Mystery

2 non Cybils and I am behind on blogging

2009, Books in Bed, Chick Lit, Fiction, Mystery /

Ack. No idea how I could have read two adult novels without getting them blogged… oh wait, I know exactly how that happened. There was this, and that, and totally unexpected that, too. Life is getting a little too crazy if I can’t even get a couple of measly chick lits blogged! Must try harder? Or quit work earlier? Or start work later? Something.

Anyway – how come I’ve never read a Molly Murphy book before? Seems a little odd, doesn’t it? I mean TW is constantly picking up weird mysteries and chick lit series books and I usually end up reading a few here and there (which is how we ended up with In a Gilded Cage.)

I almost didn’t read it because I read it over TW’s shoulder a couple of nights when she wouldn’t turn out the light and there was an awful lot about marriage in there. But TW said I’d like it and it was about suffragettes and stuff. So, when I finished a graphic novel and that was the only interesting book on the library shelf… I gave it a go.

Amusing. Too much marriage but heck, it was set in NYC a long time ago. Molly’s a pretty progressive woman for that age.

After that, again I picked up a book TW had just finished. It just happened to be nearby and I couldn’t think of anything waiting on the shelf that sounded better. Also, any book that mentions Jestine’s and The Upstate must be read as soon as possible. Can’t Never Tell does both of those things. It’s also amusing and boring, all at the same time. Which normally isn’t something I’d look for in a book but based on the week I’ve had – it’s exactly the kind of book I needed to read. Something familiar, but easy. Perfect.

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Silver Needle Murder

2 Comments / 2009, Books in Bed, Chick Lit, Mystery /

I’ve been trying to come up with books to reserve at the library for TW’s mom. She likes romance. She likes mysteries. She seems to like series. She also needs large print. (If you’ve got recommendations, send ’em my way!) One of the series that popped into my head was the “tea shop mystery series set in Charleston”.

So I reserved the one that TW and I had read (and enjoyed) but when I got it home, she said she’d already read it. So, I reserved another… The Silver Needle Murder.

I must have mellowed in my old age because books set in Charleston that aren’t perfectly accurate used to bug me. Now, they don’t. I just plain enjoy every darn Charleston story I read. Homesickness or sick of freezing, icy, snowy, disgusting Chicago. Whatever. I liked this one. Silly chick lit mystery stuff, pure fluff. But hey, we all need fluff – particularly during Chicago winters.

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A Spoonful of Poison

2008, Books in Bed, Don't Read This, Fiction, Library, Mystery /

Before I blog about A Spoonful of Poison I have to blog about the Glenview Public Library because we got this book from the library. Which isn’t all that surprising BUT what is surprising and interesting is that it cost us $1 to “rent” this book from the Glenview Public Library.

When we picked it up off of the shelf, we didn’t notice the word “rental” on the spine. It was only when we got to the counter and the librarian said “this is a rental, can only be held for seven days, cannot be renewed and costs $1” that we noticed it.

I paid the dollar because I was interested to see just what kind of book the Glenview Public Library considers good enough to slap the word “Rental” on – and charge $1 for. Ummm, I should have put it back on the shelf. It just wasn’t that good. Certainly no better than any other cheesy murder mystery series and possibly worse than most cheesy murder mystery series.

I still don’t understand why some books are given “Rental” status and others are simply given the “7 day book status”. I will be watching for the word “rental” on the spine to see if it becomes clearer to me but I somehow doubt I’ll be paying the $1 again any time soon to “rent” a book.

Anyway, about Spoonful of Poison – errr ok, cheesy murder mystery series, I think TW said it was number 19 in the series. Interesting – never heard of the author, (though the book indicates she’s a NY Times Best Seller), never read any of the other books and I’m guessing if we’d read more of the books we would have understood just why people seem to react so negatively toward Agatha Raisin right off the bat. And also why there were so damn many miscellaneous characters.

Ho hum.

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The Dead Cat Bounce

2008, Books in Bed, Fiction, Mystery, Women /

Ha. The Dead Cat Bounce is the first book in the “Home Repair is Homicide Mystery Series”. This is another of those fluffy series’ that TW reads a ton of but I never manage to read any of – because she reads a lot faster than I do. I’m attempting to read at least ONE of each of the weird series’ she picks up from the library, particularly if she happens to pick up the first one – first. Which she did with this one.

Totally amusing. I’m guessing the ones that come later will be even more amusing, with more home repair issues tossed in for fun. I probably won’t ever read any of them but at least I can think about reading them and smile a little.

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Bleeding Out

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, From the Stacks Challenge, Mystery, Queer /

TW picked up Bleeding Out during a quick trip we made to Wild Iris, in search of a couple of laptop stickers for Michelle and Prince J for Christmas. We didn’t really find the stickers we wanted but we did find books. As usual. Heh.

TW picked up Bleeding Out and never put it down. That doesn’t always mean it’s a great book but she has probably said “that was really good” a dozen times since she finished it. And after a really slow start, I would have to agree. It was a really good lesbian cop novel.

I’m not sure I like having a character named “Lawless” and Frank felt a little too Kate Delafield for me at times – but overall, I was happy with it and I liked the characters. Let’s see if we can find the next one in the series and let’s see if it is just as good.

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Deeply Disappointing Dexter

2 Comments / 2007, Books in Bed, Fiction, Mystery /

There. I said it. Hard as it was. It’s true. Dexter in the Dark was deeply, deeply disappointing. (spoilers ahead…)

I settled into the book with excitement even though TW expressed some concerns regarding the book. She felt some confusion over the story line and characters because it had been so long since we read the second Dexter and because we have watched the Showtime series (which does not follow storyline or character building the way the books do.) I wasn’t worried, I’m better at holding story lines and character development than she is.

Bah. The problem wasn’t with the passage of time or the differences between book and TV, the problem was with this book itself. Why, why, why did we need “It”? Why couldn’t Dexter and his Dark Passenger simply be what they were? Why did we need some “God” from tens of thousands of years ago to step into the picture and “explain” Dexter’s Dark Passenger?

And, the Cody & Astor storyline? Wrong. It just felt wrong. Cody was written fairly well – even with the whole “Meloch” bit. Astor, not so much. It’s like she’s an afterthought. Either she is like Cody & Dexter or she isn’t – she can’t be “half way”.

Also, Doakes. Maybe I’m getting the characters muddled between the TV show and the book but it felt like Dexter was doing a bit too much mocking of the guy. It felt wrong.

The whole book just felt wrong. The curse of the “third book”, as sassymonkey suggested to me in google talk? Or the author feeling confused by the TV show? Or is this the way the author saw Dexter (and the kids and Doakes) all along and I didn’t see it coming? Could we just have a dream sequence start the next book? Dexter dreamed that entire book and none of it really happened? I’d appreciate that.

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Kilt Dead

2007, Books in Bed, Chick Lit, Fiction, Mystery /

I can’t remember how I stumbled upon Kilt Dead – is it written by the author who did that Garden Spells book? Or maybe that tea shop in Charleston mystery? Whatever. I know I reserved it because I was amused by the title, that’s a great way to choose a book, right?

It’s a great title but not a great book. Not a bad book, either. Just what you’d expect. A little chick lit. A little mystery.

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