three episodes based on the first book. We both are looking forward to the rest of this series!

Have you read the books or seen the TV show? What do you think of them?

663
This homage to Holmes is advertised in the current issue of Mystery Scene. The gorgeous cover would have caught my eye in a bookstore, but I somehow missed this one. It gets great reviews and based on the reviews it's a shout-out to HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES.

It's well past Christmas, but I've added this to my wish list - like so many others!

https://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Christmas-Demon-Lovegrove/dp/1785658026/ref=sr_1_1?crid=7U6ESZZ6AIZ3&keywords=sherlock+holmes+and+the+christmas+demon&qid=1579247906&s=books&sprefix=sherlock+holmes+demo%2Cstripbooks%2C230&sr=1-1

664
I haven't yet gotten to reading the latest issue, but I keep a pen and paper next to me when I read each issue to write down books to add to my list or publisher's websites to look up. One of my various want lists is dedicated to just books I've found an interest in from seeing them in Mystery Scene.

I can say that the very first author that I was turned onto in the first issue that I ever read was C.J. Box. Oline Cogdill had an interview with him and it sounded great. I bought the first book but didn't finish it before I went out and bought as many as I could find on the shelves because the first one was so amazing.

The Ngaio Marsh reference book mentioned in this issue is on my wish list. I've read all of her books - most of them multiple times - and her autobiography BLACK BEECH AND HONEYDEW is an all-time favorite of mine. For years it wasn't available or was only for sale at sky high prices. It's available at Amazon, but there is quite a range of prices: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Beech-Honeydew-Ngaio-Marsh/dp/0006512348

665
I've been reading the latest issue of Mystery Scene and it's already impacted my to-be-read bookcases. I know I've read something by Elly Griffiths but not recently. Since reading this issue, I've picked up five of her books, ordered ONE NIGHT GONE by Tara Laskowski, and preordered Molly MacRae's new book. Every time I flip through this issue, I find more books I want to read. Dangerous!!!!!

If you read Mystery Scene - and I'm assuming a lot of you do - what books have you been inspired to read in recent issues of the magazine?

666
I read all sorts of homages to the Holmes canon or non-canonical Holmes stories that get published. The library's Mystery Book Club just read the first book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series by Vicki Delany which I love, but it was funny that one member just hated everything about the main character. She printed out everything that she didn't like and when someone asked me what I thought about what she said, my response was "Everything she hated is what made me like the character and book."

It's so funny how that works. I once got into a conversation with a woman at a bookstore. She saw me browsing through mysteries and went on a rant about how over-rated Agatha Christie is. I knew it would be a waste of time and energy defending one of my favorite authors when I was pretty sure she'd never even read one.

I'm not always in the mood for cozies, just like I'm not always in the mood for noir or thrillers. And I must admit, when I first started reading Sherlock Holmes stories, I enjoyed the plots but thought Holmes was an annoying know-it-all. Reading the Mary Russell books humanized Holmes for me, and watching Elementary made him more likable to me, too.

667
We have a lot of ground to cover still, so I just want to make a note about our Holmes Celebration. The Birthday anniversary inspired this event, but the celebration will go on all month.

I'd love to hear from anyone who writes or enjoys reading books that relate to the original Holmes books but take them in a new direction.

Spread the word!

668
I go through periods of reading mainly new releases, and then I'll spend a month or two digging into vintage mysteries. While on one of my vintage binges, I came across THE LIST OF ADRIAN MESSENGER by Philip MacDonald. I think he's better known for THE RASP which I thought was okay. I love THE LIST OF ADRIAN MESSENGER and reread it periodically. There is a movie loosely - VERY loosely - based on the book. If I'd known about the movie first, I would never have considered reading the book. The movie was packed with cameos from famous people like Frank Sinatra, but I thought it was atrocious. If someone out there saw it and liked it, well, everybody is different.

Anyway, I've brought up the interesting premise of this book with mystery-loving friends on occasion, and no one had heard of it.

And, speaking of interesting premises, there's an old movie called THE WRONG BOX that is sort of mystery with a touch of slapstick. One word can solve the mystery and explain the plot, but I'm not going to say it. Do any of you remember this movie?

669
What I'm Reading / Re: My latest read is...
« on: January 14, 2020, 02:42:09 pm »

Wow, I'm really surprised that your accuser would pick up on "spook" as racist. Even Urban Dictionary identifies it more as a slang word related to government agents and espionage. Since the cover of the book shows a copy of "Sleepy Hollow" as well as pumpkins, a cat and a lighthouse, I think the combination of the title and the cover point to the book being about spooky ghosts.

Was your accuser confrontational or did he/she just toss that comment out there and leave it at that?

A good book and Dunkin Donuts certainly would take some of the pain out of doing laundry!

She struck me as one of those fake "woke" people who find offense wherever they can regardless of reality. Like you said, the book has Sleepy Hollow and pumpkins on the cover, it is pretty clear what the book would be about. I just looked at her and said, "It's a book about Halloween" and turned away from her. She wisely let it go at that.

You handled that well. It's tricky figuring out which response will defuse the situation and which will trigger a full-on nuclear reaction!

670
Top Ten Lists / Re: Top 10 Agatha Christie
« on: January 13, 2020, 06:37:28 pm »
I seem to remember a post about our favorite Tuppence and Tommy actors and actresses. I was very surprised to come across this one:

"1950 'The Case of the Missing Lady' starred future president Ronald Reagan & Cloris Leachman as Tommy & Tuppence. 1983-1984 James Warwick & Francesca Annis were Tommy & Tuppence Beresford, husband & wife sleuths in the British television series 'Partners in Crime'. 2006 saw Anthony Andrews & Greta Scacchi in 'By the Pricking of My Thumbs' as Tommy & Tuppence. In 2015 David Walliams & Jessica Raine reprised the roles for one six-part series for the novels 'The Secret Adversary' & 'N or M?'."

https://www.pinterest.com/janetthorpe16/agatha-christie-tommy-tuppence/

Scroll down at this link to see images of all the Tuppence-and-Tommy pairings, including Ronald Reagan and Cloris Leachman. Wouldn't it be fun if that one could be repeated on television?


671
I don't care who writes a book. It is more important that the book they write be something I actually want to read.

I agree. Going through some of the mysteries I've read recently, a lot of them are by female authors. But a fair number are by men: Lee Child, Harlan Coben, Michael Connelly, David Baldacci, Rex Stout, Dick Francis, Peter Robinson, Stephen King, Michael Crichton, John Dickson Carr, (vintage) Carter Dickson (vintage), Robert Ludlum, William Kent Kreuger, Brad Parks, Ken Isaacson, Jim Butcher, Jonathan Kellerman, Blake Crouch, Philip MacDonald (vintage), G.K. Chesterton's Father Brown mysteries, Craig Johnson, Jeffrey Archer, Aaron Elkins, Simon Brett, Jeffrey Marks, Jeff Abbott, Linwood Barclay, John Verdon, Cyril Hare, Anthony Horowitz, Lawrence Block, Michael Gilbert, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and even A.A. Milne (his classic mystery is THE RED HOUSE MYSTERY).

672
What I'm Reading / Re: My latest read is...
« on: January 13, 2020, 06:09:14 pm »
I finished catching up on the Lighthouse Library series by Eva Gates.

I read THE SPOOK IN THE STACKS (which got me accused of reading a book with an oddly racist title at the Dunkin Donuts next to the laundromat where I do my clothes washing), SOMETHING READ, SOMETHING DEAD and READ AND BURIED.

Wow, I'm really surprised that your accuser would pick up on "spook" as racist. Even Urban Dictionary identifies it more as a slang word related to government agents and espionage. Since the cover of the book shows a copy of "Sleepy Hollow" as well as pumpkins, a cat and a lighthouse, I think the combination of the title and the cover point to the book being about spooky ghosts.

Was your accuser confrontational or did he/she just toss that comment out there and leave it at that?

A good book and Dunkin Donuts certainly would take some of the pain out of doing laundry!

673
Top Ten Lists / Re: Top 5 Nero Wolfe novels
« on: January 13, 2020, 12:46:07 am »
I wouldn't normally share a Wikipedia post, but I found their page on Nero Wolfe fascinating! I'm new to Rex Stout's books - I think the only one I'd read in the past was FER-DE-LANCE, and I need to read it again. This post contained lots of book-related information that was new to me:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero_Wolfe

675
Welcome and General Discussion / Re: GENDER IN MYSTERY NOVELS
« on: January 13, 2020, 12:13:35 am »
I wrote a long reply to this thread a couple days ago and just as I tried to post it, my computer froze. I had to boot it and restart, and of course my comment vanished into the ether.

I tried to copy as much as I could before I shut it down. I'm frustrated that I can't think of any books that are entirely one gender. I went to Google for help, and found some interested posts:

https://electricliterature.com/10-lgbtq-crime-fiction-must-reads/

https://www.amazon.com/Gender-Bending-Detective-Fiction-Critical/dp/1476668205