Myrna-Nora's July Books
Jul. 31st, 2012 09:40 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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christianreader51. Lock 14 (Le charretier de "La Providence") (1931) Georges Simenon
When canal workers stumble upon the body of a strangled woman, Maigret investigates life amongst the yachts and barges...
52. A Man's Head (La tête d'un homme) (1931) Georges Simenon
Maigret is not convinced that a man on death row is guilty, and instigates his escape, hoping the man will lead him to the real killer...
This series falls somewhere between a cozy Agatha Christie puzzle and hard-boiled noir. Our detective spends most of time seemingly wandering about, but just through simple observations is able to piece together the solution. They are not genius in the brain teasers department, but they were excellently written, suspenseful, and very atmospheric.
53. The Great Cake Mystery (Precious and the Puggies) (2010) Alexander McCall Smith
Before she founded the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, a young Precious Ramostwe solved her first case in her school classroom...
It's very short and written for young readers, but if you enjoy "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series you might find it a pleasant once read. It's the same brand of humor and warmheartedness found in all Mma Ramotswe's stories.
54. A Red Herring Without Mustard (2011) Alan Bradley
Eleven-year-old sleuth Flavia de Luce uncovers a fresh slew of misdeeds involving a missing tot, a fortune-teller, and a corpse in her own backyard...
I loved the "voice" of Flavia (although I wish she didn't tamper with the crime scenes quite so much) since book one, but the mystery plots are getting more intricate with each installment.
55. Murder On The Ballarat Train (1991) Kerry Greenwood
Phryne pieces together the clues after a restful country sojourn turns into the stuff of nightmares: an amnesic young girl, rumors of white slavery and black magic, and the murder of an old woman...
I love the the glamorous flapper sleuth/adventurer image I have of Phryne, but so far this series has failed to wow me. They are alright, and I will more than likely be reading more. But of the two I've read so far, I start to get bored around the last 1/3 of the book.
56. Enthusiasm (2006) Polly Shulman
When hyper-enthusiast Ashleigh becomes obsessed with Pride and Prejudice she sweeps her best friend Julie up into her quest for Mr. Darcy. They start with crashing the dance at an all-boys' prep school...
If I had a time machine and gave this to a 10 to 15 years-younger-version of myself, it probably would have been one of my favorites. The two heroines and their friends have a lot fun. I enjoyed the humor, the classic literature references, and that they were involved in activities and had a life other than mooning over boys 24/7 (although there is still plenty of that, and plenty of sweet moments, too.)
57. The Butterfly Cabinet (2011) Bernie Mcgill
A Victorian lady is convicted of murder; 70 years later, a servant from the household tells her side of the story...
The 1890's household is well-detailed in snippets of flashbacks; back & forth between two distinctly-voiced women. One is in her 90's thinking back to her time as a servant. The other voice is the sometimes lyrical prison diary of the lady of the house. There is an eeriness that comes from the latter's matter-of-fact, prettily-told tale of child-abuse. However, it was neither scary, suspenseful, nor mysterious as the ominous cover hinted. Nicely written in places, wanders away from the main story a bit too much in the latter half, but overall it promised much more in the early chapters than it delivered with the very tame "twist" ending.
58. A Town Like Alice (1950) Nevil Shute
A young Englishwoman living in Malaya becomes a prisoner to the invading Japanese army. A few years after the war, an unexpected inheritance takes her back to Malaya, and to the Australian outback...
My second Nevil Shute book of the year; while On the Beach was more evenly paced, I preferred this story. The beginning is a bit slow, and the end drags on too long, but in between it is excellent. The prisoner of war scenes in Malaya are particularly powerful.
When canal workers stumble upon the body of a strangled woman, Maigret investigates life amongst the yachts and barges...
52. A Man's Head (La tête d'un homme) (1931) Georges Simenon
Maigret is not convinced that a man on death row is guilty, and instigates his escape, hoping the man will lead him to the real killer...
This series falls somewhere between a cozy Agatha Christie puzzle and hard-boiled noir. Our detective spends most of time seemingly wandering about, but just through simple observations is able to piece together the solution. They are not genius in the brain teasers department, but they were excellently written, suspenseful, and very atmospheric.
53. The Great Cake Mystery (Precious and the Puggies) (2010) Alexander McCall Smith
Before she founded the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, a young Precious Ramostwe solved her first case in her school classroom...
It's very short and written for young readers, but if you enjoy "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series you might find it a pleasant once read. It's the same brand of humor and warmheartedness found in all Mma Ramotswe's stories.
54. A Red Herring Without Mustard (2011) Alan Bradley
Eleven-year-old sleuth Flavia de Luce uncovers a fresh slew of misdeeds involving a missing tot, a fortune-teller, and a corpse in her own backyard...
I loved the "voice" of Flavia (although I wish she didn't tamper with the crime scenes quite so much) since book one, but the mystery plots are getting more intricate with each installment.
55. Murder On The Ballarat Train (1991) Kerry Greenwood
Phryne pieces together the clues after a restful country sojourn turns into the stuff of nightmares: an amnesic young girl, rumors of white slavery and black magic, and the murder of an old woman...
I love the the glamorous flapper sleuth/adventurer image I have of Phryne, but so far this series has failed to wow me. They are alright, and I will more than likely be reading more. But of the two I've read so far, I start to get bored around the last 1/3 of the book.
56. Enthusiasm (2006) Polly Shulman
When hyper-enthusiast Ashleigh becomes obsessed with Pride and Prejudice she sweeps her best friend Julie up into her quest for Mr. Darcy. They start with crashing the dance at an all-boys' prep school...
If I had a time machine and gave this to a 10 to 15 years-younger-version of myself, it probably would have been one of my favorites. The two heroines and their friends have a lot fun. I enjoyed the humor, the classic literature references, and that they were involved in activities and had a life other than mooning over boys 24/7 (although there is still plenty of that, and plenty of sweet moments, too.)
57. The Butterfly Cabinet (2011) Bernie Mcgill
A Victorian lady is convicted of murder; 70 years later, a servant from the household tells her side of the story...
The 1890's household is well-detailed in snippets of flashbacks; back & forth between two distinctly-voiced women. One is in her 90's thinking back to her time as a servant. The other voice is the sometimes lyrical prison diary of the lady of the house. There is an eeriness that comes from the latter's matter-of-fact, prettily-told tale of child-abuse. However, it was neither scary, suspenseful, nor mysterious as the ominous cover hinted. Nicely written in places, wanders away from the main story a bit too much in the latter half, but overall it promised much more in the early chapters than it delivered with the very tame "twist" ending.
58. A Town Like Alice (1950) Nevil Shute
A young Englishwoman living in Malaya becomes a prisoner to the invading Japanese army. A few years after the war, an unexpected inheritance takes her back to Malaya, and to the Australian outback...
My second Nevil Shute book of the year; while On the Beach was more evenly paced, I preferred this story. The beginning is a bit slow, and the end drags on too long, but in between it is excellent. The prisoner of war scenes in Malaya are particularly powerful.
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