One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

Hiss of Death by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown

Hiss of Death is the nineteenth book in the Mrs. Murphy series of mysteries.  I had read the previous eighteen.  I have noticed as the series progressed, that the tone of the books tended more and more towards political and topical discussions.  Those discussions were more in keeping with the established characters in this book than they have been in the previous books.  No matter what an author does, they cannot escape who they are and how they see the world.  In that regard, their characters become extensions of themselves.  The characters carry the author's views and opinions to the readers.  It takes a deft author to purposely insert a political and topical subject in an established series without making it appear that the characters are merely a soap box.  If the author is not careful, the opinions can quickly become a lecture, and fans, even those that agree with the author's points, can be turned off the series.

The Mrs. Murphy books were in danger of turning into lectures thinly, and badly, disguised as mystery novels.  I read to escape the world, but that does not mean that I object to the world seeping into my reading.  I think that a book that does not teach you something is a waste of good paper and ink.  This means that the authors should put a bit of effort into research, particularly if the topic of the book is something with which they are not familiar.  This book had some interesting ideas, none of which were fleshed out with any indication of research.  People tend to put faith in what they read, and more so if the author is known to them and trusted -- and the faith is there regardless of whether the author is an authority on the subject at issue.

This book discussed recovery from breast cancer.  The author's note, which should have been placed at the beginning rather than the end, indicated that any treatment or medical procedures were in general, generic terms.  I have no objection that, but there was a violation of that in the text of the novel when specific vitamins and strength building exercises were recommended for the main character.  If you are going to keep it general, keep it general.  Specifics are not general.  And the author is not an authority on treatment or recovery from breast cancer.  Readers could be doing themselves harm by following the regimen described in the book.

Overall the story was well done, if forced in places.  The final resolution of the murders was a bit too swift and bland for my taste.  But there was a good bit of animal-driven scenes, so I was happy to see that.  While this book came closer to the earlier books in the series than previous episodes, it was still a bit of a political lecture.  My biggest suggestion to the authors is to work a bit harder to get the political message back in character and to flesh out the mystery so the books do not sound so much like a lecture -- even if this editing and re-working means delaying the publication date.  Never put out a work that you are not proud to have your name on.  Never phone it in.  Your fans will know, and they will only accept so much before they find other favorites.

One Bear's Opinion:  Three Cups of Cocoa

Happy Reading Everyone, 

Oliver

One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

Cat of the Century by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown

I am still working my way through the Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie Brown Mrs. Murphy books.  This is the second to last before my housemate picks up some more later this year.  She and her mother share the books, with her mother reading them first and then forwarding them on to us.  It's nice to have good friends who read the same series.  It's very nice to have other people (or bears) with whom to discuss the books.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Warning:   This review contains what may be considered spoilers to some readers.  Please stop reading this entry if you do not want to have your experience of the book potentially ruined by what I will discuss below.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   * 

Cat of the Century was set during the celebration of one of the main recurring character's 100th birthday.  That event had such potential, but the book fell flat in highlighting it.  Perhaps it's because no-one the authors knew had ever really lived to be 100 and they didn't really know how to handle the situation.  But they had set Aunt Tally up as a powerful, forceful, outspoken Southern Woman and there was no way she would sit back and let a celebration of her take a back seat to anything, murder or not.  It was completely out of character for her to fade into the background and allow her 100th birthday celebrations to be overshadowed by snipe-y infighting at a college Alumnae Association.

It really seemed as though the plot of this book got lost in an advertisement for William Woods University.  The author's note at the end of the book confirms this book was a way to introduce a wider audience to the small university.  I have no objections to taking every opportunity to introduce a wider audience to smaller universities.  My own college experience was at a small, liberal arts college with loyal alumnae support, not unlike William Woods. But if the book was a device to introduce the University to the reading public, there were better ways to go about it -- ways that would not have been out of character for any of the book's beloved characters.

Also, out of character for the series as a whole was the final resolution of the plot.  The murderer was introduced only very briefly in the beginning and then in the last few chapters was highlighted, with information that could only point her out as the murderer.  It was sloppily handled and not in keeping with the tones of previous episodes in the series.  The murder, reasons for the murder and final unveiling of the murderer were a big disappointment.  It feels almost as though the book needed a final resolution and with the publication deadline rapidly approaching, the authors cobbled together a reasonably believable ending and went with it.  I expected better and was very disappointed.

I read series books because I develop a relationship with the characters.  I like the characters to stay in character.  This book was out of character for the characters from beginning to end.  It was not a fitting celebration of Aunt Tally's 100th birthday.  I wouldn't be surprise if most of the regular characters skipped this book as a form of protest.  I enjoyed reading the book, but I did not enjoy as one of the series.  I can only say read it if you want, don't if you don't; you're not missing anything in the series by skipping this one.  The only thing that was redeeming about it was the animals, and even they weren't in full form.

One Bear's Rating:  Two Cold Cups of Cocoa

Happy Reading Everyone,

Oliver

One Bear's Opinion -- Radio Show Review

Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!, October 27, 2012

My housemates and I like to listen to the latest episode of NPR's weekly news quiz show Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me! on Sunday nights as we are falling asleep.  (Don't tell them I know, but my housemates often fall asleep before the show is finished playing.)  It's a nice, easy way to end the week.  I like to have such traditions to mark the time.  Days can run together without things to distinguish them.  I have noticed a fairly regular routine:  my housemates are out late on Mondays; one is out late on Tuesdays; on Wednesdays, one goes out during the day and comes back with bags full of fun stuff; housecleaning is done on Thursdays, which is the scariest day of the week for us bears; one of the housemates heads to work later on Fridays but comes home early; then they both head out for day trips most Saturdays; and Sundays are lazy days, ending the week with college football and Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me! at bedtime.

We were surprised with this week's episode (October 27, 2012) because it was guest hosted by Drew Carey.  I suppose regular host Peter Sagal deserves days off, but at the same time, it does play havoc with my routine.  I like to have things predictable and the same; I am creature of habit.

In the interests of full disclosure, I should admit that I am not a fan of Drew Carey, I never have been.  Something about him just rubs me the wrong way.  I can't quite pin down what it is, but there is something that makes me bristle a bit when I see or hear him.  One of my housemates commented tat in the few episodes of The Price Is Right with Drew Carey hosting he had seen, it looked like Mr. Carey was just phoning it in, like he didn't care about doing the job well -- so he paled in comparison to Bob Barker even more than expected.  Thinking it over that may very well be the problem I have with Mr. Carey.  He appears to be phoning everything in.  I have seen him in his eponymous show, hosting Whose Line Is It Anyway?, as a guest star in a number of shows, as well as hosting a couple of episodes of The Price Is Right.  He never seems to want to be there, his mind is never focused on the task at hand.  Mr. Carey, if you don't like your job, if you always want to be somewhere else, then get another job and be somewhere else!

The regular panelists of this episode did valiantly trying to keep up the witty banter and jokes the listeners are used to, but there was a big hole where the host should be.  It was a disappointing end to my Sunday.  Mr. Carey admitted that he is a huge soccer fan, but even with U.S. Soccer star Abby Wambach playing "Not My Job," there was no genuine excitement in his voice, no indication that he was thrilled to be guest hosting that segment.  The witty banter was obviously scripted and was delivered without emotion or humor -- and that was hard to imagine as the questions were all about wombats!  Heck, even the word wombat is funny to say!  (Don't tell my friends who are wombats I said that, please?)  It's hard to figure out how anyone can remove the humor from a pointedly humorous discussion of wombats, but Mr. Carey managed.  Were it not for the panelists the show would have put everyone to sleep within the first five minutes.

I will continue to look forward to my Sunday night Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me! fix, but I do hope that they do not invite Drew Carey to guest host again.  I suggest inquiring after Fozzie Bear's schedule the next time the show needs a guest host.  But I may be biased in that regard.

One Bear's Rating:  One Box of Stale Popcorn

Happy Sunday Everyone, 

Oliver

One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

Santa Clawed by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown

Yes, I am working my way through the Mrs. Murphy books.  This latest installment was better than the previous one, The Purrfect Murder.  It came closer to the earlier books in the series in terms of characters and story line, as well as my personal enjoyment.

I do not understand the author's fascination with Catholic monks.  Truthfully, I cannot decide if it is more a case of curiosity or an anti-Catholic bias.  Either way, this was the second book in the series that featured a murder among a monastery community, though for some reason this one did not reference the previous book, either in story or characters.  You would not think that an area as small as Crozet is would have two completely unrelated monastery communities.  But that may be my own Catholic-bias.  That could also explain my non-fascination with religious communities.  While the religious community was integral to the story, but it need not have been strictly a religious community.  The monastery was simply a plot point, and the group in question could have been anything from a college campus to a social group.  The story was interesting, and the final murderer was a surprise to me, though I had some parts figured out long before the author revealed the facts.  I read mainly for enjoyment and diversions from my every-day routine.  The challenge of figuring out the mystery is not important to my enjoyment, I much prefer to have a good story with engaging characters.  And the regular characters in the series are quite engaging, especially the animals.  I think the new to each book characters are not meant to be very engaging, so that when they are never mentioned again, the readers don't really have a reason to wonder about them.

One of the things I have noticed about series mysteries, especially series set in small towns, is that either new characters are introduced in each installment, characters that have never been previously mentioned and are never mentioned again, or beloved characters must be victimized, simply for lack of new blood.  The Mrs. Murphy series takes the Star Trek route.  You know how in Star Trek episodes, the new, unnamed character in the red uniform is always going to die?  Well in series mysteries, the new, never-before-mentioned characters are either going to be the victim of murder or will be the murderer.  As a result, the books can be rather formulaic.  Of course, mysteries are formulaic by their very nature, but I have become more and more aware of this Star Trek plot device as I have worked my way through the series.  I am beginning to wonder if each new installment will follow the Star Trek formula, or will it go the way of Lillian Jackson Braun's The Cat Who... series and sacrifice local characters.  Only time will tell.

Back to this story though, it was well constructed, and had much more animal involvement.  Perhaps it's because I am a bear, but I always like the animal-driven scenes better than the human interaction scenes.  This was back to classic Mrs. Murphy with a good amount of animal interaction, and the animals had save Harry once again.  Overall, I say this book is worth reading, but if you skip it you will not have missed much.

One Bear's Rating:  Three Cups of Cocoa

Happy Reading Everyone,

Oliver

One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

The Purrfect Murder by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown

I know I should start reviews of series books with the first in the series, but the truth is I read the first books in many of the series I read a long time ago, and would have to re-read the series to give an accurate review of each book.  As sad as it is to admit, I do not have time re-read entire series where there are so many other books out there waiting for me to read them.  So, I'm starting with the book I have most recently completed, no matter where it falls in the series.

First off, let me say that I love the Mrs. Murphy mysteries.  They are lighthearted, easy reads, and they are illustrated.  I have often wondered why more "adult" books are not illustrated.  One of my housemates has a beautifully illustrated edition of Little Women.  I don't particularly like Little Women, but I do like to look at the pictures.  Illustrations need not be reserved solely for children's books.  And the illustrations in the Mrs. Murphy books have gotten better.  In the first books in the series, the illustrator must not have read the books, as a point is made that Tee Tucker is a corgi without a tail.  The early illustrator invariably pictured Tee Tucker with a tail.  If the point is important enough to be mentioned in every book, it's important enough for the illustrator to make a note of when drawing the character in question!

Okay, complaints about earlier illustrators aside, this was a very enjoyable mystery.  I read a fair number of mystery novels.  I hesitate to call them generically murder mysteries, as not all mysteries involve a murder, though the vast majority do.  I am familiar with most of the plot points and twists and can usually pick the murderer well before the half-way point in the story.  This one had me surprised at the dénouement.  I was sure I had pegged the murderer, only to be genuinely surprised when all was revealed.  I also thought the red herring wild goose chase to be a very interesting plot diversion, and had me confused as to where it was going and whether it had any bearing on the murder.

My one complaint with this book is that I have noticed that the later books in the Mrs. Murphy series have a much more topical, political tone, and the (human) author's own opinions are somewhat forced upon the characters.  This practice is, of course, the author's prerogative, but sometimes too much heavy-handed lecturing through beloved characters can turn fans off the series.  I am seeing this series get dangerously close to that line.  I use reading as an escape from the current events of the real world, and do not particularly like to be lectured at on those same subjects I am trying to avoid by reading novels instead of keeping up with current affairs.  I am an open-minded and relatively well-informed bear, but even so I do not enjoy being hit over the head with the author's opinion on every page.

Overall, I would not describe this book, or any other Mrs. Murphy installment, as great literature, but they are all fun diversions and enjoyable reads.  I do like following the lives of the animals, and especially like the encounters with wild animals.  If you are in the mood for a fun, easy read, without too much gore or thrills, definitely check out the Mrs. Murphy books.  It is not strictly necessary that you read them all in order as the important plot points are recapitulated at some point in every book.

One Bear's Rating:  Three Cups of Cocoa

Happy Reading Everyone,

Oliver

Autumnal Thoughts

It's the weekend here at my house. Some weekends are busy and frenetic with goings here and there and things to do. This weekend is not one of those. I'm glad too. This is the weekend when we Spring Forward into Daylight Savings Time. I always feel a bit fuzzy when we lose or gain time, but the short says are the worst. I am sure I am cheated out of sleep for a week or more until I get used to the new time.

I'm still getting used to the time here. The calendar says it's October and to my mind that means autumn and all things fall-ish. In my head I see October and expect pumpkin-spice everything to pop up at stores and cafes, high school football reports on the Friday night news, and Saturdays to be full of would-be college quarterbacks wandering around getting game-day snacks ready. None of those things are associated with Daylight Savings Time. It's hard to get my head around the trees leafing out and the birds engaging in courting rituals in October. It's harder still to contemplate Saving Daylight in November! It's just wrong somehow.

But anyway, it's a lazy weekend around here and I intend to laze with the best of them. I have a new book to check out and I think I may lose myself in it.

Happy October Everyone.

Oliver

Introduction

Hello World!

We thought it was about time we joined the blogging world.

We can't guarantee we'll be a regular posters, but we'll be here when we have things to say.  Truly it all depends on our access to the computer.

This first post is just to test the system, and you'll get to know us and our styles as we go along.

Hope to see more of you in the future.

Oliver & Spencer