Author Topic: My latest read is...  (Read 186483 times)

JRob

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #315 on: February 10, 2021, 03:59:49 am »
I finished reading the Carlene O'Connor Irish Village mystery MURDER IN AN IRISH COTTAGE today. You can check out my thoughts via this Goodreads link.

Next up for me: I'll be starting EVERY WAKING HOUR by Joanna Schaffhausen. It's a good time to start the book considering today is her birthday.

I have a book by Joanna Schaffhausen that you recommended. Maybe I'll start that one today.

Yesterday I read DEATH LIGHTS A CANDLE, an Asey Mayo Cape Cod Mystery by Pheobe Atwood Taylor. Goodreads and others give it good reviews:


Death Lights a Candle
by Phoebe Atwood Taylor

3.76 · 119 Ratings · 18 Reviews · published 1932 · 6 editions

Asey Mayo fans, and newcomers, will have much to discover in Death Lights a Candle, with its special New England flavor and Cape Cod characters. As Marilyn Stasio, columnist for the New York Times writes, "Taylor's droll period whodunits are a special treat, thanks to the Codfish Sherlock, Asey Mayo, a salty Cape codger who entertains summer visitors by solving picturesque crimes."

I've been reading a lot of vintage mysteries lately, with mixed results. This one was written in 1932 and is set in the same year. One of the things that bugged me was probably accurate to that period - the woman who played the lead character complained that she couldn't follow any of the legalese related to the reading of the will, but commented that the men had no trouble at all. I'm really glad I wasn't born then.

I have Massachusetts and Vermont relatives who spend (or spent) a lot of time on the Cape, so it was interesting to read about it.

One period note - throughout the novel upstairs and downstairs were hyphenated. I wonder when that became old-fashioned?

I'm unfamiliar with the author and the series so maybe I'll check it out. I don't know about old-fashioned but with language changing seemingly every single day for a multitude of reasons, at this point a book that came out last year could have language considered old-fashioned these days.

Becke Davis

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #316 on: February 11, 2021, 01:27:25 am »
I agree about the constant changes in language and even in punctuation. I love all the hats people wear in old books, and the fashions are always fun.

JRob

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #317 on: February 12, 2021, 04:47:15 pm »
I finished reading the Joanna Schaffhausen thriller EVERY WAKING HOUR today. I loved it! You can check out my review of the book via this Goodreads link.

Becke Davis

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #318 on: February 16, 2021, 10:49:26 pm »
I finished Catriona McPherson's stand-alone AS SHE LEFT IT last night. I knew I wasn't going to be able to sleep until I finished it. Wow - so many twists! I really liked it.

This morning I started another book by this author - another stand-alone. My edition is called HOUSE.TREE.PERSON. It was also published as WEIGHT OF ANGELS.

I was trying to choose between several books but I started in on this one after reading the date on page one, as the story opens: Tuesday, February 16. I figure it's a sign I should read it today!

JRob

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #319 on: February 17, 2021, 03:45:55 am »

I was trying to choose between several books but I started in on this one after reading the date on page one, as the story opens: Tuesday, February 16. I figure it's a sign I should read it today!

Yeah, that's a definite sign.  ;D

Becke Davis

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #320 on: February 19, 2021, 01:00:37 am »
I forgot to mention one thing about AS SHE LEFT IT. The main character's name is Opal. In one scene, she mentions how rare it was to have other girls with names starting with "O" in her classes at school.

With the popularity of Olivia, I think O names might be a little more common now. When I tried to think of others, the first one that came to mind was Oline, like Mystery Scene's Oline Cogdill.

Others I came up with: Olga, Ophelia, Ondine, Oprah, Orchid, Orla, Olive - any others you can think of?

JRob

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #321 on: February 19, 2021, 07:35:13 am »
I just finished reading an advance copy of the debut thriller from Robyn Gigl called BY WAY OF SORROW. I'm going to be submitting a review to the magazine so I won't say anything more here for now.

So I loved the book and my review was printed in the magazine. But the publication got pushed back from last year to the end of March this year.

When I looked at the review section PDF that was sent to me for the upcoming new issue, I noticed a trade ad from Kensington Publishing about the book. And wouldn't you know it, the review quote they used at the top of the ad was mine! Totally cool I must say.


Becke Davis

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #322 on: February 20, 2021, 07:01:59 pm »
Congratulations - that is so cool!

JRob

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #323 on: February 26, 2021, 10:18:33 am »
I am currently reading an advance copy of the Marc Cameron thriller BONE RATTLE. I'll be reviewing it for Mystery Scene and I just got another ARC in the mail yesterday that looks promising as well.

Oh and I'm picking up Amy Pershing's A SIDE OF MURDER tomorrow. The series is set on Cape Cod (not sure about what town exactly yet) but since I'm just off of the Cape, I figured I'd give it a try.

Becke Davis

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #324 on: February 26, 2021, 05:40:24 pm »
I've been reading a lot:

I liked book one of a series by M.S. Morris. It's called ASPIRE TO DIE and I liked it a lot.

I also read A GLANCING LIGHT by Aaron Elkins. It had more violence than other books of his I've read, so it wasn't a favorite. (My favorites are the book he and his wife co-wrote.)

I really liked the first book in Deborah Blake's new Catskills Pet Rescue cozy series - FURBIDDEN FATALITY.. I'm looking forward to more books in this series.

I'm currently about halfway through Book Ten in Nancy Warren's Vampire Knitting Club series - GARTERS AND GARGOYLES. I think I only have two books left in this series. Luckily, she wrote other series - I'm looking forward to reading those, too.

JRob

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #325 on: February 27, 2021, 01:48:43 pm »
I just picked up the Amy Pershing book A SIDE OF MURDER today. It's the first book in the Cape Cod Foodie mystery series. I read about her and the book on the Jungle Red Writers blog and put it on my must-buy list.

But I also stopped off at my local comic shop where I put in an order for J.C. Vaughn's SECOND WEDNESDAY, which is the first book in the Donovan Bay series. It's a prose novel and it comes out in May. I also discovered that Image Comics will start publishing a nine issue miniseries called THE GOOD ASIAN, which is about (obviously) an Asian detective in 1936 Chinatown. I added that to my pull list.

And I picked up the first issue of a new miniseries called Stray Dogs. It's a murder mystery but the main characters are all dogs. The main dog is trying to find their owner and a killer may have done his human in. The art is done in the Don Bluth animation style and check out the fantastic homage cover art for the first issue.

Becke Davis

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #326 on: February 27, 2021, 03:32:02 pm »
I just picked up the Amy Pershing book A SIDE OF MURDER today. It's the first book in the Cape Cod Foodie mystery series. I read about her and the book on the Jungle Red Writers blog and put it on my must-buy list.

But I also stopped off at my local comic shop where I put in an order for J.C. Vaughn's SECOND WEDNESDAY, which is the first book in the Donovan Bay series. It's a prose novel and it comes out in May. I also discovered that Image Comics will start publishing a nine issue miniseries called THE GOOD ASIAN, which is about (obviously) an Asian detective in 1936 Chinatown. I added that to my pull list.

And I picked up the first issue of a new miniseries called Stray Dogs. It's a murder mystery but the main characters are all dogs. The main dog is trying to find their owner and a killer may have done his human in. The art is done in the Don Bluth animation style and check out the fantastic homage cover art for the first issue.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm interested in the Stray Dogs series. It sounds a bit like Spencer Quinn's books. I love the way he writes. It's rare for a mystery to make me laugh out loud but Chet, the dog protagonist, has given me the giggles many times.

JRob

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #327 on: March 15, 2021, 02:34:04 pm »
I finished Tracy Gardner's RUBY RED HERRING and submitted a review of it to the magazine.

I've read something by this author - I'll have to check. I just finished THE SNOWDONIA KILLINGS by Simon McCleave. I liked it a lot and I'm eager to read more of these books, which are set in Wales.
« Last Edit: March 15, 2021, 06:44:19 pm by Becke Davis »

JRob

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #328 on: March 19, 2021, 04:51:08 pm »
I finished reading MURDER ON THE METRO by Jon Land. It's the first book written by him in the Capital Crimes series that was originated by Margaret Truman. And I found it to be an outstanding thriller. You can read my Goodreads review of it via this link.

JRob

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #329 on: March 24, 2021, 04:01:38 pm »
I'm currently reading an advance copy of the new C.J. Box book DARK SKY. It's due out in March.

Here's my review as it appeared in the latest issue of the magazine.