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Free Republic Book Club, Week of 3/12/05

Posted on 03/12/2005 8:24:51 PM PST by Tanniker Smith

Welcome to the Free Republic Book Club

This week's topic, as noted last week, is mysteries.
Next week's topic has yet to be determined.

New comers are welcome. Feel free to ask to be added to the ping list. (Feel free to ask more than once if your name slips through the cracks.)

New threads are posted every Saturday. This thread is informal, but please respect the general rules of F.R.

Discuss.


TOPICS: Books/Literature
KEYWORDS: bookclub; books
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To: Tanniker Smith
I have just recently begun reading Christian fiction - but with mystery added.

Colleen Coble has 3 books with Bree Nicholls and her Search and Rescue dog, Samson. (very similar to Virgina Lanier's Bloodhound series.)

Dee Henderson has an excellent series on the O'Malley's.

21 posted on 03/13/2005 1:11:34 AM PST by mathluv
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To: Tanniker Smith

please add me to your ping list!


22 posted on 03/13/2005 1:36:37 AM PST by tommix2
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To: Tanniker Smith
I just finished a book by Brad Meltzer called "The Zero Game", more of a thriller than a mystery, but a very good book.

It centers in Washington DC, and the main characters all work in the Capital. Although the setting is political, it's not really. It's premise is a game that certain Congressional aides, and politicians play regarding bills that are about to be passed. They basically "bet" on the outcome of a bill, or if a bill will get to the floor for a vote, and because they are all Washington insiders they try and manipulate the process to their advantage. The twist is that no one knows who else is playing, because the players all have confidentiality.

After a murder of one of the players, a race ensues all centered on a abandoned gold mine in South Dakota.

Although not my favorite book of all time, it is certainly entertaining, and an easy read, I recommend it for a lazy weekend read.

23 posted on 03/13/2005 4:54:54 AM PST by codercpc
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To: Tanniker Smith

Mysteries are one of my favorites. I recommend books by these writers:

John Sandford
Dennis Lehane
John D. MacDonald (Travis McGee & everything else)
Ruth Rendell (who also writes as Barbara Vine)
James Lee Burke
Shirley Jackson (The Haunting of Hill House & We Have Always Lived in the Castle)

One of my favorite books in this genre is "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt. If you've missed this one along the way, treat yourself. :)

Happy reading!


24 posted on 03/13/2005 5:51:03 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: Coyoteman

I like Aaron Elkins' books, too. Very creepy. "The Dark Place" was fascinating.


25 posted on 03/13/2005 5:51:21 AM PST by Tax-chick (Donate to FRIENDS OF SCOUTING and ruin a liberal's day!)
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To: Galactic Overlord-In-Chief
I really liked "The Mark on the Door." The newer HB series, where one of the girlfriends gets blown up in a car bombing, doesn't quite suit me, though.

Mystery at Cabin Island was my favorite, followed closely by the Yellow Feather Mystery. The girl that gets blown up is Iola, Chet Mortons's sister and Joe Hardy's girlfriend. I never cared for the later ones, either.

A little off topic, but I just finished reading "Undaunted Courage" for the umpteenth time. Written by Stephen Ambrose, its a great account of Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery..

26 posted on 03/13/2005 5:56:12 AM PST by cardinal4 (George W Bush-Bringing a new democracy every term..)
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To: Tanniker Smith
Rex Stout: Nero Wolfe is a big detective (weighing close to 300 pounds) in NYC who never leaves his home on business. His assistant, Archie Goodwin does his legwork. Wolfe has absolutely no interest in women, but he is passionate about good food, good books and orchids.

He is somewhat lazy and Archie, who also handles their finances, often has to drive him to take a case. Archie also has to round up witnesses and bring them to the house, where Wolfe questions them and solves the mystery.

A special treat with all the books is the descriptions of the food that the chef, Fritz, prepares. Also, in one book, Wolfe scrambles eggs in a double boiler, which takes him 45 minutes. Someday, I do want to try that.

There was a television series based of the characters - I only watched it one time. I did not want my enjoyment of the books to be influenced by the images they chose for the characters and location. (I feel the same about "Cold Mountain. Will not watch that movie, ever.)
27 posted on 03/13/2005 6:13:27 AM PST by don-o (Stop Freeploading. Do the right thing and become a Monthly Donor.)
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To: Coyoteman
That sounds good! Death by atl-atl or is it atlatl? The thrower thingie.

What is the name of that Henry James mystery...Oh yes, The Turn of the Screw. I enjoyed it. Typical Henry James sentences that go on and on and never end but instead append yet more information in clauses attached to the main sentence without adding anything more than description of the previous clause....you get what I mean. :)
28 posted on 03/13/2005 7:03:38 AM PST by squarebarb
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To: don-o
Rex Stout: Nero Wolfe is a big detective (weighing close to 300 pounds) in NYC who never leaves his home on business. His assistant, Archie Goodwin does his legwork. Wolfe has absolutely no interest in women, but he is passionate about good food, good books and orchids.

Too interesting things about Nero Wolfe. My first exposure to him was actually a tribute story of sorts in Analog SF/SF (with an A.I. in Nero's place). I finally picked up a copy at a library sale after hearing more about him from other people. Oddly enough, it was the one book where Wolfe actually felt the need to leave his house. I was stunned.

TS

29 posted on 03/13/2005 6:39:34 PM PST by Tanniker Smith (Anyone going to Lunacon, March 18-20, 2005 in NJ?)
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To: Tanniker Smith
Monday Book Bump.

Since I will be spending the weekend at a Science Fiction convention (one of the more literary-minded ones, no less), would there be any objection to discussing science fiction next week?

We can leave fantasy out of it. That was discussed a couple of weeks ago.

I was also thinking that sometime in April or May (NOTE: I said April or May, not *right now*), we can try to assemble a list of specific books for a sort of Summer Reading Program. At that point we'll be able to talk about specific things.

So far, each week has consisted primarily of lists of authors, lists of books, a few responses to those and a bunch of "add me to the ping list" messages, but not a lot of discussion on any particular book (or even genre). On the other hand, a couple of Harry Potter threads generated a few hundred responses last week. So I'm thinking we'll have to, at some point, though not right this minute, move on to specific books.

TS

30 posted on 03/14/2005 9:36:08 AM PST by Tanniker Smith (Anyone going to Lunacon, March 18-20, 2005 in NJ?)
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To: Tanniker Smith
Tuesday Book Bump.

Where are all the bibliophiles?
It's a mystery to me.

TS

31 posted on 03/15/2005 7:05:42 AM PST by Tanniker Smith (Anyone going to Lunacon, March 18-20, 2005 in NJ?)
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To: Tanniker Smith
So do people prefer single mysteries, ones with continuing characters or series books? Do you have any sort of preference?

I've read or listened to about 6-8 of Sue Grafton's alphabet series, not in order, by any means. The character's personal life continues from one book to the next, but nothing that has a bearing on any of the mysteries. As previously mentioned, I read all of the Holmes novels (not the short stories, though). Other than that, I think it's just whatever I come across and decide to read. One Nero Wolfe book. A couple of Fletch books.

THere was an Edgar Rice Burroughs book that I read a few ago. I forget the name of it. I think there was a bear on the cover. (Whoops, there's the bell. I have to get to class.)

TS

32 posted on 03/15/2005 9:37:17 AM PST by Tanniker Smith (Anyone going to Lunacon, March 18-20, 2005 in NJ?)
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To: cyncooper

We're still reading the Happy Hollisters at this house. And the Boxcar Children too.


33 posted on 03/16/2005 3:03:53 AM PST by mlmr (Oh! I'm six months pregnant! Time to get Married and rake in gifts and cash!!)
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To: Tanniker Smith
Where are all the bibliophiles?
It's a mystery to me.

LOL

Starting my day off with a smile.

34 posted on 03/16/2005 5:06:39 AM PST by cyncooper
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To: Tanniker Smith

I read a couple "Cat Who..." books by Lilian Jackson Braun and they were odd in that they were almost completely about the detective in this Minnesota town and barely about the mystery. Mildly entertaining read for atmospheric and interpersonal presentation. No "on the edge of your seat" wondering "who done it".


35 posted on 03/16/2005 5:09:45 AM PST by cyncooper
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To: mlmr

Excellent. My daughter loved the Boxcar Children.

I still have all of my Nancy Drew books (my brother got the Happy Hollister collection) and said daughter has read almost all the Nancy's but recently pronounced she does not care for them very much, so I'm going to be selling the ones in decent condition on ebay.


36 posted on 03/16/2005 5:11:53 AM PST by cyncooper
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To: cyncooper
I have one of these. (Again, a library sale.) It was actually picked up by mistake. I won a set of four books, each starting with "The Cat ", but it was a different series. I haven't read either set yet. I misplaced the first two books in "The Cat Under Fire" series.

I figure that it's best to read them in order. I'm afraid that reading them out of order might give something away. But if I don't find them soon, I'll read 'em anyway.

TS

37 posted on 03/16/2005 6:44:23 AM PST by Tanniker Smith (Anyone going to Lunacon, March 18-20, 2005 in NJ?)
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To: cyncooper
I'm guessing that they're too "old-fashioned" for them.
My son came close to reading a Hardy Boys book, but he gave up on it. Too many characters to keep track of. It was a school assignment and he got to pick the book that he wanted to read (within the genre of the month), so I figured that if wanted to start over with another book, that was probably the best decision for him. (He's in 3rd grade, so it might've been a little much for him anyway.)

TS

38 posted on 03/16/2005 6:47:26 AM PST by Tanniker Smith (Anyone going to Lunacon, March 18-20, 2005 in NJ?)
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To: Tanniker Smith

Hi TS-
Thanks for the thread! I'm not a mystery reader but it's always interesting to see what others are reading.

RC


39 posted on 03/16/2005 8:02:17 AM PST by RushCrush (Hitler was a gun-banning, abortion-supporting, business-regulating, Christmas-hating, vegetarian.)
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To: Tanniker Smith
Book bumping for Thursday!

Watson, the list is afoot.
And Happy St. Paddy's to you.
(... and to Flanningan, Brannigan, Gilligan, Milligan, Duffy, McGuffy, Malacky, Malone, ...)

TS

40 posted on 03/17/2005 7:00:07 AM PST by Tanniker Smith (Anyone going to Lunacon, March 18-20, 2005 in NJ?)
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