Book Club discusses "The Good Thief's Guide to Paris"

This month the book club read and discussed Chris Ewan's The Good Thief's Guide to Paris [a mystery]. The second of a new series--the first is The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam--continues the escapades of mystery writer and professional thief Charlie Howard. Here's a googled photo of writer Ewan.

The fictional roving Englishman Howard is on a book tour in France when he boldly takes a challenge to show how to break into an apartment. Rather, he takes the challenge after drinking too much wine with a new acquaintance.

Charlie pulls it off and soon he approached to break in the same apartment again--this time, to steal an oil painting. OK--Charlie is in his element--but things spin out of control when he discovers a dead body in his living room and he concludes he can't go to the police about the crime. Against the odds, he tries to clear his name while sinking deeper into art thefts.

The book was well-liked. Here are a few quick observations:

• Charlie enjoys success as a thief by working within a certain range of risk
  

• Charlie's books enjoy moderate success but it's suggested he has yet to reach his potential as a writer


• one book clubber said the writing on occasion seemed to awkward in the novel (the phrasing of sentences) while another said for English writers the sentences appear typical


• the novel takes the proper tone of not taking the story too seriously.

Fun note: with Ewan's next book, Charlie Howard will come stateside for a story set in Las Vegas.

"How Can I Keep Up With the Newest Books at the Library?"

In so many words, I was asked that question at my book club last week in regards to keeping up with new books at the library from authors that one may want to follow. Fortunately, the public library has a new convenient way to handle through your PC.

Wowbrary is a new resouce for weekly emails (or RSS) billed as providing information about "the newest stuff at your library (i.e. books, music CDs and DVDs)." On the website homepage, it also boasts of offering the advance of early notification of titles and the option to reserve bestsellers instantly. To begin, you provide your email address for the sign up page.

In the Charlotte area, go here to see our public library version of Wowbrary. The website is under the "Catalog Search" section and under the small heading "New Items." If you look closely, you will find "New Items" but this attractive resource doesn't get much promotion. Look and I think you're consider the website's layout is very user friendly too with its sections for top choices, dvds, recreation, personal growth, young people and more.

For the library user who has be up to date with new books and media this is just what the doctor ordered.

Updating "About Me"

When I started this blog, I did not think about incorporating myself as a focal fixture within the blog. The blog is about the book club, mystery books and books in general. So, I had decided to skip a photograph of myself and to have a very short "About Me" entry. And in case you've never noticed, About Me is on the right hand side of this blog page at the bottom.

However, it you look at the revised "About Me" entry--you can see I changed my mind. Recently, I read about the advantage of providing a fuller entry for readers to understand why the blog exists. Point taken. As a result, I decided to give more background about how the book club started with my involvement.

Hope it's interesting.

Now regarding the photo--that comes from playing copycat to the writer's photos which accompany their books (some are quite showy). In particularly, I'd say I roughly modelled my picture on two writer's photographs featuring Ross McDonald (in the hat) and Robert Crais (in the shades) as shown here.

Funny, clever and cute

In the book club selection this month of Chris Ewan's The Good Thief's Guide to Paris, I give credit him a good sense of wit. Late into this mystery novel, his protagist Charlie Howard describes one truly unique character as being "a good few hardbacks short of a full library, if you know what I mean."

Good line--or else I missed this joke during library school...

Book Club discusses "Death of a Cozy Writer"

This month, the book club read and discussed the first of new series Death of a Cozy Writer: a St. Just mystery.

Writer G.M. Malliet, a former journalist, won the Malice Domestic Grant for this title. The grant is awarded to unpublished writers for traditional mysteries following in the tradition of a Agatha Christie novel--that is the setting is within a confined setting of people who know each other in a novel without explicit sex or excessive gore or violence. Here's a pix of Malliet from her website.

Death of a Cozy Writer is set in Cambridgeshire, England (where Malliet also lives) with the unsettling activities of a wealth writer's planned remarriage and the negative reaction by his adult children. The writer, Sir Adrian Beauclerk Fisk, has build a successful book series with an Agatha Christie-type character. As a result, he may offer his children Ruthven, Sarah, Albert or George a wealthy inheritance upon his death. Instead, he toys with that possibility and changes his written will at whim--showing contempt to all his children. Tragically, during a major family gathering for the engagement announcement, one in the party is found dead.

With almost a third of the story told, Detective Chief Inspector St. Just enters the novel.

Here are some takes on the novel:

• DCI St. Just has an amazing gift of deduction to solve the case--he appears to shortcut the investigation process...


• the novel has its share of humor but not the sort of British humour some readers would expect (except for the laughable American character who tries too hard to fit in) and it struck me as being "catty" too often


• the "Cast of Characters" in the front of the book was nice for the reader


• the book was nicely written


• as a murder occurs in a eighteenth-century Cambridgeshire manor to bring the police to the location, the family and others remain there during the investigation and--unfortunately--another death occurs there so it was suggested the people should have been moved


• the most shadowy and seldom seem character,Violet Mildenhall was judged the most interesting because of her unique background


• the favoritism which Adrian displays to some of his children at times, and disapproval more often, raised a long discussion about favoritism in real families and how the issue is handled in fair and biased manners.

Overall, the book was judged as a OK but not noteworthy.

Two book reviews on library podcast--

I think this is ironic timing. I discovered at work last week while my voice had pretty much left me and I was reduced to whispering--the results of a cold--that a podcast session I recorded last year is now available. That is, I recorded a segment for a monthly podcast recording for the library system's "Reader's Club" website. One librarian hosts the sessions and invites others to participate.

My contribution are two book reviews from two previous book club meetings last year for Terry Hoover's Double Dead and Jesse Kellerman's The Genius in the month of February.

I had hoped to incorporate podcasts with this blog for months (and months) but I really haven't yet. It is still in the plans though.

You Decide: Likable Characters Needed?

I paused for a moment while listening to a radio interview with author Zoe Heller, promoting her new book The Believers. [Here's a pix of her which accompanies this National Public Radio story on the web.] She makes the point of explaining her work by saying "My hope, at least, is that I write difficult, complicated but sympathetic characters."

And to further stress this, she continues [in a forceful tone] "I'm slightly irritated by what I think is a kind of modern demand for characters you can root for, characters you would like to be friends with. Speaking as a reader, I have to say that some of my favorite characters in literature are some of the nasty ones." Those comments caught me as I hear during book club sessions about novels with unlikeable characters.

Being in a book club focusing on mysteries (i.e. crime stories), how do we reconcile this? It--frequently, it seems with my book club--comes up that a novel doesn't have any likable characters. Is it a must to have a character to at least root for (redeemable wouldn't be strong enough here) to have a good reading experience? Or should readers just accept that too many fictional characters operate from their own their own selfish, narrow or jaded interests and that's their lives?

What do you think?

Hollywood Celebrity Pens New Mystery

I'm sure I'm not just one of the 20 people in the world who browse through Google News to catch up on news but I might be. In any case, I zipped through some "Entertainment" stories recently and found one about a new mystery book co-authored comic Joan Rivers.

Writing about what ones knows is safe ground for any writer and Ms. Rivers makes that connection with her new book Murder at the Academy Awards: A Red Carpet Murder Mystery. Working with mystery writer Jerrilyn Farmer--a good match I believe, I read some of her work--Ms. Rivers broadens her writing chops with this genre fiction title. And the book has some genuine interest as it has a wait list for check-outs in library. Additionally, the library system has a few of her earlier books which are mainly biography and humor-themed.

How did the current contestant on NBC-TV's “The Celebrity Apprentice” get her mystery off the ground? She answers that during a recent interview found on "The Improper" website:

IM: Describe the writing process as you worked on “Murder at the Academy Awards: A Red Carpet Murder Mystery.”

Rivers: Well I worked with someone who is a great mystery writer named Jerrilyn Farmer, so it was great because she really brought all the mystery and showed me how to do that because I didn’t have a clue in hell. She didn’t have a clue in hell about what happens on the red carpet, what goes on backstage, what goes on at The Kodak Theatre, and what goes on in the gifting rooms, etc. We worked together.

IM: Which challenges did you come across as you wrote the story?

Rivers: I don’t know, I struggle with everything! (laughs) So many of the characters are composites of real people, and you don’t want to get in too close, but you also want to be able to tell a story that you heard about this person or saw about that person… So that was fun. It was all fun, it really was fun writing the novel- much easier than writing my other book which was such a research project!

A Visit Back to 2008 for the "Best of.."

Can you believe how quickly the year is going? Well, I thought about looking around for a "best of" list for mysteries last December then decided to let that go. Now, as it turns out, this morning I found such a list while looking at the National Public Radio website. Specifically, there's the "top five mystery and crime novels of 2008" with regular book review contributor Maureen Corrigan doing the honors (she has a great delivery for radio--I enjoy listening to her).

I like the selections although as I searched for them to my library system's collection, we only have The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson here.

Such as it is.

Book Club discusses "Christine Falls"

This month the book club discussed Benjamin Black's Christine Falls as the month's selection. The book is the first of a new series featuring Dublin pathologist Quirke, a frequent drinker with a troubled background. Here's a picture of the author from his website.

"Benjamin Black" is also a pen name for the award-winning Irish writer John Banville. The last award as noted on his website is the Man Booker Prize 2005 for The Sea.

Quirke, who is never referred to by his first name Garret, becomes suspicious when his stepbrother and physician Malachy ("Mal") Griffin alters the death record of recently deceased young maid Christine Falls. What would prompt Mal to do this Quirke wonders and--against his usual disposition--he actually becomes concerned and investigates the matter. The results are long in developing as Quirke finds few full answers until he travels to Boston to accompany a family member and the entire situation comes into focus.

The book club had mixed to negative reactions to the novel--perhaps more disappointed is correct to say. Some observations included the following:

the mystery element of the story was lacking--a few suggestions popped up about ways the novel could have turned with plot twists

Quirke was too unlikeable to have appeal (of course, the author designed the character to be complex and troubled)

one person found the changes in character narration of the novel confusing (it was mainly two but at least two others were given short passages

the same person liked the writer's use of language

Quirke finds the Catholic Church is supporting a conspiracy which bears a relation to cover-up of Christine Falls death and it appeared to be a strong slap at that institution

too much of the story was devoted to Andy Stafford and his wife Claire (they are tied into the Catholic Church conspiracy)

well-written book gives little of the book setting in the 1950s Ireland

why use the pen name "Benjamin Black"?

The paperback version of the book includes 12 "discussion questions" in the back and I shared them in the book club. This is only the second time I remember having accompanying discussion questions for a book club mystery title.

More Poe news (courtesy of a post office visit)

When I was growing up I collected commemorative postal stamps for a while and my mom even graciously purchased several of the special commemorative stamp sheets in an official binder. That said, I tend to look out for commemorative stamps even today although I slowly go through them (and the stamp postage price keeps rising before I do).

Anyway, I did have to make a trip to the post office earlier this week and I was pleasantly surprised to see a poster promoting a new Edgar Allan Poe stamp for sale in January. Of course, it came as the 200th birthday of Poe was observed (here's info about the stamp). I'll admit that the post office visit was guided by the simple need to get in and to get to mailers on the way but I look around to see if anything else is interesting.

I did not purchase any Poe stamps that day but I will likely in the near future. I guess I shouldn't pass on the "father of the mystery novel," huh? And with the increase in first class postage stamps coming in May, I feel prepared because I already have one and two cents stamps from the *last* price increase.

Final New Novels by Deceased Writers Craig and Spillane

I didn't know about the death of writer Philip R. Craig until I was flipping through book reviews in one of the library's professional magazines a few weeks back. Craig, author of the "Martha Vineyard mystery" series with private investigator Jeff Jackson, died in May 7, 2008. The last book by Craig is Vineyard Chill as mentioned on the author's still current website. I counted 22 books in the series from the website. In fact, it is mentioned there that still another "J.W.(Jackson)" novel which is partially written "may someday be completed by his family per his instructions" by another writer. So, readers are urged to just stay tuned. Here's a pix of Craig from his website.

Writer Mickey Spillane, who died in 2006, has a writing story which the late Craig may follow. Spillane's last private detective novel with Mike Hammer was completed following his death by writer--a friend and a fan as mentioned on "The Guardian" website--Max Allan Collins. The book is entitled The Goliath Bone and was published last year. With a story that is ripped from the headlines--it features Hammer confronting Islamic terrorists and Israeli extremists following an attempted robbery. Included here is a recent, googled pix of Spillane.

Notice about a new cozy mystery series--

Recently I received a reply to a post about a new book series courtesy of the author which stated "if you like pre-teen to grandmother for all ages, cozy mystery series, check out www.mrsbundle.com" and I thought mmmmm. Well, the website is for the "Mrs. Bundle Mystery Series" by author Allison Cesario Paton.

Our library system does not have any of the "Mrs. Bundle" titles (nor do any others as I checked in the WorldCat database) but that might change as the series continues. There are three titles to date. The stories involve Lettie Bundle, a senior sleuth in Vermont, her pet dog Cracker, and a teenage neighbor Angie Andersen teaming up in search for adventure. And take a look at the book covers, you'll know you're in cozy mystery territory with all the different colors and Mrs. Bundle's gentle, soft appearance.

Prolific writer Donald Westlake dies

As the new year began a few weeks ago, I missed the news story of the passing of yet another giant in the mystery-writing field. The prolific Donald Westlake died on New Year's eve while vacationing in Mexico. He was 75 years-old and here's a googled recent pix.

His writing career reached back to 1960 when his first book was published. Since then, Westlake is credited with penning more than 90 books--most set in New York City and sometimes written under the another name, usually Richard Spark. To read more about his life, check here for three obituaries and for even some more, check his website.

Edgar Allen Poe Birthday Celebration

One of my fellow librarian has been busy working on a special project during the past few weeks--developing a library celebration for the 200th birthday of writer Edgar Allen Poe. The event will be modest yet fun with cake and door prizes but our library is actually playing catch-up with a number of such events around the country. Poe's birthday is January 19th.

Of course, the literary giant--considered the inventor of detective fiction--will command much greater attention at his final resting place of Baltimore. And the website "Nevermore2009" gives the dirty on what to expect there with several big events scheduled throughout the year.

Anyone up for a trip to "Charm City"?

Book club discusses "The Seventh Sense"

This month the book club used an older title (1999) for the book discussion--T.J. MacGregor's The Seventh Sense. This is a stand-alone fiction title by MacGregor, who has written under other versions of her name, the "Tango Key" series and astrology books. And here's a pix of Trish MacGregor from her website.

The setup for the Seventh Sense is a sudden and lethal case of road rage resulting in the death of a driver and shake up of the passenger, his pregnant wife. The enraged driver, attorney Frank Benedict, panics and drives away from the scene later consoling himself with the notion that bad things happen to people (that is, that's the G-rated version of his thinking). That pregnant passenger is FBI agent Charlotte "Charlie"Calloway, who has a tragic miscarriage and quietly vows revenge against the driver.

Meanwhile, Frank enlists the aid of his wife, Anita, to get rid of the damaged
vehicle and to cover up any signs of criminal activity. The results strain the relationship and the mistrust takes its toll.

And Charlie gets assistance from a co-worker who enlists the help of an old
friend, former agent Doug Logan, to figure the case out. Logan, it turns out, possess unique psychic powers which include visions from touching another person.

Our book club discussion including the topics:

the actions of Frank Benedict and his redeeming qualities

a lawyer as a good criminal

Anita Benedict's response to Frank's actions and her family background

the possible relationship between Doug and Charlie (and her possible growing supernatural power)

a surprise ending with a violent confrontation

favorite characters from the novel (including a woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease)

good pacing and writing of the book by the author (I disagreed on the pacing
and thought the book rushed the ending but no one else said so)

good tale of revenge for greatly wronged heroine Charlie (of course, Charlie is wronged but naked blood lust for Frank left me oddly cool too)

the seventh sense itself.

No had read MacGregor but a few looked up and started to read other books written by her.

Book series comes to HBO in 2009--

I have HBO at home and aside from a few destinated shows, I don't watch it too much. And yet, I had it on between shows recently and got sucked into watched a long commercial segment with the networks' upcoming shows when I was surprised to see one new show. For just a split-second, the TV screen shows that Alexander McCall Smith's "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" series is coming soon.

I'm impressed that Botswana's fictional folksy detective, Precious Ramotswe, is bound for the screen although it is not brand new entertainment news (thanks, Variety). Oh well, good news is good news.

A Good Read in Advance of the Inauguration--

After the presidential election, you'd expect a lull in the all things political scene but recent news stories dictate otherwise. And I think you regular news readers (or radio listeners for NPR) would agree with me.

In that vein with an inauguration of a new president coming soon, I noticed this new paperback mystery which should have genuine appeal with all the fanfare of the upcoming presidential inauguration. The paperback is the second of the series featuring the most unlikeliest of heroines--a White House chef. Julie Hyzy writes about ambitious chef Ollie Paras with her new adventures in Hail to the Chef (a White House Chef Mystery). In this book, Ollie is quite busy when two strange deaths occur close to her and she feels drawn to follow her suspicions about them. The first death is of a careful electrician who is electrocuted to death and the second is of the First Lady's nephew who just hours before had worked with Ollie preparing food.

Hail to the Chef, also professes to include "recipes for a complete presidential meal" on the book cover.

Hyzy does show strong creative promise with this series. The first book is State of the Onion which my library system does not have.

The Recession and book publishing

Bad news just doesn't escape most of us and the book world is not immune I heard a recent radio news story about a major book publisher cutting back its work force and looking today, I found related stories on the Web. In particular, an AP news story says book publisher Macmillian (which includes [popular mystery] writer Janet Evanovich according to the article) is reducing its work force.

And yet, the book budget is unfazed as Macmillian CEO John Sargent says there will not be a change in the budget for acquiring books. So, that's good news. Still, you have to expect this would economy impact the book industry in negative ways. You just have to hope the good stories keep finding their way into print.

Book Club discusses "Still Life"

In November, the book club read and discussed the first Louise Penny book of the "Three Pines" mysteries Still Life. A few in the group had already read this book and moved through the three books of the series while the fourth book, A Rule Against Murder (an Armand Gamache Novel) arrives on bookshelves in January according to Amazon.

Here's a photo of Ms. Penny from her website. I also marveled at her busy schedule for her book tour including America (she lives in Canada). At the same day and time our book club met, she had a book signing scheduled for the Royal St. George's College in Toronto.

One book attendee said the series can read like a 900-page novel with the first three books running together. It certainly appears to make good sense as the same characters (mostly) appear in book after book. The series features Chief Inspector Armand Gamache from Quebec with a team of investigators called to handle homicide cases in the Three Pines village. In this story, Armand visits Three Pines for the first time to investigate the death of an old resident shot and killed by a hunting bow and arrow.

Some of the discussion focused on the following:

one character named "Ruth" who's a notable resident--a poet--and very blunt and harsh

the even temperament of Chief Inspector Gamache with his squad and the public in a noisy investigation

an expected climax when the police confront the murderer

how the relationship between one central couple in the story changes and sours

how Gamache works with a difficult young investigator on his squad (another very blunt-speaking character)

the appeal of the Three Pines village to the reader, the sense of community and humor.

The book was well-received and the group (all who attended began and finished the book) and some expressed interest in going through the series. I added additional information about the writer's background (working with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) and the multiple awards that Still Life received (including the New Blood Dagger for best first Mystery by the Crime Writers Association in Great Britain and the Arthur Ellis for best first Mystery by the Crime Writers of Canada).