Monday Mash Up

 

Monday, August 21, 2023 ~ Books, Halloween Bingo & More...

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THOUGHTS

Halloween Bingo. The great escape! I am so looking forward to it.

I have wanted to read a John Carr Dickson Carr story for a while now. Since Locked Room is one of my squares, I decided this year that I would spend a credit on one of the 4 JDC titles on Audible (since my libraries don't have any). My first choice, The Hallows, is not available as audio. To help me choose which one to read, I did a little quick research and come up with these two articles by Gigi Pandian on Crimereads.com. They were marginally helpful quick reads that I thought others might enjoy -- and might even find helpful.

• John Dickson Carr: The Master of the Locked Room-Mystery
• For those looking for a Gothic entry for HB, Pandian remarks, "I’ve noticed a convergence of two elements in Carr’s fiction: he constructs truly ingenious puzzle plots and he sets the scene with a Gothic atmosphere."  See Locked-Room Mysteries: A Beginner's Guide 

In the end, I settled on Castle Skull but I might treat myself to a second JDC for the Gothic square (instead of using a wild card to get rid of it).

 

OUGHTTOBIOGRAPHY

I ought to be reading more up-beat books these days. RL is rocky enough without borrowing the fictional troubles of others. I will definitely be working on this one and not just whining about it.

100 DAYS OF SUMMER

Only two of the four books I read this week fit into any of the game prompts, which happens when you choose a book and then try to make it fit one of the prompts instead of choosing books based on the prompts. Still with 10 days left to read, I hope to get a few more game books in before the close of business -- and maybe get my point average up a little. I have no idea where I stand compared to other players; I've been paying more attention to what you all are reading (looking for good reads) than what you are rolling.

81. Book that you acquired for free.
Great Courses: American Ideals: Founding a "Republic of Virtue"
Pts: 6 RT: 380 Avg: 7.17

7. Historical fiction novel with war as a theme.
A Fatal Lie by Charles Todd
Pts: 5 RT: 385 Avg: 7.13

 

THE BOOKS

Great Courses: American Ideals: Founding a "Republic of Virtue" Lectures by Professor Daniel N. Robinson

From the Audible Plus Catalog (titles available to members for free).  Political philosophy. The lecturer has a huge store of relevant knowledge that he brings to bear
3.25 starts

The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown by Vaseem Khan

A cute cozy series set in Mumbai.
3.25 stars

 

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby VanPelt

I can't make up my mind about this one. Is it schmaltzy? Or does it just have a rather strange narrative voice?  Is this an example of magical realism? I still can't seem to come to terms with what magical realism means and how it manifests. Definitely bittersweet with a happy ending. Do I recommend it? Not sure.  Not rant-worthy but just not raving about this one.
3.25

A Fatal Lie by Charles Todd

War is an ongoing theme in this series, war and how it has destroyed so many young men. After WWI, the term was "shell-shocked" and it was a stigma. There was no sympathy for or understanding of the damage done to the psyches of these men who spent the rest of their lives hiding their nightmares, pretending that everything was okay. My grandfather was one of these damaged men, and he served as a non-combatant

Too many readers complain about the ghost that haunts the the MC. They are tired of the voice in the MC's head and they think that it is time to get rid of that affectation. Those readers simply don't get it. That voice will never disappear. It will haunt Ian Rutledge until the day he dies. To remove it from the series and from Rutledge's life would be counter to the reality faced by soldiers. The damage never goes away.

Nonetheless, as much as I love this series and the less than perfect MC, I have decided that I will read one more and then it will be time to end our relationship on a high note, before the series jumps the shark. Charles Todd was a mother-son team of authors. Sadly, the mother passed away in 2021. The next book in the series was written by the son alone. I plan to read it and then put the series away.

3.75 stars