Mysterymax's 12 in 12

This is my first time in a Challenge. I've picked my categories, and I keep redoing this entry in order to find a way to have everything all together.

I've added 26 books. I started the challenge when I learned of it back in October, so I sort of had a head start. This will even things up a bit! I'm starting it off by taking the steampunk books out of historical fiction and putting them in there, leaving me more room for the normal historical fiction.

Here goes:

1. The Game Is Afoot - Holmes Pastiches -To date:

1. Death Cloud by Andrew Lane - reviewed
2. The Jewel of Covent Garden by Wayne Worcester
3. Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Raleigh Legacy by L. B. Greenwood reviewed - enjoyed Worcester's book more
4. The Unopened Casebook of Sherlock Holmes by John Taylor
5. The Sherlockian by Graham Moore
6. The Secret Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes by June Thomson - very disappointed, always felt she was such a good writer - see review
7. Sherlock Holmes In Orbit - short stories compiled by Mike Resnick
8. The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz - a good one
9. Pirate King by Laurie R. King - very disappointing
10. The Disappearance of Sherlock Holmes by Larry Millett

2. Second Verse Same as the First - Some of those books I've always said I would re-read - To date:

1. The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth - reviewed
2. Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
3. The Spy Game by Marc Lovell
4. Moonraker by Ian Fleming
5. Apple to the Core by Marc Lovell
6. From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming
7. The Healer's War by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

3. "Oh, Archie!" - more Rex Stout - To date:

1. Champagne for One by Rex Stout. - had to start the New Year with this one.
2. Second Confession by Rex Stout
3. Poison a la Carte by Rex Stout
4. Method 3 for Murder by Rex Stout
5. The Rodeo Murder by Rex Stout
6. Too Many Clients by Rex Stout
7. Might As Well Be Dead by Rex Stout
8. The Final Deduction by Rex Stout

4. STOP! Don't Read That! - Banned Books - To date:

1. Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak - thought I would never finish it!
2. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

5. Around the World in 80, strike that, 12 months - 12 countries - To date:

1. Princess of Burundi by Kjell Eriksson (Sweden)
2. The Pig Did It by Joseph Caldwell (Ireland)
3. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (Japan)
4. Hand Me Down World by Lloyd Jones (Germany) - an ER book, reviewed
5. The Track of Sand by Andrea Camilleri - Sicily
6. Stalin's Ghost by Martin Cruz Smith - Russia
7. The Paris Directive by Gerald Jay - France

6. The Kid in Me - picture books, junior fiction and young adult - DONE:

1. Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer (YA)
2. Mrs. McBloom, Clean Up Your Classroom by Kelly S. DiPucchio - reviewed (JP)
3. The Wizard of Dark Street by Shawn Thomas Odyssey - reviewed (YA)
4. Hoot by Carl Hiaason - reviewed (YA)
5. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini (YA)
6. SilverFin by Charlie Higson (YA)
7. Seaglass Summer by Anjali Banerjee (JF) - reviewed
8. The Last Dragon by Silvana De Mari (JF)
9. The Midnight Tunnel by Angie Frazier (JF - reviewed
10. The Apothecary by Maile Meloy
11. The Misadventures of Maude March by Audrey Couloumbis - a much more enjoyable read from an adult's point of view that the one above it, even though The Apothecary would be an excellent jr read. - reviewed
12. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart - quite good.

7. Up All Night - spy, suspense and adventure - To date:

1. Spies of the Balkans by Alan Furst
2. Old Dogs by Donna Moore - reviewed
3. A Darker Place by Jack Higgins - reviewed
4. House of the Hunted by Mark Mills - reviewed
5. Garden of Beasts by Jeffery Deaver
6. The Risk Agent by Ridley Pearson - an ER book, reviewed
7. Istanbul Passage by Joseph Kanon - excellent

8. To Be Continued - more in series I have already started - DONE:

1. Acceptable Loss by Anne Perry
2. New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb
3. Killing The Blues by Michael Brandman - a Jessie Stone mystery
4. Night and Day by Robert B. Parker
5. In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming - reviewed
6. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
7. A Matter of Justice by Charles Todd
8. Tag Man by Archer Mayor - reviewed
9. Taken by Robert Crais - reviewed
10. Slash and Burn by Colin Cotterill - love Dr. Siri!
11. Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear
12. Dorchester Terrace by Anne Perry

9. Read the Book, the Butler did it - mysteries of all sorts - DONE:

1. Dangerous Undertaking by Mark de Castrique
2. The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill - reviewed
3. Tailspin by Catherine Coulter - didn't quite "do it" for me, 3 stars only
4. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann - reviewed
5. Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler
6. The Man Who Changed His Name by Eric Wright
7. The Dead of Winter by Rennie Airth
8. The Drop by Michael Connelly
9. Fly Me to the Morgue by Robert J. Randisi
10. Winter of the Wolf Moon by Steve Hamilton
11. A Presumption of Death by Jill Paton Walsh
12. The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith

10. Time and Time Again - historical fiction - To date:

1. Coal Black Horse by Robert Olmstead - Wow what a book! reviewed
2. Doc by Mary Dora Russell
3. Far Bright Star by Robert Olmstead
4. Saving the World by Julia Alvarez
5. My French Whore by Gene Wilder
6. The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma
7. An Unmarked Grave by Charles Todd

11. Truth is Stranger Than Fiction - non fiction - To date:

1. Curse of the Narrows by Laura M. MacDonald
2. One I disliked so much I don't even want to mention it! - reviewed
3. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik larson - reviewed
4. Fire On the Beach by David Wright & David Zoby
5. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale - finally did the review, but it got way too long, so I have put a shortened comment as the review and the long one on my blog - http://booksmoviesandgames.wordpress.com/
6. The Fever Trail by Mark Honigsbaum
7. The Day The World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim Defede
8. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain - I kept thinking of all the people I knew that I wished would read this book.

12. American Pastime - baseball - To date:

1. Waiting for Teddy Williams by Howard Frank Mosher
2. Diamond Ruby by Joseph Wallace
3. Best Bet in Beantown by G. S. Rowe
4. Lefty: An American Odyssey by Vernona Gomez - an ER book, reviewed
5. The Greatest Minor League by Dennis Snelling - an ER book - reviewed
6. Imperfect: An Improbable Life by Jim Abbott - reviewed
7. Calico Joe by John Grisham
8. Basepaths by Jerry Klinkowitz
9. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach - excellent
10.The Baseball Codes by Jason Turbow

13. Twenty-Six More - a group of odds and sods - To date:

1. The Technologists by Matthew Pearl - an ER book, reviewed
2. The Buntline Special by Mike Resnick
3. The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder
4. The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man by Mark Hodder
5. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
6. Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine
7. The Doctor and the Kid: A Weird West Tale by Mike Resnick
8. Stay Close by Harlan Coben - regular mystery/suspense, not steampunk.
9. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie - excellent coming of age story
10. Bad Faith by Aimee Thurlo
11. The Janus Affair: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel by Pip Ballantine
12. Souless by Gail Carriger
13. Changeless by Gail Carriger
14. Blameless by Gail Cariger

Welcome to the challenge. Some good looking categories you have there.

To add in books later just use the edit option from the More link at the bottom of your post. You might want to split up your categories into seperate posts for this very reason. Makes things more manageable.

Thanks, Wolfy!

Can't wait to see how my TBR mountain grows as a result of all these mystery categories!

You don't know the half of it! Historical fiction - mostly mysteries, Around the World - mostly mysteries... I really have to keep reminding myself to read other things.

You have several categories I'm interested in so I'll be following your reading to see how you fill them. Welcome to the challenge!

Well, as a mystery lover, I will be following your thread closely!

I try to read other things also, but there are just too many mystery sub genres and I find that I can't stop myself.

Welcome to the challenge, I think you will find a lot of us are mystery lovers. Can't wait to see which 12 countries you are going to visit.

Welcome! I'm going to be watching, hopefully I'll get a few countries for my Euro Challenge!

4. Stop! Don't Read That!
Hope to read/re-read:

1. Alice in Wonderland
2. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
3. Adventures of Tom Sawyer
4. Catcher in the Rye
5. Dr. Zhivago
6. Farewell to Arms
7. Forever
8. In the Night Kitchen
9. Leaves of Grass
10. Spycatcher
11. Uncle Tom's Cabin
12. Where the Sidewalk Ends

When can we start this reading list? Already I am finding that my choices are tending to fit into these groups? Do we wait until Dec or Jan to start? Or is it just 12 months from when we start? Help me out here :)

Some people have started already. Some are planning on starting on Dec 12th of this year so they can end on 12/12/12. Others are planning on starting in January 2012. So as you can see - you can start whenever you want. No set rules or regulations here! :)

I guess I will read until the 13 in 13 appears! I'm a pretty fast reader so am hoping to do at least 12 in each section. So far:

Around the World in 80 -
1. Sweden: Princess of Berundi by Kjell Eriksson - why am I always so amazed at the quality of writing coming out of Sweden. Enjoyed the book.

The Kid in Me -
1. Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer - the beginning of a series featuring Enola Holmes, the much younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft. Fun book. I also read a second in the series, but am only counting it as one.

Up All Night -
1. Under adventure comes Old Dogs by Donna Moore - what a hoot! I loved this. Hopefully someone will make a movie.

Truth is Stranger than Fiction -
1. Curse of the Narrows by Laura MacDonald - this could have been in my Around the World section as it is about the Halifax Explosion. A remarkable book. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in history.

More finished reads for my list!

The Kid in Me -

2. children's picture book - Mrs. McBloom, Clean Up Your Classroom by Kelly DiPucchio - the illustrations are wonderful. It took me a while to finish this because I spent SO much time enjoying the pictures.

3. junior fiction - The Wizard of Dark Street by Shawn Thomas Odyssey

4. young adult - Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

I've reviewed both of the last two.

Up All Night -
2. Spies of the Balkans by Alan Furst

Time and Time Again - (historical fiction)
1. The Technologists by Matthew Pearl - received through Early Reviewers and enjoyed it very much.

2. Acceptable Loss by Anne Perry - A follow-up of her last book

To Be Continued -
1. New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb

Around the World in 80 -
2. The Pig Did it by Joseph Caldwell - Ireland

I'm a big fan of Alan Furst, I have The Spies of Warsaw on deck, and hope to eventually get to Spies of the Balkans. I also have Hoot on my wishlist, as I read and enjoyed Skinny Dip last year.

What did you think about The Pig Did It? I've heard mixed reviews.

I quiet enjoyed it. The main character was trying to be a self-indulgent, sorry-for-myself type but events kept intruding. It moves slowly in places but I am glad I stuck with it. There's a dry humor to it. It is sort of like an Irish "The Trouble With Harry". (an old Alfred Hitchcock movie, if you haven't seen it.)

The trouble with Harry was that he was dead, and they had a lot of trouble with his body and deciding how he died. In much the same way, a body is discovered. Everyone denies having done the deed, then everyone confesses, (so you still don't know for sure who did it) and there is the problem of what to do with the body.

It's resolved quite well at the end and our main character finds out he doesn't need to feel sorry for himself after all. Like I said, slowish. Like rural Ireland.
Well developed characters. I intend to read the others in the series.

Don't know if that helps or not!

Another book read -

Time and Time Again (historical fiction)
2. Coal Black Horse by Robert Olmstead - have reviewed it.

Very helpful. I'll keep it in mind for when I'm in the mood for a rural Ireland type of book and don't mind walking instead of taking the bus.

Thumbs up for your review of Coal Black Horse. I read Robert Olmstead's Far Bright Star earlier this year and was overwhemed at this man's writing ability, another of his books that should be read twice.

You're going to be finished before the New Year!

Hi, RidgewayGirl -

I know. That's why I asked if we were supposed to wait until the New Year. It's hard to believe, but I do do other things besides read! One Sunday, I actually read four of the Nancy Springer books...but I only listed one for my challenge. When I was a kid my dad would go crazy because he would be standing right behind the chair I was in, telling me to set the table for dinner, but I didn't hear him. Remember Maxwell Smart's "cone of silence"? When I read, my cone actually works!

You can always start a new challenge whenever you finish this one.

Hi mysterymax: Welcome to your first-ever challenge.

I'll be sure to visit often. My favorite types of books are mysteries and baseball books.

I've added In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson to my non-fiction list. I had kind of had my fill of WWII/Nazi books, but I am glad I picked this one up at the library. I answered some questions I have always had and it is very well done.

Hi lindapanzo! Love your library, too. What is your favorite baseball book? (Out of curiosity)

#26 It'd be hard to pick just one. I liked that recent Sandy Koufax bio by Jane Leavy (but then didn't care for her subsequent Mickey Mantle book).

I'm a Cubs fan (and season ticket holder) so I like to read about them. I also enjoy baseball histories and bios of all kinds, too, especially those of the 1950s/1960s.

I've had a baseball category for 999, 1010, and 11 in 11 so I've read quite a few baseball books during the past few years.

I'm also hoping to get to that Erik Larson book you mention. I liked his book about the World's Fair. In fact, I'd like to take the tour based on it.

Amazing - another Cubs fan! Way to go. Who knows? Right!

Have added Dangerous Undertaking to the list for 'I read the book, the butler did it.' A debut mystery, first of at least three. Quite enjoyed it. Former cop, now undertaker joins forces with the local county sheriff to solve some complicated murders. Large cast of characters, not a cozy, overall a good read.

Have added Death Cloud a story of young Sherlock Holmes and The Various Haunts of Men, an excellent first mystery/crime novel.

Three new books added: Far Bright Star, Inheritance and Waiting for Teddy Williams

I'm going to try and work Coal Black Horse in somewhere next year.

I have finally located your thread - I do wish we had advanced sort functionality for managing group threads ;-) I can see that yours will be a dangerous thread to visit when trying to juggle what books I want to read.

LOL. I'll drop in on your list, if I can find it!

For Second Verse (books I have wanted to re-read) I just read The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth for a holiday book in one of my challenges. I kind of feel like it shouldn't count as it is such a tiny little book! But, I needed a start on those re-reads.


Have brought Dr. Zhivago home from the library for one of my banned books. That's not going to be a fast read, so perhaps they balance out!

Nice ticker!!

Oh, I think I'm going to be a regular visitor to your thread. I love mysteries! And a lot of your non-mystery titles are appealing, too, though some are already on my list. I've been wanting to get to Curse of the Narrows for a while; In the Garden of Beasts has also been beckoning, as I always enjoy Erik Larson's books. I'm another baseball fan, too.

#37 Terri, I think the same for me, too. Lots of overlapping interests.

In 2012, I'd like to read more baseball-related fiction so that Waiting for Teddy Williams book looks appealing.

I've had The Technologists in my Wishlist since I first heard about it. I suspect I'll have to get it. Probably sooner rather than later!

I finished Hand Me Down World and Inheritance. I was concerned that since it was so long since the last one in the Eragon series I would have forgotten it, but Inheritance had a nice way of picking it all up and reminding you of what had gone on before. It was worth the wait.

Hand Me Down World was also good. It was an ER book, one that took forever to come, but I am very glad that it finally did. Worth the wait.

Added Tailspin by Catherine Coulter. Fast read, but just a little too light for an FBI/suspense story. Lots of other books I would choose for a quick read by the fire.

I'm glad your copy of Hand Me Down World arrived eventually, I loved it and some of the imagery was gorgeous

Hi, M.M. - looks like you have quite a jump on everyone. You have some interesting looking books here.

For me, the challenge isn't in reading 144 books - it's reading them in 12 categories! I haven't read a banned book in ages - other than To Kill A Mockingbird which was part of the Vermont Reads program this year, or an old one from off my shelf and I hardly ever pick out a non-fiction. So this challenge is really in getting me focused on reading something other than mysteries! It seems to be working as I have done quite a few non-fiction ones.

I am going to add another 26 onto my reading list, though, to make up for the 26 I had read before everyone else started!

I peeked at your page and saw you read the Harry Potter series. They are the most challenged books according to the ALA. One of my goals, and a reason for setting up shop in this group, is to try and get more variety in my reading. I will try to not read more than 12 books in any one category. I'll see if I can keep to that.

LOL! I can probably find a mystery that will fit in each of my categories! It is a challenge to keep from getting too focused.

Ah, I finished my first 'Banned Book'. Doctor Zhivago. I thought I would never finish. Glad I persisted though. I watched the movie just before I started reading so I could see what changes they had made. Quite a few, quite a few.

I think I need to add a 'misc' category to put the books in that don't fit into my real 12 in 12 list. I just finished The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore. It was a fun read, but just doesn't fit into my categories!

I adore Doctor Zhivago, the movie! I've thought about reading the novel but those big dead Russians tend to frighten me. ;) Did you enjoy the book? What translator did you read?

Hi HRO! I will have to check the library's copy to see which translation it was. (Wasn't my book). I "semi" enjoyed it. I liked seeing how much the book differed from the movie, which I watched just before starting the book. I have never been able to figure out why the feel the need to so drastically change the storylines when they make a move.

My biggest complaint was that there were these long descriptions of every character you meet even though they had no real part in the story. I also found myself skipping large parts of the "discussions" that the characters had and would have to go back and force myself to read them.

Just finished the Jessie Stone mystery written by Michael Brandman, Killing The Blues. It was an enjoyable three hour read. The book is 274 pages, but the chapters are very short, usually only a couple of pages. A new chapter begins half-way down the page, the margins are wide, lots of space between the lines (makes reading easier for those of us with aging vision) so the story itself isn't as long a read as you would first think from the size of the book.

>51 mysterymax: I'm currently in the middle of Killing the Blues on audio (it's only 4 discs, unabridged). Even though it isn't read by Tom Selleck, I hear his voice in all Jesse's dialog & narration. Sort of weird to hear two 'voices' at once. He's either the perfect actor for the character, or the perfect character for the actor.

I'd say both! The first time I saw Selleck as Jessie I was amazed. So seldom does an actor fit the part as well as he did. (My other favorite portrayals are Maury Chaykin and Timothy Hutton as Wolfe and Goodwin). Now when I read a Jessie Stone book I see and hear Selleck. I thought Brandman did a pretty good job continuing the story line.

I added The Technologists to our wish list. . . sigh. I really need to learn some self control!

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

Is there a LT'er with self-control when it comes to these thing????????

The Technologists is one of my best reads of the past year! I'm really glad that the magic formula selected me to receive an ER copy.

What is this "self-control" of which you speak?

Looks like you're off to a roaring start!!! I love your banned books category!

casvelyn, you know - passing up a good used book sale because you really have no more room at home... or leaving the library without 12 -14 books because you already have a TBR pile at home higher than your bed... that kind of self-control...:)

>59 mysterymax: Well, clearly I still have no idea what you're talking about. :) I don't have any more room for books, but I'm going book shopping tomorrow.

casvelyn, I truly have self-control. Came home yesterday with only 10 books. That's 10 books that truly won't have a corner to call their own!

Have just added Night and Day by Robert B. Parker to my #8 category of series. I read this one and Killing the Blues out of order, but it was still an enjoyable read.

>62 mysterymax: I finished the second novel, Trouble in Paradise and started the third Death in Paradise last night. It is interesting to see how the ex-wife's role in the books is quite different than the TV films. (Still not finished Killing the blues, though I'm trying to get to it before 'the ball drops.'

Finished my ER book In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming. I had read it before but needed to re-read it in order to do the review. My feelings second time around were the same. I love the series. Rex Stout books next on my to do list.

>64 mysterymax: I've got that one lined up to read in January (if I get to it). It's on my Kindle. I picked it up when it was free or cheap.

Nothing like celebrating the New Year with a comfy chair and a couple of good books. Read my way into 2012 and finished up this morning. Have thus added Champagne for One by Rex Stout and Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich to my list.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Happy New Year! Sounds like you are making a great start on your 2012 reading!

Couldn't resist another one. The Track of Sand. It was a quick read. I really enjoy Insp Montalbano. Now I just have to figure out what to take to bed with me! This was a real holiday for me. Read, read, read! Too bad I can't do it every day...

Took The Second Confession to bed and finished it today.

Added 3 at Wolfe's Door. It contains three books: Poison a la Carte (which I had read before I found out), Method Three for Murder (which I liked the best) and The Rodeo Murder. I'm going to keep track of times Wolfe leaves the Brownstone. He does it in Second Confession, Poison a la carte and The Rodeo Murder

I'm going to have to find a new place to put my continuing mystery series. Just read Tag Man and A Matter of Justice so there I am at 8 and it's only January... I thought Tag Man was one of the best in the series so far.

The Jewel of Covent Garden was a good Sherlock Holmes. Worchester has the voice of Watson quite right.

Fire on the Beach is an amazing story. I can't write a review of it because I am at a loss for words. I cried through the last chapter. This is the story of seven truly outstanding men. They were outstanding, not because of their color, and not in spite of their color; they were outstanding because they did what they did not for money or recognition but to save lives.

Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Raleigh Legacy. - Reviewed this one. Did not enjoy it as much as Worcester's book.

I'm going to be adding to my "Kid In Me" section for a couple of days. Started with SilverFin the first in the 'young James Bond' series. I'm going to reserve my feeling about it until I have read a few of the Bond books as I really can't say how well they have portrayed him.

I read that one before I began reviewing things here, but I did give it 4 stars. That means it's probably been 3 or 4 years at least since I read it. Your touchstone went to a children's book instead of Swann's.

I will try again! Finished Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann. Really enjoyed it and hope that we get another sheep detective story in English soon. - Reviewed it.

I don't usually care for the kind of cozy where the dogs or the cats solve the mystery. But this was really good.

For the Kid in Me Category:
Seaglass Summer by Anjali Banerjee

Poppy is an eleven year old girl who has an romantic vision of what it would be like to be a vet. (No blood, no yukkie stuff). When her parents go for a month's visit to family in India, Poppy goes to stay with her uncle on a Northwest Pacific Island. He's a vet and Poppy is going to 'help out' at his clinic. It's her first time away from her parents. During her stay she learns about 'blood', yukkie stuff, death, friendship, and about herself.

It would say it's a very good, very enjoyable book for junior fiction readers. It has places to laugh out loud and places to cry.

For the Kid in Me Category;
The Last Dragon by Silvana De Mari

Great JF book. Humour, serious stuff, dragons, elves - everything you need for a good tale.

>79 mysterymax: I have Invisible Lives by Anjali Banerjee. I liked it. It really made you think about how we view the other people in our lives.

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

Seaglass Summer was the first book of hers that I have read and I thought it had a lot to think about beneath the overall story, which was good as well. I'll add Invisible Lives to my reading list!

The Midnight Tunnel: A Suzanna Snow Mystery by Angie Frazier

The last of my current reading from the children's department was this fun mystery featuring an 11-yr-old girl who wants to be a detective like her uncle. When a young child is missing from the inn her parents manage, and her uncle is called in to investigate, it is Suzanna that solves the mystery.

I hope that this turns out to be a series. Suzanna isn't a clone of Flavia de Luce, nor does she try to be, but she is a very enjoyable, smart, determined kid (like Flavia she's very much a kid) and I would enjoy reading more of her.

The book is in our library's junior fiction department, unlike Flavia who is found roaming the adult department.

>83 mysterymax: You liked Suzanna better than I did.

Yeah, I think she has potential. One thing that was good was that no one wanted to listen to her because she was a kid. So typical. I also liked that she worked to help Stephanie at the end and I liked the fact that she noticed everything (and made notes) Kids do notice everything (fortunately and unfortunately).

The Unopened Casebook of Sherlock Holmes by John Taylor

This seemed the truest in style to the Canon of the pastiches that I have read so far in the challenge. Perhaps it was because they were short stories, as most of the Canon is.

The mysteries, themselves, weren't overly challenging and the 'real' Holmes would have had them solved in the first 2 minutes, but it was a good read.

Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler

I enjoy the play between Bryant and May a lot. I am now almost through the second in the series. In both, the solutions, or part of them,are pretty obvious from the start but they are still worth the read.

Added Diamond Ruby to my American Pastime category. Good baseball story inspired by the story of Jackie Mitchell who did strike out Babe Ruth before being banned from baseball (because she was a girl).

88 That sounds like a good one! I read about Jackie Mitchell in a non-fiction book I read last year (or year before?) Women at Play: the story of women in baseball.

Probably the year before! I have a friend whose husband pointed out that whenever you are trying to think about how long ago something happened, you should double what you first think! Seems to be true, too.

I enjoyed the book. It's not a fictionalized story of Mitchell, but rather a character inspired by her. I'd love to know how much research he did on the characters because it gave a new side to Babe Ruth that I hadn't known about before. Jack Dempsey is also in the book.

Added Taken by Robert Crais. To me, Elvis and Joe make a great 'dynamic duo'.

whenever you are trying to think about how long ago something happened, you should double what you first think!

The older I get, the truer that seems! ;)

Best Bet in Beantown was a historical mystery set around baseball in Boston in 1897. It's full of the atmosphere of the times and a satisfying who-dun-it.

I seem to have been stuck in the late 1800's lately. The three I just added The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack, The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man, and Boneshaker are all 'steampunk'. I found Boneshaker to be a great adventure story, and I have become quite attached to Sir Richard Burton and his amazing adventures. I am moving on to some Sherlock Holmes pastiches for awhile.

The 1800's can be such a fun period to be stuck in..... especially when reading mysteries or alternative history fiction like the steampunk novels!

amen!

Finished The Sherlockian this morning. I enjoyed at for its different approach - Arthur Doyle and Bram Stoker and a modern day Sherlockain and over them all lurks the Master Detective...

I have The strange affair of spring heeled Jack on my WL so will be interested in seeing what you think

Loved it! It also involves time travel. I am eagerly awaiting the new story in this series.

Added The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher, sometime today or tomorrow I will try to get a review done of the book. A good historical context for mystery genre readers.

Also added Sherlock Holmes in Orbit. Some fun stories. As with all short story collections there were some that I liked more than others.

Added a jr fiction book. The Apothecary. - a good read for a jr. reader. 'Magic potions help kids save the world' type book.

The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz was one of the better pastiches I have read so far.

It's a shame that the Misadventures of Maude March is considered jr fiction. It reminded me a great deal of Flavia de Luce in The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

Maude and her sister Sallie, the teller of the tale, are a great pair. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

Slash and Burn by Colin Cotterill is the latest in the Dr. Siri series. This is one of my favorite series. Just wish you didn't have to wait so long between books!

House of the Hunted by Mark Mills - excellent spy read, ER book, reviewed

Garden of Beasts by Jeffery Deaver - it did keep me up all night. Paul, a mobster hitman, is sent to Berlin in 1936 as the Olympic Games are about to start. He is to assassinate one of Hilter's key men. Things go wrong from the beginning and he is always one step ahead of the police. Good read. Deaver usually comes through and he did with this one.

I put a fairly lengthy article about the effect of the Road Hill Murder (The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher) on my blog at http://booksmoviesandgames.wordpress.com/ Please feel free to read it there.

Interesting article!

#107 The Road Hill Murder is referenced in my ER book Solitary House. Now I have to read about it.

Thanks, Terri!

I got bogged down in Stalin's Ghost and had to go back and reread. It's not my favorite one of the series.

The Fever Trail was very interesting. The fact that my oldest daughter had malaria when she was a kid undoubtedly stirred my interest. The book relates the many incredible difficulties that early explorers faced and you realize that these men were truly amazing and dedicated in their search. The focus of the book was the search for the cinchona tree, the only source of quinine at that time.

Got behind in my recording - this happens every time I try to keep track of the books I read!

Added Casino Royale, The Spy Game and Elegy for Eddie.
I have the entire set of the Appleton Porter spy books and want to read them all again this year.

Half-way there! 72 more to go! Lefty: An American Odyssey was a really enjoyable baseball story. Full of humor, stories of players and great moments.

Great! As for me, I'll fall over in a dead faint if I get 74 read this year.

I got stalled out this past couple of weeks, with lots of stuff going on at the library and a game convention I went to, but hopefully next week I can get started again.

Added The Greatest Minor League by Dennis Snelling. It's a good reference book and fairly good reading, but a book that you can easily put down for several days between reads. It was an ER book.

Finished my "To Be Continued" section with Anne Perry's Dorchester Terrace, the latest in the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series.

Looks like good progress! Keep going! No way could I get to 144.

It's possible if you can read while you eat and not be rude because your dog doesn't care!

Added another 26 books to my challenge to make up for starting early... Will put my steampunk books in there as well as other things that don't seem to fit well into my other sections.

Aargh... learning how to do something and applying it to your thread really takes a lot of time. But! thanks to rosalita and C4RO at the Green Dragon thread I learned how to link to my reviews which will hopefully save everyone a step or two if they want to read one.

And I was amazed to notice that I didn't review Curse of the Narrows. I will have to do that. It was so well done.

Since last post I have read, The Dead of Winter by Rennie Airth, The Drop by Michael Connelly and The Doc and the Kid by Mike Resnick. (The touchstone wouldn't work, strange.)

The Dead of Winter was my least favorite of Airths books that I have read so far. I am not sure why.

The Drop, however was a really good Harry Bosch story.

The Doc and the Kid is one of Resnick's Weird West tales and I love this series. Steampunk in the wild west - excellent.

Just finished Alice in Wonderland for one of my banned books read. Can someone remember why this was ever a challenged book? In truth, this is one book where the movie was better...

Added the latest 'Rat Pack' mystery. Silly, I know, but I really enjoy these. This one has Bing Crosby as the guy Eddie G. is helping.

>123 mysterymax: My copy of Banned Books (1955) says that Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was banned by the Governor of the Hunan Province in 1931 - on the ground that “Animals should not use human language, and that it was disastrous to put animals and human beings on the same level.”

Otherwise wasn’t it banned because people said that it was about using magic mushrooms. . .

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

Yes, that does sound familiar now that you mention it. So far my 'banned books' section hasn't provided much enjoyment. I had read both Alice and Dr. Z many years ago, and quite truly I had forgotten how tedious they were!

I don't think it was ever banned anywhere but China - its never been out of print.....

although a very trippy book its a modern interpretation that its about drugs and is probably more to do with the song White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane?

http://www.alice-in-wonderland.net/alice11.html#2

Sounds like a modern explanation, but having been to Oxford and seeing more of the life that Lewis Carroll lead, and Alice's environment, I suspect that after all it was just a wild story appealing to a child's crazy imagination. Children love animals that talk and things that are within their imagination, but that they know aren't real (disappearing cats, etc.) Grownups always want to put more meaning into things and look for 'what's behind' because we are so devious. I think he exalted in making an imaginative story for a child he was fond of and who would accept it as it was.

And probably Jefferson Airplane's song might had something to do with the story, not the other way around since Alice was written in the last half of the 1860's and the song was written in the last half of the 1960's.

The Airplane song is definitely about the book & I meant that the interpretation that the book was about drugs may have been fuelled by the song? (not that the song came before the book!)

Gotcha!

Anyway, I decided that the story may have been fun when I was young, but it just doesn't compare to some of the coming out now for younger readers. I think if I didn't know that it was a "classic" I would find it 'light-weight'. But maybe I just wasn't in the mood.

How about the Well Of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall for a banned book? It was well written and is pretty good once you get past the tedious childhood in the beginning.

Or Memoirs of Hecate County by Edmund Wilson? it was banned becuase it was "salacious and lascivious".

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

Oh - salacious and lascivious sounds good LOL. I will put in a ILL request for that one.

I just finished my third section with the last of my "Read the Book, the Butler Did It" category.

I have a weakness for salacious and lascivious . . . I ordered it myself. :-)

Goodness gracious you have passed the halfway mark! Congrats! I am so far behind on my mystery category. But I am hoping that Istanbul Noir and Twin Cities Noir will give it a boost.

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

Let me know how you like them! I really need to keep my hands off the mysteries, though! (It's a weakness)

Just added Jim Abbott's book Imperfect to my baseball section.

Imperfect is a very telling title for this book, as it is far more about Jim Abbott's lack of a right hand, than about baseball. In fact, it is mostly about the mental challenges he faced because of that lack.

I don't want to take away from what Abbott accomplished. He is an inspiration. For everyone. For we must all find within ourselves the determination to become exceptional with whatever starting material we have. But I would have liked the book to be more about the games he played, the teams, and the other players he met throughout his career.

Even though I have finished my "Kid in Me" section I had to add The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian to my list. What a great book - for adults as well as YA's.

I don't think I have read a book with such a true voice since reading Red Sky at Morning. This book should entertain for generations. It is happy, sad, funny, serious, silly and wise.

An excellent read.

I gave up an evening of Midsomer Murders to finish Bad Faith. I have read several mysteries where the sleuth was a nun, or clergy of one kind or another. I would rank this as one of the very best. Sister Agatha is an extern nun in a cloistered order in New Mexico. This means she is one of the nuns that deals with the outside world. It falls to her to solve the mystery of a priest's death with the sheriff's suspicions of one of the nuns risks the serenity of the order. The routine of the nun's lives in the order are well portrayed. This is the first novel in the Sister Agatha series and I will eagerly await the next one.

Any book that is worth giving up a night of Midsomer Murders to read catches my attention!

How is it possible that there is anyone left alive in Midsomer?

ROFL. So true!

Didn't the Queen say she enjoyed the series but wouldn't want to live there??? lol

> 140 - Could it be a continual migration of Londoners not 'in the know' that keep the population counts up there? just a thought........ ;-P

Hmmm.. must be!

I loved it in 'Secrets and Spies' how horrified Barnaby's wife was when he said he had resigned! (Whatever would she do with him hanging about all day?) Then when he goes back out on a case she turns over in bed and says "Thank God, for small murders!"

Read Moonraker last night/this morning. I had forgotten that he didn't always go to bed with the girl.

I remember enjoying Moonraker. Did you like it?

Yes, I did. In fact, I am finding that I am enjoying the books more than the movies they made from the books! I'm reading another Appleton Porter spy book and then I am going on to the next Bond book.

>137 mysterymax: I recently read this book. It's supposedly based on his own life so it couldn't help but have a true voice.

Another Bond book done!

Here it is - June - just about halfway through the year. Looking over my list there are some reads that stand out far more than others. It was a difficult choice, but I decided to list the "12" books that I have enjoyed the most so far. The list surprised me because it didn't have some of my "favorites" - Anne Perry's Monk series, Stephanie Plum, J D Robb, etc.

Here in alphabetical order:

1. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
2. Bad Faith by Aimee Thurlo
3. The Buntline Special by Mike Resnick
4. Coal Black Horse by Robert Olmstead
5. Curse of the Narrows by Laura M. MacDonald
6. Doc by Mary Doria Russell
7. House of the Hunted by Mark Mills
8. The Misadventures of Maude March by Audrey Couloumbis
9. Old Dogs by Donna Moore
10 The Shepherd by Fredrick Forsyth
11 Taken by Robert Crais
12 Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann

What fun! On a quick glance I have to say I noticed the Olmstead..... I have only read one of his books so far and was really impressed with his writing style, imagery and characterization. Sadly, I didn't connect with Resnick's The Buntline Special when I read it last year.

I liked Resnick's Fable of Tonight series more, but I have always been interested in the Earps and Doc Holliday, so I quite enjoyed The Buntline Special. I have read The Doctor and the Kid as well. The last book in the Fable of Tonight series is Stalking the Dragon. How anyone could laugh so hard at a 'hard-boiled detective' is beyond me, but I kept shaking the bed I was laughing so hard, although quietly to myself, and my husband finally said - go ahead and laugh, I can't sleep with the bed rolling like I am at sea!

Coal Black Horse is an amazing book. The clarity of Olmstea's writing amazes me. The other writer that I have recently come across and who amazes me is Catherine Webb/Kate Griffin. I read The Extraordinary and Unusual Adventures of Horatio Lyle. It is a YA series. I've never been one for liking novels with lots of description, but she described the places in a way that moved along with the pace of the story. Here, you could smell the London streets and feel the dampness of the fog. I was truly blown over. Then I read her 'adult' book A Madness of Angels. It was so interesting because when the book starts out you don't have a clue what is going on. There are no reference points. But I quickly realized that the character of the story didn't know either. I stuck with the book 1) to see if it would all come together (it did) and 2) because of the way it was written.

Bad Faith sounds interesting. One of the libraries in our system has it, too!

And the list grows . . .

After several days of helping paint the meeting room and front entry at my library I came home and stained the wood trim in my bathroom. Then I was totally done-in and retreated to my comfy chair, animals in tow, and spent a couple of rainy days reading the first three novels in The Parasol Protectorate series.

Of course, the painting days were really scorchers - and now is actually a bit on the cool side. Wish it would make up its mind and be one or the other!

My French Whole by Gene Wilder could fit in my Around the World section (France), or my Up All Night section (war time, spy etc) but I put it in the historical fiction section (WWI). It's really a love story.

The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland is a book to read on a day when you just know that a good cry will make you feel so much better.

When US airspace was closed on 9/11, 43,895 people were aboard airplanes diverted to Canadian airports. Thirty-eight planes, carrying 6,595 passengers landed in Gander, Newfoundland, a town of approximately 10,000 people.

This book is the incredible story of the way in which the people of Gander responded to the events and took care of those stranded passengers and it will bring tears to your eyes.

This is a book about triumph, not tragedy. It's a wonderful read.

I have The Day the World Came to Town sitting on my shelf. I really must get to it. Perhaps I'll read it this September.

Wow, I wouldn't even have thought of those diverted planes causing disruption. But you're right. That was more than one passenger per 2 residents. Where would they even put all those people, let alone feed them?

It was a wonderful read. Made you want to head right out for Newfoundland!

Great Big Sea has made me want to head out for Newfoundland for awhile. If I read this book, I'll be on a plane, right?

Most certainly! What was Great Big Sea about?

Newfie folk band. :)

Ah yes, Once upon a time in one of my pasts (which means it was so long ago I can barely remember) I lived in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, so I am a little familiar with the Newfie's!

:)

A very good book to mark #100 books done in this challenge!
The Paris Directive is exceptionally well done. A French detective in the manner of Mairgret and Brunetti.

Did I read right..... you have hit the 100 books read? Congrats!

Unless I counted wrong...lol. (Which is always a possibility) ...Thanks. This has been fun and it is the first time I have actually kept a record - something I always wished I would do but somehow never got around to it.

Wow!!! 100!!! I'm impressed.

To the Baseball Section - Calico Joe

To the Baseball Section - Basepaths

Enjoyable but unsatisfying.

Picked up another Rex Stout to read and realized that many of the ones I have have multiple novels in them and I might never read 12 if I list them as a single book, so I divided my last RS entry into the individual books.

Added Too Many Clients - another Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. I am on a streak with them. Once I get started I have to keep reading them... and I have some library books to finish. Aaargh.

Might As Well Be Dead by Rex Stout added. One more Rex Stout and I will start on those library books.

The Final Deduction by Rex Stout - Now I'm off to read some library books....

I would recommend Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking to both introverts and extroverts alike.

A couple of times I wanted to say to the author Susan Cain, "If you think this could be rough if you're an introvert, you should be a short introvert!" LOL

Wow! You're past 100 books already! That's great.

A couple of times I wanted to say to the author Susan Cain, "If you think this could be rough if you're an introvert, you should be a short introvert!"

I can relate to that!

My ticker somehow couldn't count properly.. probably me, but I gave up and made a new one which includes my addition to my Sherlock Holmes section - The Disappearance of Sherlock Holmes - I enjoyed the story, but it really didn't feel like Sherlock and Watson.

I've heard a lot about Quiet - maybe it's going to sneak it's way into the house. ;)

'Quietly', I hope!

I hate those books that have little cat feet and burglary tools.

They are indeed sneaky. Just when you think you have the house all locked up tight you look around and there are more of them. I don't know how they get in....

they breed?

I dunno - but I am sure that I started out with only a few...

I'm sure they breed - and they run around at night and freeze when you turn the lights on - just to see if they can make you think you've gone crazy.

.... that or they communicate with their friends and invite them all over to stay... your casa is their casa. ;-)

Why don't their friends go home? I am sure that I have found some on my shelves, or floor, that I never saw before.

I've certainly found some on my shelves that got there on their own sneaky book feet... and the enter themselves into my library list on LT too, all on their own. Geez what some books won't do.

A hard decision whether to put Istanbul Passage in my Around the World section or in Up All Night, but it did keep my up all night and it is a spy novel so there it goes. This was not a book for those that like things straight forward and clear cut.
Loyalties are uncertain at best. Little can be trusted. The main character realized "You couldn't fight the next war until you'd lied about the last one." Pretty much sums it up.

Ooo... sounds good. Hope you slept in this morning so you can pull another all-nighter tonight.

How have I missed Istanbul Passage? It is now on my wish list.

Quiet: the power of introverts in a world that cant stop talking was my #1 book of the year until I got The Little Book of Talent now I can't decide which one is better. I just tell everyone to get both!

Cammykitty you can borrow my copy of Quiet, I figure I can trust you to give it back.

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

Thanks Di! I will give it back.

Added The Art of Fielding by Chad Harach. It's really amazing to me how differently we all see the books we read. Reviewers of this book either loved it or really didn't like it, slamming the writing, the characters, the plot...

I thought it was excellent. Both totally about baseball AND totally about life and the characters portrayed. I enjoyed it a lot. Wow, two good books in a row, I am on a roll!

There's a doctoral thesis in there - what makes a book that has readers so polarized? I'll bet people hated for the same reasons you loved it. They probably wanted it to be JUST about baseball. Here's hoping you stay on your roll!

Don't you wonder sometimes if other people read the same book that you did? It seems that if you read a light escape book - Stephanie Plum, for example - people pan it because it is "fluff". I want to yell, yeah, it is but it's fun fluff. I wanted fluff and fun. And if it is a book that really moves you they say it's too light and not well developed and I am thinking - did you not get the point?! Sometimes I think I am marching right foot front when everyone started on their left foot!

Guess that's why there are so many books - so we can all find one we like. But I do wonder, sometimes.

Sometimes I want to argue with them, & I know people read the same words on the page but somehow it turns out to be a completely different book. I have a friend who is a professor and he got a paper once about how the "ghost" in Beloved cheapens the entire novel. 1st, the book is all about the ghost and if you thought ghost stories were "cheap" why did you pick it for a paper? 2nd, it's all about the ghost. 3rd, it's all about folktales and oral history. I told him to hand it back with a C- and the comment "What ghost? I didn't read a ghost."

That's funny.

One of the times that upset me the most was reading reviews of the book "Rose in a Storm" by John Katz. I couldn't believe how many readers could not see how great that book was. When I was reading it every once in a while I would have to put the book down and go off to do something. I told my husband that I was afraid if I kept reading my heart would stop!

To me, this is a story of how a deep understanding of one’s role in life can impart great courage. For me, it was one of the best books I read that year. Strange, huh.

Ah - It's always hard to write about dogs. I just looked up Rose in a Storm and the reviews were pretty contradictory. I think that one will have to go on my WL. I'm a total dog person, and I can't stand a story where dogs aren't realistic, but the quotes I saw sounded reasonable when talking about a border collie. It really would be interesting to do a study on how books can create such varied responses. You'd probably go nuts compiling the data though.

Let me know how you find it! I loved the book. Got it from our library and then had to go buy a copy. I'll await your verdict!

Added The Map of Time to my Time and Time Again - Historical Fiction section.

While the topic of the story is time travel, I found the book to be more of a historical novel than a sci-fi book.

Even though it is over 600 pages it pulls you along quite effortlessly. You think you will sit down and read for 5 or 10 minutes until the laundry is ready to go in the dryer and you look up an hour later.

The cover art was beautiful but it gave me, at least, the impression that the book was going to be in the 'steampunk' genre, which it wasn't.

Added The Baseball Codes to the list. This is a must read for anyone that watches baseball.

I agree. The cover for The Map of Time and the tags for the book do give the impression that it is a steampunk novel. Still sounds interesting enough to become a book bullet for me. ;-)

I love the Charles Todd WWI mysteries and the new An Unmarked Grave was excellent.