Max's 14 Memorable Lines 2 - Part IV

Movies are one of the favorite things in our house - besides books and board games - and no matter what happens someone always has a movie quote to fit the occasion.

Since I have now completed the original challenge and the extra one. I had to think about the remaining part of 2014.

As it is 2014 I will try to read 6 books for Oct (my first 8 reads counted in my last challenge), 14 for Nov, and 14 for Dec. A total of 34 more. It will be a challenge as my "per month" reading has been falling dramatically the busier I get and the time running up to the end of the year looks totally crazy.




Make some time to read!
Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

October Reads

1. Rough Treatment by John Harvey - 3.3
2. An Unwilling Accomplice by Charles Todd - 4.2 - OMS
3. Quarry in the Middle by Max Allan Collins - 4.5 - OMS
4. Retro by Loren D. Estleman - 4.5 - OMS
5. Murder by the Book by Rex Stout - 4.3 - OMS
6. Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky - 5.0 - OMS

October in Review
This month was for fun and with the exception of my ER book and my birthday present book all were mysteries and all but Grafton's were very good.

Books Read: 14
Reviews Written: 2
Off My Shelves: 10
New Authors: 6

Book That Left Me Breathless:Vertical Burn by Earl Emerson
Mystery(s) I Enjoyed the Most:
Blood on the Water as I thought it the best Monk yet.
Black-Eyed Blonde as it was such a joy to have Marlowe back.
Murder By the Book as it was a very enjoyable Nero and Archie
Biggest Disappointment: C is for Corpse
Honorable Mention(s):
The Swallow as it was a YA book worthy of special mention.
Atlas of Remote Islands for its sheer beauty.

MysteryCAT reads: Outsider in Amsterdam by Janvillem van de Wetering
GeoCAT reads:
RandomCAT reads: Lonely Hearts by John Harvey
CATtrick:
Unofficial AlphaCAT:

November Reads

1. A Colder War by Charles Cumming - 4.0
2. Death of a Swagman by Arthur Upfield - 5.0 - GeoCAT
3. Night at the Crossroads by Georges Simenon - 3.0 - AlphaCAT G/S
4. The Happiest People in the World by Brock Clarke - 3.5
5. Off Minor by John Harvey - 3.0
6. Zoo Station by David Downing - 4.0
7. Stettin Station by David Downing - 4.3
8. Potsdam Station by David Downing - 4.4
9. Lehrter Station by David Downing - 4.4
10.Masaryk Station by David Downing - 4.3
11.Brother Cadfael's Penance by Ellis Peters - 4.6 - MysteryCAT

November in Review
Didn't make it to my goal. I think the week I spent preparing my library program knocked me out of that possibility. Good reads, though. I can't believe November has come and gone.

Books Read: 11
Reviews Written: 1
Off My Shelves: 5
New Authors: 3

Book That Left Me Breathless: Lehrter Station
Mystery I Enjoyed the Most: Death of a Swagman
Biggest Disappointment: Night at the Crossroads
Honorable Mention: Brother Cadfael's Penance

MysteryCAT reads: Brother Cadfael's Penance
GeoCAT reads: Death of a Swagman
RandomCAT reads:
CATtrick:
Unofficial AlphaCAT: Night at the Crossroads
Group Read:

December Reads

1. Here Lies the Librarian by Richard Peck - 3.5
2. The New Shoe by Arthur Upfield - 4.0 - OMS
3. The Good Thief's Guide to Venice by Chris Ewan - 4.0 - OMS
4. Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley - 4.0 - OMS
5. The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley - 3.5 - OMS
6. Two Old Women by Velma Wallis - 5.0 - OMS
7. Untitled - see explanation below - OMS
8. The Handsome Man's De Luxe Cafe by Alexander McCall Smith - 4.0 - MysteryCAT (cozy) and GeoCAT (Sub-Sahara Africa} - OMS
9. The Final Deduction by Rex Stout - 4.0 - touchstone won't work - OMS
10. Mrs. Jeffries & the Feast of St. Stephen by Emily Brightwell - 3.0 - OMS
11. Spirit of Steamboat by Craig Johnson 5.0 - OMS
12. Lieberman's Thief by Stuart Kaminsky - 4.0 - OMS
13. The Spy Game by Marc Lovell - 3.9 - OMS
14. The Spy With His Head in the Clouds by Marc Lovell - 3.9 - OMS
15. How Green Was My Apple by Marc Lovell - 3.9 - OMS
16. Cat on a Cold Tin Roof by Mike Resnick - 3.9 - OMS
17. The Spy Who Fell Off the Back of the Bus by Marc Lovell - 4.0 -OMS
18. The Mouse in the Mountain by Norbert Davis -4.0 - OMS
19. The Shepherd by Fredrick Forsyth - 5.0 - OMS
20. Lock In by John Scalzi - 4.0
21. The Chase by Janet Evanovich - 4.0

And that's the end of my 2014 reading!

December in Review

Books Read: 21
Reviews Written: 1
Off My Shelves: 18
New Authors: 3

Book That Left Me Breathless:Spirit of Steamboat
Mystery I Enjoyed the Most: Lieberman's Thief
Biggest Disappointment: no really big ones
Honorable Mentions: Parnassus on Wheels, Two Old Women amd Lock In}

MysteryCAT reads: 1
GeoCAT reads: 1
RandomCAT reads:
CATtrick:
Unofficial AlphaCAT:
Group Read

save for year's review * see the bottom for year end!

My goal was to read at least 60% of my books from Off My Shelves. Since the number of books I have read keeps increasing it is hard to keep the goal on track. If I read 200 books, that should make it 120.

Rough Treatment by John Harvey was the second in the Charlie Resnick series that Delta Queen got me hooked on.This one involved a string of house burglaries. Harvey does his characters so well I was even cheering for one of the 'bad' guys.

When I went to put Lonely Hearts on my BB list, I found I had one from a different series by him, Flesh and Blood also a BB from Judy (DeltaQueen).

>11 dudes22: Oh, that girl is really spreading those BBs.

Very nice way to finish out the year!

>13 -Eva-: We'll have to see how it goes, I'd really like to meet this goal, but it isn't a 'done deal' by any means!

An Unwilling Accomplice by Charles Todd is the latest in the Bess Crawford series. Bess is asked to accompany a wounded soldier as he receives a medal from the King. Later that night he disappears. Bess is accused of negligence by the Nursing Service and later when the soldier is suspected of murder Bess is even considered an accomplice by Scotland Yard.

This takes place almost entirely in England as Bess tries to locate the missing soldier and clear her name. Simon is with her almost the entire time.

Far more "active" than many of the other stories, it ends with Bess back in France. The war is almost over so it will be interesting to see where the Todds take her in future books.

Regarding Lonely Hearts, you were asking about the ending and I've racked my brain trying to remember. I do recall that there was something off about it, but I'm afraid it has totally slipped my mind.

The book bullet that Betty is referring to is a trilogy by John Harvey that I recommended she try before taking on the longer Charlie Resnick series. The Frank Elder trilogy is very powerful.

>16 DeltaQueen50: I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I will go over to your comments and tell you what bothered me.

A quick add since the ball game has started.

Quarry in the Middle was as good as the other two I had read. Hard to believe you can cheer for a hard-boiled killer, but there you are.

Very nice way to set up the end of the year and post-challenge.

Thanks, mamzel!

Retro by Loren D. Estleman was a truly fun read. Having to read some of these fast ones to get 6 done before the end of the month. Loved the humor of Amos Walker. Truly a hard-boiled classic!

A bonus was that in this one he is aided by a Canadian private eye so there were a lot of quips aimed up north -

"It was Llewellyn Hale, Canada's polite answer to Boston Blackie, calling from his hotel room...I asked him how he made out at the Grand. "I didn't go. I went to the Henry Ford instead. They have the chair Lincoln was shot in and the limousine Kennedy was shot in. What is this American fascination with death by violence?"

"You're too hard to beat at hockey."

Looks like Retro is one for the wishlist!

Murder by the Book by Rex Stout would have been a good one for the CAT challenge that was for a book about a book. Here to motive for murder is a manuscript. Wolfe and Archie were almost stumped.

Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky was a birthday present and I must thank the person that first mentioned it. Months and months ago, I said "if you want to know what to get me for my birthday..." and low and behold!

I have been dipping into it slowly since then, savoring the beauty of the book, the drawings and even the write-ups on the islands.

>23 mysterymax:
I gave that to my mum for Mother's Day and she loves it - I'll be reading it myself when I go visit her next time.

>23 mysterymax: I think you'll love it.

It really is wonderful. I'm sorry that I read it as a library book and had to return it, as it's a book to hold on to.

A Colder War was another "quiet" spy story from Charles Cumming. I use the term "quiet" as opposed to "thriller". It isn't a chase, shoot-em-up type, just spy craft. Tom Kell, who was in A Foreign Country, is still 'out of favor' but once again brought into action by "C", to find out why another British intelligence officer was killed. Enjoyable enough to make it up to four stars, but not exceptional enough to get to that extra half star.

>27 mysterymax: Sounds interesting! I've had Cumming's The Trinity Six on my TBR list for a while now.

Death of a Swagman by Arthur Upfield is perhaps the best of the "Bony" books. Although I know that I will say the same thing about the next one I read. But this one has so much flavor of the Australian outback. Written in 1945, it is still a good mystery and a wonderful story.

On my last visit home I discovered that my parents have a copy of Murder Down Under, which immediately made me think of you! :)

>30 rabbitprincess: So did you snag it to read?

>31 mysterymax: I did indeed! It is sitting patiently on my borrowed-books shelf.

Night at the Crossroads was not my favorite Maigret book. I think it was because I really hated two of the women characters. Either one would have been more than I could take, but both of them? Good Grief!

I've had my fingers on the keyboard all week preparing for a presentation I am making at the library tomorrow. Finally all the photos are done, text is done, power point is done. I think I was lucky to get just one book read!

I haven't decided yet how I feel about The Happiest People in the World by Brock Clarke. I don't like books with sad endings, but I haven't decided if this ending is, in fact, a sad one. Strange, I know.

It's not a spy story even though the CIA is involved. It's not a thriller even though there is arson and political stuff. It is most a story about a Danish cartoonist who has a very political cartoon published and his house is set fire to and the powers that be decide that it is best if everyone believes that he died in the fire. Relocation in upstate New York is a chance to be someone else. But that gets messed up when he falls in love. While not a thriller there were places where I desperately wanted to "peek" ahead. (I didn't)

That sounds intriguing but I like books to be one thing or another. This one appears to be none of the above. How did you rate it?

I gave it 3.5. I think I have decided that it wasn't a sad ending. The book isn't funny "ha ha" funny, but there are some wry smile moments. It is a very hard book to describe. And it is also hard to describe my feelings about it. More positive than negative, though!

I tried to read his book An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England and didn't even finish it. It too had a rather wry tone to it and it wasn't humorous either. So maybe that's his style of writing, your review has also convinced me I don't need to try another book.

I really like the characters in the Charlie Resnick series, but I found this plot (Off Minor) a little too heavy with minor characters.

Zoo Station by David Downing is the first book in this series and my first book by Downing. A tense thriller! Excellent read.

Ooh - picked up a free copy of that book earlier this year. I need to get to it sooner than later it seems.

>40 LittleTaiko: Before you start it get the rest of the series so you can go straight through! Unfortunately I am missing the 2nd so skipped and read the 3rd, Stettin Station - even better than the first... and now I am about to open the next one.

Potsdam Station byDavid Downing is a chilling portrayal of the fall of Berlin in WW II. Our characters are terribly human - brave, cowardly, smart, foolish - and one cannot help but be concerned with what happens to them.

>41 mysterymax: I consider myself duly warned! Maybe I'll have a David Downing quarter next year as part of my challenge.

I hope you enjoy them. The first one, Zoo Station, was good, but I have to say that each one so far has been better than the one before it - or maybe I have just become so wrapped up in their characters

Lehrter Station continues the story of John Russell and his girl friend, Effi. This book is as good as the ones before. In fact, this one, even more than the ones before it, is quite a jab at one's perceptions. A clear indication of how history is written by the victors; it presents a clear picture of what war did to people in Germany.

The question one must ask, after reading a series like this, is - why must we keep warring? Today is Thanksgiving and I wish we could all be thankful that there would be no more wars. Perhaps someday.

Masaryk Station is the final book in the John Russell series. Slightly weaker than the previous one, but overall a tremendous series.

Brother Cadfael's Penance was the first Cadfael mystery I had read, even those I have watched several of the tv dramas. Wow! Kind of sad that I started with this one, which was the last in the series, in that the rest couldn't possibly be better than this.

>47 mysterymax:
I just acquired the first book in the series, so looking forward to "working my way up" to the last one. :)

>47 mysterymax: Oh man, haven't gotten to that one yet, but I love the series! I started reading them scattershot but then went back and started at book #1. I think The Rose Rent is next up for me.

A just bought a bunch of Cadfael mysteries for my Kindle. Cyber Monday!! I will always have Derek Jacobi in my head when I read them.

>50 mamzel: Yes, I had Jacobi in mind while I read and he fit perfectly. Not often that happens... Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone was another excellent fit.

A YA read - Here Lies the Librarian by Richard Peck. Not a mystery, but an entertaining coming-of-age story of a 14 yr old girl called Peewee. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Reminded me of The Misadventures of Maude March because both girls are quite 'spunky'.

I've read a number of books by Peck and enjoyed them all. If you haven't already, read A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder.

I read a bunch of them years ago when I was a bookmobile librarian. Would read them during 'lulls'! Everyone is good.

The New Shoe by Upfield is probably not my favorite 'Bony' because in this one he isn't in the bush, where we usually find him. In this one he is investigating a body that was found in a lighthouse, so he is by the ocean. But he does use his understanding of people.

The Good Thief's Guide to Venice by Chris Ewan is another good entry in the Good Thief series. This time Charlie is in Venice, trying to go straight and write a novel, when his apartment is burglared and his most prized possession - the one thing he cannot successfully write without - a signed first edition copy of The Maltese Falcon is stolen.

"Hmm. Decisions, decision. Stay still and avoid being shot, or go down in history as a have-a-go hero with a gory hole where his pulmonary artery used to be? Shockingly, I chose option A."

Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley was a re-read. But the first time was so long ago I had forgotten so much of it, and... I think I must have been too young (and too slim?) to truly appreciate it. A very satisfying read!

Followed it up with The Haunted Book Shop. Good, but I enjoyed the other one a little bit more.

I have The Haunted Book Shop but not Parnassus on Wheels so I'll take that bullet!

Hope you enjoy it, I thought it was delightful. It is more about his wife (how they met) than about him.

Just had my copy of Two Old Women by Velma Wallis returned! It has been passed from woman to woman in our library advocates group and I was beginning to wonder if I would ever see it again. For all of you wanting to read books by and about women - if you haven't had a chance to read this yet, you should.

Two old women in norther Alaska are abandoned by their tribe because of a food shortage. Instead of politely dying they choose to survive. A wonderful story.

I read Parnassus on Wheels earlier this year and have The Haunted Book Shop but haven't gotten to it yet.

I am counting one read called "untitled". I am a first-draft reader for someone and since it took me the time to read and make my comments I am counting it as another book read. Fair?

Sounds fair to me. First drafts are often a more challenging read, maybe it might count as two. :)

What a great idea, I did more or less have to read it twice because I had to keep looking back to check continuity details. And then dealing with the author ought to count for two as well, lol.

The Handsome Man's De Luxe Cafe is the latest in the No 1 Ladies Detective series by Alexander McCall Smith. Enjoyable as always. Like a nice cuppa tea on a cold snowy day.

What a lovely analogy and perfect for McCall Smith.

If the copy comes available in time, I'll read that for this challenge. It would be a good book for the busy holiday days.

The Final Deduction by Rex Stout was a reread which was okay as I couldn't remember who the guilty party was!

Mrs. Jeffries & the Feast of St. Stephen by Emily Brightwell is a cozy cozy mystery set in Victorian England. The Scotland Yard Inspector gets unknown help from his household help. Read it as a holiday story. Not very complicated.

Spirit of Steamboat by Craig Johnson has just gone onto my annual Christmas Eve reading event. Longmire isn't solving a mystery in this one. Rather a young woman comes into the office and is looking for Lucian, the former sheriff. She also knows Walt, but he doesn't know why. When he takes her to see Lucian she says the word Steamboat and you learn the storm of Steamboat, a famous bucking horse and Steamboat, a vintage WWII aircraft and a Christmas Eve, 1988, when Lucian, Walt and the doc flying the ancient aircraft through a terrible storm to save a young Japanese girl's life.

>71 mysterymax: Sounds like a good one.

It's a novella, so an easy quick read. I loved it.

Lieberman's Thief by Stuart Kaminsky is a very good police procedural with excellent characters and great plotting. A thief breaks into a home that he believes is empty and witnesses a murder.

Lieberman was my 199th book, I am going to indulge myself and read Appleton Porter spy stories for the rest of the year.

Wow, 199 books!! That's amazing!

Book #200 -
The Spy Game by Marc Lovell - a re-read from a few years ago as I am going through the series again. In this one Appleton is part of a 'Fools-Rush' plan to snatch a Russian mind reader. Appleton takes his knocks but gets the last laugh - or chuckle.

WOW! 200 books - good for you!

That is so impressive! Congratulations!

Hooray for number 200, I am currently working on my 200th. But unfortunately I've added far more than 200 to my shelves this year!

>80 DeltaQueen50: I shouldn't be laughing so hard, but I've done exactly the same. I now have books on the stairs, I'm telling hubby that once the stairs are totally blocked he will have to finally get the bookshelves done.

You're amazing! Congratulations!

Another Appleton Porter reread - The Spy With His Head in the Clouds by Marc Lovell. One more and hopefully my new Eli Paxton mystery maybe before year end!

Ditto - How Green Was My Apple by Marc Lovell... now on to Eli Paxton...

I finished my reading today with Cat on a Cold Tin Roof by Mike Resnick. This is the third Eli Paxton mystery and by far the best one so far. Eli is hired to find a cat when it's master is murdered. He finds the cat and the widow is angry. Seems the cat is missing it's collar - with diamonds. Good read.

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Merry Christmas! It was lovely to see you again this year. Looking forward to our next summit ;)

Just wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful year ahead. I'm looking forward to all the book bullets in 2015!

Congratulations on 200 books read!

Stopping by to wish you and your loved ones a happy holiday season and all the best in 2015!

Merry Christmas and a Happy reading New Year!

The Spy Who Fell Off the Back of the Bus has Appleton Porter in the field, much to his delight, tasked with securing a handwritten manuscript written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in which he attacks Sherlock Holmes. The ending is a delight.

That sounds very fun! Will have to keep an eye out for it :)

>92 rabbitprincess: All the books in the series are fun. Appleton is 6'7" (way to tall to blend into the background as a spy should), he has red hair, freckles, he blushes easily and falls in love with the drop of a hankerchief. He introduced me to lemon marmalade on toast with tea and I love him for it.

Where has Norbert Davis been all my life? I can not believe that I have just discovered this very charming, funny writer with his hard-boiled detective from LA, Doan, and his side-kick Carstairs, a very very large Great Dane.

We all know that when it comes to detective duos, it is the sidekick that carries the show. Carstairs lives up to this reputation in excellent fashion.

The Mouse in the Mountain is apparently the first in this short series and I am eager to read the next one. In this, Doan and Carstairs find themselves in Mexico. Doan is being searched for a weapon, and that search also includes Carstairs. When the weapon isn't found Captain Perona says, "All right. Tell him to lie down again." "Boom," said Doan. Carstairs dropped on the floor with a thud and a grunt."

My annual read of The Shepherd by Fredrick Forsyth. A pilot trying to get home, across the English Channel, in time for Christmas.

I think John Scalzi is an excellent writer. Each of his books drags you in, builds solid characters, complete worlds and gives you a heck of a tale. I am hoping that Lock In is the first of more to come with Shane and Vann.

Last read of the year!

The Chase by Janet Evanovich. Really enjoyed it. An FBI agent (Kate) and a master thief (Nick) teamed up.

2014 Year In Review

Total Books Read 207
The 5 enjoyed the most:
All the Light We Cannot See *My pick for the best book of the year*
The Martian
The Samurai's Garden
The Midnight Mayor
Measuring Eternity

JF/YA Books Read 16
Enjoyed the most:
Peter and the Starcatchers

Non-Fiction Books Read 7
Best:
Measuring Eternity
Endangered Alphabets

5 Star Books 12
They were:
Two Old Women
Death of a Swagman
Atlas of Remote Islands
Endangered Alphabets
Measuring Eternity
The Midnight Mayor
Ice Cold Kill
The Sands of Windee
Old Dogs
The Shepherd

Below 3 Stars 5
Concealed in Death
Shadows in the Vineyard
Dakota
Grifter's Game
Midnight Riot

5 Most Enjoyed Hard-Boiled Detectives
The Last Cop Out
Motor City Blue
Retro
Black-Eyed Blonde
Ice Cold Kill

5 Most Enjoyed Sci-fi/Steampunk
The Martian
Lock In
The Midnight Mayor
The Return of the Discontinued Man
The Doctor and the Dinosaurs

5 Most Enjoyed Mystery Oldies
The Mouse In the Mountain
The Woman in White
Death of a Swagman
Maigret and the Bum
Murder By the Book

New Authors
A good year for reading new authors! If I counted correctly 54 were new to me. Favorites are: Norbert Davis, Arnaldur Indriaason and Gail Tsukiyama

Series present challenges
Skin Game was a delight, more like the earlier books than the last few.
The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches was a slight disappointment. Flavia had lost a bit of her brightness.
Another slight disappointment was The Long Way Home. Didn't enjoy him in his 'retired' status.
Concealed in Death was awful.

Special Highlights
Sometimes a book is just 'fun' Or it was just the 'right' book at the 'right' time.
The Corpse Wore Pasties was one such. It wasn't great writing, or even a challenging mystery, but it was tons of fun.
Brother Cadfael's Penance seemed like the perfect historical mystery. Couldn't see it getting any better than this.

I also managed to complete my goal of having at least 60% of my reads be from off my own shelves!

Reviews written 44

I didn't get around to listing my best and worst of the year but I love reading what others have listed. Obviously there are a couple of book bullets that whizzed past me during the year. Looking forward to your thread in 2015.

>97 mysterymax: Annnnd you just hit me with a book bullet! I love con/heist stories, so I will be checking out that series!

I love your wrap-up! And congratulations on getting so many off the shelves!

It's always great to actually reach an off the shelves goal!

Happy New Year!

Ah the problem is - they are read, but not very many will be off the shelf. Still more books than shelves and some that I read I can not part with!

Woo hoo! Great work on reading from your own shelves! It's an ongoing struggle ;)

Happy new year!!

cbl_tn, lkernagh and rabbitprincess each posted this year-end meme on one of their threads, and it looked like so much fun I had to do the same. This was done with books I read in 2014.

Describe yourself -- The Black-Eyed Blonde or the green-eyed redhead...
Describe how you feel -- Plum Lucky
Describe where you currently live -- In the Cube
If you could go anywhere where would you go -- The Long Way Home - just to spend more time in my Mini!
Your favourite form of transportation -- The Trojan Colt
Your best friend is -- A Blind Goddess ..by nature anyway
You and your friends are -- The Three Musketeers
What's the weather like -- Towards Zero
You fear -- Evil Under the Sun
What is the best advice you have to give -- Shut Your Eyes Tight
Thought for the day -- How Green Was My Apple
How you would like to die -- Somewhere in Heaven
Your soul's present condition -- The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon

Great meme responses!

It was fun!